This was the message from the line’s vice president and managing director EMEA, Jo Rzymowska, who spoke to TTG in London on Tuesday (1 November), as the line announced plans to homeport its second Edge-class vessel, Celebrity Apex, in Southampton for its 2024 season.
"We are seeing value for money becoming more and more prominent from our target audience," she said. "The fact cruise offers so much value for money – with entertainment, food, a choice of bars and the rest – means customers are happy.
"We are not seeing the cost of living crisis having a significant impact, but we’re conscious of it and we are cautiously optimistic. We’re seeing, actually, 2023 is in a good place, and we’re happy with both demand and prices."
Rzymowska said Europe continues to "perform well" for the brand, with bucket-list holidays showing an increase in demand as guests look to celebrate missed milestones.
"The Galapagos is very strong, as well as the Caribbean during the winter and Alaska for next summer. I’d say it’s pretty well spread, but Europe is our primary focus," she added.
"Our target audience have lost probably six or seven holidays and therefore they absolutely want to make sure they get those trips back.
"We are finding that our retreat suite accommodation is booking well as people are very much looking for the best of the best throughout all of our ships."
