19/10/2011

Will Eurozone crisis help consumers win with Mediterranean cruise deals again?

December 26 2011. It’s that time of the year again. The roads, runways, train-tracks and shopping aisles are crowded. You’re not only over the weather; you’re feeling under the weather. Staycation? That was 2010.

Just think. If only months earlier you’d booked a cruise…

Previously, some winter cruises to warmer climates have sold out like mince pies at Christmas, but this year has seen a crisis in the Eurozone affecting Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland, among other countries.

Yet as early as May this year one UK-based industry insider was still foreshadowing a price war this winter, saying the market would experience demand on an “unprecedented scale” and cruise deals would be “advantageous to the consumer”.

According to a poll conducted by Cruise Critic UK, two-thirds of Brits were happy to cruise if the price was right. The remaining respondents were divided down the middle, with 18 percent saying that they’d sail if they like the ship enough. The other 19 percent said that they would say ‘bon voyage’ if they could depart from a British port, not wanting to fly.

Peak season for the Eastern and Western Mediterranean is generally considered to be from May to August. During these times you can expect hotter weather, but steeper prices.

Low or “shoulder season” for this region traditionally tends to be from March to April, and September to November.

High season for the southern Mediterranean – which can include countries such as Malta, Tunisia, Egypt and the Canaries – is considered to be from May to September. “Shoulder season” is generally from December to March.

There are, however, many advantages to opting for Mediterranean cruises in off-season.

In spring and autumn, for example, there’s still some nice weather for sunbathing and yet you’ve got more chance of having the pool to yourself since there will be less passengers (this includes children, since they’ll be back at school).

Companies with ships in Europe year-round include MSC, who are currently offering “Mediterranean Gourmet Cruise and Tours” for next January. This voyage takes in Milan, Lake Como, Genoa, Barcelona, Casablanca, Gibraltar and Tunis, among other exciting destinations.

Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas also now sails year-round from the UK. Their Mediterranean Magic tour takes in Istanbul, Athens, Valletta, Malaga and Lisbon, plus others.

If the way the industry handled the previous economic turmoil is anything to go by, they will be able to ride out the storm this time around, according to the Cruise Liners International Association (CLIA), North America's largest cruise industry organisation:
“The industry's history of thriving through even the hardest of times gives our guests confidence that they are making a safe and rewarding purchase,” said CLIA president and CEO Terry Dale in early 2010.

When economic trouble hit a year earlier, companies slashed prices. At the time www.travelweekly.co.uk said some liners took prices “to a level we are unlikely ever to see again”. Royal Caribbean International and P&O experienced record sales following this.

As Royal Caribbean Cruises associate vice-president and general manager UK and Ireland Jo Rzymowska said at the time, "This is a great time for agents to focus on selling cruises, with prices more attractive than they have ever been. We are seeing a lot of first-timers drawn to cruising by the value."

With more choppy days ahead for the British economy, let’s hope the customer also wins the second time round.