Exotic ports-of-call, luxury upgrades and customized excursions Help Broaden cruise Appeal
According to American Express Travel's Cruise Specialists, a group of travel agents almost exclusively dedicated to booking cruise travel, there is currently a growing popularity and interest in cruising. Responsible for this trend, they say, is the value cruising offers coupled with a "new generation" of cruise offerings that provide more variety and flexibility than ever before, including new and increasingly exotic ports- of-calls around the world, a jaw-dropping roster of onboard luxury upgrades and amenities, and customized excursions and private experiences.
Cruising's broadening appeal
The combination of these factors has resulted in a burgeoning group of travelers interested in cruising. Among the growing number of first-time cruisers, Cruise Specialists report an increase especially among multi- generational families, young couples/newlyweds, young families with children, and people looking to "test-drive" or sample destinations via a cruise before planning an entirely land-based vacation there. Cruise Specialists also report working with a large number of repeat cruise customers. While these repeaters enjoy the cruise experience enough to do it over and over again, Cruise Specialists say when it comes to the itineraries, they like to mix it up -- from destinations to ship experiences.
And Cruise Specialists agree that there is no better mix of things than what is available right now and they are seeing passengers take full advantage. Cruise Specialists are particularly seeing an interest in new far- flung cruise destinations, including Dubai, the South Pacific and Vietnam. They're also reporting an increased interest in different ship experiences, such as yacht and river/barge canal cruises.
