Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) decision to remove the 2008 built Independence of the Seas from the UK next year comes against a backdrop of increasing capacity on cruises from Britain and increasing demand for cruises in destinations outside Europe.

Carnival group’s UK focused contemporary market unit P&O Cruises has two large 184,700 gross ton and 5,200 passenger capacity newbuildings on order with the first ship, Iona, due next year. The 1995 built Oriana with around 1,900 lower berths will leave the fleet in August this year.

RCI officials have also indicated that the company might bring a 200,000 gross ton Icon class ship to the UK once the second newbuilding of P&O Cruises will enter service in 2022.

MSC Cruises has stated that it wants to have a ship tailored for the UK market and to operate it there year round.

Saga Cruises is about to introduce the first of its two 999 passenger newbuildings this year, with the second one due in 2020. These replace smaller existing ships and will operate in the luxury segment of the market.

This comes against the backdrop of a barely growing market: in 2018, a total of 2,009,000 British people took a cruise, the first time the figure had exceed the two million mark, but it only rose from 1,959,000 in the previous year.

CLIA UK and Ireland recently reported that cruises in Europe remain the most popular choice for British and Irish holidaymakers, with the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Baltics taking up almost 70% of total cruises taken, and the market is still dominated by the ‘Big Three’ – the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Caribbean.

However, 2018 saw a significant increase in the number of cruises taken in exploration destinations, such as the polar regions, the Galápagos Islands and Antarctica, with bookings growing from 22,000 in 2017 to 32,000 in 2018, an increase of 44%.

Cruises in Asia and South America also experienced a healthy growth - the number of cruises taken in South America and Panama Canal grew by 29% to 26,000 and in Asia and China the number grew by 41%, from 45,000 in 2017 to 63,000 in 2018.

Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland director “Increasingly, however, British & Irish travellers are looking further afield for their holiday for a unique and authentic experience, and this can be seen by the growth in far-flung destinations that such as the polar regions, South America and Asia.”

Demand for RCI cruises in Florida is strong, boosted by $250 million investment in the CoCo Cay private island. Briton’s love of cruising, while far from dead, only showed slow growth last year. Fly cruises in distant destinations are becoming increasingly popular. Ultimately, the question of ship deployments is driven by expected yields.