DocLC Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 For those contemplating a cruise to Europe this summer, now may be the time to consider going. I just read an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune stating that the US dollar had strengthened over the past year. While this won't likely affect cruise prices, it may make the related costs (e.g., precruise hotels, transportation, etc.) much more affordable. Thus, if you're considering a European cruise on Royal Caribbean, it might be worth putting down a refundable deposit if you live in the U.S. and letting the strength of the dollar and associated airfare costs determine whether you make final payment or not. While the cheapest airfares to Europe from the U.S. seemed to be offered around Thanksgiving for this summer, the article suggests that the weakening Euro and British Pound may force foreign airlines to reduce fares if fewer Europeans book travel this summer. The article can be found at utsandiego.com - Strong dollar make world traveler cheaper for Americans For those of you on the fence, this might be a good opportunity to take advantage of a strengthening dollar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Its a double whammy for us Canadians...:( I have been looking at possibly doing a Euro cruise in the late spring, early summer....rates seem to keep going up, and the dollar for us keeps going down against the USD so looks like its going to price me out of that option. But for those travelling anywhere with USD, your defn going to come out ahead on your spending money once there for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 The US dollar has never been stronger against currencies like the Euro, Rubbel and Yen. Great time to travel for Americans! DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Its a double whammy for us Canadians...:( I have been looking at possibly doing a Euro cruise in the late spring, early summer....rates seem to keep going up, and the dollar for us keeps going down against the USD so looks like its going to price me out of that option. But for those travelling anywhere with USD, your defn going to come out ahead on your spending money once there for sure! The rates are definitely going up. Our cruise on the Brilliance is about $1,000 more now than when we booked; it's been as high as $2,500 more with price fluctuations, but never less than what we booked at. Even with the strengthening dollar, Europe is still expensive for Americans with the dollar still below the Euro and Pound, but is getting better. It seems that the gamble is to book early if you're in a country that offers refundable deposits and hope that airfare drops. Fortunately for us, we found a very good airfare; otherwise, we might have cancelled the cruise. If the predictions are true, we may see international airfares drop with less passenger demand coming out of Europe and with lower oil prices. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the Canadian dollar improves, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkirkham Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Will this have any affect on domestic sailings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Will this have any affect on domestic sailings? I don't think we will see any changes in the short term. We'd have to see this remain the norm for a while for there to be changes like that, but that's just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted January 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Will this have any affect on domestic sailings? I think the biggest impact MIGHT be on Euopean sailings assuming the dollar continues to strengthen and the Euro and Pound weaken as you might have fewer Europeans cruising. However, these are big ifs and the required cost to travel are greatly reduced for Europeans compared to those of us in North America. The only way it might have an impact domestically would be if enough Europeans stopped cruising out of the US because of the strengthening dollar, which would then force Royal to cut fares. However, given that Royal's Domestic departures largely attract North Americans, I don't see this happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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