The new wave of cruising: How AI and cloud are charting a new course for the cruise industry

As travelers have returned to cruise ships in recent years, a new type of passenger has been on board. For them, it’s all about high-tech on the high seas: Their smartphone is an indispensable companion, acting as travel agent, cruise director, memory maker, and overall command center. They are their own concierge, easily bypassing the information desk queue to book tickets to a show, a special meal, or a last-minute shore excursion through the cruise line’s app. Their camera roll becomes a curated gallery of social media moments — the perfect sunset over the ship's wake, an artfully presented dinner, or a panoramic view from a port-side cliff.

And while they want to be the captains of their own voyage, passengers are also looking for cruise lines to deliver unique and individualized experiences that anticipate their desires and enliven their feeds.

For cruise companies to meet these diverse and dynamic needs, AI and cloud technologies are increasingly providing the digital ballast.

It starts with connectivity. No longer a luxury, a strong and reliable network is now a necessity for providing frictionless self-service, the ability to curate adventures in real-time, and the freedom to share that adventure at will. Expectations are at an all-time high for connected, personalized, and seamless experiences, from inspiration to booking to disembarkation and beyond.

There are many ports of call for AI and advanced cloud technologies, too. Not only are they integral to offering enhanced guest experiences, they help to fundamentally transform cruise line operations at a moment when every advantage is needed in uncertain markets and open waters.

Onboard innovation with edge computing

A major operational challenge for any cruise line is maintaining consistent and powerful digital connectivity for thousands of passengers and crew in the middle of the ocean.

For guests, this means a seamless digital experience across channels, spanning mobile apps, onboard entertainment, and more. For the cruise line, a reliable network helps ensure continuous onboard cloud compute operations and addresses crucial safety and logistical concerns, providing a significant competitive advantage.

Modern distributed cloud solutions offer a groundbreaking approach to network reliability and capabilities by placing a cloud data center on the ship itself. Google Distributed Clouds’ powerful edge infrastructure provides the robust, low-latency cloud services needed to run critical onboard systems and deliver high-quality, cost-effective digital and AI services locally.

Redefining customer acquisition with AI

The new generation of passengers requires a sophisticated approach to engagement. Leading cruise lines are moving beyond traditional volume-based marketing and focusing on attracting and retaining high-value customers through an individualized approach.

This starts with knowing the customer, and that starts with knowing your data. Using powerful data and analytics tools like BigQuery and Vertex AI, you can combine all your structured — and unstructured — customer data in real time. AI can then be used to forecast lifetime spend potential, cruise preferences (maybe it’s the Caribbean versus the Mediterranean), favored activities and more to individualize offers and experiences for that passenger.

This tailored knowledge when combined with generative AI can help cruise lines craft more performant marketing utilizing the Google Ads platform and Gemini. Individualized, AI-powered video and ad content can precisely target marketing to individual passengers, maximizing guest conversion and ancillary sales. By tailoring content to each guest's buying criteria, cruise lines can drive a higher return on investment and stronger loyalty from the point of earliest interaction.

Crafting the complete journey with a digital concierge

The passenger experience should be seamless from inspiration until long after the ship returns to port. To foster loyalty and deepen engagement, cruise lines can implement a digital concierge to streamline guest services and support passenger at every stage of their journey.

Powered by advanced conversational AI like Google’s Gemini models and multimodal AI agents, digital assistants inspire travelers, drive conversion and proactively help guests to plan their trip beforehand — for example, by answering specific questions about onboard amenities or helping to book personalized shore excursions.

After their voyage, the concierge continues the conversation, offering personalized follow-ups, future booking recommendations, and targeted content that keeps the magic of their vacation alive. This continuous engagement transforms a one-time trip into an ongoing relationship, encouraging repeat bookings and building a strong community around the brand.

By embracing Google’s AI and cloud technologies, cruise lines can offer individualized, frictionless, and unforgettable experiences. As passengers seek more personalized journeys, cruise lines AI-led innovation are positioned to cultivate lasting loyalty and ensure continued growth in this exciting new era of travel.

Opening image created with Imagen 4 running on Vertex AI using the prompt: Context: I'm working on an article about the future of cruise ships and young, connected travelers, who use their smart phones like a personal concierge.//Style: A flat, cheerful, colorful style, with an emphasis on the colors blue, red, green, and yellow.//Concept: A pair of travelers is on the deck of a cruise ship, it's full of amazing, out-of-this world activities, almost like a giant floating city. One of them is subtly holding a phone at their side, but they're otherwise looking out excitedly at the boat. //Perspective:The perspective is from behind them, looking out over the ship. They should be at the center of the ship, and the ship extends out in front of them.