New data shows overbooking of cruises at alarming rates

Friday, May 26, 2023

The cruise industry has made a staggering comeback after pandemic-era restrictions and distancing protocols were lifted.

But now, it appears that the industry might be too popular.

According to data obtained by a journal, two of the biggest cruise lines — Royal Caribbean Group (RCG) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCL) reported over 100% occupancy rates during Q1 of 2023.

RCG saw average occupancy rates of 102.1% while NCL saw 101.5%, according to the report.

Naturally, this can lead to more disgruntled customers when things like dining, activities, and general elbow space on the ship become overcrowded.

Last month, Royal Caribbean was called out for overselling its third cruise in five months, blaming it on an “unexpected inventory error.”

However, the overbookings and mass crowds are still, at the end of the day, helping the cruise business.

As of Thursday afternoon, RCG was up over 52% year over year, and NCL was up 5% in the same time period.

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