When Royal Caribbean launched its "Come Seek" ad campaign last year, the spots played like an Instagram highlight reel: quick takes of swimming pigs, waterfall cliff-jumping and mud-splashed ATVs sandwiched between onscreen text declaring, "This is not a cruise" and "You are not a tourist."
What are you, then? Apparently, a millennial.
As a clear bid to entice younger travelers, the campaign was in keeping with other ocean cruise lines' efforts to induct millennials into the world of cruising. Carnival offers onboard shows from big-name comedians and musicians such as Jim Gaffigan and Little Big Town, as well as shorter itineraries starting at under $200 per person. Royal Caribbean touts the fastest internet on the water and promotes energetic onshore adventures such as kayaking, hiking and horseback riding.
But their freshwater brethren have done little to follow that lead. River cruising remains firmly the domain of older guests, with an occasional departure dubbed multigenerational or family-friendly so the kids can come along.
New research suggests that's a mistake.
A recent study of 1,012 adults by AAA showed that millennials have the strongest attraction of any generation to many attributes of river cruising. Sixty-five percent of millennials polled said they liked the idea of "an all-inclusive experience that includes the journey, not just the destination." That's 10% more than the number of baby boomers and 16% more than the number of Gen Xers who responded to the same question.
Millennials were also significantly more interested in the ability to visit destinations where larger ships can't dock and in the opportunity for an authentic travel experience than the other generations.
As a women in my 30s on the older edge of the millennial spectrum, the study suggests that my peers should be flooding river boats all over Europe, Asia and South America. But to my knowledge, none of my friends has ever taken a river cruise vacation.
Why? Because the message has largely been that it's not for us. Based on the imagery on river cruise lines' websites, these voyages are for active baby boomers and retirees. They're for our parents. Just try finding a photo of a millennial couple or group of friends enjoying the sights of Europe while sipping a local beer on the sundeck. You'll be searching for a while.
There is one exception. G Adventures, the Toronto-based company known for its energetic, socially conscious tours, offers roughly 30-passenger, small-boat itineraries on the canals of Burgundy and the Ganges, Mekong and Amazon rivers. With relatively basic ships, the emphasis is on disembarking for cultural experiences, like a home-cooked meal or adventures including hiking or piranha fishing.
Anecdotally, I recently returned from a two-day media preview of Crystal Cruises' first river ship, the Crystal Mozart, in Vienna. I couldn't believe how many of my friends had questions about the experience and river cruising in general. Did it seem like fun? Was the ship luxurious? How did the whole thing work?
Distilled down, their queries seemed to actually be asking a different question: Is river cruising for them?
It hasn't been. But maybe it's time to rethink that answer.