The Latest Summer Cruise Trends
The Latest Trends in Cruise Travel
The cruise industry continues to bounce back in year three of the COVID-19 pandemic as it’s proven to be a safe way to experience more of the world. Nonetheless, some cruise lines, ships and destinations are garnering more interest than others from prospective guests ahead of the peak summer travel period.
Online cruise marketplace CruiseCompete.com has released its CruiseTrends report for June 2022, revealing the cruise lines, ships, destinations and ports that premium, luxury and river cruise passengers are most interested in right now. The monthly report ranks brands, ships and places based on the number of quote requests they receive. With more than 25,000 quotes requested per month via CruiseCompete on average, the CruiseTrends report provides an accurate look into what consumers are most interested in this summer.
The Most Popular Cruise Lines
Royal Caribbean International continues to be the hottest premium cruise line, followed by Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, both of which edged out fourth-ranked Carnival Cruise Line. In the luxury segment, Oceania Cruises reigns, earning more quote requests than Cunard Line and Silversea Cruises, which recently completed its full return to service. Meanwhile, Viking River Cruises is the most popular river cruise line this summer, followed by American Queen Voyages and American Cruise Lines.
The Hottest Cruise Ships
Royal Caribbean ships dominate the list of the most popular premium vessels this June. Oasis of the Seas is the hottest cruise ship in the category, with Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas rounding out the top three. Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 tops the most popular luxury cruise ships while Oceania Cruises’ Oceania Riviera, Oceania Marina and Oceania Regatta are also garnering significant interest. Finally, American Duchess, American Countess and American Queen are the most requested river cruise ships heading into the summer of 2022.
The Most Coveted Destinations
Cruise passengers continue to be eager to sail Europe midway through 2022 as the continent ranks as the most popular cruise region in both the luxury and river cruise segments. Europe is the third-most sought-after region among premium passengers, who prefer North America and the Caribbean. North America and the Mediterranean are also quite popular among luxury and river cruise guests this summer. The most preferred countries for passengers sailing premium cruise lines are the Bahamas, the U.S. and Mexico while luxury guests are showing significant interest in the U.S., Greece and Italy. In the river category, France, Germany and the U.S. are receiving the most requests.
In-Demand Ports of Call and Departure
When it comes to the ports of call today’s cruise passengers are most interested in, the Caribbean and Europe lead the way. The most popular ports among premium guests include Cozumel, Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s private island destination CocoCay. Meanwhile, the Turkish resort town of Kusadasi is a hit with luxury guests, who are also looking forward to stops in Monte Carlo and San Juan. As for departure ports, South Florida is a favorite of premium guests, with Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral and Miami rounding out the top three. The latter is also the leading departure port in the luxury segment this June, followed by Barcelona and Piraeus. River cruise passengers prefer to set sail from European ports, specifically Amsterdam, Paris and Budapest.
Summer Stateroom and Itinerary Preferences
Not unsurprisingly given the views and additional space, the balcony stateroom is the most sought-after cabin across all three segments. The same goes for seven-night itineraries, which are the most popular among premium, luxury and river cruise passengers this June. Premium guests are more likely to seek out an inside stateroom than their luxury and river sailing counterparts and are also more likely to opt for a shorter sailing as five-night voyages are the second-most popular itinerary length among premium guests.