A bargain hunting couple bagged a luxury cruise holiday for just £10 a night.
Robbie Watson, 29, and his partner enjoyed 48 hours of sunshine, pool-time, entertainment and food onboard MSC Virtuosa when they booked a last-minute sailing from Southampton.
The pair has access to a buffet for 20 hours a day and bagged access to whirlpools and hot tubs. The cruise would normally cost £300 but they got the deal for just £40.46 for two – that's £10pp per night.
Those weren't the only highlights; their room was even upgraded to a deluxe balcony room!
Robbie often travels around Europe and seeks out cheap holiday deals, even if it means travelling just for a day trip. He and his partner found the bargain advertised by My Kind of Cruise a week before the trip.
The couple got off at Ocean Terminal, Greenock, before hopping on a £17 flight at Glasgow Airport.
The huge 18-deck ship can carry up to 6,334 passengers across its 2,400 cabins, but it only had around 4,000 occupancy as it was term time in the UK. Robbie and his partner enjoyed the two-night segment of a 14-day cruise for £20 per person per night for an inside cabin.
Thankfully the deal was boosted to the next level when they were given a room with a balcony for no extra cost. He noted: "You can do so much in a weekend if you plan it right."
Robbie, who works as a building consultant, said: "It genuinely costs less than staying at home. The room was like a 4* Hilton hotel but it was cheaper than most youth hostels.
"We paid £60 for a drinks package per day including cocktails, beer, wine and Prosecco. We paid for a cabin with no windows but got upgraded - the receptionist said she had never heard of such a good deal.
"I use things like Google Flights as well but this came from a third party who probably booked cabins but couldn't allocate them. It's cheaper than staying at home - you'd be lucky to get dinner and a drink in London for £20 and then there's train tickets too."
He continued: "Heating costs about £4, we would probably spend £100 per person on a weekend. I still can't believe it - people have said I was spreading 'fake news'.
"I found that the agent was selling a two-night segment of a longer 14-night cruise at £20 per person for an interior cabin. I had been looking at this cruise previously but it was priced at £149 per person, so this deal cemented it."
Robbie has been on plenty of cheap holidays. Back in 2015 he even snapped a £4 return flight from Luton to Copenhagen. That’s cheaper than the bus ticket around his local town.
He also went on a two-night cruise from Southampton to Hamburg earlier this year and flew back from the German city. He loved the short holiday for its sun and amenities.
Robbie said: "Sunsets are better at sea. It's great as you wake up in a different country.
"There were loads of water slides and no kids as it was term time. The cabin gets cleaned twice a day, it's better than a hotel.
"I thought they were for old people and a liability for catching something, and first went on a cruise after the pandemic. They clean constantly and there's loads of hand sanitiser on board.
"It works out a tenner a night and is comparable to the Hilton. I love doing daytrips and have been to Italy, Paris, Amsterdam, and flown back, but my partner finds it too stressful."
