Experience the Luxury of More
Published Sunday, December 22nd 2019 - Updated Sunday, December 22nd 2019It's hard to know what will inspire your next great vacation.
Will it be the on board fun?
The allure of long-dreamt about destinations?
Having a week without dirty dishes to clean?
Extra amenities?
Cheaper rates?
We all have a tendency to stay with the familiar, and to consider our budgets within the spectrum we established at some point.
When my dad reached my current age, he told me that the only way he could make sense of prices was to divide them by five. I laughed at that, but now I see his logic.
Houses and cars certainly seem to follow that rule for me.
Cruise prices haven't increased nearly as dramatically as some things, but it's still can be hard to talk ourselves into spending twice as much as we used to think was a good deal ten years ago.
Times have changed, and our personal financial status may also have shifted dramatically to the positive. No matter what nattering naysayers may claim, we now live in the midst of the best economic times in the history of the world.
It's impossible to go out in public without seeing help wanted signs everywhere.
Younger people working their way up the life cycle find themselves with higher salaries, and retirement funds have blossomed for empty-nesters at the same time that their children no longer rely on their support.
As such, it isn't hard to recognize that demand for great vacations has increased.
In addition, cruisers now have increased appetites for amenities, leading cruise lines to increasingly complicate offerings with varying prices based on what you want included.
For adults traveling without children, it can be beneficial to re-consider which cruise line might really suit them.
If you can afford to splurge for a mini-suite or higher, and you definitely want amenities like open bar and free internet, then you probably should be considering more upscale lines as well as whatever your favorite line has always been.
That's not to say that you will abandon your favorite line entirely. Many of us have sampled amenity-rich smaller ships but still return to large ships that happen to go where we want at a value proposition we appreciate.
However, for people aged 50 and higher, river cruises are particularly appealing, especially if they enjoy having wine or beer with lunch and dinner, always take shore excursions, definitely want free internet and are flying to Europe. The total bundle often comes out to cost less for river cruises.
By the same token, lines like Azamara Club Cruises and Oceania, which fit between popular lines and luxury lines, cater to active adults with upscale tastes. Is that you or perhaps someone you know?
In the final analysis, most of us like being a place where we feel we belong, but sometimes it is good to stretch our horizons to be sure we aren't missing something even better.
Wes
P.S. Your significant other would probably appreciate a nice cruise more than any other Christmas gift, but also don't forget that giving your friends and parents encouragement to take a cruise is a nice gift of sorts. Call me about cruise gift certificates.
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