From river to ocean, luxury to expedition, this is what cruising looks like now and where it’s heading.

It’s the fastest-growing segment of the tourism industry, emerging over the last few years with more momentum than ever in innovation and future-proofing. It’s far removed from the world up above, where holidaymakers bound for the South Pacific are sipping a cocktail mixed by a robot at the Bionic Bar, lounging by the pool at the Solarium or getting their kicks on a skydiving simulator.

Sustainable cruising for conscious travellers

In the waste management room below deck, crew members onboard Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas sort recyclables around the clock, separating into tubs for caps, corks and cans; clear, green and brown glass, crushed down like glinting mosaic pieces.

It’s part of a bid to keep every waste stream the 5000-guest ship produces out of local landfill. It’s a cog in a broad-reaching ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) framework mapped out by one of the world’s largest cruise companies. This framework, in turn, forms part of a much bigger picture that is galvanising the entire cruise industry: a goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Maligned as it has been for its impact on the environment and the coastal communities it sails into, the decarbonisation of the entire cruise industry is a grand plan that some might consider fanciful at best, or an attempt at greenwashing and obfuscation at worst. But behind the scenes of cruise lines big and small, ocean, river and expedition, the path is marked by milestone goals that are being met.

For instance, Royal Caribbean opened the world’s first net-zero cruise terminal in Galveston in late 2022. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) recently announced the modification of its final two Prima Class Ships to accommodate green methanol as an alternative future fuel source. And sustainable trailblazer Hurtigruten is on track to deliver the world’s first zero-emission ship by 2030.

A watershed moment

With global demand for cruising surpassing pre-pandemic levels (it is the fastest-growing segment of the tourism sector) and as climate change intensifies and overtourism remains a concern, innovation is the only way forward. And there’s more momentum than ever. Did the pandemic – a time that saw cruise ships very publicly grounded – prove a watershed moment?

“It was certainly an opportunity to pause, reflect and consider what the best ways are to go about exercising our responsibilities," says Royal Caribbean’s vice president and managing director, Gavin Smith.

“Everyone found ways to improve for the better," agrees Tim Jones, vice president and managing director, Australia & APAC, for Celebrity Cruises.

He cites the acceleration of certain areas that had always been a priority, such as enhanced sanitation and technological advances – the advent of e-muster drills in lieu of the traditional clunky muster drill at the start of each cruise, for example that provide a more seamless guest experience.

“There’s been a number of schools of thought that have come from this," says Damian Perry, managing director, APAC, for Hurtigruten.

“One is, there are organisations like ourselves who have been proactive in this space and when it comes to responsible travel and sustainability, it’s been a moment where we’ve been able to dig deeper and really formalise our plans, be more proactive than we’ve been in the past and really make sure that our mission when it comes to the sustainable future in cruises is going to be delivered."

Selecting the right cruise

The term cruising casts a wide net and many people think it’s not for them without having set foot on a cruise ship. “As we always say, there’s a cruise for everyone," says Celebrity’s Tim Jones. “You just haven’t found the right one yet."

Amazon to the Nile to the Ganges

The right cruise for you might be a gentle sail along one of Europe’s loveliest rivers in the company of a couple of hundred, not a thousand, other guests that deliver you right to the heart of towns and cities for an all-round culturally enriching experience. Or an exploratory tour of some of the planet’s most iconic waterways, from the Amazon to the Nile to the Ganges.

Greenland to the Galápagos

It might be an expedition cruise to some of the world’s most spectacular and remote places, from Greenland to the Galápagos, led by an expedition team with a raft of experts and guest speakers onboard. The inherently fragile landscapes of the places you’ll visit, where climate change exposes its frightening impact first, means its players have long put responsible practices at the forefront of their operations.

Or it might be an ocean cruise, which in itself offers a kaleidoscope of choice – be it the ultimate family holiday onboard a grand ocean liner with all bells and whistles or a sophisticated sail on a boutique small ship, all while only unpacking once: the ultimate USP of cruising.

Mediterranean to Mexico

Brand-new products are making waves in this space, from Virgin Voyages’ out-of-the-box adults-only offering, launched in 2021, plying the waters from the Med to Mexico. To the launch of a brand new travel brand, Explora Journeys, which seeks to redefine the ocean experience and create a category of its own; its small-ship sailings that take in both the celebrated and off-the-beaten-path ports focus on a slower pace. EXPLORA I’s maiden season will see her travel around the Norwegian Fjords, the Arctic Circle, the UK, Ireland, northern Europe and Greenland, the US East Coast, Canada and the Caribbean.

Culinary experiences aboard

Oceania Cruises

The bar is always being raised when it comes to food and wine. Oceania Cruises continues to boast its foodie credentials, with chefs whipping up a storm each night at sea under the aegis of executive culinary director and world-renowned masterchef, Jacques Pépin.

Crystal

Whereas Crystal, acquired by A&K Travel Group last year and launching renovated ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony later this year, is the only cruise line with a Nobu restaurant at sea.

Aqua Expeditions

And you’ll find expert chefs working site-specific magic onboard Aqua Expeditions’ highly bespoke river and ocean cruises. Top Peruvian chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino weaves a rainforest-to-plate philosophy through menus on Amazon expeditions.

Guests sailing Indonesia will find spice trade-inspired fare from Bali-based Australian chef Benjamin Cross; and Michelin-starred chef David Thompson draws together Vietnamese and Cambodian flavours on the mighty Mekong.

Silversea

The foodie experience spills off the cruise ship, too: Silversea’s culinary enrichment program, S.A.L.T (Sea and Land Taste), which launched in 2020 and is brought to life by Adam Sachs, former editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine, and food anthropologist Ilaria Edoardi, is all about connecting guests to culture through food both onboard and off.

Its recently formed collaboration with three Michelin-starred Mirazur – celebrated as one of the world’s best restaurants – lets guests dive into the culinary traditions in Menton on the French Riviera.

Tauck

While Tauck, proponent of experience-rich small ship cruises, has launched six new European river cruises for 2024, each featuring a dinner ashore in either a historic castle or private palace. Examples include Vienna’s Palais Pallavicini, which – having previously hosted musical luminaries Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert – will host guests on the 12-day Danube Kingdoms: Bavaria, Austria & Hungary itinerary.

Uniworld River Cruises and NCL

Uniworld, meanwhile, is catering to changing palettes with its extensive vegan and vegetarian menus, and NCL has responded to changing consumer preferences with an alcohol-free program, which includes low alcohol and zero-waste cocktails that debuted on Norwegian Prima and will appear on sister ship, Norwegian Viva.

A different mindset

We, as travellers, have emerged differently, too. We’re excited. Enthusiastic. Feeling like we’ve missed out on a window of time and wanting to extract as much out of every situation. “There is a renewed focus on fun," says Alice Ager, managing director of Uniworld in Australia & New Zealand, a company with a fleet of immersive ships that sail the rivers of the world. “I find that the atmosphere onboard ships today is a hundred times more fun than it was before, and that’s partly because people really just want to give it 110 per cent when they reach their destination," she says.

Booking trends corroborate the fact we want to live large. Whether that’s an increase in back-to-back cruising with pre- and post-cruise land extensions thrown in for good measure, as Ager observes, or world cruises selling out as fast as companies can announce them, or sooner; Regent Seven Seas’ luxury 2025 World Cruise sold out at pre-registration. And we’ll be ready for it when Captain Cook Cruises Fiji, which explores lesser-known areas of Fiji including its remote north, launches luxury expedition small ship MS Caledonian Sky in November: ushering in a new era of high-end cruise experiences for the beautiful island nation.

Meanwhile, leader in Alaska cruising Holland America Line (HAL) has announced what is believed to be the first ever ‘pole to pole’ round trip from the USA in 2025, which adds to its global roster of Grand Voyages: how’s that for epic?

Casting an eye over global travel trends for Travel Associates, Danielle Galloway, global managing director for FCTG Luxury Leisure, identifies cruising in general as one of the hot tickets du jour, with Europe and the Mediterranean at the top of our lists, evidenced by Italy sales up 262 per cent at the start of this year compared to last year. And France in particular is making waves. “Twenty-five per cent of our bookings at the moment are for French [river] itineraries," says Ager.

Avalon Waterways is witnessing the same phenomenon, with a surge in bookings across France on the Seine, Rhône, Rhine and Moselle rivers prompting it to add new departures to meet 2023 and 2024 river cruise demands.

New horizons

As keen as we are to return to our favourite destinations and explore a little deeper while we’re there, we’ve also got our sights set on new horizons. Pioneers of relaxed, ‘freestyle’ cruising, NCL is recognising guests’ craving to shake things up with longer and more unique itineraries that take them off the beaten path; it is expanding its number of Extraordinary Journeys itineraries to bucket-list destinations such as Antarctica and South America accordingly.

And Africa, in particular, is having a moment. Among Lindblad Expeditions’ new itineraries for 2024 is an 18-day journey, Exploring East Africa and Madagascar: Wildlife and Wonders, that encompasses five epic countries and includes a chance to spot the Big Five on safari in South Africa’s renowned Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

While a new Viking itinerary for 2024, the 16-day Malta, Morocco and the Mediterranean voyage, plays like a highlights reel of North Africa and southern Europe. It also sees the introduction of new destinations for Viking, including Malta, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.

One undeniable travel trend? “Cruising on the Nile is back in fashion," says Ager. “I don’t know if it’s anything to do with Death on the Nile [a film adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic] that came out in 2022, but we’re definitely seeing increased demand."

This vogue for Egypt led small-ship cruise line Viking to open 2025 sailings sooner than expected after its 2023 season sold out. And with many 2024 sailing dates sold out, too, its new ship Viking Aton – purpose-built for the Nile – will join the fleet in August to help meet demand. And in 2024, Star Clippers, whose tall ships take passengers back to the grand age of sailing, reintroduces one of its fastest-ever-selling itineraries between Athens and the Red Sea town of Safaga, Egypt.

Cruising in Asia

One of our most popular land destinations is only now coming onto the Aussie cruiser’s radar. Japan and Southeast Asia have the potential to be the fastest-growing destinations for Australians in the next five years.

Norwegian Jewel: Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, Bali, Kuala Lumpur and Manila

NCL will make a grand return to the region in October, when the newly revitalised Norwegian Jewel departs Tokyo for Taipei. Its extensive six-month Asia season will cross off 16 itineraries, taking in 11 countries from nine different departure ports including Bangkok, Bali and Kuala Lumpur. And you can tick off six new ports of call including Manila, Boracay and Palawan in the Philippines and Bintan Island in Indonesia.

A focus on destination immersion and country-intensive cruises will see you go deeper – sometimes literally – with shore excursions taking in everything from cave exploration in Puerto Princesa’s Subterranean River National Park to a cycle rickshaw tour around Ho Chi Minh City’s historic architecture, pagodas and markets.

Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas: Singapore, Tokyo, Vietnam and Hong Kong

Cruisers are going wild for Royal Caribbean’s longer sailings in Asia, too; stops on Spectrum of the Seas’ 12-night itinerary in 2023/24 from Singapore to Tokyo include Vietnam and Hong Kong. And luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent has added a second departure to its ever-popular Wonders of Japan cruise, offering a new autumn alternative to its cherry blossom voyage in March.

From home turf

For all our wanderlust and new-found ‘G.O.A.T.’ (‘greatest of all time’) mentality, there are plenty of us mindful of the soaring cost of living. Cruising offers a value proposition compared to land-based holidays that is easier to budget for; even more so if that cruise, or the package you select, is all-inclusive.

Better still, casting yourself into international waters via a cruise from Australian shores will see you save on the inflated costs of airfares. Sail to the dreamy blues of the South Pacific or dramatic landscapes of New Zealand from Sydney or Brisbane with Royal Caribbean’s summer seasons Down Under. Or board Celebrity Cruises’ game-changing Celebrity Edge – complete with its Kelly Hoppen-designed staterooms and spaces – when it makes its first trip to the southern hemisphere this December, with sailings from Sydney to New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Virgin Voyages and Disney Cruise Line will also make their Aussie debuts this year, with the arrival of Resilient Lady and Disney Magic at Sea respectively. And Silversea’s first-ever Grand Voyage to depart Perth will take place in August next year, travelling all the way to South America over 75 days.

Go your own way

We’re shaking up who we’re travelling with, too. Cruising, with its choose-you-own-adventure proposition, scores big for multigenerational holidays – the buzzword of 2023. While travelling en famille, kids, parents, and grandparents, is customary around the world, Australia is only just catching up.

Whereas in the past, our famously adventurous and curious Aussie spirit might have seen families head off in different directions to explore the world, the pandemic has pushed us back together, considers Gavin Smith. “And all of a sudden you realise how like-minded you are and you head off on a holiday together, whether that’s a beach house or a cruise." Or maybe you dream of going it alone?

Our new-found seize-the-day outlook has supercharged a trend of solo travel, particularly among women, that’s been steadily rising for years. And while cruising has not traditionally been the go-to choice in this space, with solo supplements and additional charges proving a barrier, many cruise lines are redressing the balance.

Royal Caribbean, NCL, Cunard and HAL are among those offering a selection of solo and studio cabins to bed down in. Celebrity goes a step further with onboard networking and Aurora Expeditions, whose ships sail to Antarctica, the Arctic and more wild places beyond, often runs offers that see solo travellers who are happy to share jumping on an informal cabin-mate finding service to avoid paying extra single supplements.

Destination immersion

Wherever or however you’re sailing, these days you will also find more focus on destination immersion – including increased time in port and extended overnight stays. It’s another big selling point and one Azamara has been fine-tuning for a decade through its AzAmazing Evenings.

To mark the 10-year anniversary of its signature events in 2023, the upmarket cruise line is debuting its AzAmazing Celebrations, which will see guests steeped in the spirit of its destinations from one of the largest carnival celebrations in the world, Carnaval de Barranquilla in Colombia, to Zulu singing, dancing and storytelling in Durban, South Africa.

Signing up for one of Oceania Cruises’ Go Green shore excursions will see you delving into everything from St. Lucia’s beekeeping practices to upcycled Nordic fashion and lunch on a regenerative farm in Yangon.

NCL has also tapped into guests’ appetite for more immersive and authentic local experiences, adding six new shore excursion categories to its offerings including Beyond Blueprints for architecture buffs, Gourmet Tours for foodies and Go Local tours to connect guests to communities in meaningful ways, such as sharing a meal with local families.

Out of the box

Across the board, from river and ocean to luxury and expedition, cruise lines are all looking for ways to provide ever-more immersive, innovative experiences. Onboard, this translates to everything from art, design and entertainment to food and wine and even edification.

When Cunard’s new 3000-guest Queen Anne joins the fleet in 2024, it will boast the largest curated art collection at sea. When its sister ship Queen Elizabeth plies antipodean waters early next year, it will do so with a world-first partnership with contemporary circus company Circa playing out as a six-week residency. Meanwhile, when it debuts in August this year, NCL’s Norwegian Viva will unveil the world’s first digital artwork at sea (more on page 34) and a full-scale production of the Broadway musical Beetlejuice.

All interests are covered, too: whether that’s a predilection for rare decorative arts (join Regent Seven Seas’ inaugural voyage of Seven Seas Grandeur this autumn to view the only Fabergé egg to set sail as a permanent exhibit at sea); science (state-of-the-art science centres are at the heart of many expedition ships’ onboard offerings); sport (Cunard’s inaugural Voyage of Sporting Greats, with special guests the likes of Adam Goodes and Brett Lee onboard, sets sail from Sydney in February next year); or even space (Swan Hellenic partners with the SETI Institute – a space and Earth science research organisation – to provide cosmic insights onboard select expeditions this year).

The wellness trend hasn’t escaped cruising, either. Continue your Pure Barre commitment with Princess Cruises, part of its expanded onboard fitness class offering, or stick to your F45 training onboard P&O Cruises’ new ship, Pacific Encounter. Take a sunrise yoga class with Virgin Voyages or plunge yourself into the centuries-old but of-the moment trend of hot and cold therapy at Viking’s Nordic Spa.

Cruising with purpose

Driving this new wave of extra-immersive cruising experiences is the fact that we, as travellers, are engaged, curious and more focused on finding rich and authentic experiences. And, wanting to be assured that it’s a two-way street, opting for purpose-driven organisations is increasingly becoming non-negotiable.

As part of its ongoing focus on rebuilding responsibly from the pandemic, small-group adventure travel company Intrepid has partnered with the Mediterranean Experience of EcoTourism (MEET) Network, a collection of Mediterranean-protected areas developing high-quality ecotourism experiences that benefit conservation and local communities.

And it has incorporated MEET experiences within two of its adventure cruising products: the seven-day Highlights of Crete will see guests travel to the quiet village of Agios Ioannis for an evening of dining and traditional music that culminates with a night in a guesthouse with a local family.

The five-day Croatia: Sibenik & the Kornati Islands itinerary will introduce you to the little-known Kornati Islands for hiking and sampling the olive oil made right there. Uniworld offers Make Travel Matter experiences, chosen against a robust set of criteria that aligns with the United Nations’ Global Goals, and ensures guests can positively engage and give back to the communities, wildlife and land of the destinations it visits.

New additions to the roster this year include a climate change-focused experience in Rotterdam, complete with a visit to a floating farm and a circular brewery that helps feed the farm’s cows. Then there are cruise lines with responsible travel in their DNA. Aranui, which celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, has played a vital role in sustainable tourism in French Polynesia (particularly the remote Marquesas Islands), since its inception, offering the region a regular, small and manageable flow of tourists for four decades.

A case study in sustainable tourism, it has offered locals a reason to continue making traditional arts and crafts like intricate bone and stone carvings and hand-crafted jewellery, helping to preserve ancient Polynesian customs for future generations. And the good work being done is often behind the scenes.

While Royal Caribbean guests enjoy a Perfect Day at Lelepa, the southern hemisphere’s first private island destination cruising experience, the company has partnered with Amaro Primary School on the Vanuatu island to provide educational resources – including renovation and repair support, new desks and chairs, computers, books and stationery supplies – to local students as part of the cruise line’s Blue Green Promise to support sustainable ocean communities.

Meanwhile, Aurora Expeditions’ far-reaching sustainability-in-action plan includes an educational partnership with Upschool, an Australian start-up education platform that provides free courses and resources online for children and teachers in 110 different countries including Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen and Ukraine as well as closer to home.

Sponsoring Upschool’s Arctic and Antarctic on-location courses, a recent Antarctic voyage saw special guest Dr Karl Kruszelnicki contribute a science lesson in situ. “What we have seen is that the purpose of travel has become more important to travellers," says Damian Perry from Hurtigruten, which has long had a symbiotic relationship with the Norwegian coastal communities it sails between. Responsible travel is now one of the top three considerations travellers make when planning, he says.

“So, people say, ‘I like the quality of the ships. I like the beautiful premium experience. I like the Scandi design and the furniture and the lounges and the restaurants and the ocean-to-plate concepts. I like that a lot. But, I also like the fact that you actually have a vision to go forward when it comes to sustainability, that it’s a purpose-driven organisation’."

All together now

A holistic approach will be key to reaching net zero by 2050. The vision is a compelling one: a cruise industry that really does leave no trace and unequivocally has a positive impact on the communities it takes travellers to. But do cruise companies really mean it – beyond meeting compliance and regulation – and is it really achievable?

Royal Caribbean’s Gavin Smith thinks so. He cites this year’s launch of Icon of the Seas, which will be the biggest ship in the world but also the line’s first powered by LNG (or liquefied natural gas, considered a cleaner source of energy than coal and oil and capable of helping the global transition to clean energy from fossil fuels) as a big leap forward along this path.

“And ultimately what we’ll finish up within this 2050 vision is with hydrogen and batteries," he says. “And when we talk about that journey [internally], we talk about every single element: how to minimise our emissions, how we impact the communities we visit, how to do so respectfully."

“Most organisations that do make the effort [to address emissions and target net zero], would also be thinking further about community involvement, about nature, about science, about different areas that will give us a more holistic view of the world," says Perry.

“I don’t think there’s any sector in the marketplace able to do that – and it certainly won’t be air [travel]. And that’s the exciting thing – that we [the cruise industry] could actually be the change-makers and drivers in tourism rather than be the laggards. There will be small companies like Hurtigruten that will be at the forefront of this and driving change, but bringing the whole industry along as well."

And while the responsibility falls to the cruise industry, in collaboration with suppliers, communities, governments and NGOs, ultimately it will be us, the travellers, driving the change. “My kids are in their twenties and they hold me accountable," says Smith.

“I believe travellers, when they’re going to select their holidays, will do so with an increasing sensitivity to the responsible nature of the tourism provider. So there’s a compliance responsibility, which are probably table stakes. And then there’s an opportunity to go above and beyond."