Despite a gradual, and broadly successful, return to service for most lines, as well as an uptick in cruise sales for agents, the cost-of-living crisis, airport delays, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and an impending capacity crunch remain causes for concern.

"Our industry is going to have to address its capacity issue," says Paul Melinis, APT and Travelmarvel managing director UK and Ireland. "New bookings and rebooks, plus compressed flight schedules, means competition for cabins will be fierce."

Despite Melinis’s concerns over future capacity, river cruising rebounded strongly over the past 12 months, with APT experiencing a "dramatic surge" in bookings that has driven the sector towards 2019 levels.

Ben Bouldin, vice-president EMEA of Royal Caribbean International, tells TTG the line had an "incredibly positive" return to sailing. "Cruise responded and adapted to the situation phenomenally well, becoming a leader in implementing successful and effective health and safety protocols," he says, warmly, after assuming the role of Clia chair UK and Ireland last year.

Bouldin believes cruise should be "incredibly proud" of what it has achieved over the past year. "When the Delta and Omicron variants caused [Covid-19] cases to skyrocket in late 2021, we saw the knock-on effect, which impacted the travel sector’s usual peak booking period," he says.

"But moving into 2022, the future is looking so much brighter. It’s clear from our guests and current booking trends that people want to travel again. Royal Caribbean’s current booking levels are surpassing those of 2019, which is a sure sign of the positive outlook ahead of us."

Buoyant market

Elsewhere, Graham Sadler, senior vice-president and managing director EMEA of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, tells TTG the luxury cruise market has remained "extremely buoyant" since the line restarted operations in September 2021, and is confident guests will “eagerly return” to cruising – providing a much-needed boost to Regent’s agent partners.

"In fact, even more potential clients are looking at the offering of luxury cruise brands," he says. "Now, with all five Regent ships back in the water, we’ve had a great response from guests, and they’re delighted to be back sailing."

According to Sadler, guests are keen to visit exotic destinations, are willing to pay for higher category suites and want to travel for longer as they look to make up for lost time due to the pandemic. "They’re literally lining up the cruises,” Sadler says. "We are excited for the launch of Seven Seas Grandeur in November 2023, and the challenge that will come with the extra capacity it brings," he continues.

"But given just how strong the luxury market is, and how talented the UK travel trade is, I’m confident guests will be as keen to get onboard as we are."

Despite cruise leaders sharing messages of confidence and positivity, Dr Jennifer Holland, cruise and tourism researcher at the University of Suffolk, says there has been a negative shift in consumer perception over the safety of cruise holidays.

Research, she says, indicates some travellers have become "fearful" of cruise holidays owing to the perceived risk of getting sick onboard, a prospect prompting caution among new and experienced cruisers alike.

"They are also worried about being stuck in quarantine or the cruise being cancelled," she adds. "We saw, in some markets like Australia, a lot of distrust towards the cruise industry, but this was not seen in the UK or the US."

Her research also indicates that while many people want to try cruising for the first time, they "aren’t ready yet". She adds the industry needs to share more information on cruise safety protocols.

Positive outlook

However, there are also positive trends; more people are upgrading to balcony staterooms and suites, while there has also been an increase in cruise guests choosing departures that are closer to home to avoid long-haul flights.

Phil Nuttall, managing director of The Travel Village Group, says the sector has, unfortunately, missed out on business for this summer because of mask mandates and pre-departure testing requirements, which have driven some customers to book alternative holidays.

"It’s why we’re seeing quite a lot of capacity still for this year," Nuttall explains. "The summer is still looking positive. It’s a very late market on the whole. It’s all very well coming out of the pandemic, but you’ve come out of that and stepped into a war."

Without the "terrible situation" in Ukraine, Nuttall believes it would be a "completely different picture" for cruise. "The Baltic destinations have taken a real hit," he says. "That’s been a bit of a tragedy."

Nuttall’s comments are echoed by Oasis Travel managing director Sandra Corkin, who says ongoing testing and vaccination requirements continue to prove challenging. "We’re still seeing very good growth," she says. "I am feeling very positive about cruising, mainly for this summer, but the really positive thing is a lot of the cruise companies are on sale for 2023/24. It’s really good to have that sort of business in the bag."

Carol Kirkham, managing director of Preston-based cruise specialist Kirkham Travel, has also seen positive booking momentum leading into the summer, with customers feeling more confident to travel now than they were this time last year.

The agency, says Kirkham, has seen an uptick in ex-UK cruises, as some clients are still apprehensive about flying due to reported staff shortages and increased wait times at some UK airports.

"Summer is looking really good; a lot of bookings are rebooks from previous years, but they’re finally going which is brilliant," she says. "A lot of clients are opting for cruises out of Southampton or Liverpool as the only thing that is having negative impact is the hype around Manchester airport."