Cruise itineraries were much simpler to plan a few years ago. Typically, customers were offered a seven- or 14-night journey – especially if taking a fly-cruise – or a voyage of various lengths if disembarking and embarking from/to the same port.
However, the sense is that planners must be a little savvier in meeting the needs of both new and experienced cruise guests when developing itineraries today. I asked three well-known itinerary planning executives from very different cruise lines how they see things changing, what they are doing about it and what support they need from the port and destination community to achieve their goals.
For Jess Peterson, director of destination experiences and itinerary planning at Windstar Cruises, it is all about avoiding overtourism and adapting to climate change. “Both are definitely changing tourism behaviour and especially in the Med and for higher end travellers,” he says. “Summers in prime Mediterranean locations are increasingly hot and crowded.”
Windstar Cruises is tackling this in two ways.
“First, in the summer, we are putting increased focus on smaller ports,” explains Peterson. “As a small-ship line, Windstar Cruises has always done this, but we traditionally mix smaller destinations with marquee ports like Santorini and Mykonos in Greece, since our guests still want to visit those places. We are experimenting with itineraries that avoid marquee ports altogether – one example is our ‘Off-The-Beaten-Path Greek Isles’ itinerary – and I expect us to offer more cruises like that in the future.”
Second, the brand has started cruising in Europe year-round. “While we hope to attract local European cruisers, this is still mainly aimed at our core North American market,” says Peterson. “The Mediterranean is extremely pleasant in the winter, and we can go to places like Naples, Italy, that we would avoid in the summer due to crowding. We call it the ‘Local Season’, because there are fewer tourists and we can focus on major cities, which are lively year-round and less touristed in the off season.”
Windstar Cruises regularly calls at Harlingen in the Netherlands, which is an ideal port for small ships (Credit: Windstar Cruises)
To help Windstar Cruises change its approach to itinerary planning, Peterson calls for communities to share clear rules and regulations around how they manage tourism and crowding. “We believe it improves the experience of our guests and ensures that tourism is sustainable and welcome in the future,” he explains. “However, it’s important for communities and ports to be proactive. Rather than react to one summer of big ships and crowding, it’s better for a community to anticipate issues, set reasonable limits, and give cruise lines ample notice.
“Ultimately, I’m a fan of ports that have placed clear limits on cruise tourism in a way that welcomes ships, while improving the experience for guests and the community. For example, I like ports that accept one ship per day. We also love small ports that are just focused on small ships, such as Sibenik in Croatia, Fowey in the UK, and Harlingen in the Netherlands.”
Virgin Voyages, which could not be more different than Windstar Cruises, is still relatively new in the market and is approaching things slightly differently. Natasha Salzedo, director of itineraries and destinations, believes the cruise market is in a dynamic phase right now.
“Based on current deployment patterns, new ship orders, traveller preferences and broader travel trends, we are exploring new types of itineraries,” she says. “We are testing cruises of varying lengths, open jaw itineraries that may allow a sailor to pursue a back-to-back voyage and curate the length that best suits them, and uncovering new destinations that are on sailors’ bucket lists.
“We love to offer unique destinations within a voyage that sailors may not have thought about visiting before. We aim to leave them with a moment of being glad they got to discover a new city they may not have seen if they had not booked a voyage.
“We now offer itineraries of various lengths for sailors who are new to cruise and want to dip their toes into the brand with shorter voyages, as well as more longer and in-depth cruising options. For example, our six- to 11-night deeper Caribbean voyages allow sailors to spend more time onboard and experience the brand and see the Caribbean at a slower pace.”
UK-based brand Marella Cruises has also recorded a rise in guests looking for shorter cruises, says Neil Duncan, head of trading and planning. “For sure, we are seeing a stronger demand for shorter duration cruises and destination-intensive itineraries, even if it means less time in port (i.e. a half day instead of a full day),” he says. “This means we are putting more focus on our seven- to 10-night itinerary programme (and shorter pre/post-cruise stays) to ensure we minimise sea days and maximise time in destinations. This is specifically driven by the new-to-cruise customers whose holiday behaviours are often different to our established guests.
Windstar Cruises is trying several different itinerary ideas to improve the guest experience. As well as the ‘Off-the-Beaten-Path Greek Isles’ and year-round Mediterranean cruising mentioned earlier, Peterson is searching to find ports where the brand can dock in the centre of town. He mentioned that guests love transits of rivers, locks, and other scenic cruising experiences. In warm destinations, he suggested that almost all Windstar Cruises’ itineraries allow guests to use the ships’ marina platform at least twice in a week.
Peterson is searching for less traditional homeports too. “Our Southeast Asia cruises are the best example,” he says. “Rather than basing ships in Hong Kong and Singapore, we are homeporting in Vietnam’s Halong Bay (for Hanoi) and Phuket in Thailand. This has two advantages. First, itineraries are slower, since they need to cover less mileage, allowing for shorter durations and/or more time in port. Second, guests can start or end their journeys ‘in destination’, giving them more time there. Cruises focused on Vietnam, for example, almost never start in Vietnam.”
Meanwhile, Virgin Voyages is actively curating unique itineraries that enable sailors to enjoy transformative experiences, like being in the path of totality during the solar eclipses in 2026 and 2027. Salzedo highlights that Virgin Voyages will offer three solar eclipse cruises in the next two years.
“Overnight and late stays are at the core of our ethos,” she says. “Sailors love to stay overnight in our hotspot destinations such as Mykonos, Ibiza in Spain and Cartagena in Colombia. We try to offer a late stay or an overnight on all our itineraries. With so much capacity in the Caribbean in the winter, we have stretched our Mediterranean seasons a bit longer into the autumn to maximise the beautiful destinations and weather. We don’t want to rush sailors in and out of ports, so we allow for ample time to explore the hinterlands and uncover those local hidden gems.”
Virgin Voyages is set to visit Nuuk in Greenland (pictured) for the first time in 2026
In what appears to be a clear trend, Marella Cruises is stretching its Mediterranean season too. “We are extending our Mediterranean seasons (where shorter cruising is more possible), notably our Cyprus/Palma and Malaga programmes into March/November when previously they would have only run May to October,” says Duncan. “For exploring some of the more popular destinations like Barcelona in Spain, Greek islands Santorini and Mykonos, and Rome in Italy, customers are seeing the benefit of visiting during these off-peak times of year as they are less crowded and cooler.”
Marella Cruises is also introducing more evening calls in some ports to give customers a different experience of well-trodden destinations like Lisbon and Funchal in Portugal, Dubrovnik in Croatia, and Gibraltar. This helps to attract both new-to-cruise and repeaters. However, Duncan notes that in some destinations Marella Cruises found that often key sites, shops and restaurants on the smaller islands would be shut – he highlights Greece as a particular culprit. The cruise teams are working with local authorities to ensure these establishments will be open as usual if ships are to call more regularly.
In addition, Marella Cruises is working with local partners to develop excursions. “With the demand for evening tours and smaller groups, we have refreshed our tour programme with local partners to extend our offering and maximise the customer experience,” says Duncan. “For example, we provide Dubrovnik Old Town and sunset walking tours, and take guests to Christmas markets in Funchal.”
He adds: “The smaller, lesser-known destinations specifically can take advantage of this as customers do want to discover those ‘surprise and delight’ places. Calvi in France and the Spanish cities of Palamos, Alicante, Castellon, Almeria and Cartagena are all strong examples of where the local tourist boards and ports have joined up effectively to market and enhance their tour programmes, local sites and attractions specifically for the cruise ship customer.”
Salzedo seems excited about where she can take her guests in future. “This summer we took sailors to Iceland for the first time as a brand, and they absolutely loved exploring this destination with so many active experiences,” she says. “We look forward to returning next summer to Iceland, as well as bringing the brand to the US West Coast for the first time as we transit the Panama Canal and explore the Mexican Riviera before spending our inaugural summer in Alaska.”
Virgin is also calling at Greenland for the first time next year.
It looks like the port and destination community is going to be working for longer hours over a longer season to ensure the satisfaction of cruise guests – particularly in Europe. In addition, cruise lines want clear rules in relation to supporting overtourism, but for those that get it right, there are clearly great opportunities ahead.
Optimising the planning process
Veronica Asta at technology provider OPTIMeasy explains how optimisation tools help cruise lines to develop safer, more cost-effective and sustainable itineraries
“Emerging challenges in itinerary design are driving innovation across the cruise industry, and effective route planning now requires cruise lines to take a holistic approach to regulations, geopolitical stability, berth economics and stakeholder relations. By adopting advanced optimisation tools, itinerary planners can master rising complexity, improve planning precision, lower costs and enhance operational efficiency. They can also transform challenges into competitive advantages, invest in innovation, increase profitability and navigate towards a sustainable future. We ask cruise itinerary planners to trust the expertise of our team (pictured) and embrace tailored solutions – together we’ll lead the change and chart the course to future success.”
Veronica Asta is co-founder and president of OPTIMeasy
The OPTIMeasy team (Credit: OPTIMeasy)
Ports prepare for the future
Le Havre CroisiËres and Port of San Diego outline how they are adapting their facilities and excursion programmes to meet the ever-evolving demands of cruise lines and their guests
Le Havre Croisières
Located in Normandy, France, with close connections to other Northern European ports, Le Havre supports extended multi-port itineraries, repositioning and transatlantic cruises, and flexible turnaround operations. By combining modern infrastructure, immersive local offerings and sustainable options, Le Havre empowers cruise lines to deliver distinctive, memorable experiences which meet passenger expectations and adapt effortlessly to emerging trends in the evolving cruise landscape.
Le Havre in Normandy, France, helps cruise lines to deliver “distinctive, memorable experiences” for guests (Credit: Le Havre Croisières)
Le Havre Croisières is catering to evolving cruise itineraries by enabling year-round operations, slow cruising and environmentally conscious, short-distance excursions. Its new terminals will streamline embarkation and disembarkation, offering cruise guests seamless access to curated cultural, gastronomic and nature-based experiences.
Port of San Diego
With elongated voyages leading the tide of evolving industry needs, the Port of San Diego leverages its prime location as the southernmost port along the US West Coast to elevate cruise line operations and redefine ‘adventure’ as a voyage that begins with a premier guest experience. With readily available shore power connections, cruise ships can recharge sustainably as guests enjoy activities and entertainment just steps away from the cruise terminals. This positive experience helps set high expectations for memorable excursions to destinations like the Mexican Rivera with Norwegian Cruise Line, or the 51-day ‘South Pacific Excursion’ with Holland America Line.
Discover more insights like this in the 2026 issue of Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning. Don’t miss out – subscribe for FREE and get the next issue delivered straight to your inbox.