Cold Weather Cruises Rising in Popularity
According to Bloomberg News, the demand for cold weather cruising destinations is growing at a faster rate than tropical ones. Cruises to Alaska, Antarctica, Greenland, Norway and more are becoming significantly popular.
The lure?
Exclusivity, says Business Insider.
The idea of cold weather cruising to places that are outside the norm and that few others have traveled to makes for a unique adventure, no matter the relatively high prices.
In fact, that’s another appealing part of the travel – the cost. The higher the price, the more exclusive it appears.
Tom Marchant, the owner and co-founder of luxury travel company Black Tomato, told Business Insider he expects demand to go to Antarctica will continue to overwhelm the supply – i.e., the cruises that travel there – meaning that the price of getting there will never drop.
“At the end of the day, it’s a very remote, hard to access, wild, and extreme environment,” Marchant said.
“Experience, that’s become the currency,” Seabourn president Rick Meadows told Bloomberg. “People want stories to tell their friends and family — to say ‘We went to Greenland and saw all these things’ to a room full of people who have not had that experience.”
Silversea Cruises, for example, has seen a more than 100% increase in trips to cold-weather destinations. Silversea is offering roughly 80 Arctic itineraries in 2020, ranging from $9,990 per person for nine days in Norway to $38,100 for 10 days in Antarctica.
Alaska
Jaw-dropping gorgeous scenery; vast, beautiful landscapes and breathtaking glaciers; Alaska is known for being ‘too beautiful to describe’. If you’re into nature, you’ll love cruising here. Explore the snowy mountains, crystal clear lakes and blissful remote environments. Due to its vastness, there’s a great deal of diversity, vibrant culture and its renown for picturesque, historic townships.
Baltic
Cold weather cruising the Baltic Sea is a truly diverse cruise experience. Whilst you might think of the Nordic area as being too cold, and mostly dark, you’ll be mistaken. During the summer months, the mercury soars and you’ll be benefiting from long hours of daylight than in the Mediterranean and the perfect temperatures from May to September.
Norwegian Fjords
Explore a truly unique part of the world, filled with spectacular views and the wonderful culture of Scandinavia. There are more than a thousand fjords in Norway, but cruise lines will have you experiencing the most iconic and picturesque spots, where you will feel blissfully secluded. You’ll be surrounded by magnificent cliffs towering over the majestic blue saltwater lakes and see how her long arms reach deep inland and often intertwined with each other and back into the sea. The most important part of the fjords and surrounding areas are what they represent; the images of Norway’s past. A time when people lived as farmers in impossibly steep and rocky surroundings, harvesting from blossoming fruit trees and herding sheep. The landscapes seem wild and untamed, but the fjords are easily explored solo or as part of a guided tour. Small villages spread throughout the glacier walks and mountain hikes.
