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MARAD 03-06 |
Contact: Shannon Russell |
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Wednesday, March 08, 2006 |
Tel.: (202) 366-5807 |
Cruise Passenger Traffic Increased by 3.5 Percent in 2005
Maritime Administration Figures Show Growth Continued Despite Hurricanes: Los Angeles and Honolulu Departures Show Most Growth
North American cruise passenger traffic increased by 3.5 percent in 2005, with more than 9.7 million passengers carried on 4,463 cruises by the seventeen largest cruise lines, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). Growth figures were lower than in recent years, due in part to last year’s hurricanes, but occupancy rates remained extremely high, reaching nearly 110 percent. (Note: A double stateroom with two passengers is considered 100 percent occupied. Since many double staterooms can accommodate three or four people, occupancy can be more than 100 percent.)
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Table 1. North American Cruise Statistics, 2003-2005 |
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Normal |
Occupancy |
Passenger- |
Avg. |
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Year |
Cruises |
Passengers |
Capacity |
(%) |
Nights |
Nights |
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2003 |
4,094 |
8,348,719 |
7,875,665 |
106.0 |
53,533,841 |
6.41 |
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2004 |
4,465 |
9,418,317 |
8,724,434 |
108.0 |
61,627,535 |
6.54 |
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2005 |
4,463 |
9,747,188 |
8,885,612 |
109.7 |
63,730,903 |
6.54 |
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Ports that escaped hurricane damage last year showed the most dramatic growth in 2005: Los Angeles departures shot up 41.5 percent; Honolulu grew 37.9 percent; and Jacksonville increased 20.5 percent. Even Galveston, TX, which was temporarily closed due to Hurricane Rita, showed 22.5 percent growth during 2005. New Orleans had been showing strong growth in the first two quarters, with departures up 23.7 percent over the same period in 2004, but after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans experienced a 22.2 percent decline for the year.
“The cruise industry’s continued strength shows us how robust the American economy is,” said Acting Maritime Administrator John Jamian. “In spite of the hurricane season, the industry keeps on growing. The Port of New Orleans will be back in the picture in a big way soon,” added Jamian, noting that New Orleans expects to have most of its cruise business back by the end of this year.
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The North American Cruise line market is highly concentrated, with the five largest lines accounting for 84.9 percent of the passenger-nights in 2005 (Table 2), up slightly from 83.9 percent in 2003. Over the last three years, each of these lines has registered growth in passenger-nights over the last 3 years. In addition, average cruise length has grown slightly over the past three years, from 6.4 to 6.5 nights.
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Table 2. North American Cruise Passenger Nights by Cruise Line, 2003 - 2005 |
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Cruise Line |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
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Carnival Cruise Line |
15,969,599 |
17,276,524 |
17,738,690 |
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Royal Caribbean International |
13,324,505 |
15,735,164 |
15,962,894 |
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Princess Cruises |
5,535,512 |
7,730,667 |
8,316,412 |
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Norwegian Cruise Line |
5,613,495 |
6,086,050 |
7,187,735 |
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Holland America Line |
4,490,515 |
5,105,213 |
4,906,262 |
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Celebrity Cruise Lines |
4,982,824 |
5,062,467 |
4,665,555 |
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Disney Cruise Line |
1,843,431 |
1,849,956 |
1,875,052 |
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Costa Cruise Line |
583,006 |
627,702 |
868,757 |
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Cunard Line |
237,705 |
809,055 |
802,394 |
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Crystal Cruises |
342,008 |
385,177 |
392,029 |
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MSC Italian Cruises |
107,927 |
296,366 |
381,985 |
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Radisson Seven Seas Cruises |
301,102 |
371,658 |
372,825 |
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Oceania Cruises |
30,985 |
80,088 |
87,482 |
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Silversea Cruises |
46,193 |
86,413 |
71,285 |
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Seabourn Cruise Line |
50,291 |
51,715 |
51,299 |
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Windstar Cruises |
53,417 |
49,431 |
25,652 |
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Seadream Yacht Club |
21,326 |
23,889 |
24,595 |
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Total |
53,533,841 |
61,627,535 |
63,730,903 |
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Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale accounted for 43 percent of passenger departures in 2005 (Table 3), down from 49 percent 2 years earlier. For the same period, U.S. West Coast ports registered a 64 percent increase in departures, increasing their combined share from 12 percent to 17 percent. Most notable among West Coast ports was Seattle with a 104 percent increase.
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Table 3. North American Cruise Passengers by Departure Port, 2003 - 2005 |
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Departure Port |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
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Miami |
1,867,106 |
1,682,777 |
1,771,250 |
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Port Canaveral |
1,113,793 |
1,230,130 |
1,233,616 |
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Fort Lauderdale |
1,099,742 |
1,237,227 |
1,199,413 |
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Los Angeles |
516,212 |
434,352 |
614,780 |
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San Juan |
579,091 |
676,600 |
581,116 |
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Galveston |
377,461 |
433,355 |
530,704 |
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Vancouver (Canada) |
465,504 |
436,156 |
434,455 |
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Tampa |
418,785 |
399,159 |
407,665 |
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New York |
431,528 |
548,016 |
369,870 |
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Long Beach |
170,591 |
401,341 |
362,834 |
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Seattle |
164,978 |
290,880 |
336,538 |
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New Orleans |
296,754 |
395,821 |
308,394 |
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Honolulu |
172,637 |
170,183 |
235,647 |
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San Diego |
93,423 |
172,639 |
234,284 |
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Cape Liberty |
0 |
0 |
146,714 |
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Jacksonville |
6,387 |
113,728 |
137,083 |
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Houston |
12,944 |
90,515 |
98,545 |
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Whittier |
0 |
88,293 |
95,504 |
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San Francisco |
51,576 |
84,894 |
88,822 |
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Mobile |
0 |
28,821 |
87,628 |
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Boston |
69,267 |
73,105 |
80,403 |
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Seward |
151,760 |
75,034 |
67,957 |
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Baltimore |
56,693 |
104,633 |
66,782 |
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Philadelphia |
24,620 |
29,624 |
50,444 |
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Norfolk |
15,444 |
47,888 |
45,414 |
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Charleston |
31,639 |
38,892 |
41,337 |
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All Other Ports |
160,784 |
134,254 |
119,989 |
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Total |
8,348,719 |
9,418,317 |
9,747,188 |
Third and fourth quarter departures clearly showed the impact of last year’s hurricanes (Table 4). While departures from New Orleans fell sharply, the impact on overall departures was softened by growth in departures from other North American ports.
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Table 4. North American Cruise Passengers, New Orleans and Other Ports, 2003 - 2005 |
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Year |
Qtr. |
New Orleans |
Other Ports |
Total |
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2003 |
1 |
79,319 |
1,949,491 |
2,028,810 |
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2003 |
2 |
41,848 |
1,970,230 |
2,012,078 |
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2003 |
3 |
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