Adventure travel has become the most popular travel trend of the decade, according to Noah Brodsky, Chief Commercial Officer for Lindblad Expeditions.
The company said it saw its biggest-ever booking day on Jan. 3. 2023, 14 per cent up over the previous record.
In addition to solid bookings, Lindblad Expeditions has also experienced an increase in inbound calls, with the busiest day of the year exceeding the busiest day of 2022 by almost 30%. The company said that this trend has continued, with last Thursday’s inbound call volume being around 40% higher than the average busy Monday.
“With over 50 years of pioneering heritage exploring more than 150 world-opening itineraries, people are turning to Lindblad Expeditions for authentic expedition cruise experiences,” said Brodsky. “This is a strong start to what we strongly believe will be a record-breaking year for our fleet of unique expedition ships.”
Cruise line stocks surged on Thursday along with the market which went up on better-than-expected inflation reports.
Carnival Corporation saw its shares soar 14.3 per cent, closing at $9.78, compared to a 52-week low-high of $6.11 to $23.86.
Royal Caribbean saw a 9.9 per cent rise to $57.72 from a 52-week range from $31.09 to $90.55.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings rose 8.2 per cent to $17.09, compared to a 52-week low-high of $10.31 to $27.05
Lindblad Expeditions rose 6.5 per cent to $10.55 compared to a 52-week low-high of $5.91 to $19.13.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average had surged more than 1,000 points or more than 3% on the news that the October’s consumer price index rose only 0.4 per cent for the month and is up 7.7% from a year ago. It is the lowest monthly increase since January.
Crystal Cruises’ ocean-going fleet has found new homes. Here’s the latest on the new destinations for Crystal’s ships:
Crystal Endeavor Year Built: 2021 Capacity: 200 guests Status: Sold to Silversea Cruises
Silversea Cruises acquired the former Crystal Endeavor earlier this month. Sold for $275 million, the 2021-built expedition vessel will be renamed Silver Endeavour before entering service for the ultra-luxury operator.
Set to debut in time for the 2022-2023 season in Antarctica, the ship is expected to undergo a minor refit work that includes signage changes, the addition of Silversea’s livery and a few restaurant adjustments.
Crystal Serenity Year Built: 2003 Capacity: 980 guests Status: Sold to A&K Travel Group
Crystal Symphony Year Built: 1995 Capacity: 848 guests Status: Sold to A&K Travel Group
The Crystal Symphony was sold at a judicial auction in June. Like its fleet mate Crystal Serenity, it was bought by the A&K Travel Group, who bought the ship with a bid of $25 million for a 1995-built luxury vessel.
Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel Year Built: 2017 and 2018 Capacity: 106 guests each Status: Pending
While all the former ocean-going Crystal ships have now met their fates, the company’s river fleet continues to sit in limbo.
Built by the MV Werften between 2017 and 2018, the four Rhine-Class sister ships are currently laid up in the Netherlands.
Crystal Mozart Year Built: 1987 Capacity: 154 guests Status: Pending
Like its Rhine fleet mates, the Crystal Mozart is also waiting for a decision regarding its future. Rumours suggest the ship has been sold.
Currently docked in Austria, the vessel was built in 1987 and underwent a full revitalization before joining Crystal in 2016. As the biggest river ship in the fleet, it has the capacity for a total of 160 guests.
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