From closed-loop sailings in tropical Caribbean waters to open-jaw expedition cruises amid the splendour of Alaskan scenery, the reopening of US borders to international travellers from the start of this month has added more choice for long-haul travel in 2022/23. It’s a chance for cruise specialists to again start marketing popular dream cruises and land-and-sea combination itineraries from the US.
Today, November 8 is the date when US borders reopen to tourists and non-essential travellers, all of whom must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus – see Travel News’s story on the reopening here.
Many airlines operating from South Africa will have adjusted seat capacity on direct and non-direct routes by the time of the reopening (see plans for more flights out of South Africa by Virgin Atlantic, United, Emirates and Delta Air Lines).
Time needed
The US has always been a popular destination for the leisure market, especially East Coast itineraries and Florida for families.
On the cruise front, Alaska expedition cruises, shorter eastern and longer western Caribbean sailings, and pre- and post-cruise tours have traditionally been popular, with GSAs in South Africa saying early booking for 2022 and 2023 is essential.
Kenilworth Travel owner, Harold Cox, a Club Travel ITC and specialist cruise consultant with many years’ experience, said the reopening of US borders was a positive development, provided customers were fully vaccinated. Homeports in the US are a long way for South Africans to travel to, and Cox said the cost of airfares on direct routes could make a US cruise a big-ticket item.
Travellers are still wary of sudden border closures, COVID outbreaks and lockdowns, something that will impede travel for a while, Cox believes. “I think it is going to take longer for the cruise market to recover. I can’t see it happening strongly before the middle of next year. It is going to take time,” he told Travel News.
Henuti Purshotam, Marketing & Product Contractor of Cruises International, which represents brands such as Royal Caribbean International in the South African market, said the reopening of US borders was especially good for Caribbean cruises, and that cruise lines were well prepared for the safe return of international travellers. “The experience and knowledge that most of the cruise lines have gained with regard to the protocols, safety measures and cruising in the new normal, has certainly paved the way and strengthened confidence in the cruising market. Before (the US’s reopening), the focus was purely on Europe sales.
“The local cruising market is about 90% repeat clients, which means that once a guest has sailed to Europe, they are always looking to cruise the Caribbean. Keep top of mind that many guests have a US visa valid for 10 years,” she added.
Selling US and Caribbean cruises
For customers and consultants less familiar with sailings out of US ports, specialists had plenty of suggestions:
- New cruise ships and first-at-sea features are always popular;
- Cruises International recommends combining a Disney land package with a cruise for an ideal family itinerary;
- Cox said the Caribbean season generally ran from October until the start of hurricane season in June;
- Alaska sailings operate over a shorter season, generally May to mid-September;
- Western Caribbean cruises are generally shorter, at six to seven nights;
- Choose the eastern Caribbean for 12- to 14-night itineraries;
- The Caribbean is the biggest cruise destination in the world, bigger than the Mediterranean, in terms of the number of ships in the area each year.
Agents can also shop for good deals for customers. Cruises International, which rates the Caribbean its third-biggest destination, is offering a round-trip, seven-night sailing from Miami in December/January on Symphony of the Seas from R15 000pps. Itinerary highlights include Labadee, Haiti; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Perfect Day At CocoCay, Bahamas. Also in CI’s portfolio, Celebrity Cruises has amended the single supplement for its Caribbean deployments departing from November 2021 through to April 2022, which will make the fare more affordable for customers cruising solo.
From November onwards, Silversea’s Silver Whisper and Silver Spirit are scheduled for a full Caribbean season. Gaynor Neill, owner and MD of local GSA, Cruise Vacations, said many of those voyages were already fully booked. “The resumption of voyages across the fleet has been very successful. All the revised protocols are working well, and so we expect a successful season.”
Silversea’s Alaska programme will resume in May 2022 and is still proving very popular with South Africans. It has two classic ships in the region with seven-night itineraries from either Vancouver or Seward and some “incredible” pre- and post-cruise tours, Neill said.
Caribbean under canvas
Cruise Vacations’ portfolio also includes Star Clippers. Royal Clipper resumes its Caribbean season this month, with voyages from Bridgetown, Barbados. It is billed as the world’s largest full-rigged sail ship. At the same time, the luxury Star Flyer is expected to resume voyages from St Maarten. Neill said: “These traditional barquentine tall ships embrace the romance of sailing, are very traditional, yet utterly modern.
“There is always a lot to choose from in the Caribbean,” said Neill, adding that while the journey to board the ship was a long one, it was worthwhile. And, as luxury cruise lines added more memorable on-board and shore experiences, it created a whole new level of interest among travellers, she said. “In 2023, we will see both new ships, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn, in the Caribbean, which means guests will have the benefit of the incredible SALT (Sea and Land Taste) culinary concept, as well as the OTIUM wellness concept (a high-luxe body and mind wellness concept) that is being launched on Silver Dawn.”
