Riding the waves of the recession with Cruise Ship Holidays
Perhaps it is because we are an island nation that the Brits are obsessed with the sea. When it comes down to it, anything that involves water and boats seems to fascinate us. Whether it’s a trip up Windermere on a wet weekend in August, or a relaxing cruise around the eastern Caribbean, you will be certain to find a large proportion of those on-board are the British doing what they do best – messing about in boats. Thanks to our national obsession the cruise industry is one that has continued to beat the recessionary trend in the last few years and continued to experience growth. So what is it about a cruise that appeals to so many of us and what are the hottest destinations?
An obsession with foreign parts
Ancestrally a large proportion of the UK’s not-so-distant ancestors came here in boats. They were the type of people who allegedly wore silly hats with horns and whose idea of sampling the local culture was a bit of pillaging. This has been shown to be a historically inaccurate version of our Viking relatives, but the fact remains that since the days of our Nordic ancestors, the British have been partial to sailing off into the sunset in search of new lands. Today, this is generally a trait that appears in the form of a luxury cruise around the Med – around 43% of British cruise customers still favour the Mediterranean cruise over more far flung destinations. As a nation we seem to be fascinated by other cultures – in the past this fascination included conquering and incorporating them into our own – but it’s still evident today in our desire to see the world, and see as much of it as possible in one go. One thing you can’t accuse the British of is being disinterested when it comes to foreign parts.
The art of relaxing
Holidays, of course, should be about relaxing as well as exploring. This is probably where our love of cruising really kicks in. Organising your average family holiday can be a bit of a nightmare when it comes to combining relaxation with travel. Travel involves something of a military operation for even small families, and when you are travelling further a-field the problem is magnified. Keeping everyone entertained, all of the time, can seem impossible on some holidays while getting out and seeing those sights can take most of the ‘me’ out of ‘me-time’. On a cruise, however, the sights come to you, with a rather attractive frequency. The beauty of cruising seems to lie in its variety. Whether it’s the familiar Mediterranean or the more exotic Caribbean, a cruise offers far more variety than two weeks in a single resort.
Truly all inclusive trips
Cruise ship accommodation and facilities have come a long way in the last few years. At one time a cruise liner was simply a ship containing a small hotel; today floating resorts can seem to have only the vaguest hint of their maritime nature. Cruise holidays offer the style and luxury of the best boutique hotels with the sense of adventure that comes from sampling the activities on offer, not only on-board but also at a range of resorts and destinations. If relaxing on white, palm fringed sandy beaches is more your style – that’s included too. The standards of accommodation are incredibly high and the service on-board is of the same quality. Cruise ships today are holiday locations in their own right and many people choose them simply for this fact. The continued success of the cruise industry throughout the recession also is an indication of the true secret attraction of cruising. Value for money; the majority of resort hotels can barely compete on the deals on offer through many cruise operators – with the high quality accommodation and service, the huge variety offered by the nature of a cruise and the on-board entertainment facilities. Cheap Caribbean cruises have always been available, and the often all-inclusive offers have been part of the cruise industries speciality for many years. While many resorts around the world continue to battle for survival in the tough economic climate, the cruise industry can expect to continue to ride the wave of recession.
It seems to be part of the British make up to feel the urge to hop into a boat and seek out strange lands – cheap Caribbean cruises make the dream a possibility even today, with the cruise industry keen to maintain its position as one of the hottest tourist options going.