2015 cruise forecast: Caribbean remains top choice by wide margin

Cruise Holidays, a cruise marketing  network, has released its 2015 forecast for cruise destinations, based on information from more than 1,300 cruise-focused travel agents across North America.

Here's their top 10 list. Can you spot the itinerary on the rise?

Caribbean (includes the Bahamas)

2015 ranking: 1

2014 ranking: 1

2013 ranking: 1

Europe ocean cruises (includes Mediterranean, Baltic, Scandinavian and Greek isles)

2015 ranking: 2

2014 ranking: 2

2013 ranking: 2

Alaska (the photo at the top of this post shows Holland America's Zaandam at Glacier Bay National Park)

2015 ranking: 3

2014 ranking: 3

2013 ranking: 3

European river cruises

2015 ranking: 4

2014 ranking: 4

2013 ranking: not available

Bermuda

2015 ranking: 5

2014 ranking: 5

2013 ranking: 4

Trans-Atlantic

2015 ranking: 6

2014 ranking: 7

2013 ranking: 6 (tie)

Panama Canal

2015 ranking: 7

2014 ranking: 6

2013 ranking: 6 (tie)

China/Japan/Southeast Asia

2015 ranking: 8

2014 ranking: 15

2013 ranking: 12

Hawaiian Islands

2015 ranking: 9

2014 ranking: 8

2013 ranking: 5

South Pacific (includes Australia and New Zealand)

2015 ranking: 10

2014 ranking: 9

2013 ranking: 8

There's no surprise that the Caribbean tops the list: According to Cruise Holidays, that destination group will capture 50.5 percent of all bookings, with European saltwater cruises a distant second, at 12 percent.

The most intriguing change is the rise in China/Japan/Southeast Asia: As a destination, according to these findings, it tops sluggish interest in the Hawaiian Islands.

Both remain small beans in the greater cruise casserole: less than 3 percent.