Cruise News

Cruises have always been complicated to book, so we're curious if customers will appreciate Costa's new approach.

Should luxury companies introduce lower-priced offerings, or do they risk diluting their brand and/or cannibalizing business from the main brand? We look at how several high-end travel companies are approaching the challenge.

An international dispute that forced itinerary changes for China-based cruises threw operators for a loop, but demand seems fundamentally intact. If tensions ease and South Korea reopens, will pricing return to high levels or have lower fares become the new normal?

Cruise companies are finally seeing the booking behavior they desired as more passengers reserve their places earlier. But observers wonder if selling inventory too far in advance means cruise lines are leaving money on the table.

Norwegian's results are more evidence that the cruise industry is booming despite the downturn in the up-and-coming China market. By using language like "the stars aligned," however, executives sound like they're trying to lower expectations that the good luck will stick around.

Royal Caribbean Cruises has stuck by its plan to avoid lowering fares to fill up ships, and that strategy appears to be working. But the cruise operator is benefitting from a lot of other factors right now too.

As European rivers become overcrowded, luxury travelers are looking to escape the masses. They are finding the isolation they seek in Peru's Amazon region.

Flights to Cuba are expected to be less in demand once the Trump administration's travel restrictions are enforced, but could that lead to more interest in cruises? Norwegian Cruise Line's announcement indicates the cruise operator is expecting a bump in business.

Carnival Corp. said its cruise lines have made a case for additional advertising and marketing dollars to generate more bookings — and the parent company is listening. Now we wait to find out how that money gets spent and what kind of results they will see.

Cruise loyalty programs are different from airline and hotel offerings, but Carnival Cruise Line's approach can still be instructive — especially as it evolves.