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).

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.