Am I alone-is cruising the best option?

[Havingfun2010]

You're right - you have no idea how easy it is to get your travel bill up to $9K if you're leaving from Canada and driving to the port is not a reasonable choice. Let me give you an example what I faced 3 years ago. We were travelling to Florida with me, DH, DD, 1 DGS and 2 DGDs. I booked our flights out of Buffalo for a total cost of approx. $1200. Just for the fun of it, I also priced flights out of Toronto Ontario for the exact same dates and times. The cost was over $32K. And now you know.

 

Ok, I didn't notice the Canada part.....but it still sounds awfully high.

[Parkay]

No, you're not alone. While I love to cruise, I love it for different reasons than most. It's not my life, and it's not an obsession. I love being at sea, I love being on a ship, and I love visiting different islands. But to me, a cruise is more of a "filler" vacation. I like to spend time in different places and not have to rush back to a ship just to eat banquet food. Yes, I know there are specialty restaurants, but when all said and done, it's still really just cruise ship food, and no different than anything I could get at home. I like to experience the culture, the cuisine of the culture, the beauty of the places I go. And I like to do it for more than just a few hours. In my opion, visiting a port on a cruise ship is not really experiencing the culture at all. So like I said, my reasons may be different than yours, but I always choose a land based vacation over a cruise. That's not to say I don't cruise, because I do and I enjoy it. I just enjoy it for different reasons.

[bluegirlum]

I'm really having a hard time figuring out how a week-long cruise can cost $9000, even with airfare and everything. That does seem like a lot, even with everything. Personally, if I were going to spend that much money, it would be on a land based vacation, like a week or two somewhere. Like another poster said, I don't think the stops in each port on a cruise are long enough to count as really visiting somewhere. We cruise to relax; if we want to experience a new country/culture, we spend a significant amount of time there.

 

Depending on where you go, you can find plenty to do at/around an all-inclusive. Some all inclusives have entertainment and casinos and nightlife just like cruiseships do, and are in areas that have lots of shopping and touristy things to do. You just have to do your research, like with anything else.

[critterchick]

really? perhaps you, but not me. I like cruises, but I'll take land based vacation anytime over a cruise.

 

I like to do a regions, meaning I'll plan 2-3-4 weeks in South America or in Asia or Australia/New Zealand or Europe or Middle East, Africa. I'll spend at least few days in the more popular places but I will take the time to visit the less known spots as well. If planned right, I'll spend ~$3000 to $4000 per trip, get to ACTUALLY see and experience the different cultures, hop around a continent, etc.

 

Please tell me who gets more out of their trips, your 1 day stops in foreign ports or me discovering the inner parts of the countries, the real historical sites, the adventures of the deep jungles, the safaris, exotic locations in Asia with it's rich history?

 

All for a lot less than a cruise if you consider that I'm traveling for 3-4 weeks at a time.

 

I would say that it depends on your objectives - if I'm travelling to a place to get an in depth experience, then land is the way to go. If I'm trying out a new place in the world with an eye to finding places I'd like to return to, cruising is a great way to do it.

 

We've toured Italy on land and by cruise and found that both have their good points. On the land trips we spent a lot of time on the train going in between cities, which didn't do anything for me. But we had dinner several nights in Venice, Florence and Lake Como. On our Azamara cruise, we had overnights in Sorrento, Venice and Ravenna, so had the opportunity to see a lot more of those areas than one normally would on a cruise. If I were going to spend two weeks, I'd find one region (I've narrowed it to about 5), rent a car (to DH's horror:eek:) and really explore, maybe take a week long cooking class or something.

 

I did wish that we had done New Zealand on land - although I loved the cruise, there were several ports that I would have liked to spend more time in to get more than just a taste.

 

And not everybody takes a cruise for cultural reasons (nothing wrong with either approach IMHO). For me, Caribbean & Mexican cruises are about relaxing, not exhausting myself walking everywhere as we did in NZ (which we loved, BTW).

 

don't limit yourself to one kind of vacation. there is a whole world out there.

 

Well said!:)

[lovemylab]

Ok, I didn't notice the Canada part.....but it still sounds awfully high.

 

His cruise was for a family of 4. Airfare alone would be close to $3K. A balcony cabin for 4 people would be over $3K. That is allowing less than $3K for pre/post cruise hotels, excursions for the entire family, onboard spending, gratutities, taxi's, drinks, wine packages, etc.

 

The Serenade is a port intensive cruise so if excursions were done in every port (especially booked through the ship) I can definitely see how it would cost that much. Heck, even doing a beach day on your own could still be in excess of $100 for 4 people when you factor in the cost of taxi's in some of the ports and the cost of snacks at the beach.

 

Personally, I book a cruise for a relaxing vacation. I do a land vacation when I want to explore a place more in depth.

[Pattakins]

This was a good question, as my family and I have discussed it quite a bit. My husband and I love to travel, but his job only allows 2 weeks every year, so we have to really think about what it is we want to do. It was fairly easy when it was just the two of us. But 8 years ago, we took in 5 kids, and that's when things really changed vacation-wise. I remember that first summer, I found a private home to rent on a river just outside Sequoia National Park. It was an 8 hour drive, so we loaded up the van with all the food, and clothes we would need and the 7 of us had a great time. To say we were able to do this one "on the cheap" is an understatement. But as the years went by, and the kids got older, our vacations became a bit more sohpisticated. We still watched the money, but we went to higher priced locales....always ones we could drive to. We'd rent cabins in Lake Tahoe or Yosemite, and mom would always shop for the food, pack up the car, and do all the cooking, laundry, etc. while vacationing. This was the route we went to save money. Three of the kids are grown and gone now and we are down to just 2, so we started cruising again. I am in heaven, and when the family asks why I always want to cruise rather than rent a place, this is my answer: A cruise is a true vacation for all who go on it. No one has to cook, no one has to make the bed or clean up the dishes. No one has to load or unload the car. A cruise is a real vacation for the parents also...not just the kids! Could I do a land based vacation for less than a cruise? Most definately....if I wanted to cook and clean again. But I feel I've paid my way, and I want our vacation to be MY vacation also. The family said they never thought of it that way before, so now they understand why I always want to cruise. I have gotten spoiled and I like it..and I'm willing to pay just a bit more for that luxury. So I would say the money is a personal choice. Is the price of a cruise worth being catered to? Having food at hand 24 hours a day? Not having to do anything yourself except personal hygene and getting dressed? Oh, sheesh....now I need a cruise......lol...

[cbergms]

My husband and I are big cruisers. We decided to try an all-inclusive in Cancun. After the 2nd day we decided we liked the all-inclusive better than crusing. The price for the 2 of us was $798 for 6 nights. We had lodging, food, drinks, tips and entertainment. We always had some type of drink in our hand. When we are on cruising we like to limit the number of drinks we have so we are not shocked at the end of the cruise when we see the bar bill.

[itsajoke]

What is a better value depends on a few different things. You are talking about two similar but different vacations.

 

An all inclusive can be less expensive than a cruise if you are big drinkers. We've had clients who came off cruise ships with liquor bills higher than their cruise fare.

 

While all inclusives also offer things to do onsite such as non motorized water sports, you will still pay extra for things like jet skis, etc. If you want to do some site seeing where you are - extra - you need to take cabs to get to where ever you are going. Want to go offsite to other places at your destination for more lively entertainment? Extra. So you really may spend more than you anticipate at an all inclusive.

 

If you like being in a different port every day and having much better entertainment - a cruise might be a better choice.

 

I find an AI is a good choice if you want to totally relax away and not be bombarded with a thousand things to do. While there is a lot to do at an AI, the quality of entertainment (especially at night) is not close to what you find on a cruise line. If sitting around the pool or the beach doesn't appeal to you , you may not enjoy an AI.

 

My wife and I love to cruise and she loves AI's. I don't - I am not a beach person and don't like sitting around a pool all day. I did not find there was enough to do at an AI for me. We are also not big drinkers, so at least in my experience, we didn't find an AI to be less expensive than a cruise.

[ehfl]

We always look at land or other vacations, and tend to do cruising, because it's the best value, and generally much cheaper than a hotel.

 

We tend not to do balcony cabins, so you can save a lot there. The port is only about 15 minutes from the house, so we don't have airfare or taxis (you might try moving closer to the ocean....a lot of good real estate deals out there now ;)

 

We don't gamble or do bingo, or art auctions. We do buy drinks aboard.

 

It's much cheaper than a drive down to the Keys or a drive up to Disney World. It's a great weekend getaway, or a nice weeklong vacation.

 

Yes, you can spend a lot on a cruise, but you don't really need to. You don't really need a balcony cabin (the view from on deck is exactly the same....at no extra cost).

[dsvd79]

I did the Math!!

 

We usually do One land vacation and One sea vacation. This past summer I went to Michigan for a week to visit family, graduations etc. We drove from NJ to save money. (If we would have gotten air fare and a rental car that would have added on an additional $800 bucks.) Between gas, hotels, food, attractions, and such we spent close to 1500.

 

This year we decided to just take a 4 day cruise on the Monarch. The cost of the cruise and airfare for two was 1100. After excursions and on board purchases, we are estimating that we will spend the same, and we would rather be at sea!

[joejo]

I love both kinds of vacation :) and I am from Canada so I understand the pricing woes from here! I like both and I prefer switching between various kinds of vacations.

 

AI packages from Canada utilize charter flights. This means they are able to sell a 1 week package for almost the same cost as a regular flight to the same destination :eek: Charter flights are direct, the package includes transfers, and if it is to a place like Playa Del Carmen then you would be hard pressed to become bored with the location!

 

The only time we cruise is when we can get cheap or free flights with Airmiles. I find the pricing can be similar or vary drastically and time of year is a big factor.

[zywnywld]

Jan 14, Drove to the Explorer in Bayonne, 10 days, 2 adults & 1 child, Grand Suite .......... $11,000 Total

Enjoyed everything once we got to the Caribbean. Atlantic weather worse then expected.

Don't feel like a good deal now.

[Garyorient]

This is a great thread.

Everyone giving an opinion and no one being flamed. Makes a pleasant change on here.

 

For my part going on two holidays from the UK.

1) All inclusive from UK to Taba Heights, 14 nights in May. Total cost of holiday in Dollars inc. flights transfers etc $2100. only extra costs will be tips and excursions (maybe $250)

 

2) 10 nt Back2back on Adventure OTS in an inside cabin in November. Due to various reasons I will have $325 on board spend which I guess will last 5-6 days.

Cruise + flights to Malaga $2100 plus 4 days on board expenses @ $240 approximately

 

So you can see, because of the on board spend, the costs are almost identical, however the $325 on board spend, were it to be removed would be the difference between the two with the cruise coming out more expensive.

 

I think you have to take each "holiday" that you plan on its merits and, if finance is your raison d'etre then work out in advanced what you expect the holiday to cost. All inclusives are certainly easier to budget for with less "hidden" extras.

 

Just all of you enjoy your holida(s) this year wherever and however you are going!!!!

[boulders]

I'm in ON too. Twenty years ago, we used to go to Algonquin Park and stay in a lodge. Cost about $1200 for a week for 2. Then we bought a 3 bedroom timeshare in the same area. That brought the cost down to $800 for a week for 8. We've almost exclusively used timeshares since. The cost (accommodation only) is now $1000K per week including MF's and sunk costs. We often go to Smugglers Notch, VT both in summer and winter. They have probably more activities than I can find on a cruise ship. Cost is $2K for everything in summer and about $3K for everything in winter if we ski.

 

I started cruising when I was in MN. Just needed some pampering at the time. My cruise costs were about $7K/week which probably reflects the lower airfare. I've now moved back to ON and am having a hard time justifying a cruise based on costs. We're off to WDW in 2 days. Costs are $900 for airfare from BUF, $1K for accommodations, $1.7 K for annual passes which we will use on 2 more trips this year, $400 for car and perhaps $1.5K for food etc. Total $5.5 K. It would be closer to $4.5 K without the AP's. Will we be pampered? Nope, but we will be able to eat at several great restaurants, swim in very nice pools, do some shopping and have a 3 bedroom home to spread out in.

 

My next cruise, we're going on a DCL cruise in the Med - sounds pricey? Not really. Total cruise cost was $2.2K including taxes and fees for 4 people for 11 nights. Precruise hotel, airfare, shore excursions, some spa treatments for mom and other expenses will total another $7K. Total is $9.2K. This is closer to your estimate, since the airfare to BCN from YYZ is maybe $100 more than the airfare to MCO from YYZ. :p So, off to Europe am I.

[IandY]

Sorry I disappeared since yesterday. We’re now back to life’s realities after a week of cruising.

I wish I could respond to each post, everyone has been insightful and honest. With a few exceptions, the members of Cruise Critic are a great group of people. I appreciate that. Firstly, as my fellow Canadians have noted, trips from our great country tend to be more costly. I did not in my original post mention trip insurance, flying down a day earlier (as cruise critic experts will tell you to do), airport meals during long layovers, and it goes on. Trust me, our math is accurate. Everything said, we did this trip knowing, and budgeting, the cost implications of all our choices. My original post is more directed at our post cruise reflection of the money we spent. Perhaps it’s post cruise depression (!?)

Will we cruise again, yes, however; as many of you have pointed out, why limit ourselves to just one travel option. I received an email yesterday from my brother in law who was on the same cruise and is also pondering things. Here’s what his email was about… March 29, at a 5 star, all-inclusive resort in Ixtapa, including airfare and taxes, for 4 people…$3,680 CDN.

“Honey, do we have any plans for next week?”

[twoputt.plusone]

I know typically Toronto's Pearson airport is more expensive than BUF to go to Florida and most mainland US destinations but I suspect it was $3200 not $32K for similar flights and class of service .

 

OMG that would be one expensive flight wouldn't it? Sorry about the typo. :o Yes - we also fly out of BUF if we're travelling anywhere in the US, like a week ago when we had two adults BUF to FLL return for under $500, taxes and early boarding fees in. There was nothing out of Toronto that could touch it. If we're flying internationally to countries other than the US, I usually check both DTW and YYZ. It can go either way - not that I've done a lot of overseas travel.

[insulationbabe]

we are flying to Barcelona in May for our cruise and the best deal was out of Toronto - 1000.00 each - british airways - believe me we did a lot of research - for out of Buffalo, florida, etc:)

[insulationbabe]

Hey there our trip is pricey too, but we plan on doing it only one time - with cruise - which we booked last year of 3500.00 - airfaire of 2,000 - and about 2000 euro's to spend - we figure we got a deal for seeing some of Europe - being pampered, etc - and being on the Brilliance which is a great ship - and for those who are our age - get trip insurance and extra medical coverage too - we have our Canadian coverage, plus company medical, but we did the cancellation insurance too, just in case - oh gosh - if we ever had to cancel I would be so depressed - lol - and by the way, cruising is the only way to go

We are considering a time share in St. Maarten (our favourite island) so we shall see how that pans out when we get back up north next month:)

Looking forward to being home - lol

[Desert Cruizers]

Insulationbabe, for us living in So calif, and to fly to Barcelona, best price I found was able to find, was around $1800, it broke down to $1300 to fly to BCN 1 way then figuring in another $600 out of FT Lauderdale back to Cal. To book RT, was higher.

[reeran]

I know typically Toronto's Pearson airport is more expensive than BUF to go to Florida and most mainland US destinations but I suspect it was $3200 not $32K for similar flights and class of service . We flew out of BUF to San Diego for our last month's Radiance cruise and YYZ priced out at over double the price. The taxes and fees are high now and now the Cdn. federal government want to increase them further. Occasionally we have found overseas flights to be competitive out of Pearson which was the case for our last Spring flight to Chile to do the Radiance repositioning from there to San Diego and our flights to/from Rome in 2007 for our Legend cruise. The other advantage with Pearson for overseas flights is that it being a major airport you can often get direct flights whereas with BUF you will always connect to go overseas.

 

Have you thought about driving further and flying out of Cleveland? It's about a 3 hour interstate drive and the fares may be much less. Not sure but it's a thought. Years ago flights out of Pittsburgh were astronomical and Cleveland and fly out fo half the price. Pittsburgh has since corrected this and we fly out of there now.

 

We usually use our AMEX membership rewards for flights. Our flight next month from Pittsburgh to San Juan cost us under $250 for both of us.

[olemissreb]

$9000 for a family of 4 for a week on a cruise isn't that difficult to see for me:

 

Airfare to Puerto Rico from Atlanta: $20 (frequent flier miles)

Pre-cruise Hotel: $60 (frequent stay points)

AOS Owner's Suite (4 people): $7,712.88 (includes prepaid gratuities)

Excursions: Aruba: $387.28

Curacao: $232.40

Dominica: $274.00

St. Thomas: $300.00

Post Cruise Hotel: $0 (frequent stay points)

 

Total so far: $8986.56

 

That doesn't include the purchases from gifts & Gear or the soda packages for the kids - which tacks on another $398.50. And who knows how much we'll spend while on board!:)

 

We may have been able to spend that amount at DisneyWorld, but this is a special cruise for DH and I (25 year anniversary) and it will be the first for the kids. Will we do this often? Heck no! Next year we will probably do a land based vacation and we'll probably spend about the same amount. The advantage of spending this much on a cruise is that I've been able to spread out the payments rather than taking a hit all at once on the credit card.

[reeran]

$9000 for a family of 4 for a week on a cruise isn't that difficult to see for me:

 

Airfare to Puerto Rico from Atlanta: $20 (frequent flier miles)

Pre-cruise Hotel: $60 (frequent stay points)

AOS Owner's Suite (4 people): $7,712.88 (includes prepaid gratuities)

Excursions: Aruba: $387.28

Curacao: $232.40

Dominica: $274.00

St. Thomas: $300.00

Post Cruise Hotel: $0 (frequent stay points)

 

Total so far: $8986.56

 

That doesn't include the purchases from gifts & Gear or the soda packages for the kids - which tacks on another $398.50. And who knows how much we'll spend while on board!:)

 

We may have been able to spend that amount at DisneyWorld, but this is a special cruise for DH and I (25 year anniversary) and it will be the first for the kids. Will we do this often? Heck no! Next year we will probably do a land based vacation and we'll probably spend about the same amount. The advantage of spending this much on a cruise is that I've been able to spread out the payments rather than taking a hit all at once on the credit card.

 

 

I can see your point but the OP said they were staying in balcony stateroom not an owner's suite. I agree with spreading out the payments, but when you look closely they do add up!!!:eek:

[MrsPete]

My wife and I just completed our 6th cruise (second cruise with our two young children) and I find myself pondering if cruising is the right holiday for us in the future.

Firstly, I realize that everyone seeks a different experience from their holidays. Secondly, I'm aware everyone’s budget and financial situation is obviously different. We are comfortable, not rich, and only travel when we can afford to. A vacation for us is a privilege, not a right, and is a decision my wife and I make with considerable thought.

So here’s my dilemma. Totaling things up, one week on the Serenade (balcony cabin), including airfare, drinks, wine packages, excursions, multiple taxi’s, tips/gratuities and extra charges, the amount comes to a figure close to $9,000. This leaves me in a conundrum. I’m certain I can get an equally enjoyable land based vacation at a resort for much, much less.

We love cruising and most probably will again, I’m just wondering if anyone else is conflicted with the numbers as I am?

I love cruising, but I can absolutely plan an equally-enjoyable land-based vacation for much less money.

 

This is true largely because when I purchase a cruise, I don't have a great number of options; that is, I can buy an expensive room or an inexpensive room, but that's about the only way I can save. Regardless of which room I choose, I'm still going to spend the same amount on excursions, drinks, etc.

 

On land, however, I have MANY options that'll allow me to lower my bill:

I can choose a location to which I can drive, thus eliminating costly airfare.

On land we never choose to eat like we do on a cruise; we tend to eat two big meals per day (plus snacks), and we certainly don't eat appetizers and dessert with lunch.

On land we often choose a condo with cooking facilities, and we go out to dinner just at night.

If we do a similar vacation on land (i.e., a beach vacation), we'd plan a couple excursion type things and a couple shows or other family activities -- but we'd have a wide range of prices from which to choose.

 

You can make the numbers show whatever you want them to show: You can compare a run-down old ship in off-season with an expensive all-inclusive resort, or you can compare the newest and best ship with a condo-rental. But if you're being honest about it, and if you're really comparing apples to apples, the land based option will be cheaper.

 

The bottom line for my family is that we enjoy a variety of vacations, and we don't feel the need to say, "We are cruise people. That's it!", nor would we say, "No, cruises are more expensive -- no more of them for us." We don't necessarily do what's cheapest each time we vacation.

[cruiseapril]

We like a variety of vacations, but find cruises to be more affordable for us as we: book a year in advance, take the train to the port, book Oceanview cabins, don't spend much on excursions, and keep our onboard spending down.