The COVID-19 crisis of 2020 canceled travel plans for millions of Americans for at least 6 months and for some, for more than a year. Until a vaccine is developed, most vacationers will consider a drive vacation or even fly to an island but opt not to cruise which means if any ships sail in 2020, most will be close to empty and not the experience we are used to when cruising. Those who choose to brave the high seas in 2021 will do so at their own risk and get some pretty amazing deals but ships still won’t be full. By 2022 most of us will be looking to get out of town for a few days and will consider cruising safer than ever by that point. Cruise lovers are thinking ahead two years and planning those trips now to get the best price and the most options as availability is fairly open at this point for 24 months from now. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have sailings open to book now through summer 2022 but they won’t last long. As Haley Blackston of Evans based travel agency, Vacations To Remember states, “Pent up demand has already started to surface and we anticipate 2022 will emerge as a very strong cruise travel season. We are already getting inquiries from existing clients as well as new clients who have never used a travel agency before but now see the value.”

Another issue is FCCs. (Future Cruise Credits) Many cruise lines offered bonuses when they were forced to cancel 2020 sailings if guests would prefer that over a refund and a huge portion of those affected jumped at the opportunity. Blackston, a cruise specialist, references one family booked on a Disney Cruise with several cabins totaling $20,000. Disney offered them a 25% bonus to rebook at a later date which equated to a $25,000 future cruise credit and the clients were ecstatic to take advantage of that for 2022 allowing all of their cabins to be upgraded to balconies. There are millions of dollars tied up in FCCs and people WILL use them before they expire (most at the end of 2022) so now is definitely the time to lock in that cruise you have been considering for years. Masters week 2022 is April 4th-10th and Easter is the following weekend — April 17th, so it will be the first April in three years that the two do not overlap which is excellent news for Augustans planning to be out of town that week.

If you have a graduating senior in 2022 and plan to celebrate with a cruise, now is also the time to plan that late May/early June 2022 sailing. Those also with older children who graduated in 2020 will take the opportunity to make up for cancelled senior trips and graduation vacations and roll it into one in 2022. Supply and demand will definitely affect cruising pricing as ships fill up and we get closer to a 2022 cruise season. With the flexible terms and cancellation policies being offered right now by most cruise lines, there is no reason not to take advantage. Sometimes just starting the planning process gives us hope for a future filled with fun, relaxation and the excitement of new adventures!