Essex-based cruise line, Cruise & Maritime, have recently made a bold statement that Brexit has been good for them since the announcement that Britain had voted to leave the EU back in June of this year.
The line, who will offer departures from 11 UK ports in 2017 (plus Dublin), have stated that its passengers are attracted to the fact that its on-board currency is sterling, rather than US dollars or euros.
Cruise & Maritime claim that the demand for the traditional British cruise experience is still very high, which is perhaps down to concerns over the ease to travel within Europe in the near future due to the nation’s decision to leave the EU.
Another cruise line that was championing the ‘Keep Calm And Sail On’ ethic straight after the vote was Fred Olsen who also stressed their sterling prices on-board: ‘The only point that we make to our guests, as we did 4-5 years ago, is that we have sterling prices on-board, so when the exchange rate is against us it doesn’t have the same impact as taking a holiday in Spain, for example, or those cruise lines that price in dollars on-board’.
A spokeswoman for P&O stressed ‘No concerns’ at the time of the vote and several other cruise lines made sure to release statements of reassurance as sterling fell to its lowest level in 30 years. Nonetheless, there was an increase in interest in fixed price holidays as an all-inclusive deal would guarantee avoiding unexpected bills at the end of a holiday.
CEO of TUI, the German company which owns Marella Cruises, Fritz Joussen stated: ‘We respect the democratic decision of the British people and trust the UK government will take all steps necessary to ensure economic and political stability and to ensure that British holidaymakers will not be affected by the UK’s decision to leave the EU. We are well prepared and confident that the Marella Group as a truly global company will not be significantly affected by the decision.’
Norwegian Cruise Line recognized a heightened sense of uncertainty at the time of the vote in June, however stated that as a North American-centric enterprise, the line is more shielded from the negative effects of the UK vote.
We asked our cruise community what their opinion was on the matter!
Cooke said: The weak pound should make cruising from the UK attractive, but Regent have already increased their prices to UK Residents. Swings and roundabouts!’
However, toshtosh said: ‘The likely impacts for cruisers are increased spend on currency exchange, a possible need for visas and increased delays at ports, and increased prices for any cruise priced in a currency other than the pound. It’s ok for us oldies I suppose, but I feel sorry for our children’.
What do you think about the effect of Brexit on cruises? Do you think you can already see a negative/positive effect or are you worried about what’s to come? What do you think of the forum’s take on Brexit’s effect on cruises? Leave us your comments below or click here to read more of our cruise community’s conversation!
