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When cruises are cheaper than trains and planes
Getting from A to B by cruise ship can prove more cost-effective than flying, with journeys between European cities for as little as £54
Planes, trains and automobiles may be the obvious and often most cost-effective ways to get from A to B but, surprisingly, cruise ships can be, too.
Repositioning sailings are the unsung bargains of the cruise world, where canny travellers can often pick up voyages at vastly reduced rates – and give more orthodox forms of transport a run for their money.
The key to finding such a deal comes from studying cruise schedules for sailings – some of which may be just one or two nights – that go directly from one place to another.
While low-cost flights are generally accepted as the cheapest way to travel internationally, global airfares are on the rise – and by the time you pile on charges for luggage, food and drink and the cost of travelling from the airport to the city centre – where cruise ships invariably dock – taking the sea-going route can emerge as the unlikely winner (and you’ll arrive in considerably more style).
It can even work for travelling to different parts of the UK, though options tend to be restricted to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines when it repositions ships on overnight voyages between the likes of Southampton and Newcastle, Rosyth or other ports further north.
Italy to Spain from £54
For city-hopping stays in and around Europe, MSC Cruises is the one to watch, as it enables customers to book many of its Mediterranean cruises on a port-to-port basis, rather than taking the entire voyage.
For instance, travellers can book one-nighters between Genoa and Barcelona or Genoa and Marseilles for as little as £54pp, while an overnight sailing between Valencia and Marseilles is £72pp, with these prices obviously including meals. The £54 figure is based on an October 11 departure. For a flight from Genoa to Barcelona on the same date, Skyscanner (skyscanner.net) quotes a service with ITA Airways for £111.99pp, including luggage.
Tony Andrews, the managing director of travel agency cruise.co.uk, says: “MSC doesn’t talk about this enough, as these one-nighters are a great way for people to have a city-break-style experience with a cruise as part of it. It’s a really interesting way to do it.”
The leisurely way to cross the pond
Transatlantic crossings are another potential area to pick up a sea-going bargain, but it’s a question of waiting until the price is right, as rates continually fluctuate.
Many lines offer transatlantic repositionings in spring and autumn, while Cunard runs the only regular crossings between Southampton and New York on its liner Queen Mary 2.
On one occasion some years ago, when prices dropped to just a few hundred pounds, I was sailing from Southampton on the QM2 and met a passenger who had opted to do the same purely because the rates were so much cheaper than flying and he wasn’t in a rush (the crossing takes a week).
Cunard’s prices have since risen overall, but there are still reduced rates on some departures that make this tactic worth pursuing if you fancy a more leisurely way to cross the pond.
Alison Earnshaw, the managing director of online agencies Cruise 118 and Six Star Cruises, says that when rates drop to £600 or £700, taking the ocean route becomes more cost-effective as transatlantic flights have become so expensive.
Another plus is the lack of luggage restrictions, because on cruises you can famously take as much as will fit in your cabin.
“We’ve had people booking to sail to see family in the States with lots of luggage that they’re taking out for them, and then flying back lighter,” she explains. “Alternatively, we’ve had customers who’ve flown to New York for the shopping and sail back as they can bring as much as they want.”
Swap Blighty for Barbados – for £1,129
The Caribbean is another region that comes up trumps for value, with P&O Cruises offering a two-week repositioning voyage from Southampton to Barbados (with stops in Antigua, St Kitts and St Lucia) from £1,129. This price is for an October 18 departure, and includes the flight back to Britain.
A return fare to Barbados with British Airways (including luggage) during the same period is £733pp. Inter-island flights with Caribbean Airlines (caribbean-airlines.com) between Barbados and other islands in this itinerary amount to approximately £714pp. Add in hotel stays and it’s clear just how much you can save by taking to the water.
Going global
Miles Morgan, the founder of Miles Morgan Travel, cited world cruises as another option for good-value deals, when cruise companies carve itineraries into segments if they haven’t been selling well, enabling customers to buy legs such as Sydney to Singapore.
“You need to look at sailings a few months in advance, as this is when they tend to be carved up,” he says. “So look now for autumn sailings and at Christmas for the spring. There might be nothing going or you might do well.”
I soon found a 17-night sector of a world cruise on Cunard’s Queen Victoria, departing Singapore on March 26 and arriving in Cape Town on April 12. It calls at Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Port Elizabeth in South Africa. From £1,099pp, not including flights, it works out at £64pp a night – about the same as a Travelodge.
Flights for the same routing between Singapore and Cape Town for the same time period via Skyscanner amount to approximately £1,150pp, including luggage. Another win for the cruise.