Several Cruise Lines Break Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales Records
by Dori Saltzman
Carnival Cruise Line was one cruise line to set sales records for Black Friday. Photo: Shutterstock.com
At least four cruise lines broke records this past Black Friday and Cyber Monday, indicating cruisers still want to hit the high seas next year and beyond, but are also interested in getting the best value for their dollar possible.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival posted its best-ever Cyber Monday ever, with volume 50% above that of Cyber Monday 2019. This is not the first record-breaking event for the cruise line this year. The week of March 28-April 3 was Carnival’s busiest booking week in the company’s history, showing a double-digit increase from the previous record seven-day booking total.
“The Cyber Monday sale activity showed consumer demand across the fleet, and we were particularly pleased with the booking activity for Carnival Venezia’s new year-round service from New York, and our new extended six-month program for Carnival Magic out of Norfolk,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
Royal Caribbean
For the third time this year, Royal Caribbean broke its record for single largest booking day in its history, with sales on Black Friday the peak of what was also the brand’s highest volume booking week.
“This has been a year for the books at Royal Caribbean International, from the full return of our 26 ships to the first look at Icon of the Seas,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “We could not have reached this point without our loyal guests, valued travel advisors and partners, and the Royal Caribbean International team around the world.”
In 2022, Royal Caribbean marked both the single largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in April, which was followed by another record-breaking single day of bookings with the opening of Icon of the Seas in October.
Holland America
Holland America’s Black Friday booking volumes hit a record high for the shipping holiday, with volume for the day close to 20% higher than in 2019 and more than 10% higher for the period from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
Bookings for Alaska were particularly high. Black Friday U.S. bookings for Alaska were up more than 60% compared to 2019 and up more than 25% for the Black Friday through Cyber Monday timeframe.
“Our guests went on a shopping spree this weekend, and it wasn’t at the mall,” said Gus Antorcha, president Holland America Line. “We are very pleased to see pent-up demand for cruising play out in such a significant way… The strong bookings are an encouraging sign for our brand and the continued strength of cruising.”
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity posted the line’s single largest booking day ever this past Black Friday, while Cyber Monday proved to be the line’s best ever for that shopping holiday.
“We saw demand across the full depth and breadth of our itinerary offerings around the globe,” said Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.
