Source: data from Cruise Market Watch.
The monthly deployment of cruise ship capacity underlines a substantial market seasonality. The Caribbean and the Mediterranean are regional and complementary markets accounting for more than 70% of the global capacity of the cruising industry (measured in bed days). They are complementary in the sense that the Caribbean is dominantly serviced during the winter while the Mediterranean experiences a summer peak season. Seasonality thus plays a key role in the cruise industry and is observed in terms of both the regions of embarkation and destination. North America remains the dominant embarkation region throughout the year, with Europe claiming a 40-50% share during the summer season. They are both perennial markets since they are serviced year-round. Alaska and the Northeast Atlantic (New England / Atlantic Canada) and Australia / New Zealand are examples of strictly seasonal markets that are only serviced during their summer months.