It’s a Saturday night, and the strobe lights are bright, but the cocktails are stronger. The only sound that can be heard is the hum of pop bangers through headphones, punctuated by the discordant wail of the chorus to ABBA’s “Mama Mia”.
Believe it or not, these partygoers are ringing in the last night of their Royal Caribbean cruise around the Mediterranean in a purpose-built nightclub on the sea. Instead of OAPs doing aqua aerobics, onboard Odyssey of the Seas the scene is more like that of a festival: twentysomethings flailing their arms about at a silent disco.
Cruise passengers are getting younger. According to a recent State of the Cruise Industry report, 77% of millennials who’ve never cruised before are considering going on one, while 88% of millennials who have been on a cruise said they would do so again. These stats coincide with a general trend: cruising has seen an unprecedented surge in popularity over the last few years across all age ranges. According to Cruise Marketwatch, the number of cruise passengers will peak at more than 30 million this year worldwide.
The industry is taking note. While cruises have traditionally been marketed towards empty-nesters and pensioners because of the convenience of travelling in a “floating hotel” with no-fly options, cruise lines have started advertising towards younger passengers — and they’re seeing results.
In 2022, Royal Caribbean saw a 10 percent uptick in 18-24 year-old guests compared to 2019, increasing by a further 16 percent in 2023. In other words, young people make up a higher percentage of the brand’s overall guest population than ever before, both globally and in the UK. So young people are definitely on board with, well, getting on board.
That’s not to say we’re all completely convinced. Over a third of adults surveyed by Mortar Research in 2023 (on behalf of Celebrity Cruises) believed that cruise holidays are exclusively for older adults, while 77 per cent had a negative prejudice about what a cruise holiday would entail. Some travellers might still have the age-old idea of cruises filled with pensioner-geared activities like bingo, off-Broadway shows, and stuffy dress codes with formal sit-down meals. But can the new wave of cruise-goers change their minds?
Bang For Your Buck
Going on holiday is getting increasingly more expensive across the board, and while cruising isn’t exempt from those rising costs, younger travellers could be getting more bang for their buck with a holiday that wraps travel and leisure into one. When you combine the costs of accommodation, travel, food and drink, opting for a cruise might cost less than, say, an all-inclusive holiday resort or city break.
“Modern travellers are willing to pay a premium for worthwhile experiences and see the incredible value cruising provides, especially with things like wifi, gratuities and Michelin-inspired dining offered at no extra cost,”’ said Nirmal Saverimuttu, president and chief experience officer for Virgin Voyages.
UK-born Emilie Hope, 28, and US-raised Billy Truppner, 32, both travelled last summer onboard Virgin Voyages’ 2021 ship, Resilient Lady. “It’s unbelievable,” Billy said of the cruise, which started in Athens before making its way through Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia, Montenegro, and Corfu in Greece. “Now I understand why people are so hyped up about going on a cruise. This has been the best experience I’ve ever had on a vacation.”
“The fact that you do travel, but with this luxury experience… you feel treated to everything,” Emilie said. “Even though you’ve paid for it, especially on [Virgin Voyages] with the speciality restaurants, soda, and Wifi being free, you almost feel like you’ve paid peanuts.”
Jet-Set Without the Stress
Before Emilie and Billy’s cruise, the pair travelled for six months through Hawaii, Philadelphia, New York, Texas, London and Corfu. “Emilie took me to Corfu on an all-inclusive for 10 days, but we saw everything we wanted to see within the first three days, so for the remaining seven days we just ate and drank,” Billy explained.
“Whereas on a cruise ship, you can see multiple places, and then go into a whole other realm of entertainment [on board].”
With the itinerary set, young people can travel around multiple destinations while saving the time and effort of booking and planning each stage of a multi-city holiday. And those time-saving benefits apply on-board, too. With young professionals limited to travelling during their paid time off (20 days in Australia, and an average of just 10 for those in the US), going on a cruise means maximising their vacation time — or even working remotely on board — while getting to visit several different countries in one trip.
“Recent trend reports have shown that younger working professionals value the innate freedom of being able to work from anywhere in the world,” said Nirmal.
Whatever Floats Your Boat (Literally)
When the couple decided to board the cruise for Billy’s milestone birthday, they wondered if there would be enough Gen Z and millennial-friendly activities to fill up their seven-night itinerary. Hint: there were plenty.
On the adults-only Virgin Voyages ship, there are festival-style shows including drag bingo — which has already swept its way through Australia in recent years – bottomless brunch, boozy afternoon tea, and cabaret shows. On Royal Caribbean, 18-25-year-old travellers can mingle via the cruise’s new “Hyperlink” programme, a space for those too old for the teen club and too young for the standard adult offerings onboard. Activities include club nights, sporting events, and even skydiving with a young adults-only twist.
There are plenty of options for sober travellers too (Gen Z, as we know, are increasingly alcohol-free). Mindfulness-style activities like meditation, yoga, and even stargazing are all on the menu on board Virgin Voyages. And while the Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas is undeniably popular with young families, adult-only zones like the solarium offer some child-free bliss, with hot tubs and cosy day-beds. (There’s also an on-board arcade and games centre, jam-packed with fairground-style games like bumper cars and laser tag, in case you want to be a big kid yourself).
Bring the Crew
Multi-generational holidays are on the rise — and unlike hostel-hopping or your classic 18-30s party-focused holiday, cruises can accommodate all ages, making them a good option for family trips.
One Gen Z traveller, Evan Buschman, headed on a 7-night Greek Isles cruise on board Odyssey of the Seas with his parents and older brother as one last big family trip “before we have our own lives”. The family travelled to Rome and Naples in Italy, Santorini and Mykonos in Greece, and Kuşadası in Turkey — and when they were done soaking up all that culture, 19-year-old Evan made the most of the young people’s events onboard.
“Seeing the ocean and meeting new people from all around the world… It’s so fun and eye-opening, and it’s a chance to get away from everything for a while,” he said.
The Rise of CruiseTok
Of course, with all the surprising things that become popular with Gen Z (low-rise jeans, noticing someone’s Millennial Pause, you name it), you can turn to TikTok to gauge a rising trend among the younger generation. Cruisetok has over 200,000 hashtags, with young cruisers documenting their experience on everything from rave cruises to the notorious nine-month cruise.
Cruises are almost advertisements for the adage “it’s all about the journey, not just the destination”, and Gen Z’s obsession with follow-along, “come with me” experiential TikToks feeds into this. As with everything these days, where there’s TikTok virality, there’s Gen Z.
@drjennytravels ONE MONTH LEFT on the 9 month world cruise 😱 BUT good news is that our friends are joining us for this segment, so we are very excited about that! #drjennytravels #ultimateworldcruise #worldcruisetok #cruisetok #worldcruise2024 #serenadeoftheseas #serenade #9monthcruise #9monthcruisetok #9monthcruisedrama #9monthcruiseproblems #traveltok #traveltiktok #worldtravel ♬ original sound – drjennytravels
But if you want to let loose this summer, Virgin Voyages is where it’s at. During a press trip on board Resilient Lady, I found myself at the centre of a midnight pool party for Scarlet Night, an immersive three-part celebration. As the night went on and more champagne was consumed, cruise-goers began to jump into the pool either fully clothed, or not. I may have remained dry (and dressed!), but there was ample opportunity to dance with the entertainment team.
Elsewhere, the LGBTQ+-forward, sex-positive dinner dance show with an elevated Indian-inspired menu, Another Rose, was a brilliant reminder that adults-only cruises might be the oasis young people never knew they needed. When the host yelled “No kids!” on the stage, the cheer that erupted in the theatre could have been an advert for birth control, or the DINK (dual income, no kids) lifestyle.
It might take some time before cruise lines see a majority of Gen-Z and Millennial travellers, but, as Evan urges us: “I think everyone should try a cruise at least once if they can.” And I’m already itching to book my next one.
Related: TikTok Has Ruined All the Best Parts of Travel
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