If I Had A Crystal Ball……

There is no doubt about it, the cruising industry as a whole is rapidly expanding, with more and more people opting to go on a cruise then ever before. Between 2009 and 2014, the number of cruise passengers grew from 17.8 million to 22.1 million, and latest figures reveal that this year 25 million people will cruise!

Working in this great industry of ours, that is good to hear however, I cant help thinking are we expanding too quickly?  This year alone we see the launch of P&O’s new ship the Britannia, we have Royal Caribbean’s Anthem Of The Seas, NCL’s  Norwegian Escape, and not forgetting Viking River Cruises are now expanding into the Ocean market with the new Viking Star.

So, what is planned for 2016 you ask? We have more of the Viking ships the Sky and the Sea, then Royal Caribbean’s Ovation Of The Seas along with another ship yet to be named.  We have the new Carnival ship the Vista also. Then we move into the “luxury” cruises with Regent Explorer, and Seabourn’s new ship Encore. The list goes on and on for 2017/2018 and 2019!

So why am I asking are we expanding too quickly?  Some of the older ships I guess will disappear with natural wastage but what about all of those left? Are these ships all full to capacity? Are they all going to be selling cabins at really low costs? Will the cruise companies get the prices right? There are a lot of clients out there who wait for the last minute and not necessarily getting the great deals they expect and a lot of people who book early who should be getting the best deals possible.  Interesting times ahead I am sure you will agree.