Many travel advisors are optimistic about the cruise industry making a serious comeback in 2022 while others are not convinced that a major revival is in the cards for this year.

“Business for 2022 is shaping up to be good,” said Chris Caulfield, owner of CruiseOne in Croton-On- Hudson, N.Y., adding now that cruises have been operating again since the summer out of the U.S., travelers are confident that “their cruises will go.”

“At the moment, I’m seeing more cruises from the U.S. I believe it is part of the uncertainty with travel protocols overseas,” Caulfield said.

He also noted that travelers miss their cruise vacations. “Personally, I have cruised twice, and people were so happy to just be back on a cruise ship.”

Smooth Sailing

“Cruises have restarted with fewer problems than people predicted, and clients are not seeing cruises as a super-spreader event,” said Claire Schoeder, an independent contractor with Atlanta-based Elevations Travel. “With the strong protocols in place many of my cruise clients are feeling confident in planning cruises for 2022. Clients like the vaccine requirements and the pre-travel testing – it gives them confidence.”

Although Churchill & Turen’s cruise business is down 18 percent this year compared to the same period in 2019, Richard Turen, the luxury agency’s managing director, remains optimistic. “Given that 2019 was a record-breaking year we are extremely pleased with the outlook for the next 24 months,” he said. “We think that availability on ships under 1,000 guests will soon become a major issue for 2023 sailings.”

“Pent-up demand is a screaming reality,” he said. “We just deposited 28 people on a Silversea cruise we are escorting in 2023 before the trip was formally announced or priced.”

Roller Coaster Ride

Some advisors have witnessed demand rising and falling. “Yes, there is definitely pent-up demand, but requests for cruising have been a roller coaster,” said JoAnne Weeks, vacation division director at Acendas Travel in Kansas City. “We gain momentum, then the Omicron or Delta variants arise, and that slows things down.”

One of the driving factors behind the reluctance to book is that veteran cruises do not want to wear masks on board, she said. “They want a ‘normal’ cruise experience.

“Cruising is very popular with multigenerational families, and many of these families are struggling with the new vaccine mandate, or potential mandate, for the younger children now being required with so many lines.”

Alaska Cruises

The biggest increase in Weeks’ 2022 cruise business is Alaska summer cruises. “Mediterranean cruises were gaining in popularity, but now have dropped off since the new Omicron variant surfaced,” she said.

Amy Daniel, owner of Montgomery, Ala.-based Custom Design Travel, an affiliate of Travel Experts, believes that the cruise industry will take a bit longer to recover than other industry segments.

“I truly believe the uncertainty of the new COVID variant has people hesitant to take a cruise on a large ship, but I have had some requests for smaller ship experiences, including river cruises plying the waterways of both the U.S. and Europe. Currently, smaller-ship experiences are more popular with my clients,” she said.

“I think we will see good growth and fuller ships as long as there is not a major COVID outbreak on a ship,” Schoeder said. “If there is a significant outbreak on a ship the news media will be relentless – even if it is only one ship out of the many that are out there.”

Banner Year

Caulfield said he believes 2022 will be a banner year for cruising. “In addition to pent-up demand there are many exciting new ships coming out. I believe we will see more new-to-cruise passengers as people are seeing what an amazing and safe experience can be had on a cruise ship.”

Wave Season Bookings

Will the 2022 Wave Season help travel advisors expand their cruise businesses? Some think it will.

“I believe the upcoming Wave Season has the potential to be a very good one for my agency. It has been a long two years and people want to get away,” said Chris Caulfield of CruiseOne.

“As protocols are loosened I believe bookings will increase. Expect to see many multigenerational cruises for 2022 as people look to reconnect with family.”

“I am predicting a good number of requests for Spring Break and summer travel requests to come in,” said Amy Daniel of Custom Design Travel.

“Based on current bookings I am expecting a decent Wave Season – probably not as good as pre-COVID Waves, but good nonetheless,” said Claire Schoeder of Elevations Travel.