However, according to a recent study, the Caribbean continues to be the most popular cruise region for premium/contemporary ships, while the Mediterranean is tops for luxury vessels and Europe is most popular for river ships.

According to the study, Royal Caribbean’s 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas, is the most popular cruise ship in the premium/contemporary category.

It has also been reported that this ship is scheduled to pay a visit to St. Kitts’ in December this year.

According to the June Cruise Trends report, Allure of the Seas, swiped the top spot from Princess Cruises’ 3,600-passenger Caribbean Princess, which was the top pick in the May report.

At the luxury level, the 2,600-passenger Queen Mary 2 was recorded as the most popular for June, and in the river cruise ship category, the 162-passenger AmaBella, operated by Ama Waterways, is the top draw.

The data for the monthly reports is collected from consumer behaviour and purchasing decisions, based on consumer quote requests on Cruise Compete, the website that enables agents to compete for business.

In other results from the June data:

Carnival Cruise Lines is the most popular line in the premium/contemporary category. At the luxury level it’s Oceania, and for river ships it’s Ama Waterways. Ama took the top spot away from Viking River Cruises in the May report.

In the premium/contemporary category, Fort Lauderdale is the most popular cruise departure port. It’s Venice for luxury ships and Amsterdam for river ships.

The most popular cruise ports visited by premium/contemporary ships, is Nassau. For luxury vessels it’s Kusadasi, Turkey, and for river ships it’s Vienna, which knocked Cologne, Germany, from the top spot in May.

The “hottest” month for cruising aboard premium/contemporary ships is July

2011. For luxury ships it’s August 2011, and for river ships it’s October 2011.