Cruise passenger habits are shifting. So is Carnival Cruise Line.
A new Express Dining feature gets passengers in and out in under an hour, freeing up more time to chase onboard experiences rather than linger over a late multi-course dinner. Meanwhile, more connecting cabins are being built for multigenerational travelers. The cruise line is also looking to expand its adults-only spaces.
“This next generation has very different expectations,” Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said at last week’s Skift Global Forum. “They want to have choice, and they want to do it their way and have flexibility.”
The adjustments appear to be resonating. Parent company Carnival Corp. this week said booking trends are on the upswing, with fiscal 2027 already half booked and 2028 off to “an excellent start,” according to CEO Josh Weinstein.
Weinstein said the company’s focus on value — especially for the large number of Americans within driving distance of a port — has helped boost demand, along with the “normalization” of macroeconomic pressures among consumers.
“There is a growing change in the mentality of Americans, which is just catching up to Europeans, as we’ve talked about before, that vacations are sacrosanct. They will take them in good times and in bad,” Weinstein said. “Our strategy is working. It can work in great times, and it can work in times that aren’t so great, and that’s what you’re seeing now.”
Skift Global Forum
The CEOs rewiring travel made their case in New York, and all three days are now on demand.
Airbnb on rebuilding as an AI-native company, alongside Uber, Booking Holdings, Expedia, and Hilton on what comes next, plus a surprise turn from Prince Harry telling the room there is no successful travel industry without successful destinations. Annual subscribers stream it free.
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Headlines
Choice Hotels acquires Harvest Hosts for $130 million in its first move outside of hotels, Airbnb launches a wave of AI features while playing catch-up to rivals who got there first, and Radisson proves that a hotel from 1973 can achieve net zero operations — with a catch.
On today's Skift Daily Briefing, Tasmin Lockwood, Skift's Climate and Experiences Reporter, breaks down why Choice's RV acquisition needs to show real loyalty crossover to justify the price, why being late to AI search isn't Airbnb's problem but being merely equal would be, and why Radisson's net zero achievement in the Nordics is the easy part of a much harder global test.
