Food, gas, public transport – the list of everyday expenditures that are going up in price gets longer and longer. Now it seems that the cost of living crisis has hit the holiday market, too.
According to recent research compiled by TravelSupermarket for BBC News, the average cost of a week-long all-inclusive family holiday in August has jumped significantly, with trips to Cyprus rising from £950pp to £1,166pp since last August.
In the UAE, meanwhile, average holiday prices have gone from £1,210pp to £1,525pp, making them 26 per cent more expensive than last summer.
For years, cruise lines have advertised themselves as an affordable alternative to land-based holidays, and with the cost of the fly-and-flop on the rise, it seems like the perfect opportunity to bang that drum for the cruise industry once again.
We’ve enlisted Bob McGowan, chief experience officer for no-fly operator Ambassador Cruise Line, to share some of the ways a holiday at sea can help you stretch your travel budget that bit further. Over to you, Bob…
1. Multiple destinations on one holiday
“In this day and age, people want to ensure they get the best value going, which is why choice of destinations is the number-one thing they consider when booking."
"With a cruise, you don’t get to see just one destination like on a land-based holiday. Sometimes you visit up to four or five ports, so you get more opportunity to discover different places while paying for one trip.”
2. The cost of food and drink
“This is one of the biggest ways a cruise can save you money. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, midnight snacks – they’re all included in the price.”
“At Ambassador, our drinks packages stand out from the rest because the minimum pour of our spirits is 40ml, rather than 25ml. It may not seem like a lot, but when your G&T is that bit stronger, you feel like you’re getting better value for money.”
3. No-fly options
“If you’re sailing out of the UK, then you needn’t go anywhere near an airport, which means you don’t need to fork out for parking (it amazes me how much airport carparks charge these days).”
“Instead, you can hop on a port transfer [which some lines offer free of charge], hand your luggage over to an attendant, walk through the terminal and within half an hour you could be sipping a cocktail on the top deck. We once had a guest who went from car to cabin in 25 minutes.”
4. No carry-on costs
“People like to have plenty of choice when it comes to their holiday outfits. When you fly, however, you’re limited to the luggage allowance that’s been pre-determined by the airline. With us, you can take as many suitcases as you like, so you can always pack that extra swimsuit.”
5. Upgrades that feel worth it
“Value doesn’t have to mean doing something as cheaply as possible. If you push the boat out and book a suite, you still get your money’s worth. We offer a range of benefits for suite guests, from espresso machines and daily canapés to pillow menus and a welcome bottle of wine.”
A breakdown of land vs cruise costs
How does the cost of a weekend in London* compare to a five-night Ambassador cruise?
Return train fare
- £57.80 from Liverpool
- £74.60 from Bristol
- £168 from Newcastle
One night in a budget hotel
- £102pp (London Leicester Square Premier Inn)
West End theatre tickets**
- £56pp
Dinner
- £40pp
Total
- £255pp to £366pp
By comparison, Ambassador’s five-night Dutch & Belgian Delights cruise, departing from London Tilbury on July 26th, 2027, comes in at £455pp at the time of writing – or £91 per person per night.
*According to an Ambassador Cruise Line survey of 2,000 people in the UK & Ireland via Mortar Research
**Average West End theatre ticket price, according to Society of London Theatre (SOLT)
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