You won’t believe how far in advance people are booking cruises these days
Thinking about booking a cruise departing in the next few months in the hopes it'll really happen?
If you do, you'll be bucking the trend.
After a year of seemingly endless cruise cancellations, cruise fans increasingly are looking further out on the calendar when scheduling their next voyages -- way further out.
In a research report issued earlier this month, Truist Securities analyst C. Patrick Scholes said the cruise "booking window" -- the number of days in advance of sailings on average that cruisers are booking trips -- had soared to an all-time record of 365 days.
That's up from just 210 days a year ago, he said.
"Basically, customers are booking an entire year out," Scholes noted.
Cruises traditionally have been booked far further in advance than other sorts of travel, with an average booking window of six months or more being common. But to have the average booking for a cruise be a full-year away is unprecedented, Scholes suggested.
Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises
Scholes credits the widening booking window in part to strong pent-up demand for cruises in the wake of the shutdown of most cruising for a year. Cruise fans who missed their trips in 2020 and already have mostly given up on 2021 are now looking ahead to 2022 and beyond and snapping up cabins with gusto.
To that point, Truist Securities data shows the pace of 2022 bookings for all types of cruises is 30% to 35% ahead of where it normally would be at this stage in the booking cycle. And a breakdown by region shows even bigger increases in some destinations.
Scholes said bookings for 2022 sailings in Europe and Alaska are up around 100% vs. where they normally would be at this point in the booking cycle. Bookings for Caribbean sailings in 2022, by contrast, are relatively flat to up about 5% as compared to past years.
Europe and Alaska, notably, are more expensive cruise destinations than the Caribbean.
"Pent-up demand abounds, especially for higher-end travel," Scholes said.
Related: 2 major cruise lines will resume North American sailings in June
Scholes suggested the widening booking window was being driven in part by older travelers who typically book higher-end cruise products in places like Europe. Higher-end cruises are traditionally booked further in advance than mass-market cruises.
"What has stood out to us in our conversations (with travel industry executives) and booking intelligence around demand is that higher-end/luxury bookings and sales are up substantially more than for mass-market cruises," Scholes said. "As one very large seller of cruises told us, luxury booking volumes are 3x that of mass-market."
Scholes suggested that senior travelers who have recently been vaccinated and have been missing out on travel for more than a year now have a new “have vaccine will travel” attitude.
The demand for further-out itineraries has prompted several cruise lines to open their 2023 and even 2024 sailings for bookings sooner than originally planned.
Related: For the first time in more than a year, a new cruise vessel is debuting in North America
Luxury line Crystal Cruises, for instance, in August opened bookings for its smallest vessel, Crystal Esprit, all the way through early 2024.
Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Viking are among lines that already have opened a wide range of 2023 sailings -- sometimes with record results.
Oceania, for instance, just reported the single best booking day in the company's history after opening its "tropics and exotics" itineraries for late 2022 and early 2023. The collection of 127 itineraries across Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, the Caribbean, South America, and the South Pacific opened for bookings on March 3.
Oceania is a relatively upscale line that caters heavily to older travelers.
“The tremendous wave of bookings we saw on the day we opened our new 2022 and 2023 itineraries for sale underscores the extraordinary demand for long and exotic cruise vacations," Oceania president and CEO Bob Binder said in a statement accompanying the announcement. "Upscale travelers are eager to explore the world once more and are booking farther in advance to ensure their travel dreams are fulfilled."
To satisfy demand from cruisers who are booking further in advance, the line said this month it would open its spring, summer and fall 2023 Europe and North America voyages ahead of time. They'll be live in the company's reservation computers by September.
Already, Oceania and sister line Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which specializes in luxury voyages, are 40% booked for all of 2022, the top executive at the lines' parent company said in February during a conference call with Wall Street analysts.
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- What to pack for your first cruise
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.