Exclusive: Unforgettable Croatia lays out ‘new style of cruising’ plan
Unforgettable Croatia has outlined plans to launch a new category of cruising as it looks to capitalise on the burgeoning demand for small-ship holidays
Speaking exclusively to Cruise Trade News, the line’s co-founder and chief commercial officer, Graham Carter, said the new style of holiday will give passengers a “much more intimate” onboard experience.
The new category of cruise will sail with 20-25 per cent less guests than the line’s usual 30-40 passengers.
“We’re trying to blend a bit of what you see on shows like Below Deck with actual cruising, where you’re not paying £150,000 for a week-long trip, but you still get a taste of an intimate yachting holiday,” he said.
“We’re busy working on onboard facilities like the gym, massages and yoga, and outdoor dining on the deck. We’ll still run all of our usual excursions, which will be much more immersive.”
The new concept, which is set to launch in 2026 as the company continues development, could be rolled out across several of Unforgettable’s fleet of vessels, including Phoenix, Adris and Memories.
The plans come after the line boosted capacity by 20 per cent this year while maintaining a 99.2 per cent occupancy rate and a 98.7 per cent guest satisfactory level.
“One of the things we’ve focussed on to maintain this level is detail,” Carter explained. “We have top line merchandise for guests in cabins, which they can keep, sommelier-led wine tastings and lectures on board; all these things contribute to our success.”
Another key factor in the line’s recent successes is its travel agent partners. Earlier this year the brand held its first fam trip, which saw 13 travel agents from the UK and US, along with plus ones, join a four-night Dalmatian Coast itinerary onboard the 38-guest Memories, from Dubrovnik to Split.
Unforgettable Croatia to host second fam in 2025
Carter, who joined the trip, said the event offered agents more learnings and insight into the product than a “traditional” fam. “We treated it like a normal cruise, so our agents could experience the sailing like our consumers would.”
Due to the success of the event, the company will host its second fam in July 2025, which doesn’t come as a surprise given Unforgettable has seen a 24 per cent increase in year-on-year trade bookings in the UK.
“We’re speaking to a lot of new partners who’ve come to us who want to learn more, and I think it’s because we’ve been a lot more prominent in terms of promoting ourselves in the industry,” Carter continued.
Last month Unforgettable Croatia won Best Specialist Cruise Line at the 2024 Wave Awards for a second year in a row.
“It’s a really nice accolade to have as it underpins the amount of work that the team has put into keeping the product fresh and innovative, and making sure we don’t just think, ‘oh, we’ve won it once, that’ll do’,” Carter said.
