Fall 2026 itineraries

[AquaDame]

It's better not to post stuff that would be controversial if someone ask you to explain what you mean. Right?

They could have nonpolitical motivations and politely declining to answer is fine, IMO. If someone wishes to stay away from the US for now that is their prerogative and we don't need to know why. It's discussed openly on other boards (the Canadian one comes to mind) and is allowed there FWIW as long as it remains respectful and doesn't devolve into arguing, political or otherwise.

 

[deanimal]

It's better not to post stuff that would be controversial if someone ask you to explain what you mean. Right?

It's only controversial if someone makes it that way. International travel to the US is down this year. Numerous voices in the travel industry have commented on the stats. Cruise lines may respond to these trends. I'm sharing the changes I'm seeing in my part of the world and how they may affect future itineraries. If you find that controversial that's on you, it's not my job to convince you otherwise. I'm just chipping in with my own ideas of where DCL could possibly see market growth in the future.

 

[Disneyworldlocal]

Hopefully lower international travel to the US means more cheap Florida resident cruise rates For us Floridians

 

[DCLMP]

They could have nonpolitical motivations and politely declining to answer is fine, IMO. If someone wishes to stay away from the US for now that is their prerogative and we don't need to know why. It's discussed openly on other boards (the Canadian one comes to mind) and is allowed there FWIW as long as it remains respectful and doesn't devolve into arguing, political or otherwise.wee

Well ok then. I’ll remember that for future posts I make.

 

[DCLMP]

It's only controversial if someone makes it that way. International travel to the US is down this year. Numerous voices in the travel industry have commented on the stats. Cruise lines may respond to these trends. I'm sharing the changes I'm seeing in my part of the world and how they may affect future itineraries. If you find that controversial that's on you, it's not my job to convince you otherwise. I'm just chipping in with my own ideas of where DCL could possibly see market growth in the future.

Yes I’m aware, but it goes both ways. I cancelled my cruise out of Canada in favour of Florida and waiting to see what happens in Europe before I fully commit to travelling there.

As far as market growth Florida is their bread and butter. The cost and inconvenience to embark from places like Martinique would not work in my opinion. San Juan cruises were never big sellers.

I would love to see prices come back down to earth and normalize. The rapid rise in prices over the last 4 years was not sustainable. I see it as a good thing not a bad thing. I may actually be able to cruise as much as I used to.

 

[yowcruiser]

Sticking to the facts ans leaving any political commentary aside - International travel to the US is down in 2025, this has been regularly reported, and yes, it is a contributing factor (but not necessarily the main one) driving the many discounts we are seeing out there. I don't know the numbers, but Canadians aside, it is my working theory that DCL has a few more international guests on board than other cruise lines. In itself, I would not see that altering where DCL positions their ship - but ultimately, could impact their growth plans, as it would with any other cruise lines. As it has been pointed out, San Juan could be an interesting alternate, but cruises ouf of there struggle to fill (although I could argue it has to do with time of year)...and San Juan is increasingly difficult to get to, especially off season. From Canada, I have zero direct flight options when DCL has a ship there. As an aside, San Juan is often used as a port for crew rotation IME.

Now, the reverse is also true. There are less people from the USA travelling overseas or crossing the Canada-US border. A recent report from the Canadian cruise industry saw a significant drop in the # of US travelers on cruises departing from or having a stop at a Canadian port of call. That, I could see DCL rethinking their Fall 2026 strategy if it included NYC departures with the occasional Eastern Canada port of call.

 

[lois00525]

I wish google would tell me about the 2026 fall itineraries...

Yeah...me too! Google just refuses to cooperate!

 

[DCLMP]

Sticking to the facts ans leaving any political commentary aside - International travel to the US is down in 2025, this has been regularly reported, and yes, it is a contributing factor (but not necessarily the main one) driving the many discounts we are seeing out there. I don't know the numbers, but Canadians aside, it is my working theory that DCL has a few more international guests on board than other cruise lines. In itself, I would not see that altering where DCL positions their ship - but ultimately, could impact their growth plans, as it would with any other cruise lines. As it has been pointed out, San Juan could be an interesting alternate, but cruises ouf of there struggle to fill (although I could argue it has to do with time of year)...and San Juan is increasingly difficult to get to, especially off season. From Canada, I have zero direct flight options when DCL has a ship there. As an aside, San Juan is often used as a port for crew rotation IME.

Now, the reverse is also true. There are less people from the USA travelling overseas or crossing the Canada-US border. A recent report from the Canadian cruise industry saw a significant drop in the # of US travelers on cruises departing from or having a stop at a Canadian port of call. That, I could see DCL rethinking their Fall 2026 strategy if it included NYC departures with the occasional Eastern Canada port of call.

There was a big surge in travel after Covid. Is it down compared to 2019 or is down because people blew through stimulus checks. Is it down because the cost of traveling.?

As a member of the middle class I can attest that my disposable income has shrunk considerably over the last 5 years. I know Im I’m alone. Stats show the majority of Americans live pay check to paycheck, and it’s not just an American issue.

Inflation is a tough genie to put back in the bottle. The only thing worse than inflation is deflation.

All the bravado aside I believe most people make decisions based on their pocket book. It does not surprise me travel is diwn.

 

[yowcruiser]

There was a big surge in travel after Covid. Is it down compared to 2019 or is down because people blew through stimulus checks. Is it down because the cost of traveling.?

As a member of the middle class I can attest that my disposable income has shrunk considerably over the last 5 years. I know Im I’m alone. Stats show the majority of Americans live pay check to paycheck, and it’s not just an American issue.

Inflation is a tough genie to put back in the bottle. The only thing worse than inflation is deflation.

All the bravado aside I believe most people make decisions based on their pocket book. It does not surprise me travel is diwn.

You are correct that pocket book issues (ie: disposable income) would be one factor and a very important one, so to single out international travel as the sole reason would be disingenuous.

 

[DCLMP]

You are correct that pocket book issues (ie: disposable income) would be one factor and a very important one, so to single out international travel as the sole reason would be disingenuous.

I also believe the geopolitical conflicts and possibility of escalation have given some people second thoughts on traveling to Europe. It doesn't play a part in my decision making, but I know for older people that watch the fear porn on the news all day it could be.

International travel is a luxury that few can afford to start with. That being said domestic flights are soft too. Airlines have been sounding the alarm for a few months now. Travel to Asia seems to be strong and after my trip to Japan this year I can see why.

 

[Kwami]

But is travel down compared to 2019 or compared to 2022? Or both?

 

[yowcruiser]

But is travel down compared to 2019 or compared to 2022? Or both?

If one is to believe a research paper released by the US Congressional Service (report published on July 31st), inbound international travel to the USA peaked at 79.4 million international visitors in 2019. The low was 19.2 million in 2020 and 2024 saw a post-Covid peak of 72.4 million visitors. YTD, and on an aggregate basis, travel is down 2.4% versus 2024, on an accelerated downturn trend. While arrivals from Argentina, Israel and Mexico are up significantly vs 2024, but those increases are wiped out with the significant drop from Canadian visitors (and to a lesser extent South Korea).

 

[DCLMP]

But is travel down compared to 2019 or compared to 2022? Or both?

It's down since 2019. I remember when the CEO of AA stated in 2019 they would never be unprofitable again. That did not age well. 2022 is when things started opening back up and travel started increasing. There has been some decline this Summer, but I don't think it's well reflected in the prices. I'm still seeing high hotel prices everywhere I look. I would expect to see more travel deals next Summer if nothing changes.

Germany is in a recession and they account for 25% of the EU economy. Some economists will say Canada is entering a recession. There are a lot of factors that are contributing to the pull back in travel. Everything runs in cycles and history always rhymes. This isn't the first or last economic slow down we will have. My opinion is we are headed for a global recession and we have been headed in that direction for the past few years.

 

[onesam319]

Was there an answer to the original question of this thread? This page, #47, is only discussing travel trends. I didn't want to read 47 pages to find an answer.