by Donald Wood
Last updated: 6:00 PM ET, Sun May 7, 2023
As the summer travel period quickly approaches, the cruise industry
is preparing for a massive influx of passengers filling up ships as they
traverse seas around the world.
Throughout Wave Season and into the spring, cruise lines
reported record sales and increasing capacities as the travel demand continued
to surge. As a result, the cruise industry has become the fastest growing
segment of the tourism sector.
With more and more travelers choosing to hit the high seas
and demand reaching pre-pandemic levels, here is how cruise lines and travel
advisors are preparing for the busy summer season.
Cruisn’ USA
North America remains the most significant source market for
the cruise industry, as around 52 percent of adults in the United
States said they were just as likely or more likely to consider taking a
cruise vacation than before COVID-19-related restrictions were implemented.
To take advantage of the increasing demand, companies like American
Cruise Lines have added new sailings and expanded service.
“American Cruise Lines has a huge array of amazing summer
cruises all over the USA, when our full fleet is exploring in 35 states, from
Alaska to the New
England, and from the Mississippi River to the Columbia & Snake,” Public
Relations Manager Alexa Paolella said.
“Plus, summer
cruises offer seasonal fun, from authentic lobster bakes to bucket-list
adventures like our new National Parks & Legendary Rivers which combines an
8-day cruise with a 7-day guided tour through 3 national parks,” Paolella
continued. “Some things are best done in summer and others can only be done in
the summer.”
Alaska Season
In terms of top American destinations, Alaska expects a banner
tourism season this summer, led by a resurgence in cruise arrivals,
according to officials from the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA).
Cruise lines such as Holland
America Line (HAL) and Princess Cruises are using the season to celebrate
milestone achievements, with more ships scheduled to sail the region this
summer.
“With two ships based [in Seattle] and four more in
Vancouver through September, we're ready for a robust Alaska season of cruising
and cruisetours including land trips to Denali and Yukon,” chief commercial
officer Beth Bodensteiner said.
Princess
Cruises President John Padgett also spoke about the importance of the
summer season.
“Summer 2023 is shaping up to be a very busy season with
guests exploring cruise options further from home, particularly in Alaska where
we’re sailing seven ships, and Europe where we’ve positioned four ships,” Padgett
said.
“More guests are also opting for the convenience of
all-inclusive packages to cover the essentials they typically pay separately
for on board, so that they can kick back and fully enjoy their vacation,” Padgett
continued.
International Cruising
According to the Cruise
Lines International Association's (CLIA) 2023 State of the Cruise Industry
Report, cruise tourism is expected to reach 106 percent of 2019 levels this
year, with 31.5 million passengers sailing.
The Mediterranean has seen a massive increase and the
Caribbean remains the top destination for cruise passengers. Jeremy
Hall of Cruise Vacations International also spoke about the importance of
Europe to the industry this summer.
A cruise ship in Valletta’s Grand Harbor. Photo by Theresa Norton (Theresa Norton)
“We are certainly experiencing a very busy booking boom for
this summer,” Hall said. “We are noticing a lot of last-minute travel planning
which makes our work a bit more tedious. However, availability for summer 2023
still exists and we have been leaning heavy on the cruise lines that can still
offer space for Europe this year.”
“Since Europe is expected to be very crowded this year, we
have been encouraging clients to sail on luxury lines as there are additional
benefits included,” Hall continued. “For instance, cruise lines like Uniworld
offer guests early before-hours access to some sites and museums as well as
private after-hours visits.”
Cruising Forward
The CLIA study also revealed the future of the cruise
industry is the younger generations, with GenX and Millennials being the most
enthusiastic about planning a voyage. Younger travelers are also using travel
advisors to book cruises at a higher rate than other generations.
As a result, cruise lines are using technology,
infrastructure and operations to decarbonize, with multiple pilot projects
underway and new propulsion technologies being planned and tested.
A line of docked cruise ships. (photo by Codie Liermann)
While the industry is thriving, there is still room for
improvement.
“It seems to me that cruise lines are making strategic
moves; increasing gratuities (yet again), cutting costs and charging for extra
entrees,” TheCruiseGenius.com’s
Scott Lara said. “While cruise prices are at their highest levels than I’ve
ever seen, my clients keep calling me to book their cruise vacations.”
Despite the issues, the cruise industry continues to be one
of the fastest-growing tourism sectors, jumping from 29.7 million in 2019 to a
predicted 36 million by 2024, 37.2 million by 2025 and 39.5 million by 2027.
As officials said during the CruiseWorld trade show in
November, the overall message being spread by the cruise industry is to look
ahead with optimism - not look back - now that ships are once again full of
travelers.
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