Improvements in sustainability, wellness offerings and solo travel
lead cruise trends this year.Agurtxane Concellon/HX Hurtigruten Expeditions
It’s expected that 37.1 million cruise passengers will set sail in 2025, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s largest cruise trade group. Cruise operators are tweaking their offerings to meet growing demand and fit an evolving traveller.
Solo travel, wellness offerings and improvements in sustainability lead cruise trends this year. And expedition cruises are expected to continue attracting people, having already seen an increase of 71 per cent in passengers from 2019 to 2023. Here’s a quick look at what’s ahead.
Solo travel
HX Expeditions has reported 53 per cent growth in solo cruisers between 2022 and 2023.Hurtigruten Expeditions/Supplied
More women are boarding cruise ships on their own, making up two-thirds of solo cruise travellers, a steadily rising cohort, according to Samuel Spencer, owner and general manager of Calgary-based Ocean & River Cruises Travel. “Small groups foster a more inclusive environment for solo travellers, and women are gravitating toward expedition cruises or river cruises,” he says.
HX Expeditions, based in Oslo, Norway, sails through Greenland, the Northwest Passage/Canadian Arctic, Patagonia and Alaska, among other destinations. Between 2022 and 2023, HX Expeditions reported a 53 per cent growth in solo cruisers, who represent one in four of its passengers. To attract solo tourists, its expedition ships offer some itineraries without single supplements – a premium fee for individuals using a cabin designated for two – along with discounts or credits for solo passengers. In 2024, 50 per cent of solo travellers sailed HX Expeditions without paying a single supplement; the other 50 per cent received discounts.
To meet the demand, Celebrity Cruises’ most recent ships, Celebrity Beyond (2022) and Celebrity Ascent (2023) have more solo staterooms than other cruise lines. Both ships offer 32 ocean-view staterooms with an “infinite veranda,” a floor-to-ceiling window that opens with the press of a button. Some ships only offer solo travellers interior cabins, with ocean-view rooms available with a single supplement fee.
River cruise companies Avalon and Tauck have also embraced solo cruisers, offering cabins without single supplement fees on every journey. Riviera River Cruises also has a lengthy list of solo traveller cruises without fees for singles on many of the most popular European routes such as the Rhone through Burgundy, France, or the Duoro River through Portugal’s Douro Valley.
Sustainability
The No. 1 environmental issue for the cruise industry is reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.Trym Ivar Bergsmo/HX Hurtigruten Expeditions
Most cruise companies are adopting energy-efficiency measures, recycling, reducing water waste and eliminating single-use plastics. There are even ships able to produce fresh water on board, according to CLIA.
The association has ambitious plans for all its ocean cruise members to reduce carbon emissions globally by 40 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero carbon by 2050.
But the No. 1 environmental issue for the cruise industry is reducing dependence on fossil fuels. According to CLIA’s 2023 sustainability report, there are 32 pilot programs testing sustainable fuels, with 24 focused on biofuels produced from waste oil and fats.
Even the world’s largest cruise ship – Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas – is trying to do its part. The 7,600-passenger ship is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which produces 30 per cent fewer carbon emissions compared with oil. Sixty per cent of new ships from now until 2028 will be powered by LNG, CLIA says.
As of 2026, ships sailing Norway’s fjords that are below 10,000 gross tonnes can only use alternative fuels; this ruling extends to larger ships by January, 2032. Norway’s Hurtigruten Group has been an early adopter of sustainable practices, working closely with the communities it visits.
“Sustainability has been our top priority for the past 15 years, during which we have launched multiple industry-leading firsts,” stated Carly Biggart, vice-president of the Americas for Hurtigruten. The cruise line was the first to ban the use of heavy oil in 2009 and single-use plastics in 2018. It has three battery-hybrid powered ships after introducing the first one in 2019. Last year, it had one of the lowest food-waste-per-guest ratios in the industry. Plus, Hurtigruten Group is developing what it hopes will be the world’s first zero emission ship, scheduled to launch in 2030.
But do travellers care about how ecofriendly a cruise ship is? “When we’re talking about thoughtful travel, like to the Arctic, Antarctica or Galapagos, travellers expect the operators to be doing their due diligence,” Spencer, of Ocean & River Cruises Travel, says, “but the majority aren’t asking about sustainability.”
Friends of the Earth, an international network of environmental groups, is paying attention, however, and isn’t impressed by the industry’s status. The organization’s 2024 cruise ship report card paints a bleak picture when it comes to sewage treatment, air pollution and waste-water quality. But there are 10 companies who were given an A grade for transparency of their sustainability status: Disney, Regent, Hurtigruten, HX, Viking, P&O Australia, Virgin, Oceania, MSC and Norwegian.
Wellness
Virgin Voyages’ adults-only ships embrace wellness trends like spas with hydrotherapy circuits, mocktails and healthy dining options with gluten-free and vegan items.Virgin Voyages
Rest and relaxation is not just about laying back in a deck chair. It’s getting easier to focus on wellness while at sea.
For many, that might mean travelling without children. And Virgin Voyages’ adults-only ships offer an irreverent interpretation of traditional ocean cruising that embraces wellness trends.
“The traditional kid areas have been reimagined into outdoor gyms, yoga areas and hammock lounges on our ships,” said CEO Nirmal Saverimuttu. “We are proudly a kid-free market.”
January is “well-being season” on Virgin Voyages, with all sailings this month featuring additional wellness options such as acupuncture and personal training. But every ship offers spas with a hydrotherapy circuit, mocktails and healthy dining options with gluten-free and vegan items.
River cruising is upping its wellness game, too. In spring 2023, AmaWaterways built a full-sized pickleball court on the sundeck of AmaMagna, which will sail Europe’s Danube in 2025. This river cruise line was one of the first to introduce bicycles for passengers to use in port and in 2019 began hiring “wellness hosts” – certified sports medicine specialists and personal trainers – to lead workout classes, guide bike tours and design active excursions at destinations.
The Mareel Wellness and Beauty Thermal Suite on board Cunard’s Queen Anne is one of many new wellness initiatives offered by the cruise line.Christopher Ison/Cunard
On board Cunard’s Queen Anne, which launched in spring 2024, a much-improved spa experience includes more saunas, pools, foot baths and workout spaces, plus a three-day wellness-at-sea program where passengers can choose to relax, energize or detox. Plus, the ship’s Pavilion Wellness Café offers healthy cuisine options.
Wellness-focused passengers also look to Oceania Cruises for its spa experience on board. The Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center programs offer travellers thalassotherapy pools, spa treatments, fitness and foods curated for individual wellness plans. In port, passengers taking part in the program can sign up for wellness shore excursions such as the Hell’s Gate Mud Bath Retreat in Rotorua, New Zealand, or meditating with a monk in Bangkok, Thailand.
Cyclists who like to sail can also join the combined offering from Canadian luxury tour operator Butterfield & Robinson and L.A.-based Uniworld River Cruises. An eight-day Rhine River cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, with two departure options in May and in September, blends B&R’s cycling route cultural immersion expertise with the unpack-once delights of cruising.
Runners should look at the Run for Fun Cruise Tours, which partners with AmaWaterways and Norwegian Cruise Lines to set up 5K races in several ports. In February, 2025, the Caribbean itinerary begins in New Orleans and heads south to Belize, Honduras and Mexico, then in September, starting from Honolulu, Hawaii, runners can take part in 5K races on the islands of Kaui, Hawaii Island and Maui.
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