Dubrovnik, Croatia |
Every year unfolds differently for the cruise industry. For 2011, many cruise lines devoted more of their fleets to the Mediterranean. Why?
Essentially, cruise lines want to maximize their revenues, and Europe is highly attractive for most travelers. Events from negative news stories about Mexico to higher taxes in Alaska gave cruise lines the impetus to redeploy ships from closer to home at the same times fleets continued to expand.
Ephesus, Turkey |
First, there was the BP oil spill off the gulf coast, which gave the American government an excuse to implement a crack down on domestic oil production. This cut high-paying American jobs, dampening demand for travel, while at the same time pushing the price of oil higher and of course making the world more dependent on Middle East oil.
The next shoe to fall was the economic crisis in Europe. Greek government workers protested in the streets in response to austerity measures, which created some uncertainty with potential travelers who watched it unfold 24 hours a day on cable news. However, that certainly did not create as much concern as the upheavals in Egypt, Libya and other Arab countries.
Corfu, Greece |
I doubt that I am telling you anything new, but that is a quick recap of how we now have arrived at a summer of amazing values on Mediterranean cruises. Northern Europe has remained relatively strong, presumably because it is rather distant from Greece and the Middle East.
Venice, Italy |
Barcelona, Spain |
I always feature a few specific deals at CruisePlanners1.com, but a better approach is to send an e-mail to Wes@CruisePlanners1.com and let me know what your ideal cruise is. I will then use my years of experience and training to zero in on the perfect cruise for you at the best value.
"Better service leads to better trips."
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