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. “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 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 43 Virgin Voyages is set to visit Nuuk in Greenland (pictured) for the first time in 2026
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