Agents polled by Cruise Week say that Wave Season, while not the massive booking period of years ago, is still a barometer for how the first half of the year will pan out. At this point, while few are saying business is spectacular, at least few are saying business is bad.
"Overall, we are seeing good activity," summed up one large national seller. "We are running low double-digit increases from same time last year."
One thing that hasn't changed is the consumer hunger for the best price. As one agent put it, "The only constant we have observed is that our customers are maniacal about finding deals."
Many agents report a continuation of strong business that started in the latter half of the year. They cite factors like a slowly improving economy and customers telling them they are tired of giving up things that they want.
There are some agents Cruise Week spoke with that don't see this once-critical time of year as carrying the weight it did:
