People often tell me that they think the cost of cruising is getting more and more expensive, often with hidden extras like service charges that aren’t included in the advertised price.
Cruises range in price, and always have done. You can get a bargain last-minute MSC cruise from the UK for around £400/$534 ( with all gratuities included!) or spend thousands sailing with a luxury cruise line, like Viking or Silversea.
I was born in the 1990s, so I thought it would be interesting to look at cruise advertisements in the newspapers of the time to see what the reality really is.
Although the print copy of these original adverts isn’t great, it gives a good insight into the cruising options available at that time.
Are cruises cheaper or more expensive in real terms than decades ago?
I searched for a similar itinerary where possible, although it has been impossible in some cases to find exact matches.
I found it interesting that far more cruises seemed to set sail from Dover in the 1990s. Now Southampton is the major cruise port for the south of England.
Although Dover is still a busy port, with ferries and other cross-channel traffic arriving daily, Southampton is better suited to accommodating the newer, larger cruise ships.
Southampton is well-connected to London by trains and coaches, making it easier for passengers to travel to and from other parts of the UK and Europe.
While closer to London, Dover may not offer the same level of convenience and availability of public transport as Southampton.
Example 1 – Fly Cruise With Royal Caribbean to Alaska
In April 1994, travel agents were offering a fly-cruise to Alaska, sailing from Vancouver.
Nordic Princess was the second cruise ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, and started sailing for them in 1971. At the time of this advert, she was over twenty years old.
Using The Bank of England Inflation Calculator, £1124/$1500 equates to £2,336/$3118 in today’s money.
A similar sailing, sailing from Vancouver for a May sailing starts at around £2,279/$3042
The ship I am comparing her with is Serenade of the Seas, built in 2003, so again, it is over twenty years old.
Based on the figures provided by the inflation calculator, the price difference between the two is only around £50/$66.
When you factor in price changes due to season, last-minute deals and sales, it would seem the prices on the older Royal Caribbean ships have remained pretty similar.
Prices on the newest, largest ships like Icon of the Seas are far higher, due to high customer demand.
Example 2 – Cruise With MSC From Durban To Genoa
MSC was a relatively new cruise line in 1999. It was actually founded in 1970 as a shipping company. (MSC stands for Mediterranean Shipping Company.)
MSC took over Lauro Lines in 1988, and under the leadership of Gianluigi Aponte, MSC followed with an ambitious expansion plan, adding 12 cruise ships in 10 years.
The nearest comparable cruise I can find that sails this unusual route is on the MSC Opera, which is over twenty years old.
Despite the cruise on MSC Melody being advertised as an “inaugural cruise,” she wasn’t a new cruise ship in 1999.
She was built in 1982, and had previously sailed for Premier Cruise Line as StarShip Atlantic.
Using the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, £1399/$1867 equates to £2640/$3524 in today’s money.
A similar sailing in 2026 costs £1729/$2308. This is 26 nights on MSC Opera, as opposed to 23 nights on MSC Melody. Therefore, the equivalent cruise is over £900/$1200 cheaper – and three days longer!
That isn’t a great surprise to me, as MSC has a reputation for building many ships, filling them with passengers, and selling many cruises at low prices.
Example 3 – Cruise With Norwegian Cruise Line to Scandinavia
I am unable to find a similar cruise leaving and returning to Dover with Norwegian Cruise Line.
A similar cruise on NCL Prima sails from Southampton, but ends in Copenhagen. (Prima is a large, newish ship, and she is probably too large to leave from the port of Dover.)
Using the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, £895/$1200 equates to £1689/$2250 in today’s money.
The cruise on Norwegian Prima is advertised starting from £2,155/$2877
Again, this is no surprise to me, many people complain that the price of Norwegian Cruises are now quite expensive, compared to how they used to be.
The cruise on Prima is over £450/$600 more expensive in real terms.
The original Norwegian Dream was built in 1992, so it would have been around 6 years old at the time of this sailing.
Norwegian Prima is only two years old. Some would argue that it offers rides and attractions that could not have been imagined when the original Norwegian Dream was built.
This might explain why Norwegian is now able to charge more, as there are more attractions and facilities available to cruisers onboard.
In 1998, Norwegian’s main selling point was that the ship would be showing “World Cup TV coverage.” That would have been enough to put me off booking a Cruise…
Example 4 – Cruise With Fred. Olsen To The Canary Islands.
In October 1997, Fred. Olsen were offering a trip to the Canary Islands from Southampton onboard the Black Prince.
The MV Black Prince, built in 1966, was a Fred. Olsen Lines ship that served as a combined ferry/cruise ship.
Initially, it operated ferry services during summer and cruised in the winter, alternating with another Fred. Olsen ship, Black Watch.
Black Prince was sold by Fred. Olsen’s fleet in 2009, and was finally scrapped in 2013.
A slightly shorter sailing from Southampton in September on their smallest ship, Balmoral, starts at £1549/$2068
Using the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, £999/$1333 equates to £1940/$2590 in today’s money.
This sailing works out at around £400/$534 cheaper, but it is a shorter sailing, by four nights. So the prices in cruises are quite comparable with those in the 1990s
Example 5 – Transatlantic Cruise With P&O – From The Caribbean to Southampton
This advert offers passengers a chance to book a cruise on Arcadia, “Britain’s latest superliner.” The transatlantic crossing starts in Barbados and returns to Southampton.
Using the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, £1502/$2005 in 1999 equates to £2834/$3783 in today’s money.
This transatlantic crossing visits some of the islands in the Caribbean, and is 23 days in length.
A similar transatlantic crossing on P&O’s newest ship, Arvia, for 22 nights onboard, prices start at £1819/$2428
Again, this isn’t surprising to me. P&O has moved more into the family market, and their largest ships, Iona and Arvia, can have over 5,000 passengers onboard.
This Arcadia ship would have had around 1500 passengers onboard.
The Arcadia mentioned in this advert isn’t the Arcadia sailing for P&O now. This ship, built in 1988, was a smaller vessel that sailed under the name “Arcadia” until 2003, when it was renamed “Ocean Village”.
The price difference of around a thousand pounds is probably due to economies of scale. P&O’s priority on these newer, larger ships is to save money on food, crew, and docking charges by having more passengers on one ship.
…And One From The 1980s
Having recently taken a transatlantic crossing on the last Ocean Liner at sea, the Queen Mary 2, I was drawn to this advert for a transatlantic crossing on her predecessor, the QE2.
The QE2 is now a floating hotel in Dubai, and I would love to visit her one day.
The QE2 was decommissioned from Cunard service in 2008. It was officially retired in November 2008, with its final voyage to Dubai on November 11th.
Using the Bank of England Inflation Calculator, £1150/$1535 equates to £3154/$4210 in today’s money.
What a trip that would be: staying at the world-famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel, followed by a sailing on this iconic Ocean Liner.
The Waldorf Astoria’s history in New York began with two hotels built side by side in the 1890s. They eventually merged into the Waldorf-Astoria. The original buildings were demolished in 1929 to make way for the Empire State Building.
The current Waldorf Astoria New York, was built on Park Avenue in 1931. It is an iconic building.
It has undergone extensive renovations and is currently undergoing a major restoration. It is planned to reopen later in 2025.
To take that trip in 1988 would have been an unforgettable experience, but having said that, after my rocky transatlantic sailing, I vowed never to sail that route again!
Find out how much that trip cost – and why I won’t be doing it again here:
Before You Go
Ocean Liners are very different from cruise ships. Find out how, here:
Cruise Ships vs Ocean Liners – Measurable Differences You Need to Know
Find out whether you are more or less likely to get seasick on a large ship here:
Are Bigger Cruise Ships Really Better for Seasickness? The Truth Might Surprise You!
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