How Cruise Lines and Travel Advisors Are Preparing for Busy Summer Season

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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