Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Air
  • Training & Resources
  • Who We Are
    • Brian Israel
    • Briana Bonfiglio
    • Candace Protzman
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Jennifer Arango
    • Kelly Fontenelle
    • Louis Intreglia
    • Tom McCarthy

Now Is the Time to Book Christmas Market River Cruises

by Dori Saltzman / March 29, 2022
Now Is the Time to Book Christmas Market River Cruises

Photo: Roman Babakin / Shutterstock.com


If you’ve got clients interested in Christmas Market cruises, get on the phone today. Don’t wait. They’re selling out fast! That’s the message Travel Market Report is hearing over and over again from river cruise operators.

“Now is the time,” said Steve Born, CMO at the Globus family of brands, which includes Avalon Waterways. “As the weather starts to heat up, the inventory starts to melt for those Christmas cruises.

Nearly 80% of the capacity on Avalon’s Christmas time cruise cruises is sold out.

At Tauck, 35% of its Christmas Market cruises are entirely sold out and 35% have limited availability, with the Danube and Rhine itineraries the most booked up, Tom Armstrong, corporate communications manager at Tauck, told TMR.

Though demand for Christmas Market cruises typically shoots up in spring, this year it’s more pronounced than usual, executives said.

“Our Christmas Market sailings are always a customer favorite, and demand is especially high for 2022 following two years of cancellations during the pandemic,” said Ellen Bettridge, president, and CEO of Uniworld River Cruises. “We’ve actually exceeded pre-pandemic booking levels for our 2022 holiday cruises.”

Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-founder of AmaWaterways said they’re seeing much the same thing.

“After so many missed celebrations over the past two years, friends and family are eager to reconnect and this desire is driving demand for special experiences like our Christmas Market cruises on the Rhine and Danube,” she said. “River cruise bookings for 2022 are looking very strong, particularly for departures in the second half of the year.”

Both Karst and Born mentioned that part of the uptick in demand is driven by guests on canceled sailings rescheduling for this year.

“Unlike a regular year, those are a bank of additional cruisers that are going to be acting,” Born said.

Karst added that simplified entry requirements and reduced travel restrictions in Europe have “encouraged many guests to re-schedule trips, particularly the Christmas Market cruises, which are only available four weeks of the year.”

Some Capacity Left
All of the river cruises TMR spoke with still have some capacity left on the Christmas Market cruises, but all said they expect that to go quickly.

“We still have availability on most departures, but with pent-up demand for these unique experiences, we do expect most 2022 Christmas Market cruises to be full,” Karst said. And that’s with added capacity from the AmaSiena and AmaLucia on the Rhine River, and a longer season of the AmaKristina on the Rhone.

“We encourage those who are dreaming of sailing, whether solo or with a multi-generational family group, to reach out to their travel advisor to ensure they can secure the itinerary and stateroom of their choice.”

Viking River Cruises also added capacity for 2022. And, like AmaWaterways is seeing most of it fill up quickly.

“In response to the strong demand we have seen for these voyages over the years, we introduced several new holiday itineraries along the Rhine, Danube, and Seine rivers beginning this year,” said Richard Marnell, executive vice president of marketing at Viking. “While there is still availability for the 2022 holiday season, many sailings already have limited capacity, so we encourage those who are interested to book soon.”

Uniworld’s Bettridge echoed Karst and Marnell. “I’d encourage advisors to get their clients booked without delay to ensure that their preferences are met for this season.” Uniworld has six Christmas Market itineraries for advisors to sell.

Born told TMR Avalon has capacity left on 34 departures (spanning eight itineraries).

“There’s still a wide range of availability, but my advice to advisors would be not to wait.” That’s particularly true for Avalon’s Panorama suite staterooms, he added, which are always the first to book up.

Born added that the capacity they have isn’t concentrated on any given time frame. Avalon’s “Christmas Time on the Danube” sailings have space in early November, while the line’s “Festive Season in the Heart of Germany” sailings still have space for late November up to mid-December.

Of its four Christmas Market river itineraries, the best selection of cabins for Tauck is on its “Yuletide Spirit: Brussels to Amsterdam” cruises, which has space on three of four sailings. Armstrong also said the line has good availability on all three departures of its family-specific itinerary (Holiday Magic: Danube Family River Cruise).

  22
  0
Related Articles
AmaWaterways Opens 2025 Reservations, Offers Early Booking Rewards
Differentiation Pushes Bookings at Uniworld to Record Levels
Uniworld Unveils Post-Cruise Extensions in Greece
Colombia's Magdalena River Cruises Exceed Expectations for AmaWaterways
Uniworld Partners with Adventure World for Customizable Pre- and Post-Cruise Tours
AmaWaterways Reveals Details of Colombia's Magdalena River Cruises
AmaWaterways Extends Tour Conductor Credit for Travel Advisors
Uniworld Introduces Limited Edition Cruise Collection
Uniworld Announces Second "World" Cruise
Uniworld Launches New 2023 Travel Advisor Training

MOST VIEWED

  1. Maui Fires Update: Which Hotels and Resorts Are Open and Closed After Lahaina Fires
  2. Tropical Storm Idalia Forecasted to Become Hurricane Today, Hit Florida by Wednesday
  3. FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop for United Airlines Flights
  4. Southwest Airlines Strike Seems Imminent
  5. Hurricane Lee's Uncertain Path Raises Some Travel Concerns
  6. Celebrity Cruises Removes Gratuities from "All Included" Pricing


  1. Hurricane Lee Intensifies to Category 5: Caribbean and U.S. Impact Uncertain
  2. Hurricane Franklin Scuttles Two Bermuda Cruises
  3. Royal Caribbean Monitoring Haiti Violence
  4. Two Florida Ports Remain Closed After Hurricane Idalia
  5. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  6. Idalia Expected to Hit Florida as ‘Extremely Dangerous Major Hurricane’ on Wednesday
TMR THIS WEEK
Sponsored by ALG Vacations®
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=1bebc35e-2656-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b&Width=350&Height&250

Tips for Travel Advisors to Build Stronger Relationships and Higher Profits

Travel is a people business. Even with the many advanced technologies available to assist with travel planning and booking, it is still all about travel professionals helping their clients to explore new lands and cultures.

Read More...
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Unveils New Travel Advisor Program
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Unveils New Travel Advisor Program

Regent Elevate provides marketing insights and education, sales support, and advisor-only promotions and incentives. 

Read...
Oceania’s Frank Del Rio Jr. Says Fleet Will Have Starlink by End of 2024
Oceania’s Frank Del Rio Jr. Says Fleet Will Have Starlink by End of 2024

Starlink has quickly taken over the cruise industry. 

Read...
Quark Expeditions: What Travel Advisors Should Know Before Booking
Quark Expeditions: What Travel Advisors Should Know Before Booking

For advisors who have never sailed with Quark Expeditions, here are a few things to know. 

Read...
Hurtigruten Expeditions Rebrands as HX
Hurtigruten Expeditions Rebrands as HX

Starting in December, Hurtigruten Expeditions will henceforth be known as HX. 

Read...
Lindblad Expeditions Brings on New Senior VP of Sales
Lindblad Expeditions Brings on New Senior VP of Sales

Former Disney executive will lead travel advisor, group, and revenue management sales efforts. 

Read...
Sonesta to Build Luxury Development with Two Hotels in Dominican Republic
Sonesta to Build Luxury Development with Two Hotels in Dominican Republic

The Larimar City & Resort will mark Sonesta’s Dominican Republic debut.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
European Travel Trends 2023 Outlook
CP White Paper 1
Cruise Trend Outlook 2023
View All
Advertiser's Voice
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=f9702600-2656-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b
Let Windstar Show Your Groups The Way to Explore the World 180 Degrees From Ordinary
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Packaged Travel |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Air |Training & Resources |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy