So, that’s summer over. More rain than sun, it’s true, but as we approach the autumn months and darker nights, the skies have brightened for the cruise sector.

The return of international cruises is our headline news – it was impossible to ignore the universal feeling of euphoria, or collective sigh of relief, as Bolsover Cruise Club MD Michael Wilson explains in The Briefing. Domestic cruises have also continued to delight many clients, both repeaters and those new to cruise.

The summer months also brought with them another reason to celebrate – the Celebrity Cruises and Cruise Trade News prize giveaway.
This joint digital and print campaign was all about rewarding hard work and providing some light relief. It included great prizes, such as Celebrity stationery gift packs, culinary starter packs, and a chance for four people to experience the freshly revolutionised Celebrity Silhouette.

As one of the winners, GoCruise & Travel cruise specialist Peter Ruck, explains: “I’m excited about stepping foot on board a Celebrity ship and enjoying the outstanding, luxurious facilities on Celebrity Silhouette. After an extremely trying and horrendous 18 months, it will be an incredible pleasure to do something normal in the industry.”

Elsewhere in this issue, in the CTN Investigates section, we analyse how the sector can better target younger cruisers and create new, life-long clients, while P&O Cruises’ new mega ship Iona is the focus of the At a glance feature.

We also take a closer look at Horizon Cruise Terminal, the new state-of-the-art cruise facility at the Port of Southampton, and step on board Celebrity Silhouette for a six-night domestic voyage.

For this month, we also have a luxury supplement, giving you all you need to know about this segment of the cruise sector, including a special interview with Oceania Cruises.

All in all, things are looking up. Happy reading.