Cruises have ruined land vacations for me

[Warm Breezes]

We love both cruising and land vacations. For me the best vacations combine the 2 and I try to book extra days pre/post cruise to do so. I don't even try to compare prices for land vs sea. I've learned that sea would almost always win and it would just discourage the land vacations. I do compare prices for different hotels with a land based vacation and prices for different ships for a sea based vacation.

 

My dream vacation once we retire in 5 years is to do a road trip, either in a car/hotel (DH's preference) or motorhome (my preference) from Chicago to LA on Route 66. Once in LA I would like to do some cruising to the Mexican Riviera and Hawaii. Then continue our road trip up the coast to Seattle where we will do a cruise to Alaska. Follow that up with a road trip across the Western/Midwest states and up to Maine and then down the East coast with stops for cruises to Canada and Bermuda and then ending our road trip in Florida where we will have a newly purchased smaller home waiting for us and easy access to all the cruises we want out of Florida. We are well on our way to making this dream vacation a reality and the closer we get to it the more excited I become:D.

[ducklite]

We live near Nashville and this weekend we found ourselves at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This is the first time we have been there and we just loved the atrium. My wife said she would like to stay here for a few days and I loved the idea also. Here is the price for three days at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.

 

Total for stay: 1350.24

 

Of course this is room only.

 

Here is the price for three nights on the Liberty for those same three days.

 

SUBTOTAL: $348.00

TAXES, FEES & PORT EXPENSES: $161.00

TOTAL: $509.00

 

My wife would really like to spend some more time on land based locations. Does anyone else find that all they do in these cases is think about how I could have been on a cruise right now for half the price?

 

Not at all. Considering the majority of the world can't be seen via a cruise, I don't want to limit myself. While we enjoy cruising, the majority of the places on our bucket list require a land based vacation. Also when you cruise and visit a place for a day--maybe two--you get only the touristy highlights. We like to go to a major city or region and stay for a week or two in order to soak it all in.

 

By the way, I never dwell on the cost of a vacation. If it fits the budget we book it. If it doesn't, we look at other options. There's no way to compare the cost of a week in Cartegena and a week in London. Staying in a 4* hotel for a week plus meals, airfare, and some admissions runs under $2000 for two in Cartegena. The same thing in London will be that just for airfare, and add in another $5000 for hotel, admissions, and meals.

[PoppyandNana]

We love both cruising and land vacations. For me the best vacations combine the 2 and I try to book extra days pre/post cruise to do so. I don't even try to compare prices for land vs sea. I've learned that sea would almost always win and it would just discourage the land vacations. I do compare prices for different hotels with a land based vacation and prices for different ships for a sea based vacation.

 

My dream vacation once we retire in 5 years is to do a road trip, either in a car/hotel (DH's preference) or motorhome (my preference) from Chicago to LA on Route 66. Once in LA I would like to do some cruising to the Mexican Riviera and Hawaii. Then continue our road trip up the coast to Seattle where we will do a cruise to Alaska. Follow that up with a road trip across the Western/Midwest states and up to Maine and then down the East coast with stops for cruises to Canada and Bermuda and then ending our road trip in Florida where we will have a newly purchased smaller home waiting for us and easy access to all the cruises we want out of Florida. We are well on our way to making this dream vacation a reality and the closer we get to it the more excited I become:D.

 

I grew up in the west and have been to every state west of Kanas City (and 90% of states east as well). My wife, born in NY, has never been out west and is pestering me to do a land vacation. I on the other hand like cruising and am content to just cruise. In fact, I would much prefer a cruise that has seven sea days if possible.

 

Who knows how this will turn out.

[PoppyandNana]

We love both cruising and land vacations. For me the best vacations combine the 2 and I try to book extra days pre/post cruise to do so. I don't even try to compare prices for land vs sea. I've learned that sea would almost always win and it would just discourage the land vacations. I do compare prices for different hotels with a land based vacation and prices for different ships for a sea based vacation.

 

My dream vacation once we retire in 5 years is to do a road trip, either in a car/hotel (DH's preference) or motorhome (my preference) from Chicago to LA on Route 66. Once in LA I would like to do some cruising to the Mexican Riviera and Hawaii. Then continue our road trip up the coast to Seattle where we will do a cruise to Alaska. Follow that up with a road trip across the Western/Midwest states and up to Maine and then down the East coast with stops for cruises to Canada and Bermuda and then ending our road trip in Florida where we will have a newly purchased smaller home waiting for us and easy access to all the cruises we want out of Florida. We are well on our way to making this dream vacation a reality and the closer we get to it the more excited I become:D.

 

 

Some friends of ours did just this trip although I forget the name of the company. They flew to Chicago from NJ then bused throughout route 66. Said it was a great trip although the bus got a little tiring. They flew home from LA.

[sparks1093]

Not at all. Considering the majority of the world can't be seen via a cruise, I don't want to limit myself. While we enjoy cruising, the majority of the places on our bucket list require a land based vacation. Also when you cruise and visit a place for a day--maybe two--you get only the touristy highlights. We like to go to a major city or region and stay for a week or two in order to soak it all in.

 

By the way, I never dwell on the cost of a vacation. If it fits the budget we book it. If it doesn't, we look at other options. There's no way to compare the cost of a week in Cartegena and a week in London. Staying in a 4* hotel for a week plus meals, airfare, and some admissions runs under $2000 for two in Cartegena. The same thing in London will be that just for airfare, and add in another $5000 for hotel, admissions, and meals.

 

I'm awfully glad that I have never developed 4* taste.

[Bizmark'sMom]

We've found our favorite land vacations are visits to cities. We had the best time in Chicago and New York and I keep looking around for other cities to visit (any ideas?).

 

We cruise a lot and I've started looking for other cruise experiences to keep it fresh. We aren't beach people, but that seems to be the crux of cruising. Fortunately, we have Alaska and New England/Canada cruises in the queue, but as I look around at the 2018/2019 itineraries, it's on Caribbean cruise after the next.

 

Maybe I should look at another California Coastal.

 

In any case, the city trips we took were quite expensive, no question, but the experience, food and sightseeing can't be compared to Nassau or Puerto Vallarta. I'll always cruise, but the city trips will continue to be among our favorites.

Look at cruises outside of the US. The British Isles, the Baltics, the Mediterranean, the Canadian Arctic, embark in Boston and cruise the Canadian Maritimes, head to Tahiti and the South Pacific....

 

There is a world of cruising outside of the Carribean.

[calliopecruiser]

We've found our favorite land vacations are visits to cities. We had the best time in Chicago and New York and I keep looking around for other cities to visit (any ideas?).

 

We cruise a lot and I've started looking for other cruise experiences to keep it fresh. We aren't beach people, but that seems to be the crux of cruising. Fortunately, we have Alaska and New England/Canada cruises in the queue, but as I look around at the 2018/2019 itineraries, it's on Caribbean cruise after the next.

 

Maybe I should look at another California Coastal.

 

In any case, the city trips we took were quite expensive, no question, but the experience, food and sightseeing can't be compared to Nassau or Puerto Vallarta. I'll always cruise, but the city trips will continue to be among our favorites.

If you want cruises with port cities to explore, there are lots, but you'll have to fly a ways to get there (Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa). Then, if you have time, you can even invest in a few extra days at the embarkation or debarkation cities. Or you can look to river cruises to get from city to city.

 

Or, if you just want to cruise, you can find transoceanic cruises with many sea days between scattered port days (my favourite cruises have minimal port stops and lots of sea days).

[iancal]

We have done four or five Med cruises. Enjoyed each one very much. But there is a huge difference on what we experience and enjoy on a cruise vs. a land trip.

 

But our all time favorite cruises are the ones that we have done ourselves on independent land trips using local ferries. Making our way down the Croatian coast from Split to Dubrovic by local ferry and stopping off for a few days in various locations. Then back to Italy and a week on the Amalfi coast. Island hopping in Greece with no set agenda other than perhaps a firm date/location to fly home or fly somewhere else.

 

We don't compare land trips and cruises per sae because they are so different. We do look at the dollars. Now, for instance, it is usually far better financially for us to do land trips than it is to do cruises. If this changes I have no doubt that we will do more cruises that are at present.

[SadieN]

Wouldn't say ruined but for DD's graduation in Far Northern California we spent more on those 4 nights than we would have on a 7 night NYE cruise.

[Beachdude]

We do both, but generally we cruise when we need to decompress from our everyday life.

 

But we also typically add a couple days land vacation before or after our cruises. We spent three days in NYC before boarding our Bermuda Cruise. We enjoy two days in Boston after our fall colors cruise. We just spent two days at Disney in Orlando after our Caribbean cruise in October. We love to plan a cruise around the Wine and Food festival in Ft. Lauderdale in the spring. Three days in Puerto Rico after the cruise. I can't imagine not doing a couple days in Hawaii before or after a Hawaiian cruise. In fact, I can't remember the last cruise where we didn't add at least two days vacation on land.

 

Burt

[George C]

I love cruises , completed our 60th a couple of months ago and I also think there are a bargain. But we also do other vacations, we do 4 or 5 days in NYC every year which we spend about 500 a night just for hotel and Caribbean resorts like Sandals. But there is a advantage to other vacations, arrive when you want leave when you want to large lines getting on the ship and off the ship . Choice of restaurants and entertainment in NYC is so superior, but you pay for it.

[ducklite]

I'm awfully glad that I have never developed 4* taste.

 

You don't want to stay in a hotel under 4* in Cartegena.

[sparks1093]

You don't want to stay in a hotel under 4* in Cartegena.

 

I'm not sure what star rating the hotel I stayed in was the one night I spent in Cartegena, if we are talking Cartegena, Spain but I would be willing to bet it wasn't 4 star. It was acceptable for my purposes though. I also wouldn't be in a hurry to spend a week there although it may have changed somewhat in the last 37 years.

[happy trailer]

The Baltic cruises Royal Caribbean offers that has the three-day stop in St. Petersburg, Russia is definitely on my to-do list! In the past I've done four European trips on my own but all land based. (A week in England, Wales, Sweden, Norway.... A week in Spain with a few days in Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands.... a week split between the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland ... and a week in Iceland, England, and Denmark) I would love to combine the Baltic cruise with a few days spent possibly in Poland.... Someday.

 

You did WHAT??!! Am I misreading, or have you taken land trips which visited several countries in the course of a week??

[pullen0]

Not many land establishments charging $6 for a 12oz Budweiser either.

 

 

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[cruisemom42]

Not many land establishments charging $6 for a 12oz Budweiser either.

 

 

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At Disney World it's $7-12.

[pullen0]

At Disney World it's $7-12.

 

 

If I was paying $7-12 a beer, it was at Epcot for premium beers bigger than 12oz.

 

 

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Edited December 21, 2016 by pullen0

[George C]

Not many land establishments charging $6 for a 12oz Budweiser either.

 

 

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Do not order a beer in NYC

[navybankerteacher]

You did WHAT??!! Am I misreading, or have you taken land trips which visited several countries in the course of a week??[/quote

 

That week split among The Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland must have been hell on wheels; reminiscent of that old line: "If today is Tuesday, this must be Belgium". I'd prefer staying home to a bus-or-train trip stopping only for bathroom breaks.

[slidergirl]

I'm awfully glad that I have never developed 4* taste.

 

It is hard to give up ;) When I was married, we did our vacations either camping/backpacking or staying at 4 and 5 star hotels. I know - strange combination, but we loved camping and backpacking. One of my favorite vacations was the week we spent camping at Cinnamon Bay on St. John inside of Virgin Islands National Park. I developed a rather bad hatred of anything lower than 4 stars anywhere after that. Fast forward to a divorce, the major lack of his income for my fun, only 80 hours/year for paid vacation, and I've had to try hard to make do with my champagne tastes on a beer budget ;)

Working for major hotel brands that give awesome employee discounts helped aid my habit. But, I'm now with a small boutique hotel (yes, a Forbes 4 star this time), so I'm destined to have to "lower my standards" when I travel. I will keep traveling as much as I can, just not in the luxurious style I was accustomed to.

 

That is partly why I started cruising post-divorce; looking for experiences that I had not had before and were sometimes less expensive.

Edited December 21, 2016 by slidergirl

[ducklite]

I'm not sure what star rating the hotel I stayed in was the one night I spent in Cartegena, if we are talking Cartegena, Spain but I would be willing to bet it wasn't 4 star. It was acceptable for my purposes though. I also wouldn't be in a hurry to spend a week there although it may have changed somewhat in the last 37 years.

 

Cartegena Colombia. Big difference.

[ducklite]

You did WHAT??!! Am I misreading, or have you taken land trips which visited several countries in the course of a week??

 

Maybe if they were waving at things as they drove by. I hope they are saying a week in each of those places.

[ducklite]

Not many land establishments charging $6 for a 12oz Budweiser either.

 

 

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I guess you haven't been to a concert or sporting event in a couple of decades.

[pullen0]

I guess you haven't been to a concert or sporting event in a couple of decades.

 

 

I have. I'm at those places 3-4 hours, not 7 days. And I would be passed out drunk before I could ever make 1 of the beverage packages pay off. I don't plan on drinking any on the ship. I'll do my drinking in port.

 

Don't forget the recent thread about the $80+ case of water.

 

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Edited December 21, 2016 by pullen0

[sparks1093]

Cartegena Colombia. Big difference.

 

Yes there is.