Cruising is winning over more first-timers, with new-to-cruise travellers now accounting for almost a third of passengers. The challenge, and perhaps the greatest opportunity for advisors, is turning that growing interest into repeat bookings.
First-time cruisers accounted for 31 per cent of cruise passengers over the past two years, up from 27 per cent the year before and 24 per cent pre-pandemic, according to CLIA’s 2025 State of the Cruise Industry report.
With global passenger numbers reaching 34.6 million in 2024 and forecast to hit 41.9 million by 2028, the opportunity for advisors to bring new customers into cruising is significant.
“First-timers are the highest-leverage clients an advisor has right now, and Australia is one of the best markets in the world to convert them,” National Sales Manager at Carnival Cruise Line Australia and New Zealand, Mark Richards, said.
“Every conversation with a first-time cruiser is really a conversation about a decade of future travel.”
Change the picture
According to Richards, one of the biggest obstacles isn’t price, but outdated perceptions of what cruising looks like.
“The picture most first-timers walk in with is either a mass-market party ship or a stuffy older-demographic cruise where no one under sixty is having fun. Neither is a fair representation of modern cruising. The advisor’s job is to update that picture, and it usually only takes fifteen minutes.”
For advisors, that means starting with the objection rather than trying to talk over it. If a client worries about feeling trapped, for example, Richards recommends reframing what life onboard actually looks like.
“Trapped is a big word for a ship with endless dining options, multiple pools, live musical productions every night, and spectacular destinations to discover along the way.”
Richards says that first-hand experience can also make a difference. “Nothing replaces having sailed the product yourself. Get on ships when you can – everything you sell will be better afterwards.”
Focus on the value
Cruising can also offer a straightforward value proposition when compared with a land holiday.
Accommodation, main meals, entertainment, transport between destinations and onboard facilities are bundled into the cruise fare, while a land-based trip often requires travellers to arrange and pay for these elements separately.
For first-timers, however, the right product is just as important as the value.
Richards recommends keeping an initial cruise short, around three to seven nights, and close to home, with familiar destinations such as the South Pacific, Great Barrier Reef or Tasmania.
Carnival will operate four ships in Australia across its 2026/27 season – Carnival Adventure, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Encounter and Carnival Luminosa – with 201 sailings scheduled.
Short getaways can provide a great entry point. Richards points to four-day Moreton Island cruises from Sydney on Carnival Adventure as an example, allowing customers to experience the ship without committing to a longer holiday.
Accommodation is another opportunity. Richards recommends considering a balcony room for first-timers, suggesting advisors frame the upgrade as a daily cost rather than a larger overall fare.
Follow up after the booking
Winning the booking is only the beginning. The period between deposit and departure can be used to build confidence and strengthen the advisor-client relationship.
Richards recommends four simple follow-up points: deposit confirmation, 30 days out, seven days out and a message immediately before departure, followed by a welcome-home message.
“The client’s anxiety builds in that window. That’s exactly when the advisor should be visible.”
With 73 per cent of cruise guests reporting that a travel advisor significantly influenced their booking decision, the role of the advisor remains central.
For Richards, the commercial opportunity is ultimately about building relationships beyond the first sailing: “Advisors who lean into first-timer conversion right now will build books of business that pay dividends for the next decade,” he said.
“The clients you convert this year will be sailing with you in 2035. That’s the game we’re in.”
