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One of the changes some cruise lines are making is positioning cruise ships in ports nearer to home. As cruises to the Caribbean are becoming more popular several of the cruise companies are offering budget cruises to the Caribbean from the ports of Southampton and Dover. The addition of cruises around the European continent and into the Mediterranean region is attracting more British passengers than ever before.
A cruise ship without passengers is not a cruise ship, therefore companies are finding ways to cut prices and make cruises more affordable in this time of economic difficulties. The financial crunch is causing many would cruisers to look elsewhere for a holiday break. Cruise lines are moving their ships closer to home thus cutting down on long distance travel for passengers to reach a port city. Cruisers can beat the credit crunch by travelling shorter distances to a departure port, taking shorter cruises and keeping onboard expenses to a minimum.
Cruise lines are cutting costs by offering full board cruises and including many activities and entertainment in the price of the cruise. An example of one of these low cost cruises is the Pharaohs and Empires Fly & Cruise offered by Fred Olsen. Sail on the Braemer from the British Isles for 9 nights in October for £495. The Braemer sails from Dover with stops in La Coruna, Gijon, and Bilbao, Spain then on to Lisbon and Leisoes, Portugal before returning to Dover.
The Fred Olsen Magical Adriatic 17 Nights Fly & Cruise is only £945. Sail on the Braemer from Dover spending the first three nights at sea, then sailing to Funchal, Madeira and Santa Cruz, and Tenerife. After visiting these cities you will spend seven days at sea. The next port is Philipsburg, St. Maarten, then on to St. Johns, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Kingstown, St. Vincent and the final docking in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Royal Caribbean Cruises offers a 4 nights Fly & Cruise aboard the Vision of the Seas for £391. Fly from Heathrow Airport to Stockholm to board ship. The cruise includes visits to Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia followed by a day at sea sailing back to Stockholm. The cruise is full board and includes many activities on board along with cabin and meals, snacks and beverages.
P&O Cruise Lines is offering cruises for 2 nights to Western Europe as low as £199 on the Artemis and £239 on the P&O Ventura. The line is also offering 3 night cruises on the Arcadia and the Azura to Western Europe for as low as £319 and £329. All cruises are full board cruises and embark from the Port of Southampton.
Among the stops these cruises make are cities in France, Germany, Holland, Spain, Portugal and Belgium such as Honfleur, Bilbao, St. Malo, La Rochelle, the Bay of Biscay, Praia Da Rocha, Lisbon and other cities. While visiting these cities, passengers can visit art galleries, museums, restaurants and street cafés. Among the museums passengers may want to visit are the Calouste Gulbenkian and the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon.
The Holland America Line is offering a 4 nights Western Europe Fly & Cruise deal for £399 on the ms Eurodam. Fly from Heathrow Airport to Copenhagen to board the ship. The ship sails to Oslo, Norway, then to Amsterdam, Netherlands and then to the Port of Dover.
Costa Cruises is offering the Ancient Treasures 7 Nights Fly & Cruise for £499 to the Mediterranean on Costa Serena and Costa Pacifica. Fly from London airports to Venice and board the ship, which sails on to Bari and Katakolon, Greece; Izmir and Istanbul, Turkey and to Dubrovnik returning to Venice. Both cruises are full board cruises.
Thomson Cruises offers a 14 nights Fly & Cruise aboard the Thomson Celebration for a Red Sea cruise for £999. Fly from Gatwick Airport to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for an all inclusive night at the four star Sharm Grand Plaza. This Red Sea Magic cruise leaves from Port Sharm el Sheikh and sails to Aqaba, Jordon. The next port is Port Sokhna then on to Safaga returning to Sharm El Sheikh to board a flight back to Gatwick Airport.
The cruises above include an inside cabin, meals, snacks and beverages, many onboard activities and entertainment. All cruises are full board to help cruisers stay within their budgets. During the credit crunch if cruise lines continue offering good bargains, passengers will continue to take cruises. Cruisers on a budget can stick to their budgets by avoiding using their credit cards when visiting distant ports while cruising.
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