All aboard the cruise ship: Young travelers are setting sail

We didn’t think we’d see the day that cruise ships got “cool” (and to be honest, we’re not sure we wanted to).

A white cruise ship on a blue background.

But it might just be happening.

Why? Because young people are trendsetters, and they’re taking their suitcases and disposable income out to sea, per Sherwood News.

  • The average age of a cruise ship passenger is 46, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
  • That’s down from 49 less than 20 years ago, and 36% of cruise customers are now under the age of 40.

With the average customer spending ~$2.1k on a cruise — including the ticket price — and onboard revenues making up 25%-30% of cruise companies’ net revenue, ships are looking to shift their offerings to meet the demands of a younger traveler.

What’s the appeal, you ask?

Cruises are still a more cost-effective vacation option than land-based resorts — analysts estimate that they’re 25%-30% cheaper.

And where formal dinners and Broadway-style musicals once were, water slides, roller coasters, pickleball courts, upscale restaurants, and cocktail bars are now available.

Plus, new campaigns are targeting younger passengers: Virgin Voyages is offering monthlong season passes for remote workers, and Royal Caribbean is experimenting with “mini cruises” for short attention spans.

There’s another demographic hopping on board…

… and they have deep pockets. The luxury travel crowd is also setting sail — though they’re doing so on fancier decks, per Bloomberg.

  • Luxury resort brands like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Aman are launching cruiseliners more akin to superyachts — where trips can start at $14k per week.
  • This luxury subset of the cruise industry is growing 2.5x faster than the overall industry, and the CLIA estimates there will be 1.5m+ luxury cruises per year by 2028, up from 1.2m today.

Even billionaires like Bernard Arnault are getting in the mix. His company is launching the Orient Express, a luxury yacht brand where three nights in the waters of Côte d’Azur will cost you $19k+ per cabin.

But we’ll leave you with some food for thought: Cruises emit up to 4x more carbon dioxide per passenger per mile than planes, and norovirus doesn’t discriminate — even on luxury liners.

Related Articles

Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t.