Have you had visions of Caribbean beaches and cruise ships in your dreams? I'm sure that I'm not the only one that does... especially after the long pause from cruising due to the pandemic.
Are you are getting a tax refund?
Help the economy grow - spend some of your tax refund on yourself - on a
cruise vacation. If you've not been on a cruise before, now is the
best time as ships are still not 100% full and the experience is the best ever.
If you are like most Americans, when the pandemic started, your vacation plans went out the window.
Consequently cruise prices have remained at pretty constant low prices,
but are about to start increasing. There are still several cruise line
offers available for those that want to take advantage of the lower
pricing.
How about Europe Instead?
Of course, you don't need to go to the Caribbean, and in fact,
European cruise vacations are on the rebound. Why is that you ask? The cruise lines have record deployments in
Europe in recent years but the demand hadn't kept pace with the increased
capacity.
That's not to imply that people aren't booking European cruises - they
are. However, there are larger ships and more of them, in Europe this
summer than any other time before. Obviously, the cruise ships need to
sail full for the companies to make a profit, so the consumer wins.
Comparing Cruise to Land-Based
I just did a quick search on my website for a short European cruise vacation in May. A 9 night Greek Isles cruise was available for less than $800 pp for an inside cabin. For those that aren't quick at math,
that's about $88 pp per day or less (excluding taxes and fees).
For comparison purposes, I did a hotel search for Santorini, Greece, one of the embarkation ports, during the
same period and prices for a popular hotel started from $282 Per Night. The hotel
didn't include meals or entertainment and was rated as a 4 star
accommodation. Contrasting the hotel stay and the cruise... On the
cruise it's like getting your room at less than 50%, all your meals, and
entertainment onboard the ship.
Besides Santorini, you'd visit Naples, Italy •
Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey •
Mykonos, Greece •
Rhodes, Greece •
Souda (Chania), Crete.
Greece is one of our favorite cruise destinations.
I've
not discussed airfare, which is a large expense for a European
vacation, especially in prime season. Since the cost of air would be
the same for the cruise and land-based vacation stay, I've excluded that
from the equation. Since this cruise is before the Summer Season this makes the selected cruise even
more attractive. Cruise lines often have reduced air prices.
There are many deals to Europe this Summer. We'll feature some of the sales on our website and Facebook page.
If you are seriously considering a Europe get-away this Summer, my
suggestion would be to book now while the supply is larger than the
demand so that you can maximize your investment.
The prices I've seen during my
search in preparation for this article are on par with what you'd pay
for a Caribbean vacation on the same or similar ships. For the most
part, the ships are the larger, newer vessels in the respective
fleets. Ships like Celebrity Beyond, Enchanted Princess, and Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas are just a few
of the choices you'll have.
Of course, if you want to stay closer to home in the Caribbean, Bermuda, or Disney World, we can help you sort through all the possible choices and find the best value for you and your family.
Put Your Tax Dollars to Work for You on a Cruise / Land Vacation to Remember for Years to Come. Cruise Europe in 2022 !!
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Where have you explored?
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