With warmer weather on the horizon, cruise demand is heating up for summer 2025. Travelers may be adjusting spending habits due to economic headwinds, but they aren’t skipping vacations (just yet)—Carnival reports nearly 75% of next year’s sailings are already booked, and Viking is seeing a 26% jump in advance bookings, even as it navigates pricing cautiously.
Using MarketCast Brand Effect—our real-time, in-market ad measurement tool—we analyzed how cruise ads fared for Ad Breakthrough, Brand Recall, and Messaging during peak booking season: January to March 2025.
Ads that Rocked the Boat
Disney Cruise Line made waves with “Discover Where Magic Meets the Sea,” a nostalgic, cross-generational spot set to “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” scoring 17 percentage points above the norm for Ad Breakthrough.
Royal Caribbean amped it up with “Level Up,” a vibrant showcase of the Star of the Seas’ thrill-packed amenities. It was the most memorable cruise ad measured by MarketCast, with Ad Memorability soaring 27 percentage points above the norm and Ad Breakthrough up by 15 points.
Carnival Cruise Line brought the laughs with “Exclusive Paradise,” featuring a flip-flop hilariously refusing to leave a vacation. Set in the Bahamas’ Celebration Key, the ad landed 7 percentage points above MarketCast’s Ad Breakthrough norm.
Viking Cruises took a refined, destination-first approach with “Rivers,” spotlighting immersive European travel, scoring 4 percentage points above the norm for Ad Breakthrough.
Memorable Messaging and Brand Wins
American Cruise Lines led in branding with “Explore More of America – Southeast Coast,” driving a 32 percentage point lift in Brand Linkage—the highest of the group.
Norwegian Cruise Line delivered laughs with “More, Eric,” featuring Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet exploring the ship’s offerings, earning a 15 percentage point lift in Ad Memorability.
As cruise season heats up, is your advertising making waves? Contact us to learn how MarketCast Brand Effect can help measure your ad’s impact—so you can break through the surface.