Cruising is evolving—and appealing to more people than ever. Live from Seatrade Cruise Global, this episode of View from Afar, unpacks the cruise news and innovations that surprised and inspired host Aislyn Greene and Afar co-founder Joe Diaz, during the world’s largest cruise industry conference.
From hydrogen-powered ships to hotel brands getting in on the action, these are the cruising trends to watch in 2025.
Transcript
Aislyn Greene: Welcome to View From Afar, a podcast by the travel industry for the travel industry. I’m Aislyn Greene, the associate director of podcasts at Afar, and today we’re bringing you the latest from Seatrade [Cruise] Global, the annual Miami conference that brings together the best and brightest in the cruise industry.
At the end of the conference, I sat down with Afar cofounder Joe Diaz to get his take on the biggest trends and news from this year’s show.
Aislyn: Joe, welcome to our special Seatrade edition of Unpacked. We’re live from this Miami showcase. What has it been like for you?
Joe: Amazing. Yeah. Day four of, uh, Seatrade Global. It’s been incredible. You know, I was catching up with a good friend yesterday, Mark Conroy, who’s been in the industry for 50 years—CLIA [Cruise Lines International Association] Hall of Famer, was the president of Regent Seven Seas, worked at Silversea, a lot of other great brands—and what he was saying was we just have a lot of momentum right now.
And I think that’s, like, one of the words that just keeps coming to the top of my mind is there’s just a lot of momentum in the space, and I’ve just been blown away by kinda the proliferation of new ships, new classes of ships that are just giving a lot of access, more access to more people that might be a little bit skeptical about what’s happening in the space. And, like, I’m seeing all of this new hardware, these new itineraries, the thoughtfulness and commitment to sustainability, and I’m like, There’s a lot more people that are gonna be wanting to cruise now because of all the different opportunities out there.
Aislyn: Absolutely. Especially from, you know, both an environmental and a social perspective. Like, I’ve been really impressed by the number of cruise lines that are really investing in working with local communities to make sure that this industry is beneficial for all and that they have agency.
Joe: I mean, 100 percent. I, like, and where my mind goes first is, like, the small ship in expedition cruising and, like, the river cruising, like, I feel like there’s just so many great things happening there. You know, from the luxury yachts of Scenic and Emerald and Atlas Ocean Voyages to, like, what Ponant’s doing with their, like, world-class icebreakers, going places that no one else can, to what Viking just announced. You’re mentioning sustainability. I mean, the first hydrogen-powered ships in the world are gonna be coming online in a couple years, zero emissions. And, and, um, there is such a commitment to, like you said, to, to communities and, and the environment.
I mean, I just think about what, like, Windstar and Paul Gauguin are doing in Tahiti. And just how they are really contributing to Tahitian tourism, the communities there, the environment there. It’s such a cohesive partnership between local stakeholders and the brands, and, um, and they’re committed for the long term, and it’s great to see.
Aislyn: For people who are unfamiliar with Seatrade, will you kind of share your perspective on what it is and why it’s so important for the industry?
Joe: Seatrade is the world’s largest cruise conference, so you’re getting everyone that is within the industry under this umbrella at the Miami Beach Convention Center. So you get all the cruise lines. But, you know, when you think about cruising, there’s so many components to it. I mean, from the Zodiacs, like people, well, you’re selling, like, different types of Zodiacs to, to deck cleaners. I mean, it’s, like, everything.
And then you have all the destinations here because destinations increasingly know how important cruise is to their tourism strategy. Especially as these new smaller ships are coming in, it can contribute into those places more deeply, destinations want that kind of tourism to come, um, into their ports. And so you have a lot of the destinations from all over the world here. So you really get an incredible group of people and parts of the industry that we don’t ever, you know, necessarily think about.
Aislyn: Yes. I was watching a workshop on bridge technology yesterday on the exhibit floor, and I was like, This is so cool. I’m nerding out on this. And who thinks about this? Like, there’s companies that specialize in this?
Joe: Yeah. Bridge technology. Even, like, all of the entertainment.
I mean, we were talking about yesterday, like, comedic acts are coming here to try out. To be on these cruise ships. I mean, come on. It’s gold. Like I was saying, it’s gold, Jerry. It’s amazing.
Aislyn: Yes, it is. One of the other things that’s been really cool about, you mentioned river cruising, but there’s some big players entering the river cruising space.
Do you wanna share more about that?
Joe: Yeah. I mean, um, it’s Celebrity, just the, you know, an ocean liner, never done river cruising before. They’re coming in in a big way with, like, an order of, like, 10 new ships. You’re seeing all the existing players ordering new ships, they’re going to new places. Ama[Waterways] just, you know, just opened up the [Ama]Magdalena in Colombia literally this week.
So there’s just lots of good things going on there. And that’s, you know, watch that space—because now the big players are coming in and that means that, you know, they’ve run the numbers. They know that the demand is there for this kind of, uh, experience.
Aislyn: Well, are there other trends that you think consumers should pay attention to in this space?
I mean, one, I know hotel brands are entering the cruise waters, which is cool to see.
Joe: Yeah, the likes of, like, the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton coming into the space in a big way. It’s super smart. They’ve got big audiences that have stayed in their amazing hotels. Why not give them this experience?
Um, so that’s, yeah, definitely a big one. I mean, I think, you know, this idea of, like, size matters and what we’re seeing, you know, from today, like MSC is launching the largest, their largest ship, and they’re going out and doing that, you know, 8,000- to 9,000-passenger ships. But then you’ve got all this proliferation of, like, smaller ships, you know, 200-, 300-, 400-passenger ships. I mean, I think also cruise lines are doubling down on sustainability, um, for a couple reasons.
One, I think they know that, um, the consumer’s looking for it, although not always willing to pay a premium for it. But more importantly, what’s happening is destinations are starting to throw heavy regulations and regulatory rules down. And so they realize that if they’re not gonna be playing by those rules, they’re not gonna be allowed to sail in some of these places. You know, the Norways and Svalbards of the world, you know, where it’s so, you know, where you just have to be so very careful, Greenland, all these sensitive areas.
And so, um, I’m just, like, very, very excited about the commitments that I see here. I don’t necessarily see those in other parts of our industry, the way that it, that it’s showing up here at Seatrade.
Aislyn: Yeah, I think that’s kind of a little-known secret, because there is so much emphasis on sustainability or because I think they’re so visible, cruise ships are so visible, it’s very easy to kind of target them and say, That doesn’t look sustainable, or What are they doing? But do we critique our hotels in quite the same way? And so, yeah, to kind of peel back the curtain and see how much they’re doing in a really legitimate, not-greenwashing-at-all way. And especially on some of the larger ships where they have this space to put these technologies to the test, it’s really cool to see.
Joe: I think it is, it’s harder to see, um, that when you’re staying at a hotel. But for, you know, just because of the different type of product in cruise, you’re seeing all that, you know, you, you see the back of the house a little bit more in cruise, right? I mean, you’re seeing them load everything into the ship. And you know, I think, too, the fact that, like, cruise lines, you know, they’re traveling to multiple destinations, multiple ports.
So, like, your hotel, your relationships just need to be in one place. And so these cruise lines have to have relationships, like, all over the world. And I, like—one that cruise line that comes to mind is, you know, Hurtigruten. They’re just so, um, emblematic of the symbiotic relationship between a cruise line and a community.
I mean, they served the whole coast of Norway, and so, you know, they are the lifeline for these isolated communities on the coast. And so, you know, the Hurtigruten comes in, um, visitors get off the ship, they’re directly contributing to those communities. The Hurtigruten team is going out and purchasing all of the local foods and, you know, wares from those communities.
And you don’t really, all you have to do is really book it. You know, they’re not asking you to go above and beyond to serve the common good. It’s just, like, by being on that cruise, you’re directly contributing to those communities.
And you also know that you have a brand that is highly committed to sustainability. I mean, we were just with, like, Aurora [Expeditions] yesterday. They went through their B certification, all of the reporting that they do. I mean, you know. They do that because they really do believe in it. You know, the Ponant team, the same.
They believe in making this a long-term goal for them, and it is a journey. And so, you know, that’s inspiring to be here and see, see them put that before the bottom line.
Aislyn: We were talking about hotel brands entering the cruise space. Are there any other trends related to that, that you’re seeing?
Joe: One of the other things that I think is interesting that caught my eye yesterday was the announcement that Explora [Journeys] made about their loyalty program. I haven’t really seen that before in the cruise space. And so, you know, they’re creating a program for their members that gives them additional benefits at different tiers, based on, you know, how many nights they sail, the category at which they’re sailing . . . And so that’s pretty interesting to see that right now.
Aislyn: Yeah, really smart. I mean, I know that um, Ritz-Carlton, you can collect the, the Marriott Bonvoy points.
Joe: Yeah. So maybe we’re just seeing kind of a, you know, growth from that, and it’s like, you know, more people they’re seeing. They know that once they get their customers on board, they want to come back.
And so why not wrap it in a great loyalty program that just gives them additional benefits for, for being a loyal customer?
Aislyn: You mentioned at the beginning of our conversation, this idea of the momentum facing the cruise industry, that they’re feeling. There’s lots of ships being built. They had a really impressive Q1, from what I heard in, in the keynote, but there is some economic uncertainty right now. What do you think the future looks like for this industry?
Joe: I’m, I’m glad you touch on that. I think the, the value proposition for cruising has never been better, for a couple reasons.
One, from that kind of economic side, I mean, if you’ve looked since the pandemic, hotel prices have gone through the roof. I mean, hotel rooms that were, you know, $200, $300, $400 a night are now $900, $1,000, $1,100 a night. Cruising can offer, you know, at a lower price point, some incredible value when it comes to the state rooms, you know, that are on par with what you would get, you know, at a five-star, luxury hotel. Um, and then plus all of the add-ons.
If you stay at a hotel, you’re still paying for, you know, your meals and all of the other activities. There’s still a, a lot of opportunity in cruise where for $1,000 a night—high end, $2,000 a night—you’re getting all of that and you’re getting to see so many places and you’re getting off the ship. And the attention to detail on these onshore excursions right now . . . I think about, like, what Atlas is doing and their commit . . . Atlas Ocean Voyages, their commitment to, like, you know, epicurean immersion, cultural immersion.
They’re not the only one, but they do a really great job, and we’ve had a pleasure of getting to work with them on that, is really good. I think the other thing, too is, you know, access.
Cruising gives you another really great opportunity to kind of get off of that beaten tourist path a little bit. And I think the cruise lines are being very mindful about how they schedule their itineraries so they’re not showing up in Mykonos when all of the other ones are showing up in Mykonos, when all the other ones are showing up and you’ve got, you know, 5,000 people there. They’re being, trying to be thoughtful about how to make sure that they can disperse into different places. And now with these new classes of ships being able to get to ports that they weren’t able to . . . I mean, we were just with the CEO of Seabourn yesterday, and, like, you know, they’re doing [a] Japan sailing and they’re getting to—did you hear about this?
Aislyn: Yes. I’m dying to go on this.
Joe: Yeah, me too. All right, we’re going. Yeah. So, you know, being able to circumnavigate, like, all of these incredible islands in Japan and the work that they’ve done to foster good relationships in the communities, just give their guests, like, more access to be able to go into these places and see, you know, we always say, Get off the tour bus and sit at the kitchen table.
And I think, I think a lot of the cruise lines are, you know, trying to adhere to that vision of really kind of getting them off of these vessels and into the kitchen tables of the places that they’re going. And, slowly, I think, you know, noncruisers are starting to hear the stories, and they say, Oh, that price point with those itineraries, I can bring my families. You know, it’s easy. You only pack and unpack once. Yeah. It’s kind of like, huh, you know, like, a dad of a five-year-old, you’re like, that, that, that kind of works for me.
Aislyn: Why would we do anything else? Yeah, I love that. And ’cause I think that Seabourn Japan cruise, they’re bringing in, like, artisans, and you can do all these traditional Japanese activities, from what I understand. I mean, it just sounds phenomenal. So . . .
Joe: I am a, uh, I’m a sucker for Japanese breakfast, so, like, if that’s, you know, if that is there, I am, I’m in.
Aislyn: Well, I will see you at the breakfast table, Joe.
Joe: See [you] at the breakfast table.
Aislyn: Thank you for joining this episode of View From Afar. In the show notes, you’ll find links to the cruise lines Joe and I discussed, as well as to Afar’s Travel Advisor newsletter.
Join us next week for a conversation with Anne Kalosh, the editor of Seatrade Cruise News. And you can find more Seatrade content on our sister podcast, Unpacked. The link is in the show notes. Ready for more views from Afar? Visit afar.com and be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok.
We’re @afarmedia. If you enjoyed today’s exploration, I hope you’ll come back for more great conversations.
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This has been View From Afar, a production of Afar Media. The podcast is produced by Aislyn Greene and Nikki Galteland, with music composition from Epidemic Sound.