It’s been nearly a year since my editorship at CTN began and I’ve come to learn that when it comes to people’s cruise preferences, they tend to fall into one of two categories. There are those who prefer the Goliaths of the seas, with their West End-style productions and adrenaline-spiking waterslides. Others, however, prefer sailing on smaller high-end ships, which offer benefits like higher crew-to-guest ratios and being able to dock directly into pocket-sized islands. And not forgetting one of my favourite luxury indulgences while at sea: bougie bathroom amenities (hello L’Occitane shower gel).

Our October/November edition is a celebration of the latter category and a quick glance at the data reveals why we’ve decided to dedicate the lion’s share of this issue to this burgeoning cruise sector.

Take the expedition cruise market, for example. The standard bearer for polar exploration has doubled in size in just a few years and is now rapidly expanding its destination portfolio to keep up with intensifying consumer demand. You can read more about that exciting trend on page 18. You can also get a taste of what life is like onboard a next-gen expedition ship by reading our Ship of the Month piece on page 34.

On page 39, meanwhile, our latest CTN Investigates feature sees the big wigs of the sector come together for another roundtable discussion on why the desire for sailing smaller is growing and how agents can utilise this trend to boost their sales.
Finally, on page 58 we cast our gaze toward the Caribbean to understand how the luxury sector is meeting the demands of today’s discerning travellers. Happy reading!