Cruise Passengers Are Booking Earlier Than Ever. Is That a Good Thing?
Photo Credit: A Norwegian Cruise Line ships is pictured in Norway. Cruise companies are reporting that passengers are booking their cruises earlier, in part because they are getting more perks for locking in a cruise farther in advance. Flickr / Cycling Man
Skift Take
Cruise companies are finally seeing the booking behavior they desired as more passengers reserve their places earlier. But observers wonder if selling inventory too far in advance means cruise lines are leaving money on the table.
In the past couple of years, cruise executives started talking about a new approach to selling voyages that flew in the face of conventional practice: No longer would they resort to deep price cuts to fill empty cabins in the final weeks before a sailing.
Instead, they said in calls with analysts, they would start to maintain discipline in their pricing — some called it "price integrity" — even if ships did not sail completely full. That followed years of sluggish pricing and several public relations blows to the business.
Now, after some adjustment on the part of consumers and travel agents, the effort is paying off. Leaders of major cruise companies said in recent financial updates that passengers are locking in their cruises earlier than ever, leading to record booking windows and higher prices.
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And a new question has emerged: Are cruise operators getting too many custom
