If you’re like us, you’ve spent ample time over the last year and a half thinking twice about buying that expensive bottle of wine, you’ve shopped for the gas station with the best prices and you’ve put off investing in a new wardrobe. Or just investing, period.
Recession is the word, of course.
While airlines and banks have been going out of business, cruise operators have expanded. Granted, some of the blueprints for new ships were done long before the recession, but the proof is in number of cruise passengers.
In 2009, the number of cruise passengers rose by 3.9%. This year, when the figures are final, that growth is expected to be 6.4%. Figures produced by the Cruise Lines International Association show that the number of internationally sourced passengers has more than doubled in the last decade. In other words, twice as many of us are going to other countries for our cruise fixes.
Will it continue? Barring an even harsher economic downturn, it probably will. With 26 new ships over the last two years, cruise lines plan to scale back on the building, and move ships around to places where cruising represents a new market opportunity.
Because you’re reading this, you likely already know what you like about cruising. Once that’s a given, you’re only haggling over the price.
That’s it, we’re done.