What does this mean for consumers? “As the ship fills up, the prices go up,” said Paul Motter, editor at CruiseMates.com. “They give you the best prices six months to a year out, and at the very end, if there are still empty cabins, they discount them. The best way to get the best deal on a cruise is to book early. Almost all the cruise lines offer price guarantees, so if you see a price lower than what you booked, they will honor that.”

On the other hand, you can still find last-minute bargains in places where the market is “really soft,” according to Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com. She recommends bargain hunting in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Turkey, and the Mexican Riviera.

Despite the slow economy, most lines used attractive pricing and active marketing to keep their heads above water. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said ships in 2009 sailed at 104 percent capacity on average, meaning that every room was occupied, and some rooms were shared by more than two people. At the same time, the number of passengers keeps increasing: 13.01 million people cruised on CLIA ships in 2008, 13.44 million in 2009 and a projected 14.3 million will sail in 2010.

One way U.S,-based cruises tried to keep their ships full to make up for slow growth in the North American market was by dramatically increasing the number of international passengers. The number of passengers from outside North America has doubled to more than 3 million a year since 2003, while the number of U.S. and Canadian passengers has increased by just 30 percent to 10.29 million.

“Maybe we are not recession-proof, but we are recession-resistant,” said Richard Sasso, CEO of MSC Cruises and marketing director of CLIA.

[Information for this post was taken largely from a story by the Associated Press.]

As a result of the strong booking volumes, a general price increase will be implemented effective March 22 for all summer sailings in June, July and August. From January 1 through February 21, 2010, bookings were at unprecedented levels for the line’s twenty-two ships which operate 3- to 15-day voyages from a variety of convenient North American home ports.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said, “We’re seeing significantly increased volume as consumers are taking advantage of the incredible value that a Carnival cruise provides. And while pricing hasn’t fully recovered to 2008 levels, we are increasing prices and will implement an across-the-board increase effective March 22.” He said that the price increases will vary by departure date but will be up to 5 percent.
Cahill attributed the record booking activity to a wide range of factors, including strong travel agent partner support, targeted marketing initiatives, itinerary enhancements and the wide variety of close-to-home departure points.

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with its “Fun Ships” operating voyages to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England and Europe.

Carnival also has two new ships on order — the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, which is scheduled for delivery in 2011, and a sister ship set to debut in 2012.