River cruisers look to target younger cruisers
Keen on a river cruise but fear it’s for the oldies? Never fear – the cruise lines are coming to the party.
Uniworld, best known for its flamboyant interior décor, has set its sights firmly on passengers aged 18 to 40. It’s just one of the cruise companies that all want you to take a trip and come to the party. How? With a sub-brand, U by Uniworld, targeting millennials. U has different price points, and alcohol and shore excursions aren’t included. The idea is to attract younger passengers, via the pricing, so they can then make choices about what they want to add on.
The cruises will be semi all-inclusive, so days will include breakfast, and either lunch or dinner.
The price averages $300 per day per person, with tours geared towards younger experiences and independent travellers, with discounts and credits offered. Strict age guidelines apply, and there are itineraries along the Rhine, the Danube and France’s rivers for departures this year.
Aqua Expeditions, who have luxury small ships on the Mekong and in South America, is after an even younger crowd. A Family Promotion. for example, offers complimentary travel for children aged seven to 12 at certain times, and for children sharing with both parents in a triple cabin or sharing with a single parent in a double cabin.
CEO Francesco Galli Zugaro told Cruise Passenger: “With three teenage kids there is no greater holiday for them than to join me on a “work” trip on the Aqua Mekong. It has become their second home.”
