So...Why Do You Choose Cruising For Your Vacation Dollars?

[luv2gonow]

Well, we are going to find out for ourselves! We have been loyal Disney fans every year as well as Wyndham Resorts owners. We have stayed at beautiful properties and spent $$$$$ at the mouse. Last December after a trip to Atlantis, our girls (12 and 14) want to see the world. We just booked a suite with large balcony on the NCL Getaway this December. I can't believe how affordable it is to cruise. Even with all the extra's and shore excursions, it is a lot less than a full blown Disney trip! This site have been awesome, it reminds me a lot of Dis boards. Happy to be here.

 

Paul

 

Hi, Paul I am a fellow "Dis'er" I found these boards through the Dis years ago. I agree it is a great place with so many helpful posters here.

We started our family vacations at WDW and immediately bought DVC. Which for years went to WDW only. Then we started adding on short cruises after a WDW trip. We were hooked. And funny WDW is soooo expensive and makes any other vacation seem reasonable:D

So we started expanding our cruising to Europe last 2 summers. This summer we are finally going to Aulani and 1st Disneyland trip with a NCL cruise around the islands:)

We did a land/Sea tour on NCL Epic. 1 week land tour Italy then 1 week Med cruise. Reasonable and AMAZING!!

 

I love cruising because the Ocean is so peaceful and memorizing. (I try and cruise "non stormy" times:rolleyes:). I get to see so many places and get an idea where I want to go back.

I love the variety of dining options. Different shows and activities. But it amazes me every time how much of "nothing" I do. Just chilling enjoying the amazing scenery.

Kerri

[sverigecruiser]

We love to cruise but it's expensive!

 

A one week cruise on the Epic next summer cost almost $10000 in the Haven so it's not difficult to find a very nice all inclusive which is cheaper but nothing is better than a cruise. I think!

[pe4all]

When our kids were 4/7 we began vacationing at all-inclusives on different islands. The prices were quite reasonable. However, once my kids "aged-out" of the children's pricing, they became quite expensive. We can cruise for 1/2 the price an all-inclusive would cost us at this point in time. We also love waking up in different ports, rather than being "stuck" in one place for a week. How many fire eaters, limbo dancers, etc., can you stand to see at an all-inclusive? We get to see different entertainment on a cruise. We did a land vacation to England/France last summer, and it cost us (what I think is) an incredible amount of money. We are doing a Med cruise this summer for much, much less, and getting to see more places!

[biker@sea]

I think it's Fate.

 

I was born in a Navy Hospital.

 

:) My first breath of life was Salt Air. :)

 

.

[LiLBxQt]

It's the open ocean for me... something so peaceful and serene... there is no other vacation that gets me more excited... it does surprise me too how many people I've met that haven't been on one.

 

ETA: reading through others posts, we have cruised during a stormy time, and yes, that ship was rocking and rollin... and still the ocean fascinates me and keeps calling me back (thank god for bonine!)

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited February 6, 2017 by LiLBxQt

[Darcy03231]

We like to cruise because we find it gives us a great bang for our buck! We also like that there is something for everyone on a cruise ship. You can be as busy or relaxed as you want.

 

It's also a great way to check out different places to see if you want to spend more time there. We've done several land based vacations based off of our cruise ship experiences.

[DirtyDawg]

I have been a BIG fan of cruising since our first one 6 years ago . Since then we have been to Florida and a bunch of smaller jaunts but all our major trips have been cruises . And in 3 weeks we will be leaving for an all-inclusive . :eek: We had booked an excellent Celebrity cruise and cancelled the reservation . Why ? We ( OK , mostly DW ;) ) wanted to try something new . Also Canadian Winters are tough and Puerto Plata sounded Great . We'll let you know if we made a terrible terrible mistake . Please forgive us . :D

 

Wanted to add our AI should be about $ 2000 cheaper .

 

I still really like cruising. We have mainly done the Caribbean and one West Coast cruise. They used to be cost competitive but they have been less so recently. For the last three winters we gone to AI's instead because of the cost. We looked at cruises first but the AI's were much cheaper than the balcony cabins on a cruise. We could have downgraded to an inside and the costs would have been closer but If I'm not prepared to get an inside room at an AI I'm sure not doing one on a cruise ship.

 

So I think we will be doing cruises in the future just for places like South East Asia, Alaska, or a Transatlantic. Cruising will have to have a Bradyesque comeback to win the quick winter getaway game for us.;)

 

( Or is it a Belichickian comeback.... )

[Justaddvodka68]

 

So I got to thinking - why do I choose cruising over other vacation alternatives?

 

What are your reasons?

 

I'm relatively new to cruising. Always knew I'd love it, but my ex-husband who traveled a lot for work was not big on vacationing at all. Liked to stay home and relax or do home improvements with his vacation time.

 

Husband 2.0 is game for anything and we've discovered we love cruising.

 

We spend more when we do land based vacations. Cruising is a great value, for sure.

 

Things we love about it:

 

Being at sea. Husband just loves being on the water and I've learned I do as well.

 

Ports. Getting to sample ports - although I can see where after some time they'll become monotonous, since we're new, there are still a lot of places to discover. We visited St. Martin on our last cruise and loved it so much we exchanged our timeshare to go back in May for a week with another couple.

 

The Casino. I love to gamble. I don't love Atlantic city or Vegas.

 

Unlimited drinks and no driving - with many bars with different vibes to choose from.

 

Having so many great choices for eating out, while at the same time having a fixed cost. We do upgrade our dining, even when we don't choose it as a perk. We love to eat out and usually spend a lot on dining when we're land based.

 

The entertainment. We generally like the big shows, but even more we enjoy the music and comedy and whatever is going on in the bars and clubs. Never a dull moment, unless you want some!

 

Meeting people. I've never experienced the friendliness and camaraderie you find on a cruise ship at a land based resort. Whether you're striking up conversation in the smoking room or at a bar, or having a blast in the casino, people seem open and friendlier on ships than on land.

 

We just took the kids on their first cruise in December. We enjoyed the availability of the teen club and the various things to keep them busy. It was definitely less work for me to entertain them than a land based vacation where it's a non-stop thing. (and a non-stop flow of money out of my purse!)

 

Even just the feeding. Kids eat constantly! When we do our timeshare, the first whole day is a waste for me. You travel there then have to go to the store to stock up on breakfast & lunch foods, beer, pop, stop at the liquor store, etc. Haul it all in, unpack it all. Realize what you forgot, run back out . . . it eats up an entire vacation day.

 

Then all week you're driving around. Driving to restaraunts for dinner, driving to activities, driving to shopping . . . one of the best things about cruising is a full week of no driving!

 

We've also done all-inclusive, land based in Mexico - the selection for dining wasn't as good as on a cruise, the liquor selection was more limited, (although adequate.) And you still had to leave the resort to do anything but hang at the pool and go to the beach. That also wasn't cheap compared to cruising . . . base price for the all-inclusive was about 30% higher.

 

And while we were in a large, highly rated resort, the entertainment was so-so. There was a show nightly and some activities planned for around the pool, but other than that, there wasn't much. Just recorded music played in all the areas.

 

I'm looking forward to the week in St. Martin. I expect it to be very low key, relaxing, lots of pool and beach time, and we all really need a nice boring, mellow vacation. Cruises are a non-stop party for me, and while I love that - I need a little of both in my life.

[Justaddvodka68]

it nice having a ship homeport in my city. just take a cab and hop on the ship. instant vacation start. no need to fly or drive long distance :)

 

#RetirementGoals!

[300dtc]

We love to cruise, but DH does t like going to the same places..so after our western Caribbean in 12 days[emoji16] that sort of takes care of that area, we did an all inclusive in Jamaica in October and were sort of bored..did two great excursions though that broke up the beach and bar..doing the Baltic s in August..but Europe is much more expensive to fly to...sigh..I love all the activities on a cruise..even if you don't participate, you know it's there if you want to..we love trivia and that is usually around too. The no driving and getting to partake in adult beverages is also a great perk, as is the restaurants right under your nose..don't have to drive around for an hour trying to decide where to go!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Justaddvodka68]

We love to cruise but it's expensive!

 

A one week cruise on the Epic next summer cost almost $10000 in the Haven so it's not difficult to find a very nice all inclusive which is cheaper but nothing is better than a cruise. I think!

 

But you could take that same cruise in a non-Haven for much less.

 

You'd have to compare that to having the penthouse suite or whatever the equivalent to the upgrade is at the all inclusive, with the butler and all those extras you get in the Haven.

 

And I'm sorry, but I'm kinda LOLing at someone complaining that the Haven is expensive. That's an upgrade. The Spa is expensive too - as is the Casino if you're losing - but I wouldn't count money spent there as part of the vacation, since it's optional.

[gingersvp]

We like to do one "easy button" week of vacation and one more "off the beaten path" week of vacation each year. My husband isn't as into cruising, but does it because the kids and I enjoy it. We're in Florida and can access many cruises without airfare so it's great to be able to have everything rolled up into one cost. We're traveling the Jewel to Alaska this summer and it's a mix of being able to easily see multiple places without extra planning and not having to unpack multiple times. But we also enjoy whisking the kids off to other locations that aren't cruise accessible and require me to put together an itinerary, transportation, hotels, etc. Mainly I don't want to cook or clean while I'm on vacation.

[thatjoeguy]

I am a self-proclaimed cruise addict with over 25+ NCL cruises and a few others. While I have a few friends and relatives who really enjoy cruising most have never even tried it.

 

So I got to thinking - why do I choose cruising over other vacation alternatives?

 

I would say that to me a cruise is awesome (any cruise, anywhere) because it is a vacation where we can get away from it all, not have to worry about the cost of every meal, etc., see lots of different places and only have to unpack once).

 

What are your reasons?

 

I used to describe cruising to people I wanted to join as a floating hotel, so you only had to unpack once and the ship moved you place to place while you slept. The fact that it was doing this to me in January or February when I live in Michigan is a bonus. While I've been on some that are still like that recently (such as our Med cruise several years ago) with the proliferation of the mega-ships you really get a traveling resort, where you can have a great time without ever getting off the ship. I think, for the price, it's really hard to beat the value of a cruise over a hotel/food/entertainment stay on land, especially when you add in the Free at Sea promos that have been coming out the last few years.

 

While that is still, more or less, how I describe it (though with the added talking up of the Broadway-esque shows on the -away ships) one of the things I really love about them now is the connection that you can get when stuck on a ship with the same people for a week. I remember the final disembarkation from my first megaship (Epic back in early '14) accidentally running into several of the people who I'd seen over and over on the ship, talked with a lot, and would never see again. I think people let their guard down much more on a ship than they do at a land resort, so you get a quick sense of community that's hard to reproduce else where.

 

My husband also likes the fact that internet and phone calls are "prohibitively expensive" on a cruise, which is the only way that he ever unplugs from work. When we were first sailing on Princess, I noted that one of the higher tier reward benefits was some amount of free internet, so he said we could never hit that level. I"m not sure what we'll do now that it's an NCL feature as well! :eek:

[Dajbman22]

Like many of the others posting here, I like the idea of a self-contained vacation where travel, food, and lodging are all rolled into the package and you don't really have to worry about budgeting and cost once you set off (this is especially true when you factor in the popularity of UBPs on the major lines now). There is also something beautiful about the sea that really resonates with me. I am possibly most at peace when on the top deck at night with a slight sea breeze and nothing but the moon and stars lighting up the gentle Caribbean waves for as far as the eye can see. Also, on most itineraries (especially ones at least 5 nights or longer) I can really mix it up between being in total relaxation mode and doing nothing but lounging all day, being active and adventurous, soaking up a new surrounding/culture, and partying all day/night long all on different days of the same vacation.

[newmexicoNita]

Cost, but ports are getting boring. We are starting to look at old world cities for the next, next vacation.

 

We have given up on the ports: very sad they have not added more Atlantic coast ports like Baltimore, Charleston etc. I know there are only so many that can conveniently be used but it seems NCL takes longer than other lines to think outside the box.

 

Why do we cruise? We love the relaxed atmosphere; even if it means spending more time on ship than off. We like the all inclusive idea and feel for our$$ we are getting the best deal possible. We just priced a few up scale AI; not the best but nice. The price for 3 or 4 nights was more than a week long cruise. There was a time when we cruised for the ports and the cost; now, stick pretty much with NCL> We know what to expect, love the perks of being platinum should say platinum plus for us: have to get that changed. We are not as mobile as we used to be, so just enjoying the ship is all we expect.

[sverigecruiser]

But you could take that same cruise in a non-Haven for much less.

 

You'd have to compare that to having the penthouse suite or whatever the equivalent to the upgrade is at the all inclusive, with the butler and all those extras you get in the Haven.

 

And I'm sorry, but I'm kinda LOLing at someone complaining that the Haven is expensive. That's an upgrade. The Spa is expensive too - as is the Casino if you're losing - but I wouldn't count money spent there as part of the vacation, since it's optional.

 

A cruise is expensive in a suite but I still think it's worth it compared to most land vacations.

 

If I compare the size of the smallest suites on a cruise ship with hotelrooms for the same price, more than 1000 USD/night, a cruise is superexpensive even if I have to pay extra for food and drinks.

 

I think that it's great that some people feel that a cruise is a good way to get a great vacation for a decent amount of money but personally I feel that I could get a landvacation much cheaper but not better. For me vacation is never about getting it as cheap as possible but as good as possible.

 

I don't complain that the Haven is expensive. I only say that it's expensive.

[AlaskaJune]

I can't afford ocean front property. I can't afford a live in maid. I can't afford to have someone prepare all my meals. I can't afford to go to see live music every night. I can't afford to own a pool. I can't afford to own a hot tub.

 

But for one week a year I can afford to have all these things. I unpack once and wake up in a different place every morning. I can choose to spend the day in bed if I want and no one says a word or I can choose to spend the day exploring a new place. Cruising is not my only vacation that I take during the year. But, it is without the a doubt the most relaxing.