THE CRUISE LINES INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION said 12.8 million people would take a cruise this year, a 2.4% increase over 2007. The number represents a slowdown in growth compared with a 4.6% increase in passengers last year; CLIA said the slower growth was a result of less capacity coming onto the market than in years past. Eight new ships are expected to enter service this year for CLIA member lines, and six ships are scheduled to move out. In 2008, CLIA said that 10.5 million passengers would originate from North America, and the remaining 2.3 million would originate from international markets.