Cruise lines organize their itineraries and offering of their cruises, repositioning their vessels between markets. Repositioning involves the coupling of cruise markets based on the proximity of markets, cost issues, and the sourcing of passenger patterns.
For instance, North Asia and South East Asia are two such markets, with their coupling based on the same sourcing of passengers, the demand for the same product, warm alternative weather, and low-cost repositioning. The coupling of North Asia and Australia provides a warm alternative, robust yields, and low-cost repositioning. An Australia/Pacific-Alaska coupling is justified on the same sourcing of passengers, the same product that is offered in both markets, and warm alternative weather for cruise passengers at different times of the year.
Finally, the coupling of the Meditteranean market and the North America/Caribbean markets is based on the same sourcing of passengers the offering of the same product the warm alternative, and not least the low-cost repositioning of the vessels.
For cruise ports, this coupling of markets implies cruise calls by deployed vessels and cruise passengers hosting in parts of the year only.