Cruise Line Industry & Business News by Skift

Small Luxury Ships Give Passengers a Close-Up View in Alaska

Nikki Ekstein, Bloomberg

Several luxury lines already sail in Alaska, but Seabourn's return means passengers who want a high-end cruise experience mixed with adventure have even more choices in the popular summer destination.

2 hours ago

Norwegian Cruise Line Is Sending a Second Ship to Cuba as Demand Stays Strong

Hannah Sampson, Skift

Flights to Cuba are expected to be less in demand once the Trump administration's travel restrictions are enforced, but could that lead to more interest in cruises? Norwegian Cruise Line's announcement indicates the cruise operator is expecting a bump in business.

2 weeks ago

Carnival Is Upping Its Ad Spending to Drive More Cruise Bookings

Hannah Sampson, Skift

Carnival Corp. said its cruise lines have made a case for additional advertising and marketing dollars to generate more bookings — and the parent company is listening. Now we wait to find out how that money gets spent and what kind of results they will see.

3 weeks ago

The Business of Loyalty: Carnival Cruise Line Wants to Win Over Customers Earlier

Hannah Sampson, Skift

Cruise loyalty programs are different from airline and hotel offerings, but Carnival Cruise Line's approach can still be instructive — especially as it evolves.

4 weeks ago

Carnival Says China Is a Good Long-Term Cruise Bet Despite Ongoing Struggles

Hannah Sampson, Skift

Carnival Corp. reminds us that China is a small part of its business — which is true. But if the market is going to become the world's largest as the company expects, there are a lot of complications to work through.

4 weeks ago

Ritz-Carlton Enters the Luxury Cruise Business With 3 Custom Yachts

Laura Powell, Skift

We've seen both luxury hotel and luxury cruise companies develop private jet products recently, but only one hotel brand is currently taking its moniker to sea. This is easily the most interesting thing the otherwise traditional Ritz-Carlton has ever done.

1 month ago

Royal Caribbean Had the Most Highly Compensated Cruise CEO of 2016

Hannah Sampson , Skift

Passengers may not care much what executives at cruise companies earn, but it's instructive to realize what goals those CEOs are driven to reach.

1 month ago

MSC Cruises Is Building Ships That Will Break Passenger Records

Hannah Sampson, Skift

MSC Cruises continues to show its ambition as it plans to add more ships to an already fast-growing fleet. Now the question is whether demand can keep up with all that supply.

2 months ago

Millennial-Only River Cruising From Uniworld Will Start Sailing in 2018

Hannah Sampson, Skift

Will a no-Boomers-allowed policy, youth-focused design, and tailored shore excursions be enough to convince millennials that river cruising is the way to experience Europe? The CEO of U by Uniworld thinks so — and she only has to win over 120 passengers at a time.

2 months ago

The Cruise Industry Keeps Beating Its Own Expectations

Hannah Sampson, Skift

Higher-than-expected cruise passenger counts are good news for an industry that saw much slower growth just a few years ago. A lack of high-profile disasters has been helpful, and cruise lines are getting better at promoting themselves and expanding into new markets.

2 months ago

Interview: What’s in Store for Luxury Cruising

Laura Powell, Skift

Cruise lines have the luxury of going in and out of nearly any port they choose, making it easier for them to respond to geopolitical changes as well as changing consumer tastes.

2 months ago

AmaWaterways Is Getting Some Fresh Cash to Shake up River Cruising

Hannah Sampson, Skift

The river cruise industry has exploded since AmaWaterways was established 15 years ago. We'll be interested to see how the operator moves forward with its new investor.

2 months ago