cruisemates newsletter

6.28.2007

Europe Continues to Boom
European cruising has been booming, but this is the year it exploded. While figures are not out yet, it is estimated about 3.5 million cruisers will set foot in Europe this year, in the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean or Atlantic.

One cruise line executive, Bob Dickinson of Carnival, refered to Europe as "The new Caribbean of 10 years ago" for cruise lines, in the sense that the region is growing in popularity with cruisers so much that demand is outstripping the supply of ships and staterooms. This means prices and profits are up for the cruise lines there.

Why am I telling you this now, since you have either already made your plans or it's too late. Well, maybe it isn't too late. If you are looking for last-minute bargains, the best deals are there if you are ready to leave in two weeks (good luck on airfare) or if you are willing to sail in November.

Would I go to Europe in November? Yes, I would, when I can find a cruise selling for 50% less than what it costs just a few weeks prior. Plus the peak tourism travel season is over and so airfare becomes much more affordable and the planes less crowded.

But what's the rush? I also see very attractive pricing in Europe for 2008 already.
How about a 10-night cruise on Crown Princess sailing from Copenhagan to Finland, Russia, Sweden, Estonia, Poland and Norway with prices as low as $1078 per person.

For those of you who may not know, here are the basics of European cruising. There are three major cruising areas; the Baltic Sea (please don't call it "the Baltics"), the Western Mediterranean, and the Eastern Mediterranean.

There are also other options, one is sailing the Atlantic Ocean between Portugal and Denmark, including the British Isles. The other alternative is river cruising, with dozens of high quality passenger vessels (not barges) sailing all of the major rivers from Spain to Russia; including the Seine, Rhine and Danube among many others.

The Baltic Sea is the northerly body of water that separates the Scandinavian nations from Europe. In the north you have Finland, Sweden, and Norway. On the south coast you have Denmark, Germany, Poland, The Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Russia.

The Western "Med" cruises may include "the Riviera" as in Barcelona, the resort Islands of Spain such as Ibiza and Majorca, St Tropez, Nice, Monte Carlo, the French and Italian islands and possibly parts of Italy. The Eastern "Med" covers Italy, Turkey, Athens, Crete and other Greek Islands and may extend as far east as Egypt.

In any case, the number of cruise passengers in Europe has been increasing between 10% to 15% every year for the last three years (including scheduled 2008 deployments), so it is a hot ticket. The farther you plan ahead, the better availability you have for your choice of sail dates, itineraries, staterooms and air carriers.

New SeaMiles Credit Card
And speaking of ways to plan ahead, you might want to take a look at the banner below for the new seamiles credit card. Unlike the previous card for Carnival Cruise Lines the points you accrue on this card can be applied to any cruise line and they have a specific cash value of $100 for every 10,000 points. There are no blackout dates and the points can go to any cruise you want. No annual fee, either.

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