Why cruises are back and three amazing staycation deals
3d Cruise Ship Vacation Holiday Summer Illustration Concept
Doesnāt it seem like many of those Covid travel trends we predicted have been lost at sea? During the pandemic, many a travel expert ā and travel punter ā looked into the crystal ball of future tourism to foresee a wave of post-pandemic patterns: our days of frivolous flying would be over, city breaks to the crowded hotspots of Europe would be a thing of the past and perhaps most striking of all, that the cruise industry was as good as sunk. However, while the latter was seen as a particularly vulnerable sector given initial PR nightmares, against the odds and a tide of gloomy predictions, cruises are very much back in business."
It was at the very beginning of the pandemic that the now infamous Diamond Express vessel prompted predictions of a doom-filled fate for cruise tourism.
While ships were initially decried as floating Petri dishes by some Covid experts, comprehensive virus precautions, aggressive pricing and a gush of consumer confidence have now seen the cruise industry perform a Lazarus comeback with bookings soaring in recent months.
āCruises have reduced quite dramatically in price to persuade customers to re-think their options as itās a very good deal to have everything included,ā explains John Spollen, CEO of Cassidy Travel.
āMost cruise offers nowadays include flights with checked-in luggage allowances, transfers, and seven nights cruise full board including gratuities, and most now include an all-inclusive drinks package. For June we were offering this all for under ā¬1000 per personā he adds.
Huge efforts have been made by the industry to reassure passengers; occupancy is limited by some operators while many cruise operators still require PCR tests to board, rowing back on their association with unsafe holiday options. āMost cruise lines still have in place a negative antigen test required to board so passengers can board quickly instead of waiting around at the port for test results,ā adds Spollen. āAlso, the ships are only allowed to be at 70% occupancy to leave some areas on board for passengers to quarantine if required. A lot of Americans used to travel to Europe for cruising and due to the pandemic and them not being able to travel, the ships were less busy, letting the cruise companies reduce the passengers that could travel to Europe. Weāve also had a lot more ships sailing out of Southampton so the UK and Irish passengers donāt have to fly unnecessarily.ā
With an ever-growing fleet of new vessels across the world, top dining and state-of-the-art facilities on board, and yes, a growing fascination with the high seas thanks to shows like Below Deck, it looks like cruise holidays are the surprise success of post-lockdown travel. All aboard, the cruise comeback, then!
Cassidy Travel offer a range of all-level cruises from budget to top deck.
A four-night Mediterranean cruise aboard the MSC Seaview starts from a very decent ā¬459pps including flights from Dublin, full board and gratuity. Barcelona, Marseille and Genoa feature on the itinerary and you can add an all-inclusive drinks package from ā¬128pp (worth totting up if you expect to be knocking back ā¬25 worth of alcohol daily) while you can also upgrade to a Balcony Bella Cabin for an extra ā¬110pps. Check out deals ranging from Fly/Cruise to NYC and Bermuda to Christmas in the Caribbean for 2022.
Whenever Iām asked for a getaway tip in West Cork, Iām always quick to suggest Dunmore House, the wonderful, family-run coastal escape flanking Clonakilty Bay. The property also is one of the 23 locations featured on the West Cork Garden Trail making it a veritable horticultural heaven of a base for nature ā and food ā lovers.
Dunmore House features two gardens, the Cliff Garden where you can sit on a hammock and soak up the views and the Ocean Garden, an organic kitchen garden growing a bounty of produce to fuel the sustainability-minded kitchen. You can feast on those very ingredients by enjoying an overnight stay, breakfast and dinner for two starting from ā¬155pps.
Looking for a Killarney break with a difference? Then take a visit to the Kingdomās gorgeous Lakelands while paying a visit to Innisfallen Island. The four-star Killarney Towers Hotel, located in the heart of Killarney is offering a āDiscover Innisfallenā experience which includes a two-night stay at the property along with a boat trip from Reen Pier across the tranquil waters of Lough Leane to Innisfallen Island.
Once you disembark, a guided tour covers the ruins of a 12th-century Augustinian Priory and Romanesque Church and the islandās wildlife.
Return to the hotel and savour an evening meal featuring ingredients from local suppliers in the hotelās Innisfallen Restaurant. A two night stay with dinner and boat trip starts from ā¬175pps.
Iāll take any excuse to make a break for Belfast but this monthās TradFest seems like an added knee-slapping incentive to travel north.
Taking place from July 23-29 at various locations across the city, the programme is packed with some of the countryās finest traditional musicians, singers and dancers with headliners including Sharon Shannon and Hothouse Flowers frontman, Liam Ć MaonlaĆ.
There is also a summer school and full programme of concerts, workshops, talks, lectures, sessions, cĆ©ilĆs, bringing together both Irish and Ulster-Scots musical traditions, in a shared celebration of culture and heritage. Donāt forget to pack your spoons.
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