Help me with getting a Cruise value...like many say it is..

[valtandc]

I like to cruise. just did recently. I pretty much cruise out of NYC when I have.....

 

I read so much about the value of cruising.....

 

....can someone shed the light on this value and how I get it....

 

do I need to find a steal flight to florida then get the value cruising from there?

 

I'm not going in November or December because its a value to go anywhere during that time of year.

[iceleven]

Personally, I feel the best value from the Carnival Line is the Victory out of Puerto Rico. Low price cruise and very port-intensive. Since you have to fly anyway, why not just fly into PR?

[sonicbuffalo]

I think you should fly to San Diego and take a cruise to Hawaii. I'm sure you'll get value on that trip. 15 days total....5 days to get there, and 5 days to see all the islands and 5 days back...you'll love it.

[Warm Breezes]

I like to cruise. just did recently. I pretty much cruise out of NYC when I have.....NYC is more expensive no matter how you look at it supply/demand...the supply is in Florida

 

I read so much about the value of cruising.....

 

....can someone shed the light on this value and how I get it....

 

do I need to find a steal flight to florida then get the value cruising from there? Unless you drive there....done that many times from MI...but I've also found some flight deals by keeping an eye on prices once I had my cruise dates set.

 

I'm not going in November or December because its a value to go anywhere during that time of year.

Yes but the value is often more on a cruise ship during that time if that is when you can travel (with the exception of Holiday weeks).

A value means different things to different people. I do a lot of research to find what is a value to me. Since I am often limited on when I cruise, a value to me would be the best deal I can find for the weeks I can vacation. Most of the time, when comparing different vacation types for the same week, a cruise usually wins when it comes to the best value. If I were retired, a value to me would open up to more weeks and I could probably find a better value than I could when I was limited on time.

If you limit yourself on location and timing, your best value is going to be different than someone who is more flexible. If you lived in Florida, your best cruise value would be better than someone who lived in NY.

Value is dependant on your limitations and/or your flexibilty.

[RedbirdFL]

The "value" depends on what you usually do for a vacation.

 

DH and I were planning a 25th anniversary trip in 2009. We live in FL and planned to do a road trip to New England in late September. As we started adding up all the costs for gas, hotels, food, entertainment, etc, we were shocked. Plus, there was the wear and tear factor on our car and the wear and tear on poor DH, who would have done most of the driving.

 

I researched the cost of a NE/Canada cruise and it was less than what we were thinking that the road trip would be. We had frequent flier miles that we used to get to NYC.

 

We had a blast on the cruise, and saw places that we'd never been to before. We enjoyed the ship (Triumph), the food, our room, and most of the entertainment.

 

We caught the cruising bug. We took DD on a cruise last May and now she has the bug too. She's taking us on a cruise next May to celebrate her college graduation!

[toddraz]

She's taking us on a cruise next May to celebrate her college graduation!

 

She's taking you? :eek: Why didn't my kids think of that? Sweet girl. Have a blast.

[serene56]

I like keeping my cruises to about 100pp per night. If I did that-- its a good value.

 

New York is expensive- actually cheaper to fly somewhere and sail from there.

Last year in February we cruised out of Baltimore with 3 of us to a balcony cabin. total was 1477.

 

look for cruises in off season (we cruise in February and Sept)

and book as soon as prices come out (18 months ahead)

 

Our sailing on Legend-- booked at 18 months ahead is now selling at 300 per cabin more

[patseacruiser]

You have to watch. I got a D1 balcony on Explorer for 12 nights out of Bayonne for $869 per person plus then the $325 discount for diamond - came to total of $1730 for the cabin for 12 nights. I thought that was good.

[RedbirdFL]

She's taking you? :eek: Why didn't my kids think of that? Sweet girl. Have a blast.

 

Thanks, Toddraz. She is a very sweet girl! :)

[kbmeow]

I like to cruise. just did recently. I pretty much cruise out of NYC when I have.....

 

I read so much about the value of cruising.....

 

....can someone shed the light on this value and how I get it....

 

do I need to find a steal flight to florida then get the value cruising from there?

 

I'm not going in November or December because its a value to go anywhere during that time of year.

 

 

I look at all the ports then the airfare. i found some of the best air costs are to Tampa from Boston. But you need to add up things. NY is more expensive but.. if is cheaper than the cost of air and cruise? We did cruise and air from boston for 1200 for both of us for a 5 day which was pretty good. And it included check baggage and a direct flight. When we book we look at the cruise then the air then see if another port is cheaper when I add all together. We have also used credit card points to offset air. but did not last time

[blondietink]

We generally drive most of the places we vacation to as there are 4 of us and airfare for 4 really adds up fast. For example, we wanted to go to Las Vegas last February. Looked at the airfare and it came up to a little over $1600.00 for the 4 of us (Las Vegas is a little far to drive when you only have 9 days of time). Then add in hotel, rental car, food, airport parking, etc. and we were looking at $3,000 easily. DH said on a lark, why didn't I look up a cruise during that time? I did and snagged the 5 night out of NOLA for $1200.00 for the 4 of us. We drove to NOLA .... 24 hours each way .... and spent roughly $500.00 on gas. Hotels were free. We packed lunches for the car and had free breakfast at the hotels. Had some fun at Mardi Gras :D. Took our cruise and then drove home. Spent at least $1000 less than what we would have spent in Las Vegas. That's value to us.

 

Now, we could drive to NYC, but the cruise fares are up there. We are driving to Tampa in a month ...... 7 nights on Legend w/4 ports .... for $1800 for the 4 of us. Again about $500 in gas to get there and back vs. $1400 air fare. Spending a week at Disney World as long as we are there in our timeshare. So the money we are saving on driving vs. flying, we can buy our Disney World tickets, food, etc.. That's value to us.

[Relayer]

Generally able to drive to ports in Florida. We are low maintenace beach and pool lovers. We also love to eat! Also being non-drinkers our daily expenses are low as is,gratefully, the ol' S&S statement.

 

It's just really difficult to match the value on the great places we have been and the people we have met cruising. Have you priced an all inclusive at, say, a Sandal's? Even with the discounts and companion air fares? Not even a close call.

[katisdale]

We like to cruise like most of the people who frequent these sites. We drive to Florida or Charleston for carribean cruises and fly to Europe/Alaska etc. It helps to earn and use frequent flyer and/or hotel award cards. It really cuts the price of a cruise when you don't have to pay for the airfare if you are interested in more exotic destinations. We are currently saving our points for a cruise that begins in Australia and we aren't going until we can get the points for business class. Going in the shoulder season also helps. We did the last cruise in Alaska one September. We saw whales, eagles, bears and otters as well as glaciers. We went with our daughter and grandchildren and air from NC to Alaska and back would have been awful without the points. What we saved in air fare we spent on a one week tour before the southbound cruise. Also watch for price drops before final payment.

[carsastic]

Ccl is a value , no matter where u cruise from

I see that you go out of NYC

I assume your near there, spent most of my life there

Where can you go for a room , food ( although it's been cheap downgrade)

For 105 per person/ day

Just. Came back from the city. Went to sparks for dinner

4 people bill was 550.00. Go to the steakhouse it 30 ea

Ccl is still a value

[ferfoodle]

Personally, I feel the best value from the Carnival Line is the Victory out of Puerto Rico. Low price cruise and very port-intensive. Since you have to fly anyway, why not just fly into PR?

 

For the cruise fare - it is usually only a little bit less than the fares from Florida or Texas. But - and this is the big but - the airfare makes that difference in the cruise fare value go away. For us to fly to PR, it is more than double the price than to fly to FLL, Galveston, Tampa, etc. The other negative for flying to PR for us, it takes several more hours to get there and there are not any non-stop flights from Colorado. Time is valuable too IMO.

 

The only good values I usually muster up are choosing cruise dates in November to January (non-holiday time). They always seem to be the cheapest rates. Besides - that is a good time to get away from winter.

[iceleven]

For the cruise fare - it is usually only a little bit less than the fares from Florida or Texas. But - and this is the big but - the airfare makes that difference in the cruise fare value go away. For us to fly to PR, it is more than double the price than to fly to FLL, Galveston, Tampa, etc. The other negative for flying to PR for us, it takes several more hours to get there and there are not any non-stop flights from Colorado. Time is valuable too IMO.

 

The only good values I usually muster up are choosing cruise dates in November to January (non-holiday time). They always seem to be the cheapest rates. Besides - that is a good time to get away from winter.

 

Yes, but the itinerary is so much more interesting than those going out of FLA and Galveston, for the most part, anyway. For the OP, there are so many competing flights to PR from NYC that the airfare isn't anywhere as bad as it would be for you coming out of Denver (assuming). Even for me, coming from San Francisco, PR wasn't all that much more for what I thought was a much more interesting itinerary. I really loved that cruise but needed a vacation from my vacation.

 

I agree with you about the Nov-Jan rates. I find the best are those a week or two before thanksgiving and before x-mas. Most people are staying home with their families for the holidays.

[kingoftheicedragons]

I think the general rule in the travel community is if the price of a cruise is less than $100/person/night, it's a good deal. You can actually find some cruises where it's down in the range of $50/person/night if you really look.

 

The way I see it, it's a value over hotels generally. A hotel is going to cost you probably at least $70 a night unless you're staying someplace like Motel 6. Most of the cruises I've been on are about $70/person/night. There's two of us, so it's like one of us is paying for the "hotel" on the ship, and the cost of the other ticket is for the free entertainment and the meals.

 

For instance, a cruise out of Miami versus a land vacation in Miami...its going to cost the same to fly to Miami. Can I get a hotel in Miami, eat, and go to a nightly show for the same price that it would cost to cruise? Probably not.

[ibcnusoon]

Personally, I feel the best value from the Carnival Line is the Victory out of Puerto Rico. Low price cruise and very port-intensive. Since you have to fly anyway, why not just fly into PR?

 

It is VERY expensive to fly to Puerto Rico. The actual flight costs aren't too bad, but the added fees for flying "internationally" are what jacks up the price. Our neighbors booked a cruise out of San Juan and then told me that the price of airfare was MORE than the cruise! I think their airfare was almost $600 each!

 

The problem with cruises out of New York/New Jersey is that their either go to the Bahamas or Bermuda. It takes 2 or 3 sea days to reach the Caribbean.

 

Our cruise NEXT year on Brilliance (RCLL) is a repositioning cruise from New Jersey, then 3 days at sea, then stops at St. Kitts, St. Marten, Tortola, St. Thomas and ends in San Juan. It's an ideal itineary for us because it helps keep the costs down on the flight to San Juan for the same exact cruise (after it repositions in San Juan). The airfare home will be about $300, so we are saving $300 on the flight down and still seeing the same islands it would normally cruise to out of San Juan.

[elcuchio24]

It's only a great value if you are flexible on dates and embarkation ports. We have no kids and have tons of vaca time, so we can pretty much cruise whenever. We live in Maine, so we're going to fly to pretty much any embarkation port, so it really doesn't matter to us where that is. All that being said, we usually end up scoring a decent 7 night itin with a balcony for between $500-750pp. Even with airfare and the rest, I think that's a great value.

[pjhootch]

Access to a port and flexibility in travel dates can make it a good value. We love the San Juan route, and the rates through Carnival are generally low for that trip. Airfare from NY is the best you can get north of Atlanta or south Florida.

 

In general, if you break it into the per person/per day average, it is cheaper than many other types of travel, unless you blow a bundle on excursions or drinks on board.

 

Perception is everything though. People perceive it is a great value because of the fixed cost and multiple activities on board. I personally, perceive it as a value because of the ports I get to visit. I couldn't afford to fly to 5 different islands in 6 days. I love beaches and ocean... for me... a great value. For someone that wants to stay in one place for a few days... not such a great value.

[molole]

I like keeping my cruises to about 100pp per night. If I did that-- its a good value.

I think the general rule in the travel community is if the price of a cruise is less than $100/person/night, it's a good deal.

 

Do you mean $100 pp/night including all cost (taxes, fees)? I have noticed even when I find a cruise fare less than $100 pp/night, after I add up all the fees, it's always well over.

[molole]

You have to watch. I got a D1 balcony on Explorer for 12 nights out of Bayonne for $869 per person plus then the $325 discount for diamond - came to total of $1730 for the cabin for 12 nights. I thought that was good.

 

That's really a great value! :) Your cruise costs less than my 5-night Bermuda cruise on Explorer. And I saw the same awesome prices for that 12/11 cruise too! I think at its lowest it was $849 for a D Balcony guarantee. I kept looking at it. But too bad I don't have time off. Nor do I have diamond discount. :p

[butterfly55]

Was that 1477 total for all three of you together or each? Did you drive or fly to Baltimore? We live in upstate NY and I have to plan a girl's cruise for 2012. I have been looking in to leaving from a different port than Florida ones but I have noticed the prices of the cruise is usually more from other ports. There will be quite a few of us that have to fly so we are weighing if is cheaper to fly to Florida and cruise from there or go from a port closer to us. What do you think? Thanks for your info.

[RuthlessBoss]

I like to cruise. just did recently. I pretty much cruise out of NYC when I have.....

 

I read so much about the value of cruising.....

 

....can someone shed the light on this value and how I get it....

 

do I need to find a steal flight to florida then get the value cruising from there?

 

I'm not going in November or December because its a value to go anywhere during that time of year.

I've read this over and over, makes no sense.

I get the feeling it's a post to post:rolleyes:

You are a seasoned cruiser that's not fond of Carnival, we are low life according to a past post.

And what do you mean you aren't going in Nov or Dec because it's a value?

[Carnivaluver]

I like to cruise. just did recently. I pretty much cruise out of NYC when I have.....

 

I read so much about the value of cruising.....

 

....can someone shed the light on this value and how I get it....

 

do I need to find a steal flight to florida then get the value cruising from there?

 

I'm not going in November or December because its a value to go anywhere during that time of year.

 

I do not think cruises are a great travel value at all. They want to make you think it is great by offering a cheap fare to get you onboard but then the fun of taking your money begins for the cruise lines. That's what they excel at.

 

Traveling for free is a great value.

 

I have read many articles that suggest that getting on a cruise ship can be cheap but once you are on the costs start adding up and it really is not a great travel value after all. That is the name of the game to get you on the ship and then price gouge the passengers. That's why there are so many "rum smugglers" on cruise ships because the drinks are so affordable. Plus they even charge for sodas. What a deal?

 

I think it all depend on how you like to travel to. We like to fly to a city such as Paris, spend a week or two, and it costs us a lot less then a European cruise and it is more fun too. I guess if you like inside cabins, mediocre food, saying you stopped in a place for 6 to 10 hours, chair hogs, waiting in lines, smoke everywhere, being crowded and bused on excursions, lame entertainment, constantly being nickeled and dimed, floating photo studios, playing sophomoric games with CD's then that is the vacation for you,

 

We do a cruise once in a great while but it is if we want to cover a great amount of territory like countries in Asia. We usually get a suite on the ship, fly FC, buy excursions and avoid a lots of the cruise hoopla. We have no problem paying their prices but they are not cheap by any means.

 

However, I have never bought the arguments that cruising is a great value. I am sure when people add the totals on their "Sign and Sail" accounts into the price they paid the idea of value cannot be supported for the majority of cruisers. :)