Cold-Weather Cruises Rising in Popularity

Your first thought when it comes to taking a cruise is usually shutting your eyes and dreaming of sailing to exotic tropical ports, right?

Well, hold on.

There is a big sector of cruisers out there who have different thoughts.

According to Bloomberg News, the demand for cruises to cold-weather destinations is growing at a faster rate than tropical ones. Cruises to Alaska, Antarctica, Greenland, Norway and more are becoming significantly popular.

The lure?

Exclusivity, says Business Insider.

The idea of cruising to places that are outside the norm and that few others have traveled to makes for a unique adventure, no matter the relatively high prices.

In fact, that’s another appealing part of the travel – the cost. The higher the price, the more exclusive it appears.

Tom Marchant, the owner and co-founder of luxury travel company Black Tomato, told Business Insider he expects demand to go to Antarctica will continue to overwhelm the supply – i.e., the cruises that travel there – meaning that the price of getting there will never drop.

“At the end of the day, it’s a very remote, hard to access, wild, and extreme environment,” Marchant said.

“Experience, that’s become the currency,” Seabourn president Rick Meadows told Bloomberg. “People want stories to tell their friends and family — to say ‘We went to Greenland and saw all these things’ to a room full of people who have not had that experience.”

Silversea Cruises, for example, has seen a more than 100% increase in trips to cold-weather destinations. Silversea is offering roughly 80 Arctic itineraries in 2020, ranging from $9,990 per person for nine days in Norway to $38,100 for 10 days in Antarctica.