On 7th January, luxury cruise line Oceania Cruises announced that it was making a major shift towards adults-only offerings per the preferences of regular guests.
As the line’s chief luxury officer Jason Montague put it:
“Our guests have consistently shared that the tranquil environment aboard our ships is one of the primary reasons they return time and time again. By transitioning to an adults-only experience, we are enhancing the very essence of the Oceania Cruises journey, one defined by sophistication, serenity and discovery.”
Oceania’s chief marketing officer Nathan Hickman added that the move was informed by feedback from passengers who appreciated the ability to travel with like-minded adults.
Interestingly, adults-only cruises are nothing new as companies like Virgin Voyages and Viking have made them their stock in trade for years.
Adults-only cruises are an interesting operational model for cruise lines, and they do have significant benefits to both businesses and the travellers who opt to see the world by sea.
There are less children on board than previously thought
To understand why Oceania made the shift and why both Viking and Virgin have opted to make adults-only travels their raison d’etre, we need to consider several factors.
First of all, especially on luxury cruises, the number of passengers under 18 is significantly smaller compared to the adult population on board: up to just 1,000 on regular cruises in peak season, barely 100 at any time for luxury.
As luxury cruises tend to run longer than regular cruise offerings, like Cunard’s World Voyages or the recent year-long cruise offered by Explorations by Norwegian, these are impractical vacations for families with school-aged children and even those who homeschool their kids may run into complications.
The benefits of going adults-only
As an operational model, adults-only cruises also offer lines the following key benefits:
- Increased market demand for quality immersive experiences Older generations are on the lookout for meaningful and immersive travel experiences as detailed in our recent report on travel trends for Generation X and the ongoing boom for luxury travel in Asia. Cruises enable them to get the sort of escape they want through shore excursions that give them free rein to explore key cities or particularly desirable locations, delve into local culture to their hearts’ content, and come away from the experience energised and enlightened;
- A need for rest and relaxation from increasing stresses Any parent will tell you that one of the ultimate thrills they get is a night out without the kids. For this reason, booking a cruise that gives them at least one child-free week is seen as a treat for many couples. At the same time, cruises are an opportunity to get away from it all, to focus on the self through meaningful exploration outside one’s comfort zone, and find ways to destress through on-board treatments and activities;
- Streamlined operations Let’s put this into perspective: building a megaship for a cruise line can easily set a company back by up to US$2 billion at a time, and a significant portion of that budget will go to the construction of play and activity areas for younger guests. The construction of the Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Dream comes to mind, costing over US$900 million to build a specifically family-centric and child-friendly vessel. Upkeep for child-centric facilities also leads to major expense on the part of the cruise line, on top of staffing these with qualified professionals. Adults-only cruises are, thus, less of a strain on operators’ purse strings, though a similar standard for safety, security, and sanitation needs to be followed; and
- Better market understanding and brand positioning One great case we’d like to point out is the positioning that Virgin Voyages carved out for itself: that of the industry’s ultimate party cruise line. Indeed, going adults-only takes away the ambiguity involved in having to market cruises for passengers of all ages. Opening bookings only to those over the age of majority enables cruise lines to define their brand identity better whether it’s as a high-end luxury one, one that specialises in off the beaten track destinations and adventure, or even one that simply allows grownups to let their hair down and have the time of their lives out at sea.
