FORT LAUDERDALE — Western Caribbean itineraries are one of the most popular for the major cruise lines so what should you be telling clients booked on one or considering one in light of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Many may be spooked by daily shots of oil pouring from the ruptured well.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and its individual cruise line members say they are continuing to monitor the situation and are in regular contact with the U.S. Coast Guard and District Seven Command in Miami as well as ports and tourism entities throughout Florida.

“We are receiving federal government updates on the situation, specifically movement of the oil in tides and currents around the Gulf and in proximity to the Florida Coastline, the Keys and Caribbean. While the situation continues to evolve and change, and oil has been reported on some Florida beaches, at the current time no cruise operations are being negatively impacted,” said a statement.

CLIA joins with VISIT Florida and other tourism organizations in the region to urge consumers and, in particular, our 16,000 travel agent members to make no changes in travel and vacation plans in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico region. All CLIA member cruises sailing from Gulf of Mexico and Florida ports are also operating, with occasional and infrequent alternations of course depending on possible presence of oil in the water.

CLIA said it is telling travellers booked on cruises in the region to contact their individual cruise line or their travel agent for information relating to a specific cruise.

In a conference call announcing quarterly results, Carnival Corp. CEO Micky Arison said company ships had used slightly more fuel to sail around the most dense concentrations of oil but said each ship is inspected and none had needed cleaning.

Booking patterns on cruises in the Gulf of Mexico are normal, he added.

For the latest information on the spill, check out www.cruising.org and the VISIT FLORIDA Travel Update page. In addition, the latest information can be obtained at www.twitter.com/FloridaTourism and VISIT Florida’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/FloridaTourism.