Tom Stieghorst
For two of the three big cruise companies, Europe has been firing on all cylinders this year. And even at Carnival Corp., where European brands have been a drag on results, the business of sending North Americans to Europe remains a strong one.
That was evident in a sit-down before the World's Leading Cruise Line Excellence Awards in Miami Beach last week.
Sales vice presidents from each of the five Carnival Corp. North American brands quickly agreed that Europe, and the Mediterranean in particular, was one of the success stories of cruising in 2019.
"I think for all of us, the Med is doing very well," said Doug Seagle, vice president of North American sales for Seabourn. The destination also did well last year, Seagle, but Europe is still a bright spot for Seabourn.
Several years ago, cruise lines were pulling Med-based ships back to the Caribbean and moving them to Northern Europe in response to a wave of terror attacks in France and Spain.
Thankfully, that hasn't continued. A resurgence of attacks in Europe following the collapse of ISIS in Syria has so far failed to materialize.
The drop in North Americans cruising in Europe in 2015 and 2016 led to a rebound, once consumers concluded it was a safe vacation again.
Eva Jenner, vice president of sales at Holland America Line, said the line increased capacity in the Mediterranean in 2019 "because there was such strong interest the two years prior."
Even some lines that have not been historically big in Europe are getting into the act.
"Next year we're going to have three ships in Europe for the first time ever," said Adolfo Perez, senior vice president of sales and trade marketing for Carnival Cruise Line, which this year sent none of its ships there.
Two of those ships will be in Europe for extracurricular reasons: The Carnival Mardi Gras is being launched at a European shipyard and will do two sailings before heading across the Atlantic. And the Carnival Radiance, nee the Carnival Victory, will do a half-season in the Med following a 38-day drydock in Cadiz, Spain in March and April where it will be overhauled and renamed.
The Carnival Legend will do a full summer season in the Med, Perez said.
European business for the rest of this year and next year looks solid, according to Carnival Corp. CFO David Bernstein, who said in a June conference call that bookings for the North American brands were higher on occupancy and slightly ahead on price, driven by the "seasonal European program" and the Caribbean.
Looking ahead to next summer, the U.S. will be engrossed in the presidential nominating conventions and the political drama leading up to the November elections. It might just be an ideal time to escape to Europe.