After a year without cruises, passengers are eager to get back out on the high seas.
After Oceania Cruises's 180-day World Cruise for 2023 became available for booking on Jan. 27, the trip sold out in less than one day.
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"The response to our epic 2023 around the world voyage clearly illustrates the enthusiasm that experienced travelers have for immersive and memorable travel experiences," Bob Binder, the cruise line's president and CEO, said in a statement this week. "Despite the challenges the world faces today, travelers are clearly bullish on the future and are embracing these new opportunities to travel the world and create lifelong memories."
The Oceania World Cruise will set sail from San Francisco on Jan. 15, 2023. Passengers will begin a six-month adventure that will take them to 96 ports in 33 countries and four different continents. Guests will see more than 60 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and spend three full days cruising in Antarctica. Fares for the journey began at $41,599 per guest.
According to Oceania, 20 percent of those who booked the World Cruise also opted to extend their voyage up to a total of 218 days.
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Oceania's World Cruise typically largely attracts repeat guests, the cruise line noted, but this year more than one-third of the bookings for the 2023 cruise came from "first time, new-to-brand guests."
Over the past year, the cruise line has seen a similar trend growing, with "new-to-brand" bookings making up almost 50 percent of reservations.
Guests are tending to book longer, grand voyages that last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months when looking ahead to 2022, according to the cruise line.
Oceania's 2022-23 winter itineraries will open for bookings in March. The remainder of 2023 itineraries for North America and Europe will be available to book, beginning in September.
