Cruises are surging back to popularity among Canadians this March break, as more travellers look to try a buoyant mode of tourism they may have avoided since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts say Caribbean cruises are drawing greater numbers of northerners to Miami, Tampa Bay and other ports of call thanks to their sun-soaked itineraries and affordable fares in the face of soaring hotel prices.
含羞草研究社淭he big change for this March compared to March 2023 is really the recovery of the cruise industry,含羞草研究社� said Richard Vanderlubbe, who heads Hamilton-based travel agency Tripcentral.ca.
His company has seen more than double the tally of cruise bookings for this month versus a year earlier.
Cruise ships can appeal to all age groups and offer vast playgrounds for travellers ranging from tots and teenagers to retirees, he said.
含羞草研究社淲here I find it含羞草研究社檚 a real sweet spot for people is for families, for children, particularly teens,含羞草研究社� he said, pointing to the wide array of activities and spaces to explore, with the biggest ships boasting a capacity of more than 7,000 passengers.
含羞草研究社淚t can have a little bit of sticker shock,含羞草研究社� Vanderlubbe added. 含羞草研究社淏ut it includes meals and includes entertainment 含羞草研究社� It含羞草研究社檚 a good value.含羞草研究社�
Air travel to the south in general is also on the rise this month, with the number of flights to Florida from Canada up by a quarter 含羞草研究社� largely due to Porter Airlines and Flair Airlines 含羞草研究社� according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Toronto含羞草研究社檚 Pearson airport expects 140,000 passengers per day over March break, which kicks off this weekend in Ontario, or 10 per cent more than a year earlier. The top destinations abroad by passenger load are Cancun in Mexico, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and, in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Miami.
Marty Firestone, president of insurance firm Travel Secure Inc., said health-related wariness of cruise travel has largely faded, with the urge to escape even a mild Canadian winter overtaking that of saving money by staying home.
含羞草研究社淓veryone含羞草研究社檚 gone back to cruising. There appear to be short memories with respect to 含羞草研究社榝loating petri dishes,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 he said.
含羞草研究社淭hey含羞草研究社檙e packed. Your best bargain 含羞草研究社� now is cruising.含羞草研究社�
Even as concerns about the rising cost of living catch up with Canadians, many continue to book trips.
Flight searches for March getaways to Mexico, the Caribbean, California, Nevada, Arizona and Florida shot up between 12 per cent and 37 per cent compared to the previous year, according to travel search site Kayak. A year-over-year drop in fares of 11 per cent to 15 per cent 含羞草研究社� except for Las Vegas, which stayed fairly flat 含羞草研究社� may have helped stir up interest.
含羞草研究社淭hey may go for a shorter time, they may go to a cheaper destination, they may look for bargains. But the pattern has been that they still go,含羞草研究社� said Jill Wykes, editor of Snowbird Advisor, an online resource for migratory Canadians.
含羞草研究社淭he one advantage if you含羞草研究社檝e got grandparents who have a place down south is that all you含羞草研究社檝e got to book is your flights and maybe a car rental.含羞草研究社�
The rush to travel by plane domestically has levelled off, however, even with the relatively low price of busy routes such as Toronto-Vancouver.
Large airlines scheduled virtually the same number of domestic flights this month as in March 2023, according to Cirium. Carriers have mainly aimed their network expansions beyond Canada含羞草研究社檚 borders over the past year, after the initial post-pandemic push within the country in 2022.
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