The changing face of CRUISING
The continuing high price of fuel and draconian new emissions regulations, due to come into force next year, promise to irrevocably change the face of cruising from the UK. Sara Macefield reports
M
ore observant industry watchers will already have noticed a few subtle
alterations as cruise lines adapt itineraries and sailings to accommodate the tougher market strictures. The ex-UK and Mediterranean markets
have boomed in recent years with the number of UK passengers rising to 653,000 last year, accounting for around 40 per cent of the market – and many of them headed to the Mediterranean. In fact, five times as many people cruised to the Mediterranean from UK ports in 2010 with 267,000 (that's one in three passengers) opting to do this
24 Autumn 2011 •
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compared with 2001. However, cruise bosses estimate that the huge cost of using low sulphur fuels to meet new emissions targets could curtail the number of Mediterranean cruises offered from British shores in future as companies opt for more cost- effective itineraries focusing on ports closer to home. “There is no doubt it will change the
face of ex-UK cruising,” said Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle. “It doesn’t mean that there will not be cruising to such places, but there will be more sailings that do not go as far and greater emphasis put on closer ports.”
Dingle predicted that cruise lines would
look more to destinations in the English Channel, such as Guernsey, which he felt could be the 'St Maarten of the Channel', in reference to the Caribbean island’s popularity on eastern Caribbean sailings. With ships travelling more slowly,
Dingle said they would be unable to go as far as they do now – perhaps only as far as Lisbon or Gibraltar – and they would call at more ports on the western coast of France, northern Spain and Portugal. Some lines have already slowed ships down to save money, which has resulted in some Med ports being axed from itineraries.
Fred. Olsen is one line to have taken
such action, dropping the average speed of its ships by around five per cent. “It doesn’t sound a lot, but it does
make a difference,” said the company’s marketing director Nigel Lingard. “We used to be able to visit Livorno
on a two-week cruise but now we would need a 16-night sailing.” Slower ship speeds also mean more
days at sea as it takes longer to sail from place to place, while some port calls have
Above: Fred. Olsen takes a stop in Lisbon; right: Holland America sails into Venice; Far right: Cunard across the Atlantic
©FRED OLSEN
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