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Is cruising value for money?


AppyAmmer
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As the title asks, are we getting value?

 

My wife and I have booked our first cruise which is going to cost us 5200 pounds. It is also slightly out of season so we could face the potential of only seeing the maximum of 5-7 days of sun of the two weeks. While my wife hates flying it is not out of the question for us to do a short haul flight but it would be literally impossible for us to see as many countries as we could cruising. With the extras that we need to pay out for the cruise as well we are looking at least 6500 pounds for the holiday, at conservative estimates.

 

In comparison I am a big Disney World fan and have priced up a holiday for 2 weeks on International Drive for only 3500 flying premium economy including theme park tickets, meaning even if we spent 2500 pounds on extras it would cost the same. Also in comparison we could go to Italy for 2 weeks in a 5 star hotel to Lake Garda with premium flights in September for 2500 pounds.

 

Of course with this cruise the 1300 pound 'extras' has to pay for parking at Southampton, hotel stay overnight, exursions, more expensive drinks, tips, gifts, any meals off ship at port and any non main dining options on ship. So really we could be looking at least 6500 for this holiday all in.

 

So back to the original question, are we getting value for money when compared to other holidays?

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You fail to detail which cruise line, which ship, length of sailing, what type of cabin you have booked.

 

How can we express an opinion with no facts?

 

Of course, i didnt think as it was just a general question about cruising as my wife adn I are starting to question its value. Its Celebrity Silhouette, 13 nights, consiege class. As I say, it was more a general question about value with cruising

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Of course, i didnt think as it was just a general question about cruising as my wife adn I are starting to question its value. Its Celebrity Silhouette, 13 nights, consiege class. As I say, it was more a general question about value with cruising

 

Al I can add is that we are seasoned cruisers on several cruise lines and last year we did a 9 day on the Silhouette our first cruise on Celebrity and loved it

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As the title asks, are we getting value?

 

My wife and I have booked our first cruise which is going to cost us 5200 pounds. It is also slightly out of season so we could face the potential of only seeing the maximum of 5-7 days of sun of the two weeks. While my wife hates flying it is not out of the question for us to do a short haul flight but it would be literally impossible for us to see as many countries as we could cruising. With the extras that we need to pay out for the cruise as well we are looking at least 6500 pounds for the holiday, at conservative estimates.

 

In comparison I am a big Disney World fan and have priced up a holiday for 2 weeks on International Drive for only 3500 flying premium economy including theme park tickets, meaning even if we spent 2500 pounds on extras it would cost the same. Also in comparison we could go to Italy for 2 weeks in a 5 star hotel to Lake Garda with premium flights in September for 2500 pounds.

 

Of course with this cruise the 1300 pound 'extras' has to pay for parking at Southampton, hotel stay overnight, exursions, more expensive drinks, tips, gifts, any meals off ship at port and any non main dining options on ship. So really we could be looking at least 6500 for this holiday all in.

 

So back to the original question, are we getting value for money when compared to other holidays?

 

For me, the "extra" value is that you're on a ship. That makes it a very different vacation and I think you should try it at least once.

 

However Lake Garda is close to beautiful cities. If it's for 2 weeks, and you aren't infected by the "cruise bug" yet, that's a very nice alternative.

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I think that to determine "value", you have to compare apples to apples. Comparing a cruise to Disney World is not a valid comparison, in my mind. You have to decide what you want to do, and then compare the cost of a cruise to various countries versus flying to those countries, hotels, meals, cabs, etc, etc. If you want to do Disney, then compare it to another theme park vacation, or an all-inclusive resort vacation. Only you can determine which vacation is of "value" to you.

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I find that I am happy in an inside cabin, and if I can get it for less than $100 us per day I am happy. All meals are included so I don't have to worry about that.

 

You have booked a VERY expensive cruise. Did you look into other cruise lines and see what they have to offer?

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It is hard to answer such a broad question with a single stroke. My pp per day cost varies widely with different cruises both by style and destination. Some places are much more attractive as land based trips, but even there costs vary depending on level of hotel, types of meals, etc. My next cruise in June is to the Norwegian fjords. It is incrementally more expensive than my last Caribbean cruise but it is a spot more amenable to cruising than driving for what I want to see. If the cruise you have booked goes to places you want to see then it has value. Only you can decide how much compared to other vacations.

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It depends on several things, including cabin and time of year; we pay around £5,000 for both of us to sail 28 days Southampton-Caribbean-Southampton; tips for both of us are almost £400... but that is in a carefully researched inside with an outside exit nearby, or an obstructed outside, and in January. Often it will include parking or coach fare, and usually some on board credit. Obviously it would cost more for a balcony or suite.

We went on a repositioning cruise earlier this year for a very low price indeed, including coach down and flight back... but that came about by checking emails with special offers... there are bargains about, especially if you are a little flexible with your time.

Hotels in Southampton offer B&B and 15 days parking for under £200, if you check the websites.

It all depends on the ship, the line; the cabin and the time of year... some lines are dear, but hopefully will offer more things to your taste.

Enjoy! :)

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Value to YOU depends on what's important! The cabins on a ship are nowhere NEAR the size of a hotel room, unless you book a suite of some sort...they are tight.

Drink prices are about what sporting arenas or Disney would charge..which is exorbitant....but if you're on land, you can go "off-site" and get reasonably priced drinks...or stock your hotel room with the booze of your choice....unlike on a cruise!

Do the ports interest you? If so, you won't get that on a land-based vacation. On land, you're pretty much stuck in one place...on a ship, you will travel to someplace different daily.

Food...ship's food is mediocre anymore. Used to be fantastic...but not so much today. If you're happy with chain restaurants, then you'll do ok on a cruise....plenty of food...just nothing really memorable.

A lot of folks will say tipping is an issue, and I know "Brits" don't typically tip, but at Disneyworld, surely you tipped your waiters, and the housekeeper in your hotel...same on a ship. Those folks expect to be tipped, unless that's included in your fare. If you book in the UK, then it's included...otherwise, plan to tip.

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As the title asks, are we getting value?

 

My wife and I have booked our first cruise which is going to cost us 5200 pounds. It is also slightly out of season so we could face the potential of only seeing the maximum of 5-7 days of sun of the two weeks. While my wife hates flying it is not out of the question for us to do a short haul flight but it would be literally impossible for us to see as many countries as we could cruising. With the extras that we need to pay out for the cruise as well we are looking at least 6500 pounds for the holiday, at conservative estimates.

 

In comparison I am a big Disney World fan and have priced up a holiday for 2 weeks on International Drive for only 3500 flying premium economy including theme park tickets, meaning even if we spent 2500 pounds on extras it would cost the same. Also in comparison we could go to Italy for 2 weeks in a 5 star hotel to Lake Garda with premium flights in September for 2500 pounds.

 

Of course with this cruise the 1300 pound 'extras' has to pay for parking at Southampton, hotel stay overnight, exursions, more expensive drinks, tips, gifts, any meals off ship at port and any non main dining options on ship. So really we could be looking at least 6500 for this holiday all in.

 

So back to the original question, are we getting value for money when compared to other holidays?

In my opinion there is nothing better than cruising.You can eat 24/7 if you so desire .Shows every evening .Non stop activities all day long.

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While I like to joke that cruses are summer camp for adults, the better analogy is that it is a floating hotel. You only have to unpack/pack once, and the meals are the non-premium restaurants are included. It's a great way to sample the ports.

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It used to be a great value. Now, I feel they've cut quality and services and added enough nickel and dime stuff that it's not really.

 

That said, what's your Disney World breakdown? I ran a quick check and the cheapest I found is $5600 without flights during what I know is one of their slowest times. But that's with hotel, food, and tickets. Cheapest hotel available, which doesn't quite compare to the level of cabin on most cruise lines due to the service you get from having a room steward instead of hotel housekeeping. Food, in general, would be much lower at Disney World as well. If you don't stay onsite (I'm not familiar with International Drive), you don't get the early Fastpass booking times which would lock you out a LOT even if you've got 2 weeks to space things out.

 

Disney is kind of an outlier though. I agree with the general premise that it's getting kind of pricey. But, provided you choose the right line, you'll have entertainment taken care of, travel to multiple locations taken care of, and fine dining all taken care of too. There's a convenience factor that's hard to compare. That's why I still like cruising, despite it's lowering value. Being stuck in one spot is a different type of vacation.

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You need to add in the value of 3 meals a day and entertainment. Yes, my family could have done a 4 day Disney trip way back when instead of a 4 day cruise but to do it for the same amount of money we would have been in a budget hotel, eating at fast food chains, and entertainment at night would be board games/TV/cards. On the 4 day cruise the kids got to eat food they normally wouldn't have the chance to eat (one son fell in love with escargot) and they got to see some islands they wouldn't have seen, a different one each day. So yes, I think cruise lines offer a good value, especially for families.

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I think that to determine "value", you have to compare apples to apples. Comparing a cruise to Disney World is not a valid comparison, in my mind. You have to decide what you want to do, and then compare the cost of a cruise to various countries versus flying to those countries, hotels, meals, cabs, etc, etc. If you want to do Disney, then compare it to another theme park vacation, or an all-inclusive resort vacation. Only you can determine which vacation is of "value" to you.

 

I used Disney as an example for a few reasons. Reason is that it was the last 'big' holiday I went on and used it to compare the amount of entertainment available. There is no doubt that the holiday would be completely different experience but none the less, it is not cheap to do but still cheaper than a cruise. In that context, is it value going on a cruise. I also compared to an all inclusive holiday and that too was coming in cheaper than the cruise, a little less than a Disney holiday in fact. With regards to seeing these countries how much are you really going to see anyway on a cruise? There is no way you could see everything in the time you are in port even if you rush around.

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I find that I am happy in an inside cabin, and if I can get it for less than $100 us per day I am happy. All meals are included so I don't have to worry about that.

 

You have booked a VERY expensive cruise. Did you look into other cruise lines and see what they have to offer?

 

Without appearing snobbish, I cannot imagine going on a cruise ship and not having a balcony with sea air to wake up too. Yes we did look into other cruise lines and have changed. We were booked on a Royal Carribean cruise but had not seen the newer itineary on Celebrity which we felt was far nicer. Could you argue that in your reply the amount we are paying is NOT value for money and that it is only value for money if you do an inside cabin?

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It is hard to answer such a broad question with a single stroke. My pp per day cost varies widely with different cruises both by style and destination. Some places are much more attractive as land based trips, but even there costs vary depending on level of hotel, types of meals, etc. My next cruise in June is to the Norwegian fjords. It is incrementally more expensive than my last Caribbean cruise but it is a spot more amenable to cruising than driving for what I want to see. If the cruise you have booked goes to places you want to see then it has value. Only you can decide how much compared to other vacations.

 

In this context, it is value for money. These are places we definately want to see and in fact this is the only way we will get to visit Madeira (Never flying in!)

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I'm not seeing the cost of meals for the Italy vacation, or the Disney visit. That's included in your cruise. If you choose to eat in extra pay restaurants, that's not part of the value...EM

 

Italy was full board and Disney would only require perhaps some drinks at theme parks, parking etc. I think I mentioned that in the OP and that there would be at least 2500 pounds for those extras at Disney. So are you saying its only value if you eat at the inclusive dining options?

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It used to be a great value. Now, I feel they've cut quality and services and added enough nickel and dime stuff that it's not really.

 

That said, what's your Disney World breakdown? I ran a quick check and the cheapest I found is $5600 without flights during what I know is one of their slowest times. But that's with hotel, food, and tickets. Cheapest hotel available, which doesn't quite compare to the level of cabin on most cruise lines due to the service you get from having a room steward instead of hotel housekeeping. Food, in general, would be much lower at Disney World as well. If you don't stay onsite (I'm not familiar with International Drive), you don't get the early Fastpass booking times which would lock you out a LOT even if you've got 2 weeks to space things out.

 

Disney is kind of an outlier though. I agree with the general premise that it's getting kind of pricey. But, provided you choose the right line, you'll have entertainment taken care of, travel to multiple locations taken care of, and fine dining all taken care of too. There's a convenience factor that's hard to compare. That's why I still like cruising, despite it's lowering value. Being stuck in one spot is a different type of vacation.

 

The Disney breakdown is one of the Rosen Inn hotels on I-drive. (My fave hotels as they were perfectly located when I went 20 years ago!) The price was coming in at 3500 pounds/$4700. (I dont appear to have a pound sign on my laptop!) That was travelling out of season in January and one seat up from cattle class. It is a pretty basic room so in that context its comparable to a cabin on a ship.

 

Celebrity appears to be the right line for us, the entertainment looks good, the fact we can visit so many places is a massive thing but in the end, the convenience is arguably the best selling point.

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You need to add in the value of 3 meals a day and entertainment. Yes, my family could have done a 4 day Disney trip way back when instead of a 4 day cruise but to do it for the same amount of money we would have been in a budget hotel, eating at fast food chains, and entertainment at night would be board games/TV/cards. On the 4 day cruise the kids got to eat food they normally wouldn't have the chance to eat (one son fell in love with escargot) and they got to see some islands they wouldn't have seen, a different one each day. So yes, I think cruise lines offer a good value, especially for families.

 

In this context I would argue you do get some value. As a couple the relevance of this for us, our entertainment will be shows, bars, meals generally relaxing. In regards of the foods, there is no doubt I will personally be trying foods I have never thought to try or had the opportunity to try. Without being worried that I had to finish the meal even if I disliked it. (Although I hate wasting food!) As others have replied, the fact you get to see so many countries really does add value but I supposed it could be argued how much are you really able to see? In that regards, is it value?

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Like beauty, true value is in the eye of the beholder. Of course, the tremendous expansion of the cruise market indicates that very many people think that cruising gives good return on their vacation dollar. When you look at transportation, meals and entertainment - in addition to seeing new places, it is hard to find a lower daily cost.

 

However, having cruised a fair amount - we now are inclined to look more at the transportation facet - most of our cruises now are one way - as ways to get to, or return from, some place we want to visit. But that is itself a major value factor: a dozen or so leisurely days in comfort is preferable to a dozen cramped hours in a plane.

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As the title asks, are we getting value?

 

I don't know. No, I'm not being flippant; my first cruise is upcoming in July. I'm a simple guy; we have a pop-up tent trailer and I'm content to travel all around the US in it and have a ball camping in the woods. But we've also taken higher-end vacations, Hawaii, the UK, Russia).

 

But, a cruise, specifically Alaska is something I've always wanted to do, but always got outvoted by my kids on vacations other than camping. But, the youngest is 20 and not coming, so, my bride and I are doing what I want this time. (Alaska is also unique in that ship or plane is the only way to get to some of the places we are visiting.)

 

Is it a good value? I don't know. It's certainly more expensive than any vacation I've taken before (even the UK for four last summer). But I'm willing to try it and see. I think that I won't be able to answer that question until we have disembarked. If we decide to do it again, then yes, it was. If we opt not to, then it wasn't of enough value to us.

 

But here's the thing. You could go on the exact same cruise as us, and on debarkation day, we could purchase credit toward a future cruise and you could say, "meh" and not bother again. And that's fine; different people are different and have different likes and dislikes.

 

I know it's a lame answer, but I think it's honest. Value is in the eye of the purchaser.

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