Cruising’s popularity is still growing. 2 million British cruised in 2018; this figure was expected for 2020. New ships visiting Southampton this year have been MSC Bellissima and Celebrity Edge and the next will be Saga’s Spirit of Discovery. 2020 will see Iona launch, P&O’s largest ship, followed by Enchanted Princess. And Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady will offer a completely different perspective to cruising.

The Mintel report of May 2019 declares that “over the next five years the number of cruise holidays is forecast to grow faster (22.5%) than the total number of overseas holidays (14.8%).” 1 in 4 Brits have now taken a cruise. And the average age is coming down rapidly, as those who have been taken on a cruise as a child now repeat the holiday as parents. Mintel also says “38% of those who are interested in taking a sea cruise in the next five years are aged 16-34, while 34% are aged 35-54 and 28% are aged 55+.” This is completely different from just 3 years ago, when the 2016 CLIA cruise review saw less than 24% of under 55s cruising. The number of children carried by Carnival Cruises has doubled in a decade.

What should we expect, then, from cruising in the next few years?

The important issues in the cruise world are sustainability, the environment and over tourism. Virgin Voyages will be supplying sun cream which doesn’t destroy reefs. CLIA is linked with the Donkey Sanctuary to protect overuse of donkeys in tourist areas such as Santorini. The cruise lines are aiming to reduce the rate of carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. Most new cruise ships on order will be powered by liquefied natural gas rather than diesel (P&O Iona) and use fuel cell technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Innovation-wise, we can expect top deck BBQs, living plants (Celebrity Edge) and tattoo parlours (Scarlet Lady), roller coasters (Carnival Mardi Gras) and go-karts (Norwegian Encore), virtual assistants (MSC Bellissima), personalisation and greater choice. Premium cruising will focus on offering guest experiences not available on land inspired by superyacht luxury. The new term is ‘rebellious lux’, rock star service at affordable prices.

Ships on order vary in size; Virgin Voyages’ three are all mid sized ships for 2700 passengers. While Royal Caribbean is going for the large ships, each of which is 1 cm longer in order to retain having the largest cruise ships at sea, most of the others on order are in the 3000 passenger range. There are currently 44 more ships on order from 2019 through to 2027.

Sales-wise, expect virtual ship tours, much more use of Youtube, video, podcasts and social media as well as technology such as apps and wearable devices.