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It’s no secret that the cost of travel is soaring. The cost of flying has surged nearly 43%<\/a> over the past year. Even basic hotels and resorts are charging eye-popping rates<\/a> for rooms this fall, with average prices in some markets up more than 20%<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there’s one type of trip where you can still find a relative deal: a cruise.<\/p>\n Much to the frustration of cruise line executives, the world’s biggest cruise brands haven’t been able to raise prices over the past year nearly as much as hotels, resorts and airlines as the travel industry rebounds from COVID-19 lockdowns.<\/p>\n That’s made what has long been a notable differential between the cost of land vacations and the cost of cruise vacations even wider than it was before \u2014 so wide that it’s verging on the ridiculous, some say.<\/p>\n For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n “We’ve seen this 40% gap to land-based vacation [this year]. It used to be about 20%,” Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty lamented Thursday in a conference call with Wall Street analysts. “We’re not happy about that gap.”<\/p>\n Royal Caribbean Group is the parent company of Royal Caribbean<\/a>, Celebrity Cruises<\/a> and Silversea Cruises<\/a>.<\/p>\n Liberty’s estimate of a 40% differential in pricing isn’t hyperbole. Several Wall Street analysts that track pricing at travel brands in recent months have pegged the current difference between the cost of land and cruise vacations, when comparing like-for-like products, at around 30% to 50% \u2014 higher than they have ever seen.<\/p>\n Related: Some cruise lines have dropped fares as low as $26 a day<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n