Cruise ships are a popular way to explore the world, and many of them sail in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. But there are plenty of other destinations that cruise ships visit, such as Alaska, the South Pacific, the Baltic Sea, and New England. When a cruise ship moves from one region to another, it usually operates a repositioning cruise. Florida is the best option for a cruise vacation, as it is home to the world's three busiest cruise ports: Port of Miami, Port Canaveral, and Port Everglades.
Tampa, Port of Palm Beach, and Jacksonville are also popular Florida cruise ports. The Sunshine State's proximity to short cruises to the Caribbean has been a major factor in its success. Short “trial” cruises of two to three nights to nearby Bahamas and the Caribbean are a great way for first-time travelers to get their feet wet. There are plenty of airports nearby and transportation options to get to the cruise port.
Cruise ship development requires substantial capital to finance infrastructure improvements, as cruise operators demand better facilities. Cruise lines and ports must work together to schedule itineraries and assign berths. The increasing scale of cruise ships and the greater scale of port operations have led to replanning existing itineraries or scheduling new ones. Ports that handle more than a million passenger movements per year can be classified as very large, large, medium, or small.
California has its own local cruise market with short cruises to Baja Mexico and longer itineraries in Alaska and Hawaii. Midwest and West Coast travelers often take cruises from Galveston to the Gulf Coast and Mexico on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney lines. The key concept is to benefit from the growth of the cruise industry by creating networks and promoting regions as cruise destinations. Online shuttle services from cruise ships or independent cruise ports can be expensive, so a taxi might be a better deal for families.
Cruise lines focus on providing services to passengers rather than just transportation services. Cruise ports often have temporary facilities with berths that allow other uses when cruise ships don't stop. Those responsible for developing cruise ports should be more skeptical about assigning more port areas to cruise ships. Cruise lines' expenditures on goods and services provide additional motivation for organizing cruise activities.
