Travel with Ed: Cruise holidays
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What are the benefits of considering a cruise holiday?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance.
Now, some countries that we like to visit on our holidays at this time of the year are getting a little too hot in the summer. So would you consider a different kind of holiday? Ed Finn is here to tell me about cruise holidays. Ed, good morning to you. You're very welcome.
Hi, Clare.
Before we go on a cruise, you were at the Yodeling Festival the last time I spoke to you.
How did it go? Last weekend, it was incredible. Absolutely incredible. It was just something completely unique and very warm as well. But around 200,000 yodlers from all around Switzerland kind of descended. And I discovered they have different types, different styles. But the whole city, they were just gathering and they'd all start singing, aside from the main events. So... Singing or yodelling? Yodelling.
So what did you have to stand there with like a very serious face appreciating this wonderful yodelling?
No, they're not serious at all. I mean, when I was getting the plane home on a Sunday morning, they were still all up singing and yodelling. They pulled it all nighter. So this is like serious stuff for them. But it was brilliant. I mean, really now. I mean, and you know, the different types of yodelling from different cantons. So I didn't realise. I thought it was just all, you know, sound of music, goat herd sort of stuff.
But it sounds different, doesn't it?
Yeah, brilliant. From different places. And they have the tattoo coming on now in July, the military tattoo, which is the second in the world, the music for the bands. So, I mean, and they had the Eurovision there last year. So it's like Festival City over there.
Really? That's where it's at. Now, cruises. So what type of cruises are we talking about today?
Yeah, so just to give you an idea, Clare, like over 37 million people cruised last year, right? Like 2.54, I think, million people from Ireland. So there's loads of different cruises that you can do from crossing, like I did crossing the Atlantic on a crossing. You can do a Mediterranean cruise.
That was your favourite one, was it? The Atlantic crossing?
No, but that was a crossing. I was told by a lovely lady on the ship that it's not a cruise, it's a crossing. So I was chastised about that. So I didn't stop anywhere, right? But brilliant, yeah.
But I mean, the traditional view of cruising is that it's for retired people.
Yeah, which is completely dispelled now. I mean, I did a beautiful Mediterranean cruise recently. And the reason I chose it was because I hadn't been to Santorini. I hadn't been to Starry Bar in Montenegro or Messina, Sicily. And I was able to do all of these places in one week on the Sun Princess. For every prince, there's a princess, Clare. But anyway, it was amazing. And a week of that, unpack the bag and off you go. Now, very important is that you know or your travel agent, whoever you're booking with, knows you because this was a perfect one for me that there was an older demographic on the Sun Princess. Not so many things for kids like, you know, the new Legend of the Seas, for example, just launched last week.
7,600 capacity. The biggest slides in the world. So, you know, kids like going mad and it would be amazing for families.
For families, but not for couples or singles.
But for a relaxing sort of Mediterranean cruise, you know, it depends. So you need to know because there's so many wonderful brands out there that you need to know.
Some people have been turned off cruising because of what happened during COVID and then more recently with the Hanta virus. Do you see that in the numbers coming through or a travel agent saying to you that's having a bearing?
No, like, honestly, no. And the river cruising as well has gone through the roof, right? Massively. It's only a smaller sort of a cruising, but that's also very strong here. Yeah, look, I think as well, the thing is, right, cruises are monitored vigorously by the Central Disease Control Centre. Like, they really are under so much scrutiny. And when there's something happens on a cruise ship, it just hits the media.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What are the benefits of considering a cruise holiday?
0:01–4:23
2
What types of cruises are popular among travelers?
4:23–5:43
3
How has the perception of cruising changed over the years?
5:43–8:14
4
What are essential tips for choosing the right cruise?
8:14–9:00
5
How do COVID-19 and health concerns affect cruise travel?
9:00–10:29