History: 1909 Ad Offers $40 Cruise To Bermuda
Remember the stories that your parents used to tell about prices so low that you could barely imagine them?
Taking inflation out of the equation – because it ruins all of the fun if we don’t – it really is a great joy to close your eyes and picture the days of five cent bottles of soda, brand new cars at a few hundred dollars, and other items that had cost a very small fraction of what they do today.
Assuming you enjoy that imaginative endeavor and have taken a cruise sometime in the past 10 years, you’re sure to enjoy this ad from the Bermuda-Atlantic S.S. Company promising a Bermudian cruise for a mere $40:
Promising Bermuda to be “a paradise on earth,” the ad raves about the island’s lush foliage and warm seas, while throwing in a guarantee of sporting events to make the trip even more interesting. Providing an added bang for your buck is the fact that your $40 includes stateroom, berth, and all meals.
…… but there were Guidlines that came with this too ……
[1] you had to be rich
[2] and you had to be full European blood – unfortunatly
$40 bucks was a hell of a lot of money back than – my Grandfather paid 45 pounds for his land and House back than.
which means this trip would have been $400,000 today!