A Great Year to Cruise the Mediterranean

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Due to unanticipated conditions, 2011 turned out to be the best chance ever for a cruise deal in the Mediterranean.

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

This made a great deal of sense at the time they were planning their 2011 itineraries, but world events unfolded a bit differently than planned.

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

Troubles in the Middle East led to more uncertainty about oil pricing that further spurred on oil speculators.  The high prices of oil soon cut into American pocketbooks, and at the same time airlines were forced to raise prices on long flights.

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

What I have found over the years is that a perceived crisis is always a great opportunity, as the problems are inevitably overblown.  If you have lots of air miles, this is a great summer to cash them in to take an unplanned Mediterranean cruise.  Despite the fact that air prices are high, you may also find that the money you are saving on your dream cruise more than makes up for the higher air price, especially if you tweak your departure dates to take advantage of the best available rates to spend some extra time in Rome, Barcelona or some other great beginning or ending point for your vacation.

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."