Cruise bookings boom as ban on foreign lines lifts

Australians are booking longer itineraries, spending more, and favouring smaller vessels as a consequence of the pandemic, which has dramatically changed cruise booking patterns.

NCL Asia Pacific managing director Steve Odell says average Australian cruise bookings have extended.

Australians are booking longer itineraries, spending more, and favouring smaller vessels as a consequence of the pandemic, which has dramatically changed cruise booking patterns.

In the countdown to the April 17, 2022 lifting of the federal government’s cruise ban on foreign lines, executives report major shifts in booking behaviours, particularly among Australian cruisers, who were among the 32 million people cruising the globe each year pre-pandemic.

Oceania Cruises senior vice-president and managing director Asia Pacific Steve Odell said where once the average booking for an Australian passenger was 10-12 days on Oceania Cruises, that has extended to 18-20 days.

“People tend to be booking more suites and name suites and as well as veranda accommodation,’’ he said. “There is very little inside or window accommodation being booked, it’s all veranda.”

The majority of Oceania’s Australian and New Zealand itineraries for this year and next are booked solid.

He said there was a similar pattern for Regent Seven Seas, which like Oceania is owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines, with its Seven Seas Explorer returning to Australia in December 29 and offering sailings until February, 2023. Oceania’s Regatta returns to Sydney on December 12 offering Australian and New Zealand itineraries until March 2023, when it leaves for Tahiti.

“Both brands and seasons are pretty much sold out, there is not a lot to sell and we are more focused on 2023 sailings,” Mr Odell said. “It’s all forward booked, this proves a lot of Aussies are looking at close-to-home (travel opportunities), particularly the older demographic.”

The first foreign-flagged vessel to start cruising again following the official lifting of the cruise ban would be the French-owned Ponant, which will start cruising the Kimberley from the end of April.

A 35-day round-the-world itinerary on Oceania – which is known for its luxury food and wine offerings – recently sold out within days, Mr Odell added.

On the international front, the number of Australians booking overseas cruises has not declined. Mr Odell said there was limited fall-off in booking patterns given the war in Ukraine.

Favoured offshore destinations for Australians are the eastern and western Mediterranean, as well as Iceland, and the Norwegian fjords. While bookings for Scandinavian cruises were holding up, Mr Odell said St Petersburg had been removed from Oceania’s itineraries.

Cruise Lines International, managing director Joel Katz, who represents scores of lines including Norwegian Cruise Lines, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean, said booking levels were back to pre-Covid levels and in some cases were exceeding pre-Covid.

“Cruise lines are reporting record booking weeks, passengers are booking longer trips and booking higher-category cabins,” Mr Katz said.

“People have been saving up for a while and are very keen to get back to cruising. With the robust (health) protocols people are feeling comfortable with the cruise environment and almost feel like it’s a secure bubble which will include vaccination and testing which is not common in land-based environments.’’

Mr Katz said the first foreign-flagged vessel to start cruising again following the official lifting of the cruise ban would be the French-owned Ponant, which will start cruising the Kimberley from the end of April. On the east coast the first ship will be a P&O from Sydney on May 31.

“Initially they will be operating domestic cruises but as we head towards the summer we will see more ships return,” he said.