The cruise industry has apparently decided it is time to expand their market by pushing non-vacationing Americans into vacation mode with travel and cruise inspiration videos.

Youtube Vacationer

Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Youtube to launch YouTube Vacationer –  Youtube’s first branded travel channel that includes travel advice from Lonely Planet, National Geographic and Travel Channel, and a ’Vacation You’ section for Norwegian.

The Vacation You section on the Youtube channel allows users to select from a series of short video clips and put it together to produce a customized 60-90 second montage of their ideal Freestyle Cruising vacations. This customized video can then be shared via social media or email.

Maria Miller, Norwegian Cruise Line’s senior vice president of marketing, says that “From a marketing perspective, this opportunity is compelling because it provides a truly organic user experience and represents another great way for brands to work with YouTube.”

Vacation Daze - Royal Caribbean

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean just released a Vacation Daze (aka Vacation Days) video on their youtube channel with a “cruise them, don’t lose them” message which plays off statistics released by U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics which show that 459 million vacation days are going unused in the United States each year.

Betsy O’Rourke, SVP Marketing, Royal Caribbean International explained that “As Labor Day marks the end of summer, we wanted to shine a spotlight on this perennial issue and also remind people to take a much needed and hard-earned break, even if it’s just for a couple of days.”

But youtube videos are a double-edged sword for the cruise industry, with vacation inspiration on the bright side and a scary look at the possibility of chaos and danger on a cruise ship on the other side.

The flip side is vividly on display in this viral youtube video showing CCTV footage from the inside a Pacific Sun Cruise Liner in heavy seas. Anyone about to embark on a cruise is advised not to watch this video which shows furniture being thrown around and hapless passengers slipping and sliding inside the ship.