The global cruise industry is recovering quickly with the comeback of mega cruise ships.
As countries relax the restrictions on the cruise industry, many big megaships return to service with Carnival’s Mardi Gras, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas and Regal Princess relaunching this August.
The Regal Princess started the service for Princess in the UK, sailing a short three-night cruise while the Carnival Mardi Gras brought the paying customers to the Caribbean in a seven-day trip. The famous Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas meanwhile went south, sailing from Port Everglades in Florida on the first revenue cruise.
Every month during the pandemic, the world’s three biggest cruise operators Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line lost around $900 million. The industry saw a huge loss of revenue last year compared to 2019 with Carnival showing a decline to $31 million in 2020, from $6.5 billion in 2019.
However, as countries allow cruise ships to relaunch, there are signs of a strong recovery. On July 14, the Regent Seven Seas sold out its World Cruise ticket within three hours. In fact, cruise prices are on the rise and the cruise industry is performing even better than in 2019.
