Now it has returned to about five months, says Steven Wieczynski, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus ( SF ) who covers cruise lines and gaming. A sharp narrowing of the booking window such as the one that occurred last year translates into big discounts on prices because cruise ships like to sail full, says Zackfia at William Blair. The booking window remains around two months for cruises that depart from South Florida and Puerto Rico, says Victor Valverde, owner of Cruceros To Go in San Juan, P. Prices for summer cruises seem to be running 5% to 6% higher than in the summer of 2009 but remain below 2008 levels, and prices for longer, more expensive cruises are rebounding more quickly than those for shorter ones, says Zackfia. Carnival ( CCL ) said during an earnings conference call in December that its bookings were up 40% from a year earlier and business likely had improved further by January, when Royal Caribbean Cruises ( RCL ) reported its latest results, says Zackfia. read more

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