Design, demographics and destinations

New ships are offering more outdoor spaces and views of the sea, with promenades, boardwalk-style decks, glass walls, transparent walkways and see-through slides.

Small ships, river ships and expedition cruises are booming, with more itineraries in cold-water destinations like Iceland, Greenland and the polar regions. Alaska cruises are as popular as ever, for big and small vessels.

There’s a new focus on marketing to millennials, many of whom cruised as kids. Royal Caribbean says its shorter cruises — like three- and fournight Miami-Bahamas trips — are proving popular with 20-somethings who may not want to commit to a full week at sea. Uniworld is offering “U by Uniworld” river cruises for ages 21-45 only, with European itineraries that include music festivals.

The Cruise Lines International Association, which represents most of the world’s major cruise brands, noticed another new phenomenon: “skip-gen” cruising. Grandparents are cruising with grandkids, but skipping a generation by sailing without mom and dad. Most cruises provide a range of children’s programming so grandparents aren’t baby-sitting all day, while also offering activities, excursions, meals and shows that all ages can enjoy together. coming out in 2018, according to CLIA: 10 for river cruising, 17 for ocean.

“We’re in our golden age,” said CLIA Chairman Arnold Donald, who is also CEO of Carnival Corp., at a Jan. 25 meeting in New York. “Cruising has never been more popular.”