Cruise programme launches are a bit like London buses. You wait around for ages for one to turn up and then suddenly a whole load arrive at the same time.
Such is the case this week, with lines vying to be first off the blocks with details of their sailings for 2011 and into 2012.
Princess Cruises started the ball rolling and was swiftly followed by UK stable mates P&O Cruises and Cunard Line.
All are promising bigger and better options than ever before. But it’s all a bit of a tease because you can’t actually start making bookings until NEXT month.
So what’s going on? Well, the cruise lines are anxious to trump the competition by releasing details of future sailings as early as possible to encourage you and I to register our interest in cruises for 2011.
They then open up for booking around a month later – this year the date is April 27 for P&O Cruises and April 26 for Cunard Line and Princess – with a range of incentives to entice us to commit a year or more in advance.
Of course this tactic isn’t new, it’s just that the timing seems to get earlier by the year.
The reason being that the lines are keen to get bookings in the bank as early as humanly possible.
That’s why you will find a whole range of early booking incentives flagged up over the next few weeks, all designed to encourage people to put their holiday deposits down.
For some of us, planning a holiday up to 18 months in advance is unthinkable, but to others the idea of thinking ahead in order to get the best deal makes a lot of financial sense.
New ships spur demand
There is always big demand for new ships, so the news that P&O Cruises is to run Mediterranean fly-cruises on small ship Adonia, being introduced to the fleet next May, is guaranteed to spark a rush of interest.
The child-free vessel is to operate six cruises in the Med from four different ports starting in October 2011.
The central and eastern Med itineraries will also be sold as “cruise-only” options, allowing passengers to make their own flight arrangements and possibly add on hotel stays.
These cruises will depart from Savona, Trieste and Naples in Italy and from Athens with a range of “off the beaten track” ports of call included.
For those not keen on flying to reach their ship, P&O Cruises is to deploy a ship year-round for the first time from Southampton.
Rival Royal Caribbean International has already set a trend here by positioning the giant Independence of the Seas in the south coast cruise hub in summer and winter.
P&O Cruises is now getting in on the act by having Oceana sail on a series of longer winter itineraries from the UK. These include 35 nights to the Caribbean, 24-nights to the eastern Med and 12 and 14-night voyages to the Canary Islands.
The rationale here, I’m told, is that these cruises will appeal to those who may not have the time or money to shell out for a world cruise but want the chance to get away on a winter sun sailing without the hassle of flying.
This I can understand but what I don’t get is braving the choppy seas around the UK in mid-winter in order to reach smoother waters. Give me a fly-cruise at this time if year any day.
Take more time to cruise transatlantic
Talking of swells, Cunard Line is the only cruise company to still operate regular transatlantic crossings with the hugely sturdy flagship QM2.
And in 2011, the company will be extending the duration of voyages between Southampton and New York from six to seven days on all but one of 21 crossings. This gives passengers more time on board the massive vessel and gives the ability to create 14-night cruise and stay holidays.
Cunard’s new ship Queen Elizabeth, to be launched with what is expected to be a royal fanfare in Southampton in October, will operate 22 departures from Southampton next year from five to 24 nights in duration.
In total, the premium line’s three ships will offer 46 different itineraries from Southampton to destinations ranging from the Med and Baltic seas to round Britain, the Americas and Caribbean.
Queen Elizabeth and QM2 will both run popular circumnavigations of the UK and Ireland in September, 2011, with calls in ports such as Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cork.
QM2 will also be making its first round-Australia trip as part of its world cruise programme due to be announced in June.
For those looking for an understated US-style cruise experience, Princess Cruises will have an additional ship sailing in Europe next year.
The company will be deploying seven vessels and extending itineraries to meet additional demand in 2011.
The 2,600passenger Grand Princess is returning to sail from Southampton alongside 3,100-passenger Crown Princess. Boutique-style Ocean Princess is to sail north from Dover to destinations such as the North Cape, Russia, Norway and Greenland.
Fly-cruises in the Med are being boosted with a doubling in capacity of 12-night cruises with the addition of Star Princess operating alongside Ruby Princess.
These are just taste of what’s going to be on offer for 2011, with many other cruise lines still to outline their plans.
I will be keeping tabs on all the latest developments for Virgin Holidays Cruises so keep watching this space.
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