When Royal Caribbean moved Allure of the Seas to short, 3- to 4-day cruises from Port Canaveral in November 2023, it was sending a clear message. The cruise line was taking a first-class ship, the Oasis, and using it for shorter cruises in a port that is relatively close to Disney World and Universal Studios.
It was a bold attempt to get families visiting Orlando's theme parks to add a short cruise to their vacation. Royal Caribbean decided to put one of its best ships on the short cruise market as a way to make sure that anyone reluctantly taking their first cruise had the best experience possible.
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The cruise line reaffirmed its vision in July when it replaced the Allure with the new Utopia of the Seas. It was the first time Royal Caribbean had used a new ship for short-haul voyages.
Tony Barnette spoke about Royal Caribbean's efforts to expand its audience on its The Crazy Lido YouTube video series.
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Royal Caribbean wants younger customers
“There was an article in the Wall Street Journal that really blew my mind with a fact that blew my mind. The headline is, 'Cruise Lines Cater to Millennials With Quick Getaways and Private Islands.' And I thought, 'Well, we've seen it before,'” Barnette said.
One of the details in the article surprised the social media influencer.
“There's been a lot of speculation about why Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas is doing short sailings that primarily go to CocoCay. But here's the thing. There's a quote here: 'At Royal Caribbean, one in every two passengers is a millennial between the ages of 27 and 44 or younger,'” he shared.
That quote wasn't speculation, it was from Royal Caribbean's CFO, Naftali Holtz.
“Royal Caribbean aims to appeal to all travelers, from families to baby boomers and twenty-somethings. But with the rise of younger guests, the company is working to cultivate the next generation of cruisers,” Holtz continued.
Barnette was surprised by those numbers.
“Wow, that's a number that surprises me at Royal Caribbean because the normal age is around 40, I think if you look at the entire industry. At Royal Caribbean, one in two passengers is a millennial between 27 and 44 years old. I'd love to see what that's like on other cruise lines,” he added.
Barnette speculated on what this means for the future of cruising.
“A lot of people who have been cruising for a long time say that cruising is different. It's not the same as before. Could the main factor contributing to the difference in cruising be a shift in focus from older cruisers to younger cruisers?” he asked.
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It seemed to tie it all together in a kind of realization of the “circle of life.”
“Has it always been this way? Absolutely. It makes sense from a business perspective. Yes, the baby boomers have a lot of money, but eventually they will leave and they will need the next generation of cruisers. So yes, we'll have millennials for a few generations,” he added.
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