Ask AI to find you a Mediterranean cruise and it will give you ideas in seconds. You can compare ships over a cup of tea, read reviews in your pyjamas and have a surprisingly useful conversation about where to go next.
I use AI in my own work, so I’m hardly going to tell you to close the laptop. But before you put down a deposit, there’s a question worth asking: is the cruise it found a good fit for you?
At CLIA Cruise360 in Sydney, one presentation stayed with me. Nicole ran the same imaginary Mediterranean cruise enquiry through a travel advisor and an AI voice conversation. The couple had been looking at Celebrity and Princess and couldn’t decide between them.
The advisor asked about dates, previous cruises, cabins and budget, then offered to send both options for comparison. Sensible questions. The AI asked what the holiday should feel like. That was how it learned the couple were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and wanted good food, time together and some memorable days ashore.
When Nicole revealed that the second conversation was AI, my first thought was, oops. My second was, holy shit.
It’s easy to get bogged down in dates, cabins and prices, especially when you’re busy and keen to get an enquiry moving. I’ve caught myself starting the research, then going back to ask a question that would have helped me choose a direction at the beginning. That’s another email for the client and another step for me.
The AI hadn’t experienced a Mediterranean cruise or celebrated this couple’s anniversary with them. But in Nicole’s demonstration, it paused long enough to ask what made the trip special. That’s the question the advisor missed. I came home thinking about how often the most useful part of my job happens before I start looking at ships.
The itinerary is only part of the holiday
Two cruises can call at the same ports and feel nothing alike. One ship might have a lively atmosphere, plenty of dining and shows, and a sea day you’ll want to fill from breakfast onwards. Another might give you the space to read, linger over lunch and barely notice the time.
I know which sort of sea day I enjoy. On my Alaska cruise with NCL, I loved having a day with nowhere to rush ashore. I could try another of the ship’s restaurants, book a spa treatment without wondering what I was missing in port, and spend time in the thermal spa. Later, I could sit with a cocktail in the Horizon Lounge and watch for whales. The ship was part of the holiday, and I was glad to have time to enjoy it.
But that’s my idea of heaven. It won’t suit everyone. Some travellers want to wake up in a new port every day; for them, the ship is a comfortable floating hotel between the places they’ve come to see. I’d plan their cruise very differently from mine.
I loved my Mekong river cruise, but I found the contrast between the luxury onboard and life ashore challenging at times. It’s something I now talk about with clients, alongside all the wonderful parts of the journey. I want them to know how the experience felt, not only what was included.
River cruising can surprise people in other ways, too. An Amsterdam–Budapest itinerary, for example, can be very full on. If you want to see everything along the way, you may have early starts and busy days ashore. That could be exactly what you’re hoping for. But if you’re picturing long, slow mornings drifting past villages, we need to talk about the itinerary before you book.
Those experiences shape where I dig a little deeper. When you say you want a relaxing river cruise, do you mean quiet mornings onboard, or would you enjoy busy days ashore if someone else has organised them? If one of you wants to explore every port and the other wants time on the ship, will you both feel you’ve had the holiday you hoped for?
Then there are the practical details: how much walking is involved, how long you really have in port, what’s included and what happens when plans change.
When low river levels disrupted European cruises, I had daily updates from a group of travel advisors travelling there at the time. I knew what was happening to their itineraries and how the operators were handling it because it was happening to people I know.
Bring me what you’ve found
If you’ve spotted a cruise online or asked AI for ideas, show me what caught your eye. Some people hold back because they want to see what I come up with first, but the more you tell me, the more useful I can be. I can explain whether that ship suits you, suggest something closer to what you had in mind, or talk through where the price and your wish list don’t quite meet. It saves us both a long exchange of “not that one” before we find out why.
AI might give you a thoughtful shortlist. It did when I tested it. But I wouldn’t book from that answer alone. I’d check the sailings, fares and inclusions, then talk through the details that affect your actual days away: how busy the ports will feel, whether you’ll enjoy the ship between them, and what you’d be trading off with each choice. That’s where I can turn a promising suggestion into a recommendation I’m happy to put my name to.
Nicole’s demonstration made me rethink the questions I ask before I start searching. My own travels remind me why those questions matter. A cruise can look right on paper, but the aim is to find the one you’ll enjoy living through, from the days ashore to the time you spend onboard.
Final thoughts
AI is a useful place to start. If it’s helped you discover a cruise that caught your eye, tell me what appealed to you about it. As New Zealand’s CLIA Cruise Broker of the Year, I’ll help you check the details and decide whether it’s the right holiday for you.
AI won’t be joining you for a cocktail onboard — but I could. I’m hosting Savour the South Pacific in April 2027, cruising from Sydney to Fiji. Come and see what we have planned.
Image credits: Trish Seeherr
