Britain Predicts a Record 2023 Cruise Season

Britain Predicts a Record 2023 Cruise Season

According to numbers released by Cruise Britain, the cruise industry’s post-Covid transition year was a success with predictions for a projected record season in 2023, according to a press release.

“2022 was the first full year of cruise activity since the pandemic and really built upon the unprecedented success of the 2021 domestic season. What we are seeing now are the rewards for an industry that has consistently worked together to recover, regenerate and develop”, said Ian McQuade, chair of Cruise Britain. “Whilst Round Britain and Ireland cruise popularity continues to grow, we have now seen the successful return of itineraries where British port calls are part of a multi-country story of discovery.”

The previous record season for the UK was 2019 while in 2022, the UK welcomed a total of 2,176 cruise calls, which is a drop of 22 per cent compared to that record year. UK orts welcomed nearly 1.4 million guests, which is around 80 per cent of the 2019 numbers. In addition, visitors in 2022 brought around £100m to Britain’s coastal economies. 

“Looking ahead to this year, we see a very robust projected growth of 8 per cent in terms of port calls across the UK. Some regions such as the South West, North West and Scotland are reporting likely figures in excess of this national growth rate,” added McQuade. 

“This is a fantastic projection and the strength of the immediate growth trend is a testament to the increasing popularity of Britain as a cruise destination. We really can offer a port for every cruise ship currently sailing – from expedition ships to boutique and mid-range vessels up to the largest afloat.”

In the previous year, the UK welcomed 52 different cruise lines with ships visiting diverse ports including Belfast and Bristol, Portland and Portsmouth, Douglas (Isle of Man) and Dover, among others.

“The UK offers an incredibly diverse cruise holiday experience for guests and this is one of the most powerful reasons for the growth projections that we are seeing. Cruise Britain and all its members continue to work with cruise lines, industry partners and stakeholders, and government to support the development of cruise as a resilient and profitable sector of the travel industry,” concluded McQuade.

 

Ambassador Cruise Line Is Britain’s New Cruise Operator

Ambassador Cruise Line Is Britain’s New Cruise Operator

Ambassador Cruise Line is launching service with its new Ambience, set to be followed by the Ambition in 2023.

Highlights of the ship’s inaugural season, according to Head of Destination Management Michelle Lupino told Cruise Industry News. Include the 12-night Round Britain and Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration departing May 26; a 34-night Grand Canada, Greenland and Iceland Experience departing on Sept. 12; and the 42-night Escape the Winter Cuba and Treasures of the Caribbean voyage sailing on Jan. 5.

“These destinations have been picked for their diversity, popularity and leaning towards longer duration voyages with a blend of marquee and more remote and less-visited ports of call,” Lupino noted.

‘Careful’

Lupino said that every Ambassador itinerary involves “careful consideration and planning.”

 Itinerary creation includes a variety of elements such as a “balance of ports versus time at sea, destination highlights, destination infrastructure, availability, costs and more.”

Ambassador’s itineraries range from two to 42 nights and cover various regions.

"Sailings closer to home may allow us to include more ports within the cruise duration, however, we must be mindful of the length of stays and if they will give a full guest experience,” she said. “Longer cruises require in-depth review, time zone changes to consider and a variety of regulations and requirements, so they can take more time to plan while we consider all the factors to include established favourites interspersed with new destinations.”

Port Selection

When creating itineraries, Ambassador factors in what ports will appeal to its guests, the availability and suitability for the ships, sailing times, speeds, fuel requirements and the seasons that give the best experience and will create consumer demand.

A successful itinerary offers both a range of destinations and enough time to enjoy the onboard experiences.

"While we recognize destinations are key to our itineraries, we want to ensure our guests also enjoy scenic cruising of rivers and fjords, providing a balance of time at sea and ashore. Successful itineraries create consumer demand for Ambassador, and we look to receive feedback from guests that will confirm demand for our future plans,” Lupino noted.

Ambassador’s first ship, the Ambience, will soon be joined by a second ship, the Ambition in 2023, which is the former AIDAmira.

"The Ambition, like her sister ship the Ambience, will offer no-fly sailings, part of our core brand offering. In addition to London Tilbury, she will also offer a summer 2023 program of regional departures from ports such as Newcastle, Dundee, Belfast, Liverpool, Bristol and Falmouth, enabling guests across the UK to have a shorter distance to travel to the ship,” said Lupino.

Having both the 1,590-passenger Ambience and 1,428-passenger Ambition operate from regional ports will give Ambassador’s guests “a greater choice of sailings and ships on which to enjoy them,” she added.

Lupino told Cruise Industry News that the full 2023-2024 itinerary program for the Ambience and Ambition was expected to be announced in the second quarter of 2022.

Port space as the industry grows is a concern for ambassadors.

“Many regions have limited cruising seasons, and so availability is always something that we are aware may cause us to reconsider our programs. many ports of call are now introducing ‘out of season’ possibilities which we are happy to consider if they fit within our plans.” 

Photo: Ambience in Valletta (Photo: Valletta Cruise Port)

The UK will join the EU Covid vaccine passport scheme imminently

Sources in Westminster and Brussels told the Daily Telegraph Britain was on the verge of integrating the UK database into the EU system.

 

The UK formally applied to join the scheme on 28 July and work has continued since to merge UK data. Once complete, it will digitally verify Covid credentials not just in the UK, but across the EU and beyond, as the EU scheme covers more than 40 countries including Morocco and Turkey.

 

The scheme will benefit double-jabbed Britons who will no longer have to test before departure to enter some countries once the EU Covid certificate is issued to them. It will also make entry to bars and restaurants easier.

 

The system enables border guards and restaurant and bar owners to use an app to read the QR code on an individual’s vaccine certificate.

Cunard Makes Final Touches to Queen Elizabeth For Return to Sailing on Friday

The final touches are being made to Cunard's Queen Elizabeth as the cruise line prepares to return to sailing on Friday, August 13 after a 17-month break, according to a press release.

"I think I speak for the entire team at Cunard when I say how delighted we are to be returning to what we do best as we get ready to welcome our guests back on board," said Cunard President Simon Palethorpe.

"We know how much our guests have been looking forward to our first voyage and we hope that they fully immerse themselves in the Cunard onboard experience, as they enjoy some of the most stunning coastlines Britain has to offer," Palethorpe added.

Following a series of other UK voyages, Cunard's international sailings onboard Queen Elizabeth will begin in October with a cruise from Southampton to Amsterdam followed by a 14-night voyage to the Canary Islands and Madeira this November.

Carnival Corporation confident over long-term cruise demand

Booking trends for 2021 indicate long-term potential demand for cruising despite sailings having been cancelled since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March.

The glimmer of hope for the struggling sector came from Carnival Corporation despite reporting an average monthly cash burn of between $550 million and $770 million as dozens of ships remain idle, including some off the south coast of Britain.

The world’s largest cruise group has started a phased return to operations with Italian brand Costa and German line Aida.

Other brands and ships are expected to return to service “overtime”.

The initial cruises will continue to operate with adjusted passenger capacity and enhanced health protocols developed with government and health authorities, and guidance from medical and scientific experts.

“Many of the company’s brands source the majority of their guests from the geographical region in which they operate. In the current environment, the company believes this will benefit it in resuming guest cruise operations,” the company said.

But in a business update on Thursday, the corporation said: “Currently, the company is unable to predict when the entire fleet will return to normal operations, and as a result, unable to provide an earnings forecast.

“The pause in guest operations continues to have a material negative impact on all aspects of the company’s business, including the company’s liquidity, financial position and results of operations.”

The company expects to report an unspecified loss for the financial year ending November 30 but has a total of $8.2 billion of cash and “cash equivalents”.

Bookings in the first half of 2021 reflect expectations of phased resumption operations and anticipated itinerary changes.

However, cumulative advance bookings for the second half of 2021 capacity currently available for sale are at the “higher-end” of the historical range.

“The company believes this demonstrates the long-term potential demand for cruising,” the parent of UK brands P&O Cruises and Cunard said.

Pricing on these bookings are lower by “mid-single digits” versus the second half of 2019, reflecting the effect of future cruise credits (FCCs) from previously cancelled cruises being applied.

The company continues to take bookings for both 2021 and 2022.

About 45% of passengers affected by schedule changes have received enhanced FCCs while 55% have requested refunds.

The total customer deposits balance at the end of August was $2.4 billion, the majority of which were FCCs, compared to $2.9 billion at May 31.

“The decline in customer deposits is consistent with previous expectations,” Carnival added.

Cruise capacity

More than half (60%) of bookings taken during the three weeks ended September 20 were new bookings as opposed to FCC re-bookings, despite minimal advertising or marketing.

Future capacity is expected to be “moderated” by the phased re-entry of ships, the removal of older capacity and delays in new ship deliveries.

The company has accelerated the trimming of capacity since the pause in operations with the disposal of 18 ships, ten of which have already left the fleet.

The 18 less efficient ships represent 12% of pre-pause capacity and only 3% of last year’s operating income.

The corporation expects to receive only two of the four ships originally due for delivery this year, including Enchanted Princess which was handed over last week.

The company expects only five of the nine ships originally set for delivery by the end of 2021 to be received by then.

Nine cruise ships and two smaller expedition vessels of the 13 originally scheduled for delivery before the end of the 2022 financial year are expected to be delivered by then.

“Based on the actions taken to date and the scheduled new-build deliveries through 2022, the company’s fleet will be more efficient with a roughly 13% larger average berth size per ship and an average age of 12 years in 2022 versus 13 years, in each case as compared to 2019,” Carnival said.

President and chief executive Arnold Donald said: “We have come full circle from initiating a suspension in the early days of the pandemic, to transitioning the fleet into a pause status, right-sizing our organisation and, now, embarking on the phased resumption of guest operations, underway in two of our world-leading cruise brands, Costa in Italy and Aida in Germany.

“We have accelerated the sale of less efficient ships, enabling us to capitalise on pent up demand on reduced capacity and structurally lower our cost base, while retaining our most cash-generating assets.

“We are taking aggressive actions managing the balance sheet and reducing capacity to position us to weather this disruption and also emerge a leaner, more efficient company, reinforcing our industry-leading position.”

£2.4bn poured into Britain's coffers last year

Cruise news

: £2.4bn poured into Britain's coffers last year with more than 1 million passengers getting on boardIndustry's contribution to country's economy highlighted at Barcelona convention

Ship shape: the port at Southampton welcomes a cruise liner

The cruise industry contributed £2.4billion to Britain’s economy last year, with passengers spending an average of £80 a day each during visits to UK ports such as Southampton and Dover

Latest figures compiled by CruiseBritain show that in 2013 there was a 10% year-on-year increase in cruise embarkations, to 1.04 million, and a 20% increase in day visits, to 866,000. The spend includes crew expenditure, cruise line purchases, ship repair, and employee salaries.

“Cruise tourism is a valuable source of income to ports and destinations across Britain and is increasingly being factored into local and regional tourism,” said Daren Taylor, chair of CruiseBritain, speaking at the Seatrade Med convention in Barcelona.

In the Mediterranean, while other tourism sectors have seen no increase in performance, cruising has grown in volume by 43% since the global recession struck in 2008.

Across the region, there were 27 million passenger movements: 19 million in the Western Med, five million in the Adriatic, and – reduced by concerns over violence in the Middle East – three million in the Eastern Med.

Referring to the fact that most cruise calls to ports in Ukraine have been cancelled this summer, David Dingle, chairman of Carnival UK, said political conflict in the Black Sea area dates back centuries. “They are a fact if life we just live with,” he said.

A proposal to provide an alternative to dredging a new channel for cruise ships visiting Venice was submitted to the Italian government this week.

Lagoon show: a cruise ship sails past St Mark's Square in Venice

 

A £101million floating jetty, capable of handling up to five ships at a time, would be set up in the sea near Bocca di Lido, and passengers would be transported into the city’s cruise terminal by a large, environmentally-friendly catamaran.

Carnival’s David Dingle still believes the deep channel proposal to be the preferred option, and told Seatrade Med: “What we want is certainty, but we want to do the right thing by all the stakeholders in this debate.”