Iconic hotel and hospitality brands now account for 5 percent of all future cruise bookings, with the average branded voyage priced at $40,000.
According to new 2026 booking data from Global Travel Collection (GTC), the network behind the world’s most respected luxury travel advisors, this is four times the cost of a traditional ocean cruise.
Should cruise line companies be alarmed?
Research shows that its all about brand loyalty – brand loyalists are following the names they trust from land onto the water, often booking a cruise for the first time.
Angie Licea, President of Global Travel Collection, said this is category creation and not category switching.
“A client who has spent fifteen years loyal to a single hospitality brand is now stepping onto that brand’s ship, and they are bringing the same expectations they have on land. They are not comparison shopping against other cruises. They are following the experience they already trust into a new setting.”
Licea added that the cruise has shed its old reputation faster than almost any category GTC tracks. “The ceiling on what a luxury traveler will spend at sea has gone up dramatically, and the brands moving into this space are the reason why.”
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