More people are choosing cruises as an all-inclusive vacation ~ From staff and wire reports

More people are taking cruises than ever before. And more options are available to cruisers than ever before -- more destinations, a bigger variety of activities on and off the ship, even more choices for dinner.

Niche cruises abound, from sailings for wine aficionados to trips that teach photography. And even though most cruisers use travel agents to book their trips, the Internet is playing an increasingly important role as a research tool.

Such are the trends in the cruise industry as travelers look ahead to holiday cruises, winter getaways to warm places and other 2005 vacations.

"It's your best vacation dollar because everything is included," said John Cosco, a senior travel counselor with AAA in Cape Girardeau.

He expects customers next year to book trips to the Caribbean, Mexico and Alaska, which have all been "hot spots" in years past for local travelers.

Nearly 8 million people took cruises in 2003; about 10.5 million are expected to cruise this year, according to the Cruise Line Industry Association, which represents 19 cruise lines serving 95 percent of the North American market.

Carolyn Kempf, owner of Elite Travel Agency in Cape Girardeau, said cruises have the highest satisfaction ratio of any product in the travel industry.

"It's a floating resort," she said.

Non-cruisers may understandably think of cruises as a refuge for sedentary passengers who spend their days filling up at free buffets. But cruise lines are trying to shake that reputation.

"There are a number of activities so you can do as much or as little as you want," said Kempf.

Scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming with sting rays and dolphins are typical excursions on Caribbean cruises. Depending on the destination, Royal Caribbean cruises offer everything from glacier-climbing to cliff-rappelling to biking adventures, and the company's ships are known for amenities like rock-climbing walls and ice rinks.

Betsy Dumey likes the range of activities that cruises offer. She says it's one of the best ways to travel with children and extended family. She and her husband, Mike, have been on three cruises together with siblings and their spouses.

"You can all meet together but you don't have to do everything together," she said. During a Caribbean cruise several years ago, she went snorkeling with her brother while the rest of the family did something else.

"There were other things they could do," she said. "You're not together 24/7 but yet you see each other."

And niche cruises are also growing in popularity. Kempf books dozens of group cruises and has trips in the works for people interested in NASCAR and scrapbooking, as well as cruises for Eagles members and more than 300 Christians from area churches.

A growing segment of the cruise market consists of passengers age 17 and under. A million children sailed on CLIA ships in 2003; about 1.1 million children are expected to sail this year. Most ships offer far more than baby-sitting to keep their young charges happy. Celebrity Cruises has a hands-on science and nature program; Costa Cruises has Italian lessons and kids' karaoke; the Queen Mary 2 serves a formal tea for children, but also has a splash pool and children's disco. Disney's Magic ship offers meetings with Disney characters, fireworks and magic shows, and an "Oceaneer's Lab."

Dumey, her husband, and their oldest daughter took a Disney cruise five years ago with extended family, including teenagers. "It was wonderful. My daughter was 5 and had a ball," she said.

Even the teenagers seemed to have a good time, she said, although she wasn't sure they'd want to make a repeat trip the next year.

But many cruise lines do see repeat customers. And to entice customers to come back, cruise lines are also adding new ports of call. "We're constantly searching out unique destinations," said CLIA president Terry Dale. "There are 1,800 ports now worldwide."

Holland America Lines even has a name for repeat cruisers for whom Mexico and the Caribbean are old news. They're called "destination collectors." To keep them coming back, the cruise line is adding new ports of call like Komodo, Indonesia, and Halong Bay, Vietnam, this year; and Muara, Brunei, and Port Louis, Mauritius, next year.

Cruises can be very affordable vacations, particularly for people in Southeast Missouri, because there are so many ports within driving distance -- New Orleans, Mobile, Ala., and Galveston, Texas.

"It's much more affordable than cruises where the airfare is bundled in," Kempf said. "And you can go to an exotic place without getting on a plane."

You can even go around the world on one continuous cruise. For example, Silversea's "Silver Odyssey 2005," a 100-day trip between Jan. 12 and April 22 from San Diego to Venice, includes stops in Mexico, Spain, Chile, Malta, Peru and Dakar. Prices for the entire trip begin at $42,156 per person, but passengers can go for as little as seven days.

Dumey said her cruises have ranged from four days to more than a week, and some have been at-sea only trips while others have included land travel.

Dale, the CLIA president, says the array of choices available to cruisers is part of what keeps them coming back in such high numbers. "Fifty percent of our cruisers today are repeat customers," said Dale. "As soon as somebody takes that one cruise, it's like they become hooked. They want to do it again."

Features editor Laura Johnston contributed to this report.