Cruising into bargains
What a difference a year makes. At this time of 2011, many cruise lines had added more capacity than ever to Europe, and their gamble paid off. Cruise ships were running close to full and, while the cruise lines made a portion of their revenue in American and Canadian dollars, most came from the more lucrative euro. Perfect.
Flash ahead to 2012 and it’s a vastly different story. Prices are dropping, double upgrades are normal, in some cases air credits are being offered and at least one cruise line is taking several ships out of the market for 2013.
What happened? The cost of flying to Europe went up, and when you add in those extra fees, all of sudden the airfare became twice the price of a seven-day cruise. On top of that, the locals in many Mediterranean countries are concerned with economic issues. Mix it all together and you have consumers who are holding on to their disposable income.
That perfect storm is this: If you want to cruise in Europe this summer, you will find some great travel bargains, especially in the Mediterranean. (I will post some of those bargains on my blog portsandbows.com.)
Royal Caribbean was the first cruise line to blink. With a dozen ships currently sailing in Europe, Royal Caribbean announced only nine of them will return next summer. Oceania is also cutting back on its European cruises, choosing to spend more time in Alaska next summer instead.
One of Royal Caribbean’s ships, Mariner of the Seas, will join Voyager of the Seas in Asia next summer. Obviously, this cruise line is following the money and the Australia market just finished its best winter on record, so you’re going to see more ships in the Asian and Australian markets starting with this winter’s Australia/ New Zealand season.
Even with the European discounting, rarely does Cunard offer transatlantic pricing under $1,000 in the prime part of the summer season. Rarely, that is, until this year.
Transatlantic sailings specials on the Queen Mary 2, according to Cunard, include eastbound sailings (New York to Southampton) on July 6, Aug. 3 and 28, Oct. 2 and 28, Nov. 27 and Jan. 3; and westbound sailings on June 24, July 27, Aug. 21, Sept. 14, Oct. 14, Nov. 20 and Dec. 15.
Cunard is also doing its share to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. On Tuesday, Cunard will rendezvous its three-ship fleet — the QM2, the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria — in Southampton. All three ships will sail into the port at first light and will finish the day with a giant fireworks display. Next morning, in single file, they will sail out of the port on their planned cruises. Whether you’re a cruise buff or not, it should be quite a sight.