Cruises

Northern Europe emerges as cruise destination amid extreme Mediterranean heat

Virgin Voyages achieved record sales on August 13, selling five Scandinavia and Baltic voyages from Amsterdam within hours, including an 11-night Arctic Circle itinerary. Extreme heat across Europe—with Barcelona reaching 105 degrees on July 9 and Dubrovnik hitting 102 degrees—is driving travelers toward cooler destinations in a trend called "coolcation." Princess, Celebrity and Norwegian are expanding Northern Europe capacity for 2027-2028, though the Mediterranean maintains strong appeal with Greece attracting 37.98 million visitors in 2025 and Spain 96.8 million.