The number of British and Irish holidaymakers taking cruises fell by almost 80,000 last year – the first annual drop for a decade , according to industry figures . Cruise Lines International Association data showed bookings fell 4.8 per cent , from 1.72million to 1.64million . Such holidays survived and even thrived during the economic downturn as a greater variety of destinations became available . Rule Britannia : Her Majesty the Queen christened Britain ’ s largest cruise liner last week as figures show cruises were less popular with British tourists last year . But the bubble may be bursting , with many put off by ever larger ships , having to fly abroad to the first port , and cost . Others may be deterred by health scares such as food poisoning or ebola . The CLIA said it was the first fall in a decade with a major factor being a lack of holidays starting in Britain or Europe meaning travellers had to fly further to pick up their cruise . That may change this year with the launch of several routes from ports like Southampton , including the massive liner Britannia christened by The Queen last week . The fall also means Britain loses its places as Europe 's biggest cruisers , overtaken by the 1.77 million Germans who took a seabound voyage last year . Closer to home : Cruise bosses hope the launch of the Britannia , pictured , will lead to a spike in Brits booking cruises after figures from last year showed a dip in popularity . Overall , the number of Europeans taking a cruise rose by 0.5 per cent to 6.39 million passengers last year said the CLIA report , so Britain 's fall bucked an overall trend . Andy Harmer , of CLIA , told website TravelMole : 'The UK and Ireland continue to have one of Europe 's highest rates of market penetration for cruise holidays . 'We 're confident that the future prospects continue to be bright . ' CLIA Europe chairman . 'We 're confident that the future prospects continue to be bright . ' CLIA Europe chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said the European rise was the most significant statistic . He said : 'This may sound like a small achievement , but if we consider the European economic climate , we can see that this is an extraordinary result , and continues our industry 's trend of steady growth year-on-year . 'While Europe is struggling to recover from the economic crisis , our industry has continued to grow . We have grown by an incredible 44 per cent since 2008 . '
Bookings fell by 4.8 % to 1.64million , down from 1.72million . People put off by growing ship size and cost including flights to port . Comment: Britain loses place as Europe 's biggest cruisers to Germany .