What Makes Cruising Better Than Landbased Vacations??

[caviargal]

Sigh. If only I could get a handle on the alcohol....:o

 

And the coffee and the photos and the bottled water and the fitness classes and the ice cream and all of the other additions to the bill these days...

[emjsea]

Darn! I forgot about the photos. I went a little crazy buying those last time, but they often do take superior photos than our digi-cam.

[Cruise Junky]

Not sure how this will post but here goes....

 

We're looking at three options for 2009. Oceania London - Rome. Princess Venice - Rome or three weeks in France, Provence, Bordeaux area and Paris. Here's the budget that I drew up so we could look at it tonight. My Accom. for the 14 days is currently booked so that price is for sure, car is already quoted so I don't think I'm that far off. Not 5* hotels, but very highly recommended self-catering rentals. The cost per day speaks for itself.

 

Ewwww, budget posts awful, here's the end result.

 

Oceania for 16 days 853.125 per day $13650 total

 

Princess 12 days 790 per day $ 9450 total

 

France Land Trip 21 days 405.2380952 per day $8500 total

 

Cruise costs include balcony cabin, shore excursions, tips, fuel surcharge and a $600 onboard bill at the end.

 

Land includes: Rentals for 21 days, car and gas, spending, food.

[caviargal]

When contemplating a trip to Europe, I personally do not consider a cruise a good choice. It is not the money so much as the fact that it delivers a compromised, "drive by" experience.

 

What I love best about Europe is not able to be enjoyed with a hurried trip into a port but is the nuances of the cities and towns as they wake up in the morning and settle in for an evening. The foods and wines of each region are unique and special and dining aboard a ship means one misses out on that very important - to me - part of a culture.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[Cruise Junky]

When contemplating a trip to Europe, I personally do not consider a cruise a good choice. It is not the money so much as the fact that it delivers a compromised, "drive by" experience.

 

What I love best about Europe is not able to be enjoyed with a hurried trip into a port but is the nuances of the cities and towns as they wake up in the morning and settle in for an evening. The foods and wines of each region are unique and special and dining aboard a ship means one misses out on that very important - to me - part of a culture.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

I agree with you, we'd never do a standard Barcelona to Rome/Venice cruise again, you know the same old ports. But the two that we're looking at are these: They're just harder to do on a land trip. Would love to go to Montenegro and Spain and Portugal. However right now we're leaning towards a week in Bordeaux and two weeks in the South of France.

 

OCEANIA

London (Dover), United Kingdom

Paris (Le Havre), France

Saint-malo, France

Cruising the Bay of Biscay

Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux, France

Biarritz (Saint-jean-de-luz), France

Cruising the Bay of Biscay

Oporto, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal

Seville (Cadiz), Spain

Cruising the Mediterranean Sea

Valencia, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

Provence (Marseille), France

La Spezia (Cinque Terre), Italy

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

 

 

PRINCESS

Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy

Portofino, Italy

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Corsica (Ajaccio), France

Sorrento/Capri, Italy

Messina

Valletta

At Sea

Corfu, Greece

Kotor, Montenegro

Split

Ravenna, Italy

Venice, Italy

[princessebird]

Last year we decided to go to Europe (Italy) this Spring (April 2008). We had to choose a land-based or a cruise vacation. At first we thought about a land-based vacation because it would afford us the opportunity to stay longer and learn more about each place. Ultimately, we decided to cruise because, since this is our first trip to Europe, we would rather go for breadth than depth. Lucky we did, because with the way the dollar is going against the Euro, a land-based vacation would be at LEAST twice as expensive.

[Cruise Junky]

Lucky we did, because with the way the dollar is going against the Euro, a land-based vacation would be at LEAST twice as expensive.

 

Interesting, that's the exact opposite of the budget I posted above for our three options we're looking at for next year.

[caviargal]

Lucky we did, because with the way the dollar is going against the Euro, a land-based vacation would be at LEAST twice as expensive.

 

princessbird, I respectfully disagree. We spent two wonderful weeks in Italy last fall and are returning this fall. There are many high quality accomodation options at reasonable prices if one does the research. We booked two hotels ahead and prepaid in USD 6 months prior to our trip. And food and wine are reasonable if one stays away from the tourist joints.

 

We can enjoy Italy for about $400 a day including terrific food and very nice lodging as well as train/bus/taxis for 2 and without skimping. And we are on our own schedule:).

 

We are going to Germany and Austria this winter and it will cost about 300 per day for 2, inclusive. IMO, that is a terrific bargain!

[rxnrn]

Where else can you have someone drive, cook, entertain and clean for you, while taking in some exotic location around the world. Cruising to me is really hassle free and the only way to go!

[Andee]

We love cuising, but we love lots of other types of vacations, too. There are too many places that I can't get to on a cruise that I still want to visit.

I'd never trade our ski weeks for a cruise because, for me, skiing is the most fun you can have while upright.

And I love spending enough time in a city to really explore it.

And I love theater weekends in NC.

And I love the group trips we have taken to Israel, Alaska, Copper Canyon.

[AmoMondo]

Let me see - they treat you like Royalty, you can wake up in a different country or island every day without having to pack and unpack every time, if you are going a long distance, no jet lag as you just lose or gain an hour one day at a time. You get to go to a fabulous dinner every evening, meet lots of interesting people, go to a show, then perhaps a cabaret, stay up as late as you want and don't have to worry how you are going to get back to your hotel (no wandering around trying to find taxis). I occasionally go on my own and it is far the most easiest, safiest and inclusive type of holiday for a single. Love the glitz and glamour and the opportunity to really dress up on formal evenings. and finally if you mange to get a cruise that doesn't involve flying to join it - no weight restrictions on baggage, no having to put your liquids into little bottles into a little clear plastic bag and no hangng around for hours in airports and the fear of them losing your luggage. You can tell i really love my cruises now can't you!

[SnorkelMoose]

I am in love with sailing. I'm always on land, so to really "get away," I need to be sitting in the bright sun on a catamaran on my way to a snorkeling excursion in St. Thomas. I need to walk along the Promenade deck and watch the beautiful Caribbean waves. I need extra desserts!

 

Nothing compares to cruising. Nothing!! :D

[RetireeWannabee]

Sigh. If only I could get a handle on the alcohol....:o

yeah, there is that ...

[RetireeWannabee]

And the coffee and the photos and the bottled water and the fitness classes and the ice cream and all of the other additions to the bill these days...

I don't really buy the other stuff so it does mostly stay AI for me on a ship. Shore excursions are the splurge, but they are with a land-based trip for us, too.

 

We don't do land AIs, we stay in timeshares. It's way less expensive and I don't care about making a few meals and light cleanup - it saves money that we can spend on exploring and doing the fun stuff in the area. I would not be able to sit around a pool for a week, tho I looovveee the ocean. DH, tho, after one "beach day" (generally, a couple hours), he's done with it.

 

It's interesting, seeing how everyone has different likes and preferences for vacation time.

[Quampapetet]

Nothing.

 

While I enjoyed my cruise, I love land trips MUCH more. You spend more than a few hours in each port (and can do more things there), you get to choose different places to eat at (and can have better seating options), you don't have the motion to deal with/chance of motion sickness/having to take Bonine every day (my body has issues with motion), they are much less hectic than cruises, you can stay/leave as long/short as you wish, you can go to more places, your room and bathroom are much bigger, service dog potty areas are much better, no muster drill (LOL!), etc.

 

I may cruise again (if the price is right), but I'll definitely stick with mostly land vacations (including Disney - I'm sure not even the Disney ships could take the place of Disney rides!!).

 

I've never had a problem with airport customs in the US or any other country, BTW.

[bqkali]

For me it has to do with planning!! It takes me about an hour to plan and book a cruise. Just pick a date, an itinerary, a line I like and I’m done…..

 

I have been trying to plan a land based trip at Christmas for almost 3 weeks. Soo time consuming!! Where should we stay? A house, condo or hotel? Will we like the area? Is it the best location? Is it a nice clean hotel? Safe area? Do we rent a car or not? Is it as good as it looks? on and on…..I just feel like booking a cruise and being done with it. At least I know we will enjoy!

 

Haha, for me, the thrill comes with hours and hours of research, and I hate giving up the control by joining a cruise. For me, the reading and planning for a land-based trip is half the excitement. It is a stress-reliever in itself.

 

I am going on my first cruise in December, and while I am certainly looking forward to it, I am anticipating my land-based trips that I have planned much more. I might feel different when I get back from my cruise, but I like the flexibility and options that come with independent travel.

[IWanttocruisenow]

Imagine going to Hawaii and wanting a taste of all the island in a week. On a cruise, it's as easy as walking of the ship. For a land based vacation, you would spend half of the trip packing and unpacking, and sitting in the airport.

 

And it's a great way to see 3 or 4 countries in the Med.

[sillylizzie]

The great thing about cruises is how easy they are, especially when it comes to planning. No worrying about how long a drive it is from point A to point B, or if you can get around city X without a car. For larger groups, I think its one of the only ways to go (along with all inclusive resorts). Everyone can do their own thing during the day and regroup for dinner or the show.

 

Personally, I prefer land based vacations if it is just the fiance and I.

 

However....

There's 10 of us going on vacation October, and doing anything land based would have taken much more planning (finding hotels with 5 rooms for each night, dinner reservation for 10 each night?, not to mention agreeing on what to do....). Planning this was simple once we chose the date/cruise itinerary.

 

201 days to go! :)

 

[Cruise Junky]

Imagine going to Hawaii and wanting a taste of all the island in a week. On a cruise, it's as easy as walking of the ship. For a land based vacation, you would spend half of the trip packing and unpacking, and sitting in the airport.

 

And it's a great way to see 3 or 4 countries in the Med.

 

I think cruising is a great way to see Hawaii for the first time, but not after that. Then you pick your favourite and really spend time getting to enjoy the island....an by my signature, do I look a little biased? ;) countdown to Maui :) :)

[sjcruiser]

There's something special about watching the sunrise and sunset over the ocean. Also, you only have to pack and unpack once while traveling to different locations. All you can eat food, spectacular shows and entertainment. What more could I ask for in a vacation.

[Sangela]

With only 1 cruise under our belts so far, (but another one coming up in less than a month! :D ) I was very pleasantly surpirsed at our first cruise.

 

We booked a 4 day cruise last August, figuring if we hated it, at least it was only 4 days out of our lives...lol

 

We both LOVED being on the ship, watching the ocean, falling asleep to a gently rocking and very comfortable bed, eating excellent food, chatting with different people from all over, and doing lots of nothing if we chose to. ;)

 

I was an "airline brat" as a kid, Dad worked for Pan Am and we did many land based vacations internationally and nationally. I always wanted to try a cruise, (and we would have gotten excellent interline discounts) but Mom got seasick sitting in a bathtub full of water, so we never cruised.

 

I had to wait til I was 45 to finally try one, but hubby and I were amazed at how much we liked letting someone else do the "driving", as we are pretty independent and not the "tour bus" type at all.

 

Can't put my finger on it, maybe it was magical because we simply drove 20 minutes to the port, parked the car and got on the ship, and it was like "instant vacation mode" for us. Within 5 minutes of boarding we were sitting on Lido Deck, DOD and cheeseburgers in hand listening to a live band and looking at each other in disbelief at how EASY and quick it was to be "on vacation".

 

Gotta have me more of that, so we are booked on 7 day in April. :D

[kicker]

One of the many reasons I love cruising (besides finding it totally relaxing), is, in all honesty, what's up - by that I mean the sky, the stars. You cannot go any place on land (maybe out West) that I've been to where the stars are so bright - no city lights or other interference. On every cruise I'll spend at least an hour or two lounging on a deck chair, admiring the majesty of it all. SJcruiser mentioned the sunrises and sunsets - try getting up some morn to watch the sunrise, and you'll see what we mean.

[KKMKEM]

Cruising is a great way for families to travel together. As a single mom, I would not have taken my daughter and my mother all over the world by myself on a land trip. We have however done 18 cruises together. We have visited 34 countries including Russia, Iceland, Egypt and Israel. We have a great time and everyone can do what they can physically handle. Also, my only child can make friends and I don't have to pay for them.

[pmfan]

The crew. They are so friendly and attentive.