The Latest Trends as Cruising Resumes

Online cruise marketplace CruiseCompete has released its CruiseTrends report for July 2021, shedding new light on the latest trends in consumer behavior when it comes to cruise travel as the industry resumes operations from the United States. Demand for cruising continues to be incredibly high despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with CruiseComplete continuing to receive more than 25,000 cruise quote requests per month. While not every traveler's wish list is the same, here are some of the most popular cruise lines, ships, ports, destinations and itinerary details as cruising continues its comeback this summer.

Royal Caribbean International continues to be the most popular premium cruise line this summer, followed by Celebrity Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line. In the luxury segment, Oceania Cruises takes the top spot, edging out Viking Ocean Cruises and Cunard Line. Finally, American Cruise Lines is back to being the most popular river cruise line, with Viking River Cruises and American Queen Steamboat Company rounding out the top three.

Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Equinox are among the three most popular premium cruise ships, ranking first and third, respectively, while Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas comes in second. When it comes to luxury, travelers are seeking out Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Oceania Cruises' Oceania Riviera and Oceania Marina. On the river, American Queen Steamboat Company's American Duchess and American Queen are a hit with cruise passengers, ranking as the first- and third-most-popular ships, respectively. Victory Cruise Lines' Victory I and II are second-most coveted in the river cruise category.

In terms of the most popular departure ports for premium guests, Florida reigns supreme. Fort Lauderdale, nearby Miami and Port Canaveral rank the highest by the total number of quote requests. Miami also wins the luxury category, surpassing Lisbon, Portugal and Piraeus, Greece. Amsterdam and Budapest are the most popular river cruise departure ports, followed by Memphis, Tennessee. When it comes to the most popular cruise ports visited, Cozumel in Mexico and Nassau and Royal Caribbean's private island destination Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas rank highest with premium cruise passengers. For luxury travelers, Castries, Saint Lucia; Kotor, Montenegro and Philipsburg, St. Maarten are the most popular request this summer. The cruise ports river cruisers are most interested in visiting are all in Europe, including Cologne, Germany; Vienna, Austria and the aforementioned Budapest.

Most cruise passengers want sunshine and warm temperatures on their vacation at sea so it's no surprise that the Bahamas and Mexico are the most sought-after countries for premium cruise itineraries, followed by the United States. Meanwhile, luxury cruise passengers have their sights set on Europe and the Mediterranean, specifically Greece, Italy and Spain. Europe is also a hit with river cruises, with the rivers of the U.S., Germany and France ranking as the most popular as of July 2021.

Balcony cabins remain the most popular cabin type across all three segments. However, premium guests have shown more interest in inside cabins than outside cabins compared to luxury and river cruise passengers. Seven nights is also the most popular itinerary length across the board, with premium and river cruise guests also requesting eight-night voyages. Luxury cruise passengers, meanwhile, want to sail a bit longer and often have eyes for 10-night itineraries.

River cruise guests (34 percent) are the most likely to indicate an interest in purchasing travel insurance while fewer than one in five premium cruise passengers (18 percent) has shown interest in protecting their sailing. Nearly one-quarter of luxury guests (24 percent) appear to be seriously considering buying a travel insurance plan based on the latest data for July 2021.