Your most expensive cruise - how did it go?

[Honolulu Blue]

I'm curious about everyone's experience with their most expensive cruise so far.  And when I say "expensive", feel free to think of it any way you want - just the base price, base + grats, base + excursions + airfare, or the whole vacation experience.  

 

I guess I'll go first.  Leaving aside the music charters for now, my overall most expensive cruise was the 11-day shot I took from Vancouver to Honolulu on the Carnival Legend in 2018.  We had several stops in Hawaii, including an overnight in Honolulu.  This was a great cruise, one I'd like to repeat sometime.  I got lei'd several times on this voyage.  I'm a little camera shy, but my buddy would want me to share this:

 

My most expensive upcoming cruise is only 7 nights but promises to be packed with great music from beginning to end.  Here's a hint about the headliner:  this guy WON'T be there, but many of his songs WILL:

 

But that's enough about me.  Tell us your stories.  Thanks in advance!

[navybankerteacher]

If you include related travel, my most expensive “cruise” was a few years back - a business class flight to LHR followed by a week in London then a visit with my sister’s family in Herts., then  Celebrity TA cruise from Harwich on the east coast with stops in France, Spain, Portugal and Atlantic islands  to Miami, where (after dropping large luggage at UPS to ship home) we spent the night in a hotel before taking the Silver Star (bedroom) to New York, changing at Penn Station for Northeast Regional to Stamford followed by taxi home.

Edited August 5, 2023 by navybankerteacher

[Szt]

Last October- we took adult kids to Europe. It was 7 days from Venice (Trieste) Rt on NCL. It was a good cruise- a few hiccups- but not due to the cruise itself. The ports definitely the best if any cruise I've taken to date. The Santorini stop was a bit disappointing. We didn't get to port until 2:00. While we were there till 10:00, it meant very limited time for sight seeing. I wanted to see the archeological sites. But it would have meant seeing nothing else. Guess we will have to go back. Mist ports we hired a driver when we got ashore. These were all great experiences. Dubrovnik was a bit disappointing. But I think it was partly that it was SO hyped as being beautiful it was hard to live up- and because we are not in great shape we couldn't climb the walls and get to the best sites. The old town felt like a Hollywood set. It was just very touristy. 
 

Venice was spectacular as always. But I was there about 30 yrs ago. It's sad how much it has changed. The graffiti and the smell were terrible. One of the best experiences of the trip was an after hours tour of St Marks. There are no words to describe the beauty. I highly recommend the splurge. 
Major disappointments- kids couldn't care less about the history, significance and beauty of our stops. They only cared about where they could get WiFi. Though my son did like the glass blowing demo and my daughter loved the St Marks tour and the food at every stop. 
The other major bummer- my husband got covid the last day of the cruise (though we were not sure it was covid until we were home since we were fully vaccinated). He spent the whole last day in bed and the trip home was miserable. 
Also, we couldn't believe how hot it was in October. In Italy, they are not allowed to use ac after Sept 30. So sleeping on our before stay in Milan and Trieste were miserable. 
I know this all sounds negative. But for the most part, it really was wonderful. 

[cruisemom42]

I had to ponder this one. I'm not sure any of my cruises have been "the most" expensive, as I tend to stay within a certain range/budget. On the other hand, you could say nearly all of my cruises have been "expensive" as I cruise solo and have to pay the dreaded solo supplement, making my cruise twice as expensive on a per diem basis....

 

Probably my most expensive cruise to date was the one I completed most recently: 28 days circumnavigating Japan in cherry blossom season. The per diem was reasonable but the length made it more $$$ than usual. The itinerary was wonderful; the cruise visited all four major islands of Japan as well as 2 stops in Taiwan and 1 in South Korea. Unfortunately we had very bad luck with weather, lots of rainy, windy weather, meaning that in some places the cherry blossoms were on the ground rather than on the trees (!). The ship itself was okay, rather lacking in entertainment options (Holland America).

 

My next cruise will be about the same price, but more $$$ per diem as it's shorter. It will be my first on Oceania. Their itinerary for Iceland/Greenland/Canada appealed to me as it has four stops in Greenland, the main reason for my visit. I am spending several days in Iceland pre-cruise. In the past O was not very solo-friendly price-wise, but have now designated a few solo cabins on some ships that are less expensive than paying the full solo supplement.

 

 

 

[lenquixote66]

2008 two week vacation in Alaska.We flew from NY to Minneapolis .After a several hour gap giving us time to shop in the airport area we flew to Fairbanks for a 7 night land tour with an HAL guide.We were very adventurous at the time and booked excursions for every day as well as every evening.We dined at the best restaurants in every area we spent a night in.

This was followed by a 7 night cruise .We booked Shore excursions in every port.

[AKJonesy]

Antarctica most expensive but it was a bucket list.  Recently we did a 14 day port heavy cruise to Caribbean and after the previous San Diego to FLL being a flop I wanted to have a port heavy cruise.  We went on many excursions and ate many times at the specialty restaurants.  Upcoming trip to SA for 31 days will probably end up being the most expensive because we've never done anything more than 21 days and prices are going up each year.  

[George C]

Ours was my wife’s 60th birthday two years ago on edge , 7 day cruise, flew first class to Florida, then did a move up from sky suite to penthouse, we were treated like royalty. 
  Other was 12 day cruise from Barcelona with a couple days precruise there flew business class , had a grand suite, great excursions mostly small groups with others from roll call. Loved 5 ports in Italy. Also Dubrovnik and Kotor.

[Oscar13]

Ours has to be the one we did this earlier year.  It was a B2B2B2B.  These were cruises we had planned but had to cancel due to COVID.  First we spent a couple of days in LA.  Then we went from LA roundtrip to Hawaii, then Pacific Coastal to Vancouver and then Alaska roundtrip.  28 days aboard the Crown Princess.  The last 7 days had a friend who had never cruised before join us, now she is hooked.

 

It was interesting going from the heat in Hawaii to the coolness in Alaska.  We did excursions in 3 of the Hawaii ports, Alaska we did  it on our own as we have been several times.  Our friend did the Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan tho.

 

DH however has decided that the trip was too long, doesn't want to spend more than 14 days or so again.  There goes my dream of a World Cruise.  😞

 

K

[simplelife]

Our Alaska cruise last year was our most expensive. We loved it- it was on our bucket list so we splurged

[Ashland]

We bring our extended family often (usually 3-4 suites) and those are usually the most costly. This also includes flights, hotels, transportation, meals etc. etc.

 

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by Ashland

[StollyBolly]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I had to ponder this one. I'm not sure any of my cruises have been "the most" expensive, as I tend to stay within a certain range/budget. On the other hand, you could say nearly all of my cruises have been "expensive" as I cruise solo and have to pay the dreaded solo supplement, making my cruise twice as expensive on a per diem basis....

 

Probably my most expensive cruise to date was the one I completed most recently: 28 days circumnavigating Japan in cherry blossom season. The per diem was reasonable but the length made it more $$$ than usual. The itinerary was wonderful; the cruise visited all four major islands of Japan as well as 2 stops in Taiwan and 1 in South Korea. Unfortunately we had very bad luck with weather, lots of rainy, windy weather, meaning that in some places the cherry blossoms were on the ground rather than on the trees (!). The ship itself was okay, rather lacking in entertainment options (Holland America).

 

My next cruise will be about the same price, but more $$$ per diem as it's shorter. It will be my first on Oceania. Their itinerary for Iceland/Greenland/Canada appealed to me as it has four stops in Greenland, the main reason for my visit. I am spending several days in Iceland pre-cruise. In the past O was not very solo-friendly price-wise, but have now designated a few solo cabins on some ships that are less expensive than paying the full solo supplement.

 

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I had to ponder this one. I'm not sure any of my cruises have been "the most" expensive, as I tend to stay within a certain range/budget. On the other hand, you could say nearly all of my cruises have been "expensive" as I cruise solo and have to pay the dreaded solo supplement, making my cruise twice as expensive on a per diem basis....

 

Probably my most expensive cruise to date was the one I completed most recently: 28 days circumnavigating Japan in cherry blossom season. The per diem was reasonable but the length made it more $$$ than usual. The itinerary was wonderful; the cruise visited all four major islands of Japan as well as 2 stops in Taiwan and 1 in South Korea. Unfortunately we had very bad luck with weather, lots of rainy, windy weather, meaning that in some places the cherry blossoms were on the ground rather than on the trees (!). The ship itself was okay, rather lacking in entertainment options (Holland America).

 

My next cruise will be about the same price, but more $$$ per diem as it's shorter. It will be my first on Oceania. Their itinerary for Iceland/Greenland/Canada appealed to me as it has four stops in Greenland, the main reason for my visit. I am spending several days in Iceland pre-cruise. In the past O was not very solo-friendly price-wise, but have now designated a few solo cabins on some ships that are less expensive than paying the full solo supplement.

 

 

 

I’m sure you have heard Iceland is expensive.  It is!   Just be prepared for that.  Really nice people.  

[donaldsc]

Most expensive because of multiple people were our grandkid AK  trips because they involve multiple people,  lots of ship tours and expensive excursions such as the Anan bear trip for 4 people .  I did AK with our grandson this summer and it cost me more with 1 grandchild than the last one which was for 2 children.  Galapagos was expensive.  Antarctica twice was expensive.  a small ship w 160 passengers to AK was expensive.  

 

If you count land trips in the mix probably a 3 month AK driving trip around AK and a 2 1/2 driving trip around Australia was also not cheap.  If you accept the IRS car deduction of ~50 cents per my car costs for the trip were ~$6000.

 

We try not to cruise on any ship that has more than a few hundred people as we hate Monstrosity of the Seas type ships unless any cruise will be expensive.

 

DON

[SPacificbound]

$$ I honestly don't know, we have never kept track.

 

Don't have a bucket list, just places we wanted to visit.

 

Up until now we have combined air/rail/cruise and spread the trips out to each being about three month segments. We also have done a lot of consecutive cruises.

 

2016 may have been most expensive since we also did a 2 week African safari. Cruised to Southampton, flight London to Johannesburg then Cape Town, other small plane flights in Africa, then the reverse for return flight back to London and cruise back to US. I had my 76th birthday in South Africa,

 

With another trip in 2016 being TA, several consecutive cruises, rail travel in Europe with another TA to come home.

 

Tomorrow we board Celebrity Summit for Canada, Iceland & Greenland B2B. This is one Jim wanted to do, and was cancelled 3 times with COVID etc, so here we go.

 

We've been in NYC since Wednesday, I am a bit over cautious, so getting to the port area early means 4 days to me.  🙃

 

 

[Toofarfromthesea]

My most expensive cruise was 7 days in the Western Mediterranean on MSC Divina in the Yacht Club.  What made it so expensive was that we paid for 3 deluxe suites because we gifted their cruises to my 2 daughters and my son-in-law, and included 3 days, pre-cruise, in Rome.  We also went pretty heavy on private tours both in Rome and the ports.  It was absolutely worth the money because we had a fabulous time and created memories for a lifetime.  And got to see the Sistine Chapel an hour before it was opened up to the general public and the inner underground working of the Colosseum.  My daughter and sin-in-law, who are Catholic, even got to attend a public audience with the Pope.   We then took a half day hired car from Rome to the port through the Italian countryside with a lovely stop for lunch. t the ports we did a private food tour in Valencia, a Segue tour in Cagliari,  and a boat charter for a sunset cruise in Palma de Majorca.

 

My other expensive cruise was my wife and I for 14 days on the American Queen steamboat from Minneapolis to New Orleans.  It was our first river cruise and one of the things we really appreciated was the fleet of buses that traveled parallel to us and served as hop on hop off tour buses at each port.  While generally the entertainment was a little limited, we found a couple of guys we really liked a met a bunch of Australians that we hung out with.  Aussies know how to party and we were kind of adopted into their group and that made it special. 

 

It's a measure of the high cost of doing cruises in America that the cost of these two cruises were in the same ballpark, costwise.

[Heidi13]

Most expensive cruise to date was our 2015 World Cruise, which also included round the world business flights.

 

First stop was UK for a few weeks visiting family, then down to Capetown for a week, followed by a safari. Then onto Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong and finally joined a World Cruise in Sydney. Everything up to the WC was spectacular. The WC, not so much and it was our final cruise with Princess, after an almost 40 yr relationship of both working and cruising with them.  

[9tee2Sea]

my upcoming cruise in Jan 2024 will be my most expensive.  15 night, full transit Panama Canal on NCL.  Since I have done complete transits about 4 times, I do not plan to get off the ship.  I booked an aft balcony suite.  I can't believe the price of the cruise is what I paid for my first car back in 1979

[donaldsc]

20 hours ago, donaldsc said:

Most expensive because of multiple people were our grandkid AK  trips because they involve multiple people,  lots of ship tours and expensive excursions such as the Anan bear trip for 4 people .  I did AK with our grandson this summer and it cost me more with 1 grandchild than the last one which was for 2 children.  Galapagos was expensive.  Antarctica twice was expensive.  a small ship w 160 passengers to AK was expensive.  

 

If you count land trips in the mix probably a 3 month AK driving trip around AK and a 2 1/2 driving trip around Australia was also not cheap.  If you accept the IRS car deduction of ~50 cents per my car costs for the trip were ~$6000.

 

We try not to cruise on any ship that has more than a few hundred people as we hate Monstrosity of the Seas type ships unless any cruise will be expensive.

 

DON

 

I should have added that I do not keep track of what my expensive cruises or even my less expensive cruises cost because quite frankly I do not want to know.  I am sure that they all end of costing more than I planned to spend but luckily as long as they are not ridiculously expensive I don't care.  Now there are some 20,000 to 40,000 dollar cruises per person that I would love to do that I might have to sell a kidney or win a lottery to do that I might have to think about but those cruises sob just aren't happening.

 

DON

[mammajamma2013]

This past February, 15 days on Norwegian Star, South America/Antarctica. This included roundtrip airfare from El Paso, TX to Bueno Aires, Argentina (buy one get one through NCL), hotel the night before, various excursions. Unobstructed balcony.

 

Loved this cruise.

[DarrenM]

On 8/5/2023 at 3:06 PM, navybankerteacher said:

If you include related travel, my most expensive “cruise” was a few years back - a business class flight to LHR followed by a week in London then a visit with my sister’s family in Herts., then  Celebrity TA cruise from Harwich on the east coast with stops in France, Spain, Portugal and Atlantic islands  to Miami, where (after dropping large luggage at UPS to ship home) we spent the night in a hotel before taking the Silver Star (bedroom) to New York, changing at Penn Station for Northeast Regional to Stamford followed by taxi home.

Now that's a tour.

[DarrenM]

My last one. I suspect only because it was celebrity's new ship.

 

It was also my longest cruise in terms of nights.

 

But it wasn't that expensive. A little more than the year before.

 

 

[sanger727]

For me it's pretty close to a tie between the galapagos and a river cruise in Thailand/Vietnam. They were both on very small ships. 

[Mary229]

Our preference is 21 to 40:days and not B2B therefore usually more expensive than the typical cruiser.  My two travel partners prefer Holland America but I have sailed others.  
 

Instead of the most expensive overall I will comment on the ones which are more expensive per diem.  Discounting the cost of port fees our most expensive per diem in order we’re Oceania in the Med, 42 day on the North Atlantic transit visiting Greenland, Iceland, etc… and finally a 35 day segment of the Holland South American “grand”. 
 

I did not feel I received any extra value on Oceania for the added cost and would have been just as happy to sail for 30% less on HAL’s itinerary.  The Greenland cruise was in the days when HAL offered a complete enrichment program on the premium voyages and was well worth every penny. Finally the South  American grand was not worth the extra dollars per day for the “grand experience “.  This was DH’s choice and I think we would have been happier taking a similar cruise with HAL that wasn’t so “grand” and save at least 15%.  Going forward I will avoid the grands if possible 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Mary229

[1025cruise]

My most expensive cruise was probably my honeymoon cruise. It got my wife hooked on cruising and has cost me much over the years 🙂

[ldubs]

The most expensive, some twenty years ago, was our first Mediterranean cruise.  And, it was two weeks and an inside cabin.  It was wonderful.   I am surprised we have booked many cruises since, including many balconies, and have yet to have a per person fare more than that Med cruise.  

[Mary229]

54 minutes ago, ldubs said:

The most expensive, some twenty years ago, was our first Mediterranean cruise.  And, it was two weeks and an inside cabin.  It was wonderful.   I am surprised we have booked many cruises since, including many balconies, and have yet to have a per person fare more than that Med cruise.  

We  cruised  to Alaska I think in 1988 or thereabouts.  That was expensive.  It was a 7 or 8 day cruise and in today’s dollars around $3500 per person in an OV.  It was nothing fancy just cruising was more expensive back then