By
Alex Smith |
The 2025 issue of Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning is out now, offering exclusive insights from cruise leaders, itinerary planners, destinations and associations into the process of developing the cruise voyages that take guests around the world. Subscribe to view the digital edition or order a printed copy.
Itinerary planners are challenged to fill ships and deliver high passenger satisfaction, but there are countless factors that they must negotiate as they pursue those ambitions. To deliver unforgettable moments of discovery, planners must work with stakeholders across the industry. The power of collaboration is on show throughout the 2025 issue of Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning, as the community of itinerary planning, port operations and shore excursion experts share their insights into what it takes to build the voyages passengers are looking for.
Silversea’s Conrad Combrink makes clear that it is only through “years of expertise, solid partnerships and collaborations with communities around the world” that once-in-a-lifetime cruise experiences can be created. In our keynote, he discusses the wonders that can be found during an expedition cruise and how Silversea aims to share them with guests over the course of their itineraries.
The cover story puts the spotlight on Cape Town and the Western Cape as Wrenelle Stander of Wesgro speaks with Alex Smith about how a diverse cultural heritage, natural beauty and a wealth of shore excursions have made the region one of Africa’s premier cruise destinations.
Elsewhere, the ‘Elevating destination appeal’ feature examines how towns and cities can become successful destinations. Ports from around the world share the elements that help draw in cruise lines and their guests, including well-serviced ports, friendly locals and strong shore excursion offerings. Excursions then take centre stage in the ‘Rebuilding shore excursion sales’ feature as we explore the ways in which cruise lines can best recapture the market for guided tours in the face of increased onshore competition and changing passenger behaviour.
Our annual regional spotlight focuses this year on Florida and the Caribbean, and we ask local experts why the region remains the most popular cruise destination in the world. Other highlights include eight planner perspectives from cruise line executives, maiden season articles exploring the destinations of the industry’s most anticipated new ships, highlights from cruise associations around the globe and reports, interviews and commentaries with a range of ports and destinations. Finally, we profile cruise ports from across the world in the CFIP Featured Destinations section.