Social Media Post Ideas for Cruise Lines: What Our Data Says
If you’re a cruise brand, then you’re most probably using a few different social media channels to cast a wider net. After all, it’s one of the most powerful touchpoints of today’s customer journey. But are the strategies you’re currently using actually reeling in results?
If your bookings, social interactions and channel activity have all been lacking as of late, our recent research is here to point you back in the right direction. We scoured the Instagram, Facebook and TikTok profiles of leading global cruise lines to explore what’s working for them, so you can enhance your social strategy going forward.
We collected all our research and findings into our latest report, The State of Cruise Social in 2026: Industry Data, Trends & Opportunities, which we’ll link to further down the page.
What types of social media content are cruise lines using?
The great thing about channels like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok is that they can be used for different kinds of activity. Instagram is obviously well suited for more visual types of content, whereas Facebook content can generate a community amongst customers. Cruise brands need to have a think about what they’re using each platform for – rather than simply re-using content without differentiation.
With that said, our research did show that several content themes appeared again and again across the different platforms of the highest-performing cruise lines. Nevertheless, we’ll explore our more platform-specific findings in the rest of this article below.
Instagram post ideas for cruise lines
What our research found
Looking at Instagram, our research found the channel dominated by adventure and outdoor experience content, i.e. more aspirational, action-led footage of zip-lines, kayaking, deep-sea dives and other thrill-seeking activities.
Of the 20 cruise lines we looked at, 16 of them (or 80%) featured adventure and outdoor experiences in their top three content pillars. For 55%, it was the number one content pillar.
Promotional content, meanwhile, was the top content pillar for 70% of the cruise lines we analysed and number one for 25% of them. We defined promotional content as anything that was used to generate excitement in a cruise line’s product, such as introductions of new destinations, new ships and onboard experiences, as well as “what’s included”-style content. Giveaways, competitions, and seasonal campaigns also fell under this umbrella.
Lastly, destination content – high-quality photos/videos showing port-day experiences, landmarks, ocean views and local culture – appeared in the top three content pillars for 25% of cruise lines.
So why might this kind of content take centre stage on Instagram? Content like the above feels both inspirational and aspirational. Instagram tends to put visuals first, so there’s no better way to show off cruise holidays in their best light through the channel.
Our advice
The more action-led, immersive content of Instagram demonstrates the growing importance of showing the experience rather than simply showing the ship. Through POV footage and action shots, users can get a better sense of immersion, almost as though they can picture themselves involved in these experiences first-hand.
This also helps your approach to promotional content, which can sometimes feel overly sales-y. There’s an element of discovery to unveiling new ships and destinations or to giving the audience a chance to go behind the scenes or an onboard experience. Before posting this kind of content, think about how you turn commercial messages into something more inspiration-led.
The old adage “it’s about the journey, not the destination” sort of applies to destination content. There’s a story to tell through itinerary information, where things like walking tours, sightseeing, dining experiences and other inspirational ideas can play out as a narrative, with your customers as the main character in all of them.
Facebook post ideas for cruise lines
What our research found
Facebook post ideas across cruise lines tended to focus on ship facilities, practical information and customer experiences as a way of reassuring potential travellers ahead of purchase.
From the 20 cruise lines we looked at, room/facility highlights were the number one content pillar for 25% of them, while 20% of these cruise lines had guest experiences/stories as their number one content pillar.
Our advice
Driving the strongest engagement in our research, we’d recommend putting time and resources into visually-rich formats such as Reels, photos and albums. Remember to pick your format based on your objective. For instance, you might use Reels in order to bring destinations and guest experiences to life. Photos can lend the most impactful visual moments to your feed, while albums/carousel posts are particularly well suited to more in-depth posts about ships and itineraries.
Rather than relying on an overabundance of text, combining these visual post ideas can help to reassure, inform and build confidence more effectively, helping customers to visualise what the cruise experience will actually be like.
TikTok post ideas for cruise lines
What our research found
It’s worth noting that 14 of the 20 cruise lines we researched had a TikTok account. If you’re yet to be making use of it, this stat suggests an opportunity to invest in the platform as part of your future social strategy.
In terms of specific TikTok content, we found that adventure & onboard experiences were in the top three for 64% of these 14 cruise lines. Travel tips and guides were in the top three for 50% of them, while promotions/travel deals were in the top three for 43%. As for other content types, we noted:
- Drone footage appeared across 71%
- Guest POV appeared across 36%
- Talking-to-camera/interviews appeared across 29%
The prominence of content like the above makes sense on a short-form platform like TikTok. Bite-sized glimpses into the likes of onboard activities, travel tips and interviews – tailored to different ages and interests – can make a big impact in a small amount of time, rarely asking much of the audience’s attention span. The content is digestible and attractively presented, portraying both destinations and cruise lines in a visual light that can be hugely enticing to the audiences it reaches.
Our advice
Because TikTok content tends to be less polished than its Instagram counterpart, there’s a lived-in quality to it, like it’s been experienced first-hand. This gives travel tips a tried-and-tested element to them, as though they’ve been used before and are now being given to customers. Plus, travel tips are super useful and can be easily saved and consulted later on, even on the holiday itself.
Onboard activities, through the lens of TikTok, make “things to do onboard”-style feel like genuine recommendations from customers who have sat on the ship’s top deck, dined at its venues and been wowed by its entertainment – rather than something simply passed down by a cruise line’s marketing department.
Ready to take your cruise social strategy further?
Want to see what the leading cruise lines are doing across social? Download The State of Cruise Social in 2026: Industry Data, Trends & Opportunities for the full research, insights and opportunities uncovered by BANC.
