These days are, to borrow from a cruise marketing program in Hamburg, Germany "Cruise Days."
Gerd Drossel, Managing Director of the Hamburg Cruise Center (a port that has increased its cruise passenger traffic nearly 700% in just nine years) told me about their terrific marketing program. Complete with fireworks and harbor tours the event alone attracts 1 million people. What a way to get the word out about the cruise product! According to Mr. Drossel "the whole thing was also televised and viewed as far away as China." The event was highlighted by a parade of ships that included Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and AIDA's Aura which, according to Drossel, will join Hapag-Lloyd's Columbus and QM2's sister ship Queen Victoria during Cruise Days 2010 (July 29-31).
Here in the U.S. we have been participating in something of a Cruise Days of our own. With the 
Cruise Shipping Miami Conference having been completed March 16-19 it is being followed by a television special, Cruise, Inc. airing on CNBC and hosted by Peter Greenberg. Greenberg's seven day cruise includes "all-access coverage" and examines the impact of the economy on the industry. The program premieres Tuesday, March 24 at 9p ET. View the sneak preview here.