Is Brexit Changing The Way You Cruise?

Brexit, I think we are all fed up of the word and regardless of which way we voted, wish it was all sorted and we can move on.  A few people have asked me recently if it is affecting cruise holidays?  Certainly if this past month has anything to go by I would say no. People are fed up and want to go on holiday, Brexit or no Brexit!  What is changing though is where people cruise and from where.

There is a massive upturn in people cruising from the UK. At the moment the overall UK cruise market is edging towards the 2 million passenger mark – wow!  Last month the head of Carnival UK said  and I quote, “that P&O cruises will be able to deal with whatever comes out of Brexit. ” This statement was made on the same day that P&O reassured passengers saying they would be protected from currency fluctuations because the on board currency is pound Stirling.

With this in mind, you have P&O, Cruise & Maritime, Fred Olsen and Saga cruises all dealing in pound sterling and all cruising from the UK and not just from Southampton. There really is a huge choice sailing from the UK, this year there are 742 departures from the UK ports.

With Southampton being the biggest port, they have roughly 400 departures from here. Cruise and Maritime have 6 from Hull, and 8 from Liverpool and Newcastle. Fred Olsen has 21 from Liverpool, and 16 from Newcastle.  I don’t want to leave anyone out so remember you also have the choice of Tilbury,  Avonmouth, Portsmouth, Dover, Greenwich, Dundee, Edinburgh, Invergordon, London Tower Bridge, Oban, and Poole.

Okay, not every cruise departure is going to go where you want but I think you will agree there is a pretty good choice. Cruising from the UK may not be for everybody but it is or should be, less stressful!

Regardless of where you decide on this year, I am 100% confident that you will have a fantastic time. Choose wisely, there are a lot of cruise lines out there, tempting you with some fantastic offers, make sure you pick the right one! Remember we are the experts and can point you to the right ship and cruise line for you.

As for Brexit – well it is not going away is it?……..

Till next time x