Travellers are continuing to book luxury holidays with leading cruise lines – but now they are getting unprecedented deals.

With so many great offers currently on the market, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which options are best – so we enlisted the wisdom of Cruise Specialist Sharon Summerhayes from Deluxe Travel & Cruise to show us the most popular itineraries on offer right now.

What luxury cruise lines are having the best offers right now?

“There really are some great offers in the market for luxury cruises. I’ve just received some amazing deals of 40% on select close-to-home sailings with Regent Seven Seas,” Ms Summerhayes says.

“An example is $11,225 per person for a Veranda Suite on a 14-night cruise of Australia/New Zealand aboard Seven Seas Explorer departing Auckland on the 12th Jan 23, arriving in Sydney on Australia Day (that would be special!).

“Other offers include Silversea with a 2-category upgrade for Europe 2023 sailings, Azamara with 15% off select sailings with a bonus USD$500 onboard credit, Celebrity with 75% off the 2nd passenger plus USD$200pp onboard credit, and Ponant with up to 30% off the brochure fare on Kimberley voyages for 2024.”

What are the most popular cruise lines?

“The most popular for my agency is Celebrity with their Luxury product. Celebrity really does offer the best of both worlds with their new and revolutionised ships, bringing luxury and exclusivity together with the larger ship experience and amenities.”

Where are people looking to travel?

“Bucket list destinations like Egypt and Japan are huge right now. I have cruises that are booked out over 12 months in advance to these destinations.”

How much are they spending on average?

“This is a hard one as I have clients that are spending $5-10K a night in suites and others that are spending $500 a night for lead-in cabins,” Sharon says.

How far in advance are customers booking?

“Around  12-18 months in advance is the average. I have bookings right through until 2025 now. To get the best deals, you really have to plan with your agent to secure them upon release.

“This is especially true for popular cruises like circumnavigations of Australia, repositioning cruises, and anything at all in a top-level suite.”

Are you seeing more people booking luxury cruises post-COVID?

“Definitely! People are treating themselves to a new level of luxury cruise line. We’ve been through a lot over the last few years and people are rightly rewarding themselves with a more luxury cruise than they normally have in the past.”