Cruise Lines Set Sail to Attract Younger Travelers

What are cruises doing to appeal to younger generations of travelers? A lot. This means that as an agent, you can feel confident suggesting a cruise to your younger clients, since cruise lines are beginning to offer new things that’ll float the boats of younger travelers.

The Washington Post recently published a piece on what they’re calling “cruise 2.0”, or the developments in cruising in 2018. Two things cruise lines are focusing on to attract cruisers of all ages, not just the traditionally older cruise crowds, are onshore excursions and the culinary experience while on board.

The excursions offered by some cruise lines are more authentic and immersive than ever before. Cruisers can enjoy a bike ride through fjords in Norway or through the villages and markets of Kuala Lumpur, as offered by Azamara Club Cruises. Or they can even spend time with locals in a port city, sharing a meal in local residents’ homes through U by Uniworld’s partnership with EatWith, a meal-sharing service.

On board, cruise lines are thinking of new ways to up their culinary game with unique meal options and partnerships with celebrity chefs. Guy Fieri’s Flavortown restaurants are on some Carnival Cruise ships and Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Jamie’s Italian is a big feature of Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas. A few of Carnival’s ships even have breweries on them. The Carnival Vista is home to Redfrog Pub and Brewery, which has a state-of-the-art brewing system that uses sea water to brew the beer. Talk about innovation.

Cruise lines don’t want to miss the boat on the opportunity the younger generations now present. Because, as the travel industry is well aware of, millennials are now the largest generation and they should not be ignored.