Cost of med cruise

[luvscruising2007]

Hi, all!

We are thinking about booking a Med cruise for Sept 2012 or 2013. The cruise fares themselves seem reasonable, especially if you book an inside.

I was just wondering if you have taken a Med cruise, what total expense of

the trip was. I know there are alot of variables but looking for a ball park

figure.

Any help is appreciated.

[Keith1010]

The two big expenses will be the flight so as you look at itineraries be sure to see what the cost might be to get to and from the cities and your home city and the ease of doing this. Also I highly recommend arriving a day or more before to not only get over the jet lag but to ensure that a flight delay or cancellation will not cause you to miss the ship so factor in hotel costs and food. Finally, one of the biggest expenses are the shore excursions so you need to budget for this. It is hard to give an estimate for all of this but if you look at airline fares, look up hotels, add money in for food, and then create a budget for excursions and then a misc budget that wil give you an idea.

 

Keith

[jocap]

This depends so much on the cruise line you take. We find that NCL normally have good deals, but are expensive on board, so it evens out. The middle players, such as RCI, Princess etc, seem to be much of a muchness in prices on board. The Italian lines- MSC, Costa, don't always have long visits at the ports, being more for people who want the sea time.

These days we travel with lines which are either all inclusive- Thomsons, or with lower bar prices- P&O- or go with the very basic lines such as Louis. If you want to save money on visits, research on here or with guide books from your library.

Jo.

[Cygneagile]

Excursions on a Med cruise can be quite costly. We spend between 400 to 500 US dollars on these. Not counting Air fare, tips and shopping and drinks. The Casino is another chapter all together. So depending on your ports of call. You will need to set down a list of things you want to do and add up the cost. If you can book your excursion on line prior to your sailing do so. This way they are charged to your CC and are paid before you go. Just a good tip we like to use.

[6rugrats]

Impossible to give you a figure, but you'll spend much more than on a Caribbean or Mexican cruise if only because of the airfare cost. Also, depends on the strength/weakness of the dollar when you travel as far as off the ship costs.

 

We've been on three Med cruises, and never booked a ship's excursion yet. You can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. There's a Ports of Call section here, and you can look at posts there to see what's available and how to do it on your own.

[operafan]

We also factor in airport parking, cost of kenneling ours dogs etc. I also agree with Rugrats about excursions. We've only done one ship's excursion. In Rome and Florence we've gone with private tours (around 500 Euro for the day) but we've done all the other ports on our own.

[MCC retired]

You will find the initial cost of your Med. cruise booking, may be the least expensive segment of your vacation.

Airfare from North America is $$$$$$$ and it is not an optional expense:eek:

(unless you are using miles).

Onboard expenses and shore tours are can eat up more $$$ but you have some control of those .;)

[chipmaster]

Europe is doable on a shoe string but you'll need to decide if it is a value so doing

 

1) Inside cabin runs 800-1100 depending on the cruiseline and length

2) Airfare will run 800-1500 depending on carrier, class, connections and when you book

3) You certainly want to fly in a day early and perhaps a stay a few extra days to adjust and see the sights in your embarkation/disembarkation port. Figure 100-200 / night easily for hotel.

4) Food in port can be expensive easily 1.5x the US. Could spend 30 / day or 100 / day depending on your tastes.

5) You are going to want to get the most out of the ports. Some are very easy to negotiate on your own, others the main attractions are far from port and require train-taxi or private-cruiseline tour. You can easily spend 150-200 / person here.

6) Gratuities and onboard spending become a small portion of the above.

 

Budget carefully as the cruise cost pro rated day was not the most expensive thing and we don't drink, gamble or spend much on the ship.

If there is one thing worth skimping on you picked the right one, the room, inside is the best value!

 

Happy planning!

 

Hi, all!

We are thinking about booking a Med cruise for Sept 2012 or 2013. The cruise fares themselves seem reasonable, especially if you book an inside.

I was just wondering if you have taken a Med cruise, what total expense of

the trip was. I know there are alot of variables but looking for a ball park

figure.

Any help is appreciated.

[25years2gether]

We (hubby and I) did it for under $6000 including airfare, 2 extra nights in Rome, inner stateroom, excursions and spending money. The first time you go to the med, you will probably spend more on excursions since you will want to see certain things at least once, i.e. the Vatican, Pompeii, etc. We did all private tours with people we met on cruise critic and did Athens, Rome (just hired private tour guide for the Vatican) and Katakolon on our own (all very doable with the wonderful information under Ports of Call section). Our most expensive day was either Istanbul or Naples (Pompeii (private tour guide), Sorrento, Positano). I believe Carnival is returning to the Mediterranean next year as well. One more thing. If you are trying to save money, bed and breakfasts are great (try trip advisor (dot) com. I found that by flying in on a Thursday, I found flights to be $400 cheaper which more than covered two nights in a b&b plus all the extra meals.

[GlendaleCruiser]

On the Dream last year I spent (ballpark):

$600 pre-cruise for 3 nights in Rome (shared a room) this included transport from airport to hotel and hotel to cruise ship and two tours while in Rome

$1200 airfare from Phoenix

$1000 cruise fare (inside cabin)

$600 excursions

$300 Euro for shopping and tips

$300 on my S&S (I don't drink much but I bought souvenirs on board)

 

 

So, about $4,000 per person.

[cruising to paradise]

We are plannig a mediterranean cruise next year and I am trying to save around $9,000. it will be a 12 night with 1 or 2 days pre-cruise in Barcelona. Its alot but the trip of a life time for our 40th anniversary

[luvscruising2007]

Thanks for all of the responses. I was afraid I would get the answers I did because of some of the research I had already done. And as someone said, I had figured $4000 pp.

It would be a once in a lifetime trip and I don't won't to have to be too stingey. So, will keep saving and wait until 2012.

I had seen an RC cruise today for a guarantee inside for only $999 pp.

I could have swung that but all of the other expenses make it not possible right now.

Oh well, research and planning are most of the fun.

Thanks again everyone.

[EGG]

Here is a link to my review from 2005. Towards the end I included a complete budget which is difficult to read because the website reformatted it. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=16755

[luvscruising2007]

Here is a link to my review from 2005. Towards the end I included a complete budget which is difficult to read because the website reformatted it. http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=16755

 

EGG I appreciate your link for your detailed review. I am not sure we would be up for all of the walking but I am excited about the prospect of this cruise.

Thank you.