Alaska, the Caribbean islands and Mexican coast, the Mississippi River, and the northeastern United States type the spine of the cruising itineraries. Europe is the second most popular selection for American cruisers, with South America, the South Pacific, Asia, and Africa distant thirds. However, the seek for new markets coupled with consumer demand for extra “exotic” ports of call has led to an increase in the demand for more distant itineraries. For instance, 600,000 cruise passengers visited Alaska in the course of the annual season from May to September 1999. Three hundred thousand of those passengers visited the port of Anchorage. Direct expenditures by the cruise trade have been $103 million; expenditures by passengers added an additional $28 million.
Segregated into first class, tourist or second class, and steering or third class, there would usually be one hundred passengers in first-class, 200 in second, and a pair of,000 in third. …