Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation: 2013 Edition

Over the past forty-one years, I have had the pleasure of experiencing some marvelous vacations and unforgettable moments aboard cruise ships. I have seen the cruise industry grow from a formal haven for the very rich to a fun-filled, exciting, bargain holiday for a broad cross section of our population. Every year, greater numbers of travelers are wisely spending their vacation dollars on a cruise. It has been estimated that the cruise-passenger market has increased 1,800 percent since 1970, when half a million people took a cruise. In 2013, over fourteen million North Americans are expected to enjoy a cruise vacation. Since 2000, nearly 115 new ships have joined the cruise market, and plans to build numerous additional vessels over the next few years have been announced by various cruise lines. Seventy percent of today's cruisers are between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-nine and include singles, couples of all ages, families with children, honeymooners, and groups. Undoubtedly, cruising is the most popular and fastest-growing segment of the travel industry.