Cruising use to be an activity that only the wealthy could afford. I guess you have to determine what "wealthy" is today. When you look at the World as a whole, anyone who owns an automobile, lives in their own home or in an apartment, has a refrigerator, eats three meals a day, has a job....would be considered wealthy. So I would say that anyone who has the disposable income to be able to spend it on a cruise vacation....would still be considered wealthy according to the "World population" as a whole.

So live it up and rejoice!!! If you can afford to go on a cruise, consider yourself very priviledged and wealthy.

However, I don't think Cruising in the UK is really a 'mass' market product as yet. It is still an expensive vacation in my opinion.
There are not too many European cruises on offer for less than £1200 ($1700) for a basic cabin. This is significantly higher than the cost of the average air/hotel holiday in Europe, even when food is taken ito account.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fanatic:
Yes and no. Cruising, today, is the most affordable way to travel, if one takes into account everything included in the price and decides to book in a less expensive cabin and not in high season.

---

In the UK we don't have the privilege of price guarantee, so if the price of the cruise goes down you pay the lower price, but not in the UK. Here you pay the price which you agreed to when you booked. If you should cancel your cruise you forfeit the deposit which is 10% of the fare, even more if it is closer to your sailing date.
I normally go to All Inclusive hotels and have been to various places like Goa, Jamaica and Mexico. All of which I have considered value for money and not for the wealthy. Nearly all have given excellent kids prices at about 40% of a cruise price. What a cruise offers me is a great hotel, with a changing senery, entertainment and excellent food, for which I can't think of any other holiday which can offer all these things. Yes cruising can offer one of the most offordable ways of travelling but this is only really true if you have a lot of healthy competition so the cruise fare is kept at reasonable level. Without this competition the cruise companies can charge what they like making some cruises only for the wealthy or those without kids.
How many of you have been upgraded when there has been 4 sharing in your cabin, probably not many. I would be interested to know. perhaps we should do a poll on it.

quote:

---

Originally posted by kimberley:
Here you pay the price which you agreed to when you booked. If you should cancel your cruise you forfeit the deposit which is 10% of the fare, even more if it is closer to your sailing date..................
How many of you have been upgraded when there has been 4 sharing in your cabin, probably not many. I would be interested to know. perhaps we should do a poll on it.
Have a great weekend
Kimberley

---

Hi - Do you mean that you forfeit the deposit even if you cancel 'for cause', i.e. illness with Medical certificate, death in family etc? Surely that would be covered by you Cancellation Insurance which, in Canada, must be purchased at time of deposit. To my knowledge, some Lines, but not all, do refund the deposit because of a mind change.
For a hefty premium, some Lines sell a protection plan allowing you to back out of the deal about 2 days before sailing with no medical reason required - but - if you have a problem the day before sailing or on your way to join the ship, you have no coverage unless you also bought regular Cancellation Insurance - both premiums non-refundable - big bucks/pounds! They get you coming and going!

Re upgrades - see my post 'Category Upgrades' on the Cruise Line Board.

It was prior to the 1950's. Then it was a means of crossing the ocean since airplanes were not available for everyone.

It is the shore tours that really bump up the price of a cruise. If you do a land based tour, you either get the side-trips included, or maybe pay £10-15 for each. On a cruise you can pay you entire cruise-fare again, if you took every shore trip!

quote:

---

Originally posted by Malcolm:
I can fly from London to Miami for a cruise cheaper tham I can cruise Europe from Dover or Southampton,

It is the shore tours that really bump up the price of a cruise. If you do a land based tour, you either get the side-trips included, or maybe pay £10-15 for each. On a cruise you can pay you entire cruise-fare again, if you took every shore trip!

Lets be honest Cruise Lines are masters at providing you every temptation to spend your money onboard

---

Malcolm,

Well fly to Miami in winter or NYC in summer for your next cruise. Those cities are major airports and cruise ports. Air Talk can get you good fares.

The pound is strong against the dollar.

If more Europeans did that, the European operators will eventually lower their prices.

Americans on cruises are intrigued by Europeans, you will have fun.

Think of yourself as Margaret Mead on an anthropological study when you run into people not like yourself

The Rembrandt and Norway had a small contingent of European passengers.

It is unfortunate that most cruise lines have diluted their ethnic flavor to cater to the mass market. In the old days [pre 1980] you knew you were on an British, Italian, Greek, Dutch, German, or French ship.

One way to avoid spending too much is to pack light, that way you know it is hard to haul back. I also make a list of what I want to buy on board beforehand, and do so.

I always avoid guided tours. It is like someone tasting your food for you then describing it.

Get guidebooks of the ports, "Lets Go" and "Rough Guides" are my favorite. 'Fodors' and 'Frommers' cater to an older traveler.

It is most fun to find your way on your own.

In New England, most of what is interesting to see and do is within walking distance to ship, or within mass transit. Example Block Island, one can rent bicycles.

The Caribbean Islands I have seen, taxi's for private tours, and local tours are not outrageously priced.

Car rental is not good since local driving habits are scary.

There is nothing of great historical interest to me on most of the islands. Some islands have beautiful natural fauna. I do not miss not seeing everything.

I'm particularly interested in your posts Kimberley because we are seriously looking a P&O for a future cruise. The brochure is fast becoming dogeared.

Nowhere have I read that we must purchase insurance from the cruise line (we never have in the past). P&O's brochure states, in part -
"……if such insurance is not effected through P&O, details of suitable alternative insurance, which must as a minimum include medical and repatriation coverage for £2 million, must be provided at the time of booking."
That seems fair.

The brochure goes on to state -
"P&O's confirmation of a booking shall not affect the right of the Passenger to amend or cancel the booking or to transfer to another holiday in the brochure (subject to availability) subject however in all cases to P&O's right to make a charge for administration and/or additional costs incurred as a result." -
That too seems fair. It does give P&O the right to charge a fee but it does not say that it will - there's a diference.

quote:

---

Originally posted by kimberley:
Green,
If you were to just change your mind you loose your deposit paid!!! If the insurance company was to pay out because you became ill, you couldn't then go and book a different holiday as you may not be insured, as you knew there was a posiblity that you may have to cancel in the near future.
Kimberley

---

What do you read in to the above, what does it really mean. Does it mean that I can rebook and take advantage of the lower costs?

Thanks

quote:

---

Originally posted by bubbles:
...we still end up paying at least the same in pounds sterling that US citizens pay in dollars.

---

If my maths is right, that equals paying approximately 40%!