AdventureSmith Explorations shares expert insights on the expanding Mediterranean cruising season and finding deals on Antarctic expeditions. The following sections have been excerpted and paraphrased from articles originally published in The New York Times.
Fewer Crowds, Bargain Prices: ‘Quiet Season’ Cruising in the
Mediterranean
New York Times
November 11, 2024
By Elaine Glusac
After a summer of overtourism in cruise ports like Barcelona and Amsterdam, and talk of caps on ship arrivals in Greece and other places, the cruise industry has come up with a surprising suggestion for where to sail in winter: Europe.
Traditionally, ships stationed in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe in the summer move to the Caribbean and other warm regions in winter. But a growing number of cruise lines are positioning ships in the Mediterranean in late fall and winter when crowds are fewer and the weather tends to be comfortable. Low-season sailings in Europe also offer itineraries at bargain prices, often half that of summer fares
Small ships are also stretching the season
As small and expedition ships — which are more vulnerable to weather — tend to leave the region in winter, cruisers have a more limited range of ships to choose from at that time.
But over the past three years, Mediterranean small-ship companies have joined the larger cruise lines in extending the traditional summer months (although not as extensively), with departures as early as April and as late as November, said Todd Smith, the president and founder of AdventureSmith Explorations, an agency based in Truckee, Calif., that specializes in small-ship cruising.
$29 Flights, Half-Price Cruises: Whether It’s Black Friday or Travel Tuesday, Deals Abound
New York Times
November 26, 2024
By Elaine Glusac
As a sales season, Black Friday long ago turned the weekend corner to extend to Cyber Monday. And it’s still growing as Travel Tuesday — this year falling on Dec. 3 — gains traction.
In a recent report, the consultancy McKinsey & Company found that bookings for hotels, cruises and airlines spiked on Travel Tuesday 2023. Airline purchases soared, beating the average for sales over two weeks on either side of the date by more than 60 percent. Cruise bookings jumped 50 percent.
“More people are investing in travel and experiences than ever before,” said Hayley Berg, the lead economist at the travel booking app Hopper. “On the flip side, we’ve seen more marketing and more providers participating, so it’s really snowballing.”
This year, after wading through hundreds of sales, I found some of the best deals I’ve seen since the pandemic. Consider the following offers the tip of the iceberg; chances are if you want to book a hotel, airline ticket, rental car, tour or cruise for 2025, you’ll find a sale on it between Nov. 29 and Dec. 8.
Cruise offers
AdventureSmith Explorations, an agency that specializes in small ship cruising, is a good place to look for expedition cruise sales, including a web page devoted to Antarctica deals.
