Many people wait until the last moment to get things done. Why else would Super Saturday, the Saturday before Christmas and the Thursday before Christmas be #2 and #3 on the list of the ten busiest shopping days in the US? (1) Let us make the case why now is the ideal time to book a cruise, regardless when you intend to sail.
- A cruise is a spectacular present. Years ago, my wife and I gave each other a Mediterranean cruise instead of exchanging presents at Christmas. The cruise was the following summer, but we got a picture of the ship, framed it and placed it in the living room, so we could look at it every day.
- It’s a great way to celebrate your anniversary. Nothing says “I love you” like spending several days at sea, exploring different exotic ports. If you stayed home, you would likely dress up and have dinner in a fancy restaurant. At sea, you can do it every night.
- All that is required is a deposit. Unlike airfares, which are paid up front, cruises can be booked months or even years in advance by simply putting down a nominal deposit. You will get lots of reminders of your upcoming trip along the way, building the excitement. You have months to save up for the final payment.
- Does your spouse dislike flying? Some people are scared of flying. Others feel the romance of air travel has been downgraded to the romance of bus travel. They dislike the lines and crowds at airports. If you live near a homeport, you can do away with flying entirely.
- Does someone have a big birthday coming up? The older we get, the less enthusiastic we become for letting our age be known. On the other hand, letting the day pass unheralded can create feelings of neglect. Taking them away on a cruise for the actual day allows them to celebrate as much or as little as they like with total strangers.
- Do they find the Christmas holiday season stressful? They would not be the first. It has been said 75% of Americans find the run up to Christmas stressful. (2) Entertaining, decorating, preparing a large meal, shopping for gifts and baking can all be contributing factors. If you take a cruise instead, you can outsource the stressful parts to others, specifically the 1,000+ crew onboard.
- Do they have a least favorite season? We have friends in the UK who have been taking a world cruise on Cunard since the 1990’s. A major reason they board a ship every January is to avoid the cold winters in the UK. When the ship returns to Southampton in April, the warm weather is there to greet them.
- Would you like to renew your wedding vows? You can do that at sea. Fans of the original Love Boat TV series remember Captain Stubing could marry people onboard the Pacific Princess. Renewing your vows is a lot easier. We have done it twice.
- Are there places you would like to visit, but not stay? There are many places in the world I would like to see. When you take a flying vacation, you tend to book for a week or plan on driving around. When you take a cruise, you can pull up to an island, spend a full day ashore, see the major sites and then return to your ship, ready to explore a different island the next day.
- There are bargains to be had. If a passenger plane takes off with empty seats, they have lost revenue for a few hours, then it’s onto the next flight. They might lose out on some passenger revenue, but they might have cargo or US Mail in the cargo hold. When a ship leaves the dock on a seven-night cruise, an empty cabin is losing them money for seven nights. Let’s not forget the $90-130 per person average onboard spending! (3) With lots of capacity to sell, cruise lines are offering some pretty attractive deals.
It makes good sense to book a cruise now for many reasons.
Ed. Notes: CruiseCompete and its member travel advisors provide many curated cruise and land deals, offers and amenities on over 50 cruise lines with over 500 cruise ships sailing all around the world.
Browse Cruise Ships and Cruise Lines
Sea Tales 2023 Family Cruise Travel Planner (flippingbook.com)
Shore Excursions – Ports, Day & Weekend Trips
Cover photo: Grand Princess at Lahaina, Maui ©Dennis Cox/WorldViews
Heidi, Editor-In-Chief
