While the core guests of most luxury cruise lines are in their retirement years, a new group of lines is appealing to the working affluent. That means an average onboard age in the 40s and 50s rather than 60s and above.
Explora Journeys, which debuted in 2023 and has a third ship arriving this summer, has found that its guests’ average age is in the mid-50s, said president Anna Nash.
Aman at Sea, which opened bookings in January for its luxury ship, the Amangati, which has a spring 2027 debut, so far is seeing an average age between 40 and 45 — a similar average age at Aman’s hotels, said CEO Jonathan Wilson.
Many passengers are not only younger than the average luxury cruiser but are travelers who never thought cruising was their kind of vacation, cruise executives and travel advisors said.
It’s good news for the cruise industry as a whole, which is ever eager to draw in customers who are new to cruising, said Larry Pimentel, former CEO of Four Season Yachts parent company Marc-Henry Cruise Holdings and other upscale and luxury lines.
An Amangati suite rendering. Aman at Sea, debuting in 2027, says booking customers so far are averaging 40 to 45 years old. Photo Credit: Aman at Sea
“You’re seeing young families, honeymooners and multigenerational groups on these yachts in a way you simply didn’t on the traditional luxury ships a decade ago,” he said.
One way the lines are attracting younger guests is through the design of the onboard experience and amenities.
Explora has a teen club and complimentary WiFi for three devices per guest. A powerful internet connection is crucial for the working affluent guest, said the line’s North America president, Chris Austin.
“They could be running their own business, and they need to connect,” he said.
Explora primarily offers weeklong sailings, which is what working professionals are looking for, Austin said.
Christina Schlegel
There are design differentiators that appeal to the tastes of luxury travelers under 60, said Christina Schlegel, owner of Bluetail Travel in Arlington, Va., which is affiliated with Travel Experts.
For instance, she said they like dining spaces the size of standard restaurants rather than larger dining rooms; larger staterooms and suites; and muted interior colors.
And then there’s the look of the ships themselves, which more closely resemble yachts than megaships, Schlegel said.
“Those who are new to cruising and are hesitant because of right or wrong preconceived notions of what cruising is, immediately they get a visual cue that this is different,” she said.
Vibe over destination
Marketing materials are also designed to appeal to younger guests.
“They’re not leading with value and price and, even in some cases, destinations,” said Shelley Wise, interim head of cruise at host agency Fora. “They’re leading with the emotion and the feeling and the brand. I think that’s emotionally driving younger guests who want to experience that.”
In a newly launched Explora Journeys advertising campaign, adults of a variety of ages are captured in moments onboard, and many look younger than 60, some significantly so.
Even without a whole lot of name recognition, Explora has been drawing new-to-cruise customers, and its marketing targets them heavily, in part by comparing Explora’s ships to a boutique hotel.
The hotel-branded yacht lines, meanwhile, are attracting fans of their hotels through their marketing.
Aman at Sea expects that “Aman junkies,” its most loyal hotel customers, will make up 60% of its yacht guests, Wilson said.
Multiple advisors named Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, the first of the luxury hotel-branded lines to launch, as the primary line that noncruisers have been inquiring about, at least initially.
Ritz-Carlton debuted in 2022 and now has three ships: Evrima, Ilma and Luminara.
McLean Robbins
McLean Robbins specializes in luxury travel at her agency, Lily Pond Luxury, and only about 20% of her business is cruise. But in the last two years, she has noticed a marked interest in cruising from her clients who don’t cruise, and that started with the Ritz-Carlton yachts.
The clients often use very similar language when they approach her about cruises, Robbins said: “I’m not a cruiser, but what do you think of (and then insert luxury yacht line here).”
“When you cruise these ultraluxury lines, to me the comparison isn’t Seabourn, Silversea, Regent or Crystal,” Robbins said. “The comparison is a hotel. A five-star hotel.”
