High airfare leads to cruise discounts

The great European cruise migration of 2011 has run into headwinds.

North American cruise lines increased their presence in Europe this year, hoping to charge higher fares and increase their audience. Royal Caribbean International has 11 ships -- half its fleet -- in Europe, up from eight last year. And Carnival Corp. has 25 percent of its capacity for North American brands in Europe this summer.

But the high cost of air travel and unrest in popular ports of call, including Egypt and Tunisia, have dampened demand, forcing cruise operators to turn to discounts to fill the ships.

"It's always follow the leader," says CruiseCritic.com editor in chief Carolyn Spencer Brown. "Somebody decides the market is going to be hot, so they all go into it, it gets congested, the prices go down. It was no surprise whatsoever it happened in Europe."

FARES ON SALEThis summer, huge deals on European sailings are numerous -- for those who can afford to fly there.

Carnival Cruise Lines debuts its new ship, Carnival Magic, in Europe this week but will bring it to its year-round home port in Galveston, Texas, in November.

Stewart Chiron, a Miami cruise expert and CEO of cruiseguy.com, said the new Carnival Magic has 12-night cruises available from $849 for sailings out of Barcelona. Celebrity's Solstice ship has 12-night Mediterranean sailings from $899.

The discounts, he says, are seen across all cruise companies. "It is the times."

Mike Driscoll, editor of the weekly trade publication Cruise Week, says the European sailing season started strong before being derailed. U.S. travelers, he said, just don't want to shell out a bundle for air travel so they can take a cruise.

"If you're paying $1,500 for airfare for a $1,099 cruise, it's like, why bother?" he says.