Cruising is changing and I am truly HAPPY!

[VASOXFANN]

Cruising is changing and I for one am truly happy. I first saw the Love Boat in 1983 and thought cruising was about wealth, grandeur and elegance. The grandeur has remained, the elegance still exists but the wealth has disappeared. Most vacations can be expensive but cruising still makes it possible to enjoy something special without breaking the bank. I don’t recall some of the things that are no longer apart of cruise package. I haven’t been fortunate enough to be cruising as long or as often. I know thanks to the change, I can enjoy this vacation while I am younger, in fairly decent health, and most important with my school age children. In 20 years maybe I will be complaining that the second lobster is no longer for free. Maybe I will still be saying though the second lobster cost $14.95 and extra butter .95, I still blessed because I can still afford to share the experience with yet another generation…my grandkids. If I can no longer afford it or it has lost its value, I will still be happy for the times that I did. Disneyland has lost its appeal and value to me, but I still remember the fist time my daughter Mikki, saw Mickey:D.

 

The only time one should not expect change is from a vending machine. These changes work for me but I know not for everyone.

 

Pauline

 

Great post! I agree 100%

[xpcdoojk]

Barbara, I am pretty current on what it costs to go to Europe. Airfare dependant on where you fly from, where I live it is around $1000-1200 minimum, where you live maybe half that. We stayed in about a dozen different hotels ranging from a grand hotel to a small family owned bed and breakfast. The cheapest nights stays were around $100 the most expensive was about $350. We ate lunch most days at the local COOP stores (think department stores with Groceries) as a picnic. So $10 or so. Gas was last summer from $8 to $10 a gallon. Dinner was typically a full meal at the nicest restaurants we could find (not Michelin 5 star) and was from $80 to $150. Parking was usually $20 a day at most hotels, although some were free in the countryside. Breakfast is generally included and can be really really good (the $350 a night place in St Moritz was spectacular with a nice champagne) to enough to get you started for the day. On a cruise excursions are extremely expensive, but there are alternatives to the cruiseline excursions. Generally, excursions on your own are better and cheaper, although there are exceptions. Short train trips between european cities can be reasonable to pricey, spent about $80 a person between Frankfurt and Stuttgart on the high speed ICE train. Spent about $15 last year on the megatrain from London to Southampton (these deals require a lot more work!). If you don't cruise during the peak season on the Med you can get some terrific values. I like both kinds of European trips.

 

jc

[hazeleyez3]

WELL SAID. If you do a meditteranean cruise you spend a thousand on air: 1800-2000 for your cabin: 200-300 tips: and approximately 200 a day for tours. If that's cheap boy am I out of it.

 

You are correct, that is not cheap; however, I have a girlfriend who is going on a Med cruise in August this year..

 

The 7 day itinerary is Barcelona, Valletta, Naples, Rome/Civitavecchia, Livorno, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Barcelona

They have a balcony cabin, will be flying from DC to Barcelona the day before and will stay in a 3* for 1 night, and have 3 excursions planned. Total cost was around $5200.

They priced out a land vacation, and the cost of the flight and airfare alone was around $4200. This doesn't include the food, drinks (you can stick with free ones on the ship), entertainment, and multiple cities.

 

I realize Transatlantics are a bit cheaper; however, the 13 night one I am going on will get me to a few places in Portugal, Spain, and England. For one couple...

Cruise itself: $2700

Total for Airfare: $1000 (the total for two people going to West Palm Beach from Baltimore, as well as the flight from London to DC)

Fl hotel: Free - used points

London hotel: $250

We usually have a tab less than $100 on the ship. Now it might be higher given that tips are twice amount, so lets say $300.

Excursions: $400

Rental Car: $100

Our TA is also giving us $200 obc, totabag, champagne and chocolates.

 

So... for a 13 day its costing us a little less than $5000, which includes 4 plane tickets, meals, and drinks (we aren't soda drinkers and bypass the alcohol), 2 hotel rooms, 1 cabin, entertainment, visit multiple cities, and take some excursions. On top of that we get some "goodies" from the TA.

I realize everybody's wallet is different, but for me that isn't that bad a deal...especially since I could make payments throughout the year I booked.

[04cruises]

My wife and I have a different way of looking at it.Although cruising is still a good value,it is quickly losing it's edge.At $100pp with no add ons,it wins.But at $100pp, you can stay on land and do just as well eating and staying in a hotel.And have a larger room.You still do get from one place to another and have a great view but if the cruise lines keep adding charges it will no longer be a great value.

[karena1]

To the OP - I SOOOO agree with you. To us, there is nothing like cruising. We do enjoy our land vacations now also, but cruising is just a part of our lifes. There have been no changes over the last 15 years that would ever cause us to stop. We love Royal Caribbean and have made that our cruise line of choice. Perks are great - but we cruised before we got them, have enjoyed them while there were here, and will continue to cruise if they do away with them. Food has never been a be all to end all for us, and we both think the food on the ships is incredible (especially the sugar free PP cookies!!!).

 

Ships are gorgeous, staff is great, I don't have to cook or clean (okay I don't do that now:D), someone waits on me, I get to go to fabulous islands and lay on a different beach every day while on the cruise - life just doesn't get any better!

 

We feel wonderfully blessed that we can take all the cruises we do. Hopefully, we have many many more years of cruising in fruit of us

 

30 more days til the next one on Monarch!

[petesweet]

Cruising is changing and I for one am truly happy. I first saw the Love Boat in 1983 and thought cruising was about wealth, grandeur and elegance. The grandeur has remained, the elegance still exists but the wealth has disappeared. Most vacations can be expensive but cruising still makes it possible to enjoy something special without breaking the bank. I don’t recall some of the things that are no longer apart of cruise package. I haven’t been fortunate enough to be cruising as long or as often. I know thanks to the change, I can enjoy this vacation while I am younger, in fairly decent health, and most important with my school age children. In 20 years maybe I will be complaining that the second lobster is no longer for free. Maybe I will still be saying though the second lobster cost $14.95 and extra butter .95, I still blessed because I can still afford to share the experience with yet another generation…my grandkids. If I can no longer afford it or it has lost its value, I will still be happy for the times that I did. Disneyland has lost its appeal and value to me, but I still remember the fist time my daughter Mikki, saw Mickey:D.

 

The only time one should not expect change is from a vending machine. These changes work for me but I know not for everyone.

 

Pauline

 

I like your outlook, Pauline. I love to cruise, and it would take a lot to ruin my cruising experience. May you have many more cruises in your future.

[petesweet]

My wife and I have a different way of looking at it.Although cruising is still a good value,it is quickly losing it's edge.At $100pp with no add ons,it wins.But at $100pp, you can stay on land and do just as well eating and staying in a hotel.And have a larger room.You still do get from one place to another and have a great view but if the cruise lines keep adding charges it will no longer be a great value.

 

Ahh, but to me it's an energy thing (and I don't mean FUEL). I don't need to haul myself from place to place, go out to go to a program at night, decide where to eat.

 

Three more days!!!

[abridalmaven]

Barbara, I am pretty current on what it costs to go to Europe. Airfare dependant on where you fly from, where I live it is around $1000-1200 minimum, where you live maybe half that. We stayed in about a dozen different hotels ranging from a grand hotel to a small family owned bed and breakfast. The cheapest nights stays were around $100 the most expensive was about $350. We ate lunch most days at the local COOP stores (think department stores with Groceries) as a picnic. So $10 or so. Gas was last summer from $8 to $10 a gallon. Dinner was typically a full meal at the nicest restaurants we could find (not Michelin 5 star) and was from $80 to $150. Parking was usually $20 a day at most hotels, although some were free in the countryside. Breakfast is generally included and can be really really good (the $350 a night place in St Moritz was spectacular with a nice champagne) to enough to get you started for the day. On a cruise excursions are extremely expensive, but there are alternatives to the cruiseline excursions. Generally, excursions on your own are better and cheaper, although there are exceptions. Short train trips between european cities can be reasonable to pricey, spent about $80 a person between Frankfurt and Stuttgart on the high speed ICE train. Spent about $15 last year on the megatrain from London to Southampton (these deals require a lot more work!). If you don't cruise during the peak season on the Med you can get some terrific values. I like both kinds of European trips.

 

jc

Yes, it is costly. My sis spent a month in Italy, one week staying ith family, the other 3 renting apartments in 3 different areas and cooking most of their own meals. That was July, started making payments towards it the year before and are still paying it off. This of course was a trip of a lifetime. However, I think all of my trips and cruises combined over the last few years did not total what they spent.

[Debde]

You just cann't beat waking up every morning on a different Island/country and seeing as much as the world as you can.

Life's too short. Do and see as much as you can in your life time. And do it with a smile. :D

[kooljamming]

My wife and I have a different way of looking at it.Although cruising is still a good value,it is quickly losing it's edge.At $100pp with no add ons,it wins.But at $100pp, you can stay on land and do just as well eating and staying in a hotel.And have a larger room.You still do get from one place to another and have a great view but if the cruise lines keep adding charges it will no longer be a great value.

 

We continue to experience fantastic land vacations. We camped in the desert for $40 per night. We viewed breathtaking cliffs and sunsets in Jamaica and Niagara Falls. Also discovered the amazing Ruins (Chichen Itza, Tulum) and cenotes/sinkholes in Mexico. None makes me feel more blessed than sitting on deck (soon balcony) with my overpriced foo-foo drinks or more beautiful that wearing my gown on formal night. Where else can I pay $24.95 for a photo that makes me look 29 all over again, for the ## time. I enjoyed the food but let's face my favorite restaurant still accepts coupons. I will never forget the look on my son's face the first time he tried escargot or the shock on mine when he continued to order it for the rest of the cruise:D .

[kooljamming]

Ahh, but to me it's an energy thing (and I don't mean FUEL). I don't need to haul myself from place to place, go out to go to a program at night, decide where to eat.

 

Three more days!!!

 

 

Have a great trip. Thirty six more days for us. We are celebrating our 15th anniversary and renewing our vows. This is our first vacation without the kids so I am feeling a little guilty. I am sure the moment I step on the balcony it will disappear.