{"id":63374,"date":"2026-01-22T12:46:56","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/?p=63374"},"modified":"2026-01-22T12:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:48:05","slug":"expedia-wave-season-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Mediterranean, Northern and Southern Europe and Alaska top trending cruise routes for 2026, all up 250%* YoY<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wave Season is here &#8211; the prime time for cruise bookings from January through March. With 21.7 million** Americans expected to cruise in 2026, <a href=\"http:\/\/expedia.com\/\">Expedia<\/a><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>\u2019s Wave Season Outlook reveals the biggest trends shaping travelers\u2019 plans this year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Private Islands Are the New Hot Spots<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cruise lines are investing heavily in private island experiences. Carnival\u2019s Paradise Collection, Norwegian\u2019s upgraded Great Stirrup Cay, and Royal Caribbean\u2019s new Royal Beach Club are making these exclusive destinations a major draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Caribbean &amp; Mexico Sailings Surge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Itineraries in the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera are booming thanks to added capacity and competitive pricing. Deals start under $199, making these routes ideal for budget-conscious travelers. Interest in Caribbean sailings surged 150% in the last year, with Baja Mexico up 310%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Luxury &amp; Expedition Cruises Gain Momentum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New entrants like Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and river cruise options from Celebrity and Trafalgar are elevating the luxury segment. Expedition cruises to destinations like the Arctic are also trending among adventure seekers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Trending Destinations: Europe and Alaska<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strong demand for Caribbean escapes continues, as it remains the most sought-after region for 2026 sailings. The biggest year-on-year shifts see Americans looking further afield to the Mediterranean (+255%), Northern Europe (+270%), Southern Europe (+260%) and Alaska (+90%) \u2013 all booming for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. <\/strong><strong>Shorter Cruises Set Sail as Travelers Seek Quick Escapes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One and two-week-long cruises remain popular, yet Expedia data shows a spike in demand for three- and four-night getaways &#8211; three-night cruises are up 60% YoY, with four-nights up 30%. The Bahamas is one of the most popular destinations for these short expeditions, serviced by Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Celebrity Cruises, often with new ships for cruise lovers to enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. River Cruises are Booming<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2026, some cruise lovers will be swapping oceans for rivers. Big players in cruising, like Celebrity Cruises, are launching brand new river ships in 2026. While Viking River Cruises and AmaWaterways are adding new vessels to their fleet, in anticipation of growing demand. The Danube, Rhine and Douro in Europe are some of the most popular international destinations for scenic river cruises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCruising isn\u2019t just back, it\u2019s booming, and Wave Season is when travelers score the best deals. One of the smartest hacks? Book early for perks like exclusive staterooms or stay flexible for last-minute savings,\u201d said Melanie Fish, VP of Public Relations at Expedia Group. \u201cExpedia makes it easy by connecting travelers with local cruise specialists, so you get expert advice and the best offers all in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Top Travel Hacks to Score the Best Cruise Deals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Book Early for Perks<\/strong>: Lock in exclusive staterooms and added benefits by booking up to 18 months in advance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stay Flexible<\/strong>: Last-minute deals and drive-to-port options can help you save big if your schedule allows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leverage a Travel Agent<\/strong>: Agents often unlock extra value and perks such as Expedia Extras you won\u2019t find on your own.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Watch for Wave Season<\/strong>: January and February are prime time for cruise promotions\u2014competition is fierce, so act fast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Book Smart with Expedia<\/strong>: Book on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/app\">Expedia app<\/a> or through <a href=\"http:\/\/www.expediacruises.com\">Expediacruises.com<\/a> for deals, cruise expertise and local support. Expedia routes you to a cruise specialist closest to where you\u2019re calling from to connect you with a local expert.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sample Deals:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Seven-night Caribbean from Galveston: under $399<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Three-five-night to Mexico: under $199<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seven-night to Alaska: under $699<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more details and exclusive offers, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/swift\/cruise\">https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/swift\/cruise<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Notes to Editors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*Data based on searches made on Expedia Cruises from October 12, 2025, to January 12, 2026, compared to October 12, 2024, to January 12, 2025.<br>**Source: https:\/\/newsroom.aaa.com\/2025\/10\/aaa-cruise-forecast-2026\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mediterranean, Northern and Southern Europe and Alaska top trending cruise routes for 2026, all up 250%* YoY Wave Season is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":63375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106,60],"tags":[94],"companies":[43],"locations":[51],"class_list":["post-63374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brand","category-featured","tag-expedia","companies-expedia","locations-seattle","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mediterranean, Northern and Southern Europe and Alaska top trending cruise routes for 2026, all up 250%* YoY Wave Season is...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia Newsrooms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-22T12:46:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-22T12:48:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864-1024x576.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"akazzim\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"akazzim\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-22T12:46:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-22T12:48:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/fee35c46b78e8c94b0229ff347dab165\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864.jpg\",\"width\":4418,\"height\":2485,\"caption\":\"Enjoying South Pointe Park while a cruise ship departs against the backdrop of a beautiful Miami Beach sunset\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia Newsrooms\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/fee35c46b78e8c94b0229ff347dab165\",\"name\":\"akazzim\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5be517cdfbce75b2c282e69538da3bfdcb32724f3808ed834d3a5de578a2b759?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5be517cdfbce75b2c282e69538da3bfdcb32724f3808ed834d3a5de578a2b759?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"akazzim\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/author\/akazzim\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026","og_description":"Mediterranean, Northern and Southern Europe and Alaska top trending cruise routes for 2026, all up 250%* YoY Wave Season is...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/","og_site_name":"Expedia Newsrooms","article_published_time":"2026-01-22T12:46:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-22T12:48:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864-1024x576.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"akazzim","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"akazzim","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/","name":"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-22T12:46:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-22T12:48:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/fee35c46b78e8c94b0229ff347dab165"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0K9A5864.jpg","width":4418,"height":2485,"caption":"Enjoying South Pointe Park while a cruise ship departs against the backdrop of a beautiful Miami Beach sunset"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/expedia-wave-season-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Expedia Reveals Top Six Cruise Trends for Wave Season 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/","name":"Expedia Newsrooms","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/fee35c46b78e8c94b0229ff347dab165","name":"akazzim","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5be517cdfbce75b2c282e69538da3bfdcb32724f3808ed834d3a5de578a2b759?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5be517cdfbce75b2c282e69538da3bfdcb32724f3808ed834d3a5de578a2b759?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"akazzim"},"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/author\/akazzim\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63374"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63379,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63374\/revisions\/63379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63374"},{"taxonomy":"companies","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/companies?post=63374"},{"taxonomy":"locations","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/locations?post=63374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}