Seas the day
Interestingly, the more costly cruises seem to be the ones that are really setting sail, with the luxury cruise market expecting to carry over 1 million guests in 2023, up from 600,000 in 2019. Customers appear willing to trade up for a voyage that’s a tad more bon, perhaps fitting the trend of what some have called "revenge travel". Some of the most sophisticated ships even offer a personal butler service and access to the only Nobu at sea.
But, apart from fine dining or particularly exotic locations, the biggest differentiator when you’re out at sea? How many crew members there are to help you have the time of your life. Data from Cruisewatch reveals that most cruise ships have to maintain at least 1 crew member for every 2-3 passengers.
More hands on deck
The largest cruise ships in the world tend to fit right in that sweet spot between 2 and 3 passengers per crew member. Royal Caribbean’sOasis of the Seas hosts a crew of 2,395 for its 5,400 customer capacity, a passenger-crew ratio of 2.3. At the smaller end of the cruise ship spectrum, boats like the Crystal Esprit — a boutique, all-suite ship that was sold by Crystal Cruises in its 2021 offering — afford an unrivaled level of service, boasting 1.5x as many crew members as guests.
Cruising back
Although many had to take extraordinary measures to weather the storm, the share prices of the “big 3” — Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line — have all soared this year, up 92%, 100% and 37% respectively. Although not everyone's first choice of vacation, the combination of travel, entertainment and relaxation all rolled into one package was, in hindsight, probably a cocktail that would always be desirable. Reports of the death of cruises were greatly exaggerated.
