The new policy is the first to come out of an internal cruise industry review announced last month in response to the Costa Concordia disaster.

CNN: Cruise industry adopts new safety policy

Will the Costa Concordia disaster wake up regulators?

FORBES: Read This Before Your Next Cruise

Last year, which began with the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster off Italy which claimed 32 lives, saw only a small increase in the number of UK passengers taking a cruise holiday - up by just 1, 000.

BBC: Record high for cruise ship passengers in the UK

In the spring, a few months after the Concordia disaster, Costa released a statement that said bookings were robust.

CNN: July 8, 2012 -- Updated 1911 GMT (0311 HKT)