The Cost of Travel: A Historical Perspective
The Titanic, one of the most famous ships in history, has long been a subject of fascination. However, it’s not often that we consider the financial aspect of traveling on such a vessel. Until now, I had never thought about what the fare was for those who boarded the ill-fated ship.
According to historical records, a seven-day crossing on the Titanic cost £7 in third class, which equates to approximately £900 ($1718) in today’s money. For second-class passengers, the price was £13. The highest-paying guest was American heiress Charlotte Wardle Cardeza, who paid £870 (£86,700 now) for a two-bedroom first-class suite.
This information highlights how expensive travel by sea was in the past. While the cost of fares might seem high, they were reflective of the time and the luxury provided. Over the years, the cost of travel has steadily declined in real terms.
In the late 1960s, a first-class suite on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth sailing to America over the summer cost £1047 (equivalent to £16,100 now) for a main-deck suite. By 1975, suites on Queen Elizabeth 2 from Southampton to New York set a back £3190 (£25,000 now). That’s $47,000 in our money.
Today, you would pay around $12,000 for two people in a suite on Queen Mary 2 on a similar seven-day transatlantic crossing. This shows a significant change in pricing over the decades.
Cruise Costs Through the Years
Looking further ahead, in 1980, a week-long Carnival cruise in the Caribbean cost $US599 ($850). A cruise of the same length is now about $US850, but when adjusted to the 1980 Consumer Price Index, it should be around $US3324.
Some other examples don’t show such a startling change. In 1986, a three-day cruise on Eastern Cruise Line cost $US145, or $US570 now. The same cruise today on Royal Caribbean, which took that company over? About $US450, only modestly cheaper.
However, one thing is certain: for a modestly lower price, Royal Caribbean offers customers far more comfort, amenities, and entertainment on board its ships than it did a half-century ago.
Accommodation and Amenities Over Time
Way before that, second-class Titanic passengers shared bathroom facilities. A first-class stateroom on Cunard’s Saxonia typically had bunk beds, two wash bowls, and a dresser.
Cunard was still a passenger and cargo transport line rather than a leisure-focused company. But even a few decades ago, many cruise guests on some lines were squeezed three or four to a cabin, which seldom had a balcony and often no ensuite.
Onboard facilities and entertainment were bare bones, even on luxury vessels, compared to today’s bells-and-whistles ships. In short, today’s consumers are getting more bang for fewer bucks.
Australian Cruise Prices
Historical prices for Australian cruises have been hard to find, and cruise lines are unaccountably coy. However, an Age journalist took a 12-night Pacific cruise on P&O’s Canberra in a four-person cabin for $1275 in 1983. In those days, the bathrooms were down the corridor, and waiting for showers wasn’t uncommon.
The Reserve Bank of Australia says that’s equivalent to $5000 now, but a 12-day Carnival cruise today still hovers around the 1980s price per person, and in a double cabin with its own bathroom.
To look at it another way, the average Australian salary in 1983 was $336 a week, so a Pacific cruise required almost a month’s work. In 2025, the average weekly salary was $1425, making today’s cruise less than a week’s work. Happy days.
