Holidaying at home has been popular for the last few years as families tighten their belts and try to keep calm and carry on. However, there are only so many wet weeks in the Lake District or boring boarding houses in Bognor many families can stomach, before the kids start making the most of Legal Aid, while it still exists, and arrange to ‘divorce’ you. Despite their luxury reputation the cruise industry has found that it is managing to ride the storm of the recession (some puns are irresistible) and cruise holidays are as popular as ever. Unlike many single location holidays cruises have, in fact, seen continued growth.
A room with quite a lot of views
So why are cruises so popular? Well, they aren’t usually subject to volcanic ash cloud disruption, although that is probably a minor consideration. The first reason that cruises remain popular is that they offer excellent value for money compared to other resort deals; to beat off the effects of the global recession cheap cruise deals have become more common than ever. Most resort hotels have everything you could want; shops, bars, restaurants; entertainment; childcare and the same old view day in day out. This is the first plus for your average cruise – don’t expect to get used to that view from your hotel room because it will change by the hour. It’s also extremely unlikely with a cruise that your room will overlook a half-finished hotel. Many land based resorts have found themselves wrecked on the rubble of economic downturn, slowly gathering dust and weeds. While your first night on board may feature a view of the Southampton dockside, you can be pretty certain your second won’t – even on a budget cruise.
Choice destinations
When it comes to organising family holidays at a resort you have to take into account the age ranges and tastes or needs of the whole group. Juggling between Grandma’s intolerance to Spain (in general) and the twins new found vegetarian principles can leave you with the feeling that you’d like to send them off to the opposite ends of the earth on more than just a holiday. The favourite British cruise destination is still the Mediterranean (43% of us pick it over other destinations) and it’s easy to understand why. Why pick between France and Spain, when you can have them both – with Italy, Greece, Turkey and Egypt thrown in. Certainly it seems to be the variety that the cruise can offer that appeals to so many people. The Mediterranean offers such a wealth of history and different cultures that even a short cruise around some of its shores has more to offer than you might think. Add to this the consistency and quality of the service on board, and you have a recipe for success.
Taking the planning out of planning
When it comes to individual requirements a cruise, again, can beat many other types of holiday. Having all the advantages and facilities of most resort hotels – often more – you can also have the comfort of eating in at familiar restaurants whether you are moored off Morocco or going ashore in Athens. Organising a trip on this grand scale could be a nightmare, but the single base that your ship offers tends to take the ‘planning’ out of ‘planning’, which when it comes down to it, is really what holidays should be all about!
Mediterranean cruises can offer a little of something for everyone – ensuring that everyone has the chance to relax and nobody but the childcare assistant is left holding the baby. For variety, choice and quality of experience a Mediterranean cruise can offer the best of all worlds.