Top trends for 2022

What does cruising have in store next year? We asked Australia’s top experts. Their verdict: the big winners will be lines offering security, luxury and flexibility. Tallis Boerne Marcus reports.

/ LUXURY TAKES OFF Regent Seven Seas Cruises UK managing director Graham Sadler said earlier this year that “business is ramping up now and it will explode in the coming months”. The ultra-luxury cruise line then celebrated a record-breaking launch day when its 2024 world cruise sold out in under three hours.

“It all demonstrates that the appetite for luxury travel continues to grow… we see little easing of demand for our unrivalled space and luxury,” says Mr Sadler.

RSSC’s sister brand Oceania Cruises also recently set a single-day booking record, beating out its previous record by nearly 60 per cent. This followed the buzz around its new vessel Vista, which is set to start sailing in April 2023.

“The tremendous wave of bookings we saw on the day we opened sales for Vista underscores the extraordinary demand for our acclaimed small-ship, destination-focused vacations,” says Oceania Cruises president and CEO Bob Binder.

Michelle Levins, director of My Cruise Concierge, says cruisers are willing to pay the big prices to get the luxury they’re after. “Our luxury clients, while everyone loves a great price, are focused more on the value they receive with the onboard and offshore experiences on offer.

“Viking, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and Ponant, just to name a few, are brands that our clients are seeking out more as they move up from premium cruising and into the luxury, more inclusive market.”

Kathy Pavlidis from Travel Associates is seeing similar patterns, also for brands such as river-cruise line Uniworld, Silversea, Ponant, Regent and Oceania. “There are a lot of ‘revenge cruise bookings’ going on at the moment, with longer and multiple trips being booked,” says Ms Pavlidis. / EXPEDITION BOOMS It appears not only are people looking forward to luxury, but cruisers are looking for more unique destinations. More cruise lines are launching expedition vessels, with companies such as Viking and Seabourn branching into polar-class ships.

“Expedition cruising is on the rise with high-yielding clients seeking luxury experiences in remote destinations. Even typical non-cruisers are venturing on expedition voyages, as cruises can reach many areas that can’t be done via land,” says Ms Levins.

“Bucket-list places are high on the list, especially the Arctic and Antarctica. I think 2020 has taught us not to wait to do that trip in five or 10 years, as we never know what may be around the corner.” Lines are also offering more intrepid destinations. Aurora Expeditions, for instance, has added Raja Ampat Islands in Indonesia as well as Papua New Guinea to its list of 2023 itineraries.

The ships have also become a base for scientists, with Celebrity Flora, based in the Galapagos, and Hurtigruten and Ponant vessels sailing with fully equipped laboratories on board, taking guests from being observers of exploration to feeling like explorers and researchers themselves.

/ EUROPE STILL THE CRUISING HOTSPOT Europe has long been one of the most attractive cruising regions, and nothing has changed. But with month after month of border closures, there is more pent-up demand than ever. It’s been a soft

Bookings for Europe are so strong that passengers are being forced to look at 2024.”

start for both river and ocean cruising, but many experts anticipate that by next summer lines will be back at full fleet capacity.

Sharon Summerhayes, of Deluxe Travel & Cruise, says bookings for Europe are so strong that passengers are being forced to look at 2024. “Europe is very strong for 2023 for all markets. Cruises are being booked up until mid 2024. I think once firm announcements are made for Aussies to be able to travel, 2022 is going to get very busy, very quickly.”

While it’s always expected that classic Mediterranean itineraries or Norwegian expeditions will sell fast, the demand is so high that even the less traditional destinations are being snapped up. Carnival Cruises America has announced its first cruise in more than 10 years to Greenland.

That September 2023 voyage was sold out in less than 24 hours and, as a result, the family-fun cruise line has added a second Greenland voyage.

/ CRUISERS ARE UPGRADING While there are experts saying that some cruisers are staying loyal to their favoured cruise lines, others are switching brands.

Far left: Taking a cooking class at the Culinary Center on Oceania’s new Vista. Left: Waterslide fun on the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape. Below: Taking in the northern lights on Hurtigruten’s MS Spitsbergen.

Samantha Patton, product manager for small-ship cruise specialist Cruise Traveller, attributes the rise of luxury cruisers switching temporarily to expedition voyages to the fact that people are focusing specifically on destinations they want to visit. “Some people love their first luxury cruise brand and never leave, while others are more itinerary driven and are looking for deeper discoveries. These people are not about a particular brand, but about a particular experience.”

Ms Levin said those who aren’t switching lines are spending big and opting for upgrades. “Most cruisers are still brand-loyal, but are upgrading their accommodation options. We are selling more suites than ever before. However, with a greater focus on itineraries, clients are upgrading their cruising experience by going on more premium or luxury cruise lines.”

Ms Summerhayes is seeing both upgrades and switches aplenty. “Being unable to travel in 2020 and 2021, travellers feel they deserve more luxury on their holidays, and rightly so. Cruisers are definitely upgrading lines as they move to a more inclusive and luxury product.”

/ LONGER VOYAGES ATTRACTING CRUISE LOVERS Cruisers are also opting for longer voyages. Earlier this year, Regent Seven Seas’s 132-night 2024 world cruise sold out in less than three hours, a record for the line. Oceania’s 180-day Around the World cruise was snapped up in less than 24 hours, and Silversea’s 140-day 2023 cruise also sold out in less than a day.

Ms Patton said the shift towards longer cruises is the most notable change in post-pandemic bookings. “Longer cruises are the biggest change. We always knew that Australians like to travel for at least three weeks to the northern hemisphere, but that is now growing to four or five weeks. World voyages are in very high demand, with people having to transfer from 2020 and 2021 trips.”

Michael Schischka, general manager of Mary Rossi Travel, is also seeing this. “Unique itineraries are selling out first. Longer voyages to more remote destinations are mainly sold out already for 2022. Regent Seven Seas has already waitlisted Australia and New Zealand cruises for 2022/23, as well as Silversea’s 2024 Grand Voyage.”

/ WHERE ARE WE CRUISING DOMESTICALLY? Since New Zealand announced it won’t host cruises until at least October 2022, many Aussies have been holding their breath to see if we suffer a similar fate.

Our ports are ready and waiting. Brisbane will be the big winner, with a brand-new port facility at Luggage Point, which was ready to open in October 2021.

Royal Caribbean won’t be cruising until the 2022 wave season now, but is basing a Quantum-class ship in Brisbane and preparing to make the Whitsundays a new must-do destination, with fabulous island itineraries.

P&O has the new Pacific Encounter (formerly the Star Princess) due to sail from Brisbane, while Carnival Spirit will sail for Carnival Cruises. Once the pandemic is fully under control, expect more sailings around Tasmania and the Kimberley.

/ UNCERTAINTY AROUND FAMILY CRUISING While there’s been no shortage of cruise bookings overall, families are still waiting to see what happens.

Ms Summerhayes says bookings have reflected the impact of this uncertainty. “Personally, I’ve seen a drop in big family trips for 2022 and I think that’s mainly due to uncertainty.

“It’s a bit easier for a couple with no kids to be disrupted, so I think many families are going to stay close to home for a while until they have more confidence that we’re back to ‘normal’.”

While some family-friendly cruise lines have outlined vaccination requirements that cover children, P&O Cruises Australia is the only line to have explicitly stated its policy. It’s a big issue for lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, which rely on families and have built their offerings around entertainment for younger cruisers. It’s anticipated that, as vaccinations for more youngsters are available, the uncertainty will dissipate.

/ WHAT NEW TOYS CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE ON SHIPS? Richard Branson’s Scarlet Lady, the first ship of the Virgin Voyages cruise line, has started sailing as an exclusively no-kids zone. Expect instead tattoo parlours, a karaoke lounge and adult-themed cabaret shows.

If you’re looking for new layers of lavishness, Celebrity Beyond will have you covered, with a two-storey villa featuring a private plunge pool, staterooms with infinite verandahs, a Michelinstarred restaurant and a two-deck Sunset bar.

Set to start sailing on April 27, 2022, Celebrity Beyond will also shine a torch on wellness, with Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow serving as the brand’s wellbeing advisor.

Also debuting in 2022 is Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, which is set to become the world’s largest cruise ship, housing a modest 5,734 passengers. Wonder of the Seas will be home to a nine-deck zipwire, 19 pools, the tallest slide at sea, suites with Lego walls, oysters aplenty and so much more.

Ms Patton also sees entertainment and wellness on the rise. “Entertainment has increasingly taken the form of enrichment over the last 10 years and that will only grow. And wellness, I believe, will start to be more about not just our wellness, but the wellness of our planet, with less plastics, more natural products and not just body care but also mental wellbeing.”

Ms Summerhayes also notes that the ‘ship inside a ship’ concept is luring customers. “I’m booking more suites than ever right now as people want access to exclusive areas of ships.

“The ‘ship inside a ship’ concept is something that cruisers are really into and it’s fantastic for those who want the best of the best, but also love that big-ship variety of experiences. People want ‘exclusivity’ now more than ever, but they also want to go to silent discos.”

The ultra-luxe Regent Suite on the Seven Seas Grandeur.

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