NEWS
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tion targeted the U.K. source market by offering 15,000 free air tickets to customers
who booked select 2012 Europe sailings.
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volving Egypt and Israel isn’t doing well
for us. It’s been so volatile, and you feel bad
about it because people are trying to make
a living over there and the problems have
killed their tourism. People are just afraid
to go, whether it’s a legitimate fear or not.”
The Middle East, she said, “gets a bad rap.
But if you look at the safety records of the
places we send people to, it’s fine. I mean,
there are sections of Kansas City I wouldn’t
advise driving to at night.”
CRUISE
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ing them get past the airfare obstacle.”
However, not all clients are avoiding high
airfares to Europe. Every agent interviewed
about summer cruise destinations said river
cruising is in high demand, thanks to its in-
clusive pricing structures. Shore excursions
and wine with dinner typically are included
in the cruise fare, for example, Crosby not-
ed, which, he added, leads to “less of a feel-
ing of being nickeled-and-dimed.”
Crosby said the most popular
itineraries are along the Rhine,
between Amsterdam and Basel,
and the Danube, from Nurem-
berg to Budapest or Vienna to
Budapest.
Vicky Garcia, executive vice
president of Cruise Planners, said
air fares are not having the same
effect on river cruise clients.
“I think it’s a different kind
of customer who books river
cruises,” Garcia said. “I think
the mass-market, contemporary lines are
having problems getting families onto the
blue-water ships because it’s too expensive
to fly everybody over to Europe. But river
cruise clients tend to be [more upmarket]
cultural travelers, and we’re not seeing the
same problems when it comes to booking
airfare for them.”
Rick Sasso, president of MSC Cruises,
said he isn’t overly concerned about rising
airfares affecting the summer season in Eu-
rope, noting that most of MSC’s guests “go
into the search engines for air. They look
for the best nonrefundable fare, and they
book it.”
Sasso added that rising airfares so far
have not affected U.S. bookings for the It-
A move to domestic travel
There might be a silver lining to the high
international airfares. According to Garcia,
Europe’s loss will be Alaska’s gain.
“Alaska is taking off again,” she said. “I’m
hearing from Cruise Planners agents that
there’s a lot of demand for Alas-
ka. In fact, our bookings to Alas-
ka this year are up about 18%.”
Crosby observed that although
Alaska cruise fares “are a little
high this year,” the cruise lines
are able to maintain their prices
because airfare costs won’t be as
high for North Americans who
choose the Last Frontier over Eu-
rope.
“As an agency, we’re having to
fall in line with convincing people that if they look at the whole package,
they’ll be better off in Alaska due to the
lower airfares,” he said.
There are some Europe destinations that
are doing well with blue-water cruisers
from the U.S. this summer, including the
British Isles, Scandinavia and the Baltics.
“These have been stronger areas for us,”
Comfort said. “The first time people go to
Europe they want to do the Med, and then
as they get more experienced, they’ll want
to go up to that area. It’s unique and differ-
ent, and you don’t have the same anxieties
that you do in the Med; there’s no turmoil,
no bombings, no countries collapsing, no
riots.”
On the domestic front, Garcia said that
Canada and New England
cruises are poised to have a
good year in 2012.
“Those cruise destina-
tions are coming back be-
cause airfares will be less, a
lot of people can drive to the
ports, and there’s the safety
issue,” she said. “With all you
see in the press, there are a
lot of people who will be
more apt to vacation closer
to home. Many clients aren’t
looking for anything too ex-
otic right now.”
Crosby suggested that
Bermuda also could benefit
from the international air-
fare dilemma.
In the Caribbean, said
Garcia, Royal Caribbean
“People want to get on these ships, the
Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the
Seas,” she said. “It’s a case of the ship being
the draw. It’s the same thing as we’re see-
ing in Europe, where [Norwegian Cruise
Line’s] Norwegian Epic continues to do
well with bookings when many other ships
aren’t. People want to experience these
[megaships].”
The 4,000-passenger Norwegian Epic is
operating Western Med cruises all summer,
with alternating departures from Rome and
Barcelona.
The Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the
Seas both operate from Fort Lauderdale.
Vicky Garcia
Executive V.P
Cruise Planners
Getting there
Although it’s faring better than the Eastern Med, bookings to the Western Med
also are sluggish, and that’s thanks in large
part to rising airfares, Crosby and Comfort
agreed.
“The airlines have become impossible
to deal with,” Crosby said. “At least for the
Western Med, air tends to be a little bit
better to Rome, for instance, vs. getting to
Athens or Istanbul. That may attract some
people.”
Comfort said her clients are experiencing
“air fare sticker shock.”
“People see these phenomenal cruise
prices and they say, ‘Hey, I get to go to Eu-
rope,’ and then they look at the airfare,” she
said. “That’s why some lines are including
air from certain gateways, and even though
it’s built into the price, it’s a nice marketing
tactic. It makes people think they’re getting
free air.”
In many cases, air costs for summer travel
are significantly higher than cruise fares.
Fare searches on the major online travel
agencies last week found
a New York-Barcelona
ticket for mid-June
priced at $1,700. A seven-day cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic, roundtrip
from Barcelona in June,
is priced much lower, at
$1,079 per person for a
balcony cabin.
Other transatlantic routes are similarly
expensive: Chicago-Athens for $1,630 and
Miami-Hamburg for
$1,475, for example.
Dwain Wall, senior
vice president and gen-
eral manager of Cruise-
One and Cruises Inc.,
said, “Airfares are going
to be our big concern this year. The airlines
have cut capacity.”
His company in late 2011 contracted
with Fort Lauderdale-based Global Marine
Travel to launch SelectAir, a program that
provides CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. agents
with three types of booking options. Global
Marine is a long-time supplier of offshore
air fares for commercial shipping interests
and cruise ship crew members.
A choice of Global Marine Travel’s contract cruise fares, published fares and consolidator fares from 26 airlines is helping
CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. retailers find
affordable air for clients.
“We were astonished at how successful it
has been so far,” Wall said. “Our agents are
definitely using this new tool, and it’s help-
The Norwegian Epic, pictured in Miami, is operating Western Med cruises all summer.
aly-based line.
“Most people are finding the airfare
they’re comfortable with,” he said.
Other cruise lines took matters into their
own hands this winter, offering air credits
or air upgrades designed to take the sting
out of the combined cruise-and-air price.
Crosby noted, for example, that luxury
line Regent Seven Seas Cruises unveiled a
$499 business-class air upgrade, and sister
line Oceania offered a free hotel night in
London for certain British Isles sailings on
the Marina.
“The luxury lines have been very aggressive trying to minimize the impact of
airfares, and these promotions are working
with some customers,” Crosby said.
A Royal Caribbean International promo-
