FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CruiseCompete Releases October 2012 CruiseTrends™ Report and 2012 Cruise Index™

DETROIT (October 4, 2012) – CruiseCompete has released its CruiseTrends™ and Cruise Index™ reports for the month of October 2012. This report is sponsored by ©EyeforTravel Ltd.

The CruiseTrends™ report for October 2012 is detailed below. To see more topics and data, please visit CruiseCompete’s Press Room or click here to see the entire October 2012 report.

The CruiseCompete Cruise Index™ for October 2012 was 146, remaining the same as September 2012, and down one point from October of 2011. Regional pricing indices remained stable or saw a decrease in all regions, except the Bahamas and Mexico, from September 2012.

The CruiseCompete Cruise Index ™ is calculated based on the average daily per-passenger (double occupancy) cost for the lowest-priced oceanview cabin category on a seven-night cruise on the six largest North American cruise lines. See details and indices by region and Monthly Historical Cruise Prices.

Most Popular Cruise Lines
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each cruise line in the given month)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Carnival Cruise Line
2. Luxury: Cunard (Changed from Seabourn last month)
3. River Cruises: Viking River (Changed from AmaWaterways last month)

In second place is Royal Caribbean International for premium/contemporary, Oceania Cruises for luxury and AmaWaterways for river cruises. More…

Most Popular Cruise Ships
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each ship)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Caribbean Princess
2. Luxury: Queen Mary 2
3. River: MS AmaCerto

Next in popularity are the Oasis of the Seas for premium/contemporary, Oceania Riviera for luxury, and the MS AmaCello for river. More…

Most Popular Cruise Regions
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each region)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Caribbean
2. Luxury: Europe
3. River: Europe

Next in popularity are North America for premium/contemporary, Mediterranean for luxury, and Asia/Far East for river cruises. More…

Most Popular Cruise Departure Ports
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each departure port)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Fort Lauderdale, FL
2. Luxury: Southampton, U.K. (Replacing Miami, FL from last month)
3. River: Amsterdam, Netherlands (Replacing Budapest, Hungary from last month)

Next in popularity are Miami, FL for premium/contemporary, New York, NY for luxury, and Basel, Switzerland for River. More…

Most Popular Cruise Ports Visited
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each port visited during cruise itineraries, excluding departure ports)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Nassau, Bahamas
2. Luxury: Kusadasi, Turkey
3. River: Cologne, Germany (replacing Vienna, Austria from last month)

Next in popularity are Cozumel, Mexico for premium/contemporary, Gustavia, St. Barts for luxury, and Vienna, Austria for river cruises. More…

Most Popular Countries Visited
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each country visited during cruise itineraries, excluding countries of departure)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Bahamas
2. Luxury: Greece
3. River: Germany

Second are Mexico for premium/contemporary, Italy for luxury, and Austria for river cruises. More…

Most Popular Cabin Types
(Based on the total number of quote requests for each cabin type)
1. Premium/Contemporary: Inside Cabin (Changed from balcony last month)
2. Luxury: Balcony Cabin
3. River: Balcony Cabin
More…

Hottest Months for Cruising
(Based on the most requested months)
1. Premium/Contemporary: December 2012
2. Luxury: December 2012 (Changed from October 2012 last month)
3. River: December 2012
More…

Other data available at the October 2012 CruiseTrends™ report.
• Number of cabins requested
• Most popular cruise itinerary lengths
• Travel insurance requested
• Cruise line past passenger status requested
• Booking window of time

This cruise trend information is available monthly from CruiseCompete and can be insightful, especially for financial analysts and travel writers. To see 12-months’ of cruise trend data, please click here: Cruise Trends.

For purposes of the CruiseTrends™ report, cruise lines recognized as premium or contemporary are grouped together as premium/contemporary. The CruiseCompete CruiseTrends™ report is sponsored by EyeForTravel Ltd.

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Note to Editors:

CruiseCompete has been the premier online cruise marketplace since 2003 (see media praises). Consumers compare competing offers from trusted travel agents, are able to see consumer reviews of agents and agencies responding, and then contact travel agents directly for more information and to book a cruise.

CruiseCompete CruiseTrends™ offers monthly stats for an inside look at consumer trends and what consumers want in cruise vacations.
CruiseCompete takes top honors in Travel + Leisure Magazine's “Top 60 Best Apps and Websites for Travelers” (September 2012) with an honorable mention. The Wall Street Journal praised CruiseCompete as “Best Cruise Travel Site,” The New York Times says, “… independent travel agents compete to offer you the best deal," and follows similar praise from Travel + Leisure, Kiplinger’s and The Washington Post. The Street says, “Score luxury cruises at bargain prices.”

For more information, please visit CruiseCompete.com or Cruise Compete Groups.

CruiseCompete is an Iowa limited liability company and is not a travel agency nor owned by a travel agency.

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Media Contact:
Heidi M. Allison
Allison and Taylor, Inc.
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