Cruising has been hitting some rather stormy water lately. There was the Carnival Cruise that capsized off the coast of Italy, resulting in the deaths of over 30 people and traumatising the remainder of the passengers.
There are some deals to be had in recession-hit Europe for bookings in the next few weeks
Then Carnival did it again. A fire in the engine room of the Triumph (the second for the cruiseline in a year) resulted in over 4,000 passengers and crew being stranded for five days in the middle of the ocean.
Even when the ships are functioning well, the norovirus seems to take particular delight in insinuating itself with cruisers, and it seems that every few months, a plague ship will rock up to a port, full of ailing passengers.
Not surprisingly, a recent Harris poll suggested that these high-profile incidents are putting people off cruising. But these disastrous cruises are the ones that hit the headlines. Hundreds of ships set out on perfectly marvellous voyages throughout the year; you just don’t hear as much about them.
Despite the Harris predictions, most people seem to recognise this. Still, if you look hard enough, there are some deals to be had in recession-hit Europe for bookings in the next few weeks as “wave season” (the peak booking period) winds down.
If you’ve never cruised before, it might be time to dip your toe in the water with some of these deals.
Cruise the search engines
Website www.kayak.com searches the web to offer some great prices for cruises.
You can leave the search boxes open to find you the best cruise prices irrespective of destination, or you can input the destinations that you want and let the site find you the best deal.
A three-night cruise in Spain and France can be bought for just €228 per person. It leaves on April 9 from Barcelona to Marseille then Savona (Genoa) before returning to Spain.
As with all the lead in prices, you’ll end up in an interior cabin, but upgrades are always available to ocean view, balcony or even a suite.
Hotwire and Expedia often have flash deals which last for 24 hours so check regularly or sign up to their newsletters. In addition, Hotwire currently has some repositioning cruises available, as ships return to their home bases.
A 12-night cruise on the Ruby Princess from Princess Cruise Lines sailing from Venice at the end of May can be snapped up for €1,300 per person. Use the US version of the website to find these deals.
Holy Land for Easter
www.smsmondial.com.mt will take you to the Holy Land for 11 nights with Norwegian Cruise Lines from €449. The cruise departs from Rome on March 27 or April 6 and 17 and sails to Alanya in Turkey, Limassol in Cyprus, Haifa and Ashdod/ Jerusalem in Israel, Iraklion in Crete on to Naples/Pompeii and then back to Rome.
Departures from Malta
If you’d rather leave from Malta, Costa Favolosa has a family offer from €3,560 for two adults and two children. The cruise is all-inclusive, meaning you won’t need to dip into your pocket for dinner at each location.
The cruise tours Catania on the slopes of Etna, Naples, Savona, the lively city of Barcelona with its Ramblas and Gaudí architecture and the chic port of Palma de Mallorca.
Sail stateside
Cruising is huge in the US and combining a holiday in Florida with a short cruise is a great way to make the most of your flight out there. Carnival Cruises have a four-night Western Caribbean special from €160 which departs from Miami and goes to Key West and Cozumel.
You can also look for a cruise which includes the airfare. Cruiseliners will sometimes subsidise the flight to get you on board at the other end; local travel agents can help with this so be sure to ask.
If you’d rather cruise all the way and fly back, try Celebrity Cruises’ 14-day offer from Rome to Fort Lauderdale via Livorno (Italy), Toulon (France), Barcelona, Tenerife, then a number of days at sea to relax. Prices start at €785 on hotwire.com (again, you’ll need to use the US site to access this deal).
Go with the bloggers
www.cruiseguy.com has everything you ever needed to know about cruising as well as a cracking offer for a 12-night cruise of the Eastern Med and the Greek Isles. Departing from Rome, you will take in Naples, Athens, Mykonos, Turkey, Rhodes, Santorini, Chania, ending in Venice. For departures on April 29, prices start at €1,105.