It actually went much better on the rivers in 2022. Guests came and the ships that drove were not so badly utilized. You have to keep in mind that far fewer ships were running than before the pandemic and if I said in 2020 that it would take until 2024 for the industry to fully recover, you have now to assume 2026 or later.

The wages on the river and high sea have not improved and the working conditions not only leave a lot to be desired but have even deteriorated in some cases. Real wages anyway. An adjustment to inflation is certainly not to be expected, but it would be nice if at least something were increased in order not to make this profession completely unattractive.

A short article that immediately disappeared from the mirror reports that AIDA is now driving with diesel again because of the high prices. Profit before sales - we have just learned. The Greens have not yet commented on this.

AIDa is driving Diesel again because of Gas price hike. Spiegel 2023

NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) has increased tipping

Not for the crew but for the company.

Norwegian Cruise Line is increasing service fees again - but will NCL's crew remain underpaid while CEO Del Rio continues to average $25,000,000 a year?

Meanwhile, according to Skift, "executives at Royal Caribbean (Richard Fain - $15.8 million) and Carnival (Arnold Donald - $15.1 million) have also made big bucks. In all three, CEOs earn more than 1,000 times the salary of the average worker at their companies.”

But what about the hard-working ship employees who work 7 days a week, 30 days a month, over 12 hours a day? Remember that these men and women who work 6 to 10 months non-stop away from their families while making 1,000 times that make less than this fat executive who makes an average of $25,000,000 a year? Do the increased fees go directly to the ship's crew?

The answer is a clear no".

Cruise Law News January 2023

The new luxury ship "Crystal Mozart" is the converted version of the MS Mozart. The conversion itself took six months and is said to have cost between 30 and 50 million euros. "Crystal Cruises" completely gave up the cruise business in 2021.

The Seaside Hotel Collection takes over the luxury river cruise ship Crystal Mozart. From April 2023, the former Deilmann and Crystal Cruises ship will sail on the Danube for the Hamburg hotel company under the new name "Riverside Mozart".

The Mozart is certainly a classic on European rivers and it is nice that she is still in operation. How many times it has been renovated makes one wonder how much money has already been spent there. Unfortunately, the other Crystal ships do not continue to operate because they are very well developed but can hardly be operated profitably.

Amadeus Cruises is opening another ship this year with the "Amadeus Riva". 2022 saw the "Amadeus Cara" as a new opening that is really impressive in terms of design and service and you can be sure that the "Amadeus Riva" will not lag behind in any way. It is also good for the industry that a family company like Lüftners has been so successful in the market for 25 years and successfully counters the monotony of too many, too big brands with a really good product.

Crew without end?

The times are over. On the high seas, but also on the rivers for a long time, the Asian workers have become indispensable. Viking as the largest river fleet but also all the others would have incredible difficulties without all Indonesian crew members. Turkish crew is increasing because on the one hand the knowledge of German is needed but also the unbelievable inflation in Turkey makes the euro attractive.

Here is actually more positive but the last three years should make us cautious.

Stephan Busch has an invaluable and diverse experience in the hospitality industry ranging from senior management positions with the most renowned hotel and resort companies to the project development - launch of operations, business development- for hotel and cruise companies in Asia, Europe, Canada and Russia.

His expertise includes not only planning, opening and operating of hotels, international golf clubs, airports, resorts and cruise ships, but also successful restructuring and repositioning of businesses during the financial crisis in Asia.

Stephan Busch earned his Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, USA and served many years as Academic Director / Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism at the State University for Humanities RGGU Moscow as well as the Swiss International University St. Petersburg.