With most schools having broken up for the long Easter break and children milling around demanding to be entertained, my thoughts tend to drift towards holiday planning.
The Davies family happens to be away this week as we’ve decamped for our first experience of a certain orange-coloured no-frills airline to try out a new resort in Portugal.
I’d have rather taken a cruise but availability at this time of year made it tricky to fit around work and other commitments over the school holidays.
What it did make me think of was how cruises could become far more flexible in terms of duration.
I know many lines are heading in this direction by ‘de-packaging’ the experience, a move that I know many people who find it tricky to take rigid seven, ten or 14-night durations will welcome with open arms.
Chatting to other parents on the primary school playground before collecting my two children every day is a great way of finding out about other people’s holiday plans and frustrations.
While I’ve tried to keep it quiet that I’m a travel journalist, the word appears to have got around, so I become a bit of a magnet when it comes to those seeking advise and tips on when and where to go (of, course cruising is always top of the list).
One thing that always crops up when talking about holidays to other parents is a desire to break away from the standard package constraints.
I was particularly delighted to hear that some friends are embarking with their daughter on P&O Cruises’ Aurora on an amazing 21-night Caribbean transatlantic voyage this week to sample the delights of the British Virgin Islands, Antigua, St Maarten, St Vincent and Barbados.
They really are excited about the prospect, having only ever cruised once before. Having been completely won over when taking a short trip from Florida on Royal Caribbean International’s Majesty of the Seas, they seem to have been preparing for months for their three-week voyage of a lifetime.
Flexi-cruising
Which brings me back to thinking about the opportunities cruises present even if you can’t find the time to take a 21-day sailing. Flexi-cruising has to be the way forward.
For example, Norwegian Cruise Line is encouraging holidaymakers to tag on pre or post stays to debut seven-night cruises in the western Med by mega ship Norwegian Epic from Barcelona this summer.
Options include hotel breaks in the Catalonian city home of Gaudi’s iconic Sagrada Familia and the buzzing fresh food market off the famous Las Ramblas thoroughfare.
There’s even the chance to tag on the Barcelona Grand Prix or a visit to the incredible home of Barcelona FC, together with similar sporting, music or cultural events.
Add-ons such as these and others from summer fly-cruise ports of departure such as Venice, Civitavecchia (the port of Rome) and Palma in Majorca help make a cruise far more than a week at sea and broadens the appeal for those who may have never contemplated taking a cruise holiday before.
This only adds to the experience and builds on the already impressive array of shore excursions laid on by cruise companies as part of their itineraries.
Age no barrier
It also helps broaden the appeal of cruising to a new and potentially younger audience, so breaking down the popular misconception that cruises are only for the old and infirm.
In fact, new research has found that younger UK passengers are being attracted to try cruise holidays for the first time with around a fifth aged between 25-30 when they took their first cruise.
More than a tenth of the 1,382 people polled were aged 20–24 when they experienced their first cruise. The majority of these (39%) said their reason was for the ‘chance to see multiple destinations’ – supporting my assertion that cruises really do provide a chance to explore many new places in one go.
More than a third of 25-30 year old first-timers, when asked to explain their reasons for choosing a cruise holiday, saw it as a ‘romantic break’.
A quarter decided on a cruise above any other holiday for the chance to see multiple destinations. A fifth cited value for money as the reason for choosing to cruise.
While the research found that 48% of people were aged 50-plus when they first took a cruise, the statistics challenge the notion that cruising remains the preserve of the grey and balding (despite me falling into that particular category).
My recent experiences have shown that cruises are the ultimate holiday for all ages, with many more families travelling with children and grandparents, increasing numbers of groups of friends, newlyweds and those celebrating special occasions.
A move away from strict schedules can only help draw cruising to the attention of increasing numbers of people crying out for a break that fits around them.
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