Anyone Decide to Not Book Europe Cruise or to Cancel?

[sail7seas]

I've been wondering given Concordia, the economy, Allegra, the price of airfare, the Middle East, the Eudo/$$, anyone decide to cancel their European cruise or not book at all though they had thought they might?

 

I guess I'm interested how much these circumstances are affecting European bookings?

[flashopper]

We are booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam for the Oct. Trans Atlantic and are seriously considering canceling. Not because of the Concordia. That was sheer negligence and incompetance on the Captains part. He should get life in prison but he won't. We are more concerned with the powder keg the middle east has become. It is only getting worse and I do not want to spend my time looking over my shoulder for rioting in Greece or Italy.

[Sea42]

It was just the opposite for us. We had planned on a Mediterranean cruise for the fall of 2013 but after comparing the prices with cruises for this fall we decided to take advantage of the low rates offered for 2012. There was $3000 pp price difference for our 20 day cruise.

We won't be going to the Middle East but will be making a few stops in Greece. If there is still ongoing unrest there we'll make the best of the ports we can visit. But I try not to let something that may or may not happen make my decisions for me. Otherwise I'd never leave my house!

[George C]

We are looking to book a Europe cruise, seems to be some bargains, main problem is getting the time off and airfare.

[mmr923]

We wanted to take the kids on a European cruise, and the cruise prices we found were great. However, because it was a cruise for our kids who are in school (one college one high school senior) we had to do this in the summer, and air fare is just prohibitive (for our budget anyway). So we scrapped the Europe idea, and we're going to Alaska instead.

 

Hubby and I will probably try to get some time off to go to Europe next Spring (2013), and have our fingers crossed for the air fare at that time (at least it's statistically less than in the summer - sometimes by 50%).

[vjblk]

My sister and I were thinking of a Northern Europe cruise but airfare was outrageous. Couldn't justify spending $3k on flights. And Northern Europe cruises aren't cheap either. I found some good deals on cruises in the Med but airfare is still outside our budget. We are now just thinking of cruising out of Seattle to Alaska. No airfare. Just a taxi ride to downtown.

[CowPrincess]

We would probably be doing a Med cruise this season IF we could find any way to get there that didn't involve a minimum of 28++ hours of travel time each way. Ugh. If I had time, I'd try to figure out a less stressful way of getting there and back. Flying home is worse than getting there.

[iancal]

No, in fact the opposite is true. We think that prices may tank a little within the cancellation window and we will be prepared to take advantage of the savings.

 

We used this approach last Sept/Oct to book a great deal on both the cruise and on airfare...within about 30 days of sailing. Also booked DS and husband on a similar fire sale European cruise at the same time.

 

Prices are supply and demand. We want to take advantage of the prices before they increase when demand increases.

[bozemanman]

From a $ to Euro exchange point of view the US economy is slowly rebounding with the economic disruption in Europe, the dollar is much improved against the Euro. I am traveling transatlantic April 1 and just recently bought Euros, compared to 6-9 months ago...a much more favorable exchange.

 

There are cheaper ways to fly than 3k pp roundtrip (our airfare is less than 1/2 that price)....but they are unconventional. If you really want to go, I actually believe it is better to go sooner than later. jmho

[baggal]

The only thing holding me back from booking a Med. cruise is that the round-trip airfare to Europe is more than the price of a 12 day cruise in prime season!

 

I'm still checking cruises and flights but it looks like a no-go this year.

[sail7seas]

Interesting.

Thanks for sharing.

[SilvertoGold]

We had no intention of doing a European cruise this year.

We are always looking for a good deal for a cruise we would be interested in doing and found the pricing for some European Collector's (including a transatlantic) were really astounding.

With the high HAL air the pricing was less great but still a decent deal. In the end, we found air for approximately half the HAL air price, so booked that instead.

A good deal will get us on a HAL ship every time and this year the numbers were really too good to pass up.

[Harris Jeffer]

No. with a ta on the Eurodam at $599 why not !! Found airfare on air Berlin was reasonable too!

[ariawoman]

We booked a Med cruise back in December of 2011 for October 2012, and inaugural sailing on Celebrity. It's hitting mostly new ports for us, and we thought it would be interesting to sail on a brand new ship, so, we booked it. Got a price reduction in early january, but then the prices skyrocketed and stayed there. Right now supposedly all categories are sold out (unless they just stopped selling them for some reason but that doesn't seem likely). I'm looking forward to it as much as I have any other year. I won't be detered because when it's my time to go, it's my time.

[CruiserBruce]

Wellll, as we have a Europe land tour in 2 months, and about to book a 2013 Baltic cruise, I would say we are not being affected by any of these issues.

[bozemanman]

No. with a ta on the Eurodam at $599 why not !! Found airfare on air Berlin was reasonable too!

 

 

I'm using Air Berlin too...GREAT Rates!

[RuthC]

I can't think of any reason to give up my planned cruise back to Norway. It's as easy to get from Boston to London or Amsterdam (the customary starting point) as it is to get from Providence to Seattle or Vancouver (the Alaska alternative), so I might as well go where I want. There's no perceived terrorist threats; the cost is whatever it is.

I'm going.

[cruisinjudy]

I'm on the not right now side. Airfare and the long flights are holding us back. We are taking the kids and grandkids to Alaska in May so we can't afford it anyway.

[Hlitner]

I've been wondering given Concordia, the economy, Allegra, the price of airfare, the Middle East, the Eudo/$$, anyone decide to cancel their European cruise or not book at all though they had thought they might?

 

I guess I'm interested how much these circumstances are affecting European bookings?

 

As a frequent traveler and cruiser to Europe (on our way in about a week) we want to respond to your post. Regarding the Concordia, it has nothing to do with Europe in that Costa also has their ships in other parts of the world (including the Caribbean). The fact that an idiot Captain ran his ship into rocks in Europe speaks to the Captain...not the location. As to the Allegra, fires on cruise ships can happen anywhere and one of the most publicized happened about a year ago on a Carnival ship off the West Coast of the US. So this has nothing to do with Europe. And the Allegra was not even near Europe when they had that fire, but was off the coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean.

 

The airfare issue is a good point...so we generally try to cruise both ways when we go to Europe (great if you have lots of time). As to the Euro vs the dollar, the dollar is actually doing better then the past couple of years when a Euro cost nearly $1.50. And we do agree this is not a great time to cruise to the Middle East (many ships have changed their itineraries) but there are plenty of other itineraries. Our particular cruise does have a scheduled overnight in Pireaus and if there are still demonstrations we would certainly avoid Syntagma Square (a very tiny part of the large city).

 

Hank

[cruzn single]

We just cancelled today based on many of the issues you brought up. We should have been on the Rotterdam Spanish Rhapsody. I just wasn't willing to get outside of our home country given the current uncertainty, and my DH felt even more strongly, and he has lived in Europe!

[localady]

Because of enticing prices and good timing personally, DH and I have booked a 24 day cruise from Venice to Barcelona on the Nieuw Amsterdam in October. We feel that the amount of ports we will be able to see even if there are strikes and/or riots would be okay also. We are visiting so many places we foresee no problem with including Venice, Split, Kotor, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Kusadasi, Istanbul, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, Catania and Livorno. If there are problems in Rome, Naples or Athens (or any other port) we will just stay aboard. I think flexibility will be the key, and we will understand if ports are substituted or canceled.

[cruisemom42]

It's not affecting my travel plans at all, other than the usual concerns of airfare, etc. Thus far this year I have land vacations planned in Sorrento, Provence, and a week in Rome in October prior to my HAL cruise.

 

A few years ago I realized that if I were to wait until the situation is safe in every port of a multi-country Med cruise, I may never leave home. Since then (in 2006), I have taken 4 Med cruises, with another one booked, and I have visited Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, along with the more (and less) usual ports in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Malta, etc.

 

Only thing I am kicking myself about is passing up the chance to visit Libya in December 2010. I am dying to see Leptis Magna. With Ghaddafi gone I'm hoping the country will open again to visitors from the US -- and believe me, I will not miss the next opportunity.

[sammiedawg]

We were not planning Europe this year but agree that high air fares will have a big impact on travel, including cruising. Savings on cruise fare will be negated by the cost of the flights. IMO this will impact shorter 7 day cruises even more. At least a European vacation is generally at least 2 weeks duration, more bang for the air.

[patwell]

Costa's problems have not deterred us from Europe this year nor would they. Rather the economy instability and the ridiculous cost of airfare made us decide to enjoy our time elsewhere.

 

To that end we will spend more time shortly at a beach house we own in Florida, then I've spent summer cruise money and rented a lovely house on Cape Cod for a while to escape our extreme summer southern heat. I'm happy spending my money at home this year. I don't think I'll feel deprived. ;)

 

We'll be back on the lovely Noordam :D later in the year as none of this has deterred us from sailing. Europe will be there another year as we contemplate a Baltics next summer and hopefully airfares will be more competitive. If not, Alaska was so outstanding last summer we'd do it again in a flash.

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s “Affair to Remember” QM2 Review Dec. 2006

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

November 10,2007...QM2 to the Caribbean again

October 16,2008...QM2 transatlantic in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage.

December 9, 2008...QM2...back to the Caribbean

July 30, 2009....QM2....transatlantic again...

August 7, 2009....QM2... “home” to Norway

Feb. 7, 2010....Emerald Princess to the Caribbean

Aug 14, 2010...QM2... return to Norway, all the way to the top!

Aug 22, 2011...Diamond Princess....North to Alaska!!

Dec 2,2011...Noordam to the Caribbean...outstanding!

2012...Booked on the lovely Noordam again

[Cruising-along]

We had a 3-week trip/cruise to the Med and Israel this past October, so weren't planning on any European travel again until 2014 anyway. We plan to do a longer Baltic cruise then and can't wait. No, we aren't changing our plans. It is a challenge to get decent air fare though, if there is such a thing. :cool: