Cruise lines offer deep discounts to boost demand

Many cruise lines are offering deeply-discounted deals in order to attract passengers and fill their ships, as the economic gloom continues.

A number of the deals that are available are reminiscent of the deep discounting that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, leading some travel operators to comment that taking one of these cruises is almost cheaper than staying at home.

One cruise on offer is a seven-night eastern Caribbean itinerary, on the Carnival Liberty, at only $299 plus fees and taxes.

The best time to find cruise discounts is typically in the fall, as it is the period when bookings begin to slacken. This year however, with the US economy in recession, along with a credit crisis, increasing unemployment and a decrease in consumer spending, cruise deals are more widespread – and better – than usual.

“We always say cruise lines are resilient to the economy, but we have seen a slowdown in the number of bookings compared to the same time last year,” noted a spokesman for Royal Caribbean International, Harrison Liu. “We’re working closely with travel agents and all our partners to entice consumers.”

The reasons that cruise lines are able to offer these deals is that they have high fixed costs, including crew salaries and fuel, and the extra cost of carrying an additional passenger, and providing them with food, drink and clean linens, is quite small.

Thanks to www.miamiherald.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.royalcaribbean.com