Are Cruises Still a Great Value?

[JMAE]

I say Cruising is a great value depending on what you want out of your vacation and how flexible you are to your vacation time. Our last cruise was January 2014 the cruise rate for the 7 day cruise was $450pp. That is approximately $130/day for my wife and I. We use to cruise for ports but now we just cruise to unwind and to send time together, so the port stops don't matter. We have noticed some decline but the cruise value is still great in our opinion. We like the food in the MDR, servers and the room attendants.

[mzloolue]

The price is less than it was 30 years ago.

 

The cabin is larger.

The food is more abundant.

And the ocean is still there.

[zephyrhillscruisers]

I just priced Tampa to Las Vegas on Southwest Airlines. The cheapest flight and hotel package is right at $1000.00. You will be herded around like cattle and then crammed into a plane like sardines.

 

Once you arrive in Las Vegas you will be on your own for everything from food to entertainment and that price includes one destination, Las Vegas.

 

For $650.00 I can go on a seven night cruise out of Tampa, a 20 minute drive from my house to the port. That price gets me an unobstructed view balcony, food, four ports and entertainment (I usually find something or someone I like to listen to).

 

If you have ever priced food and drinks in most vacation cities it's not cheap.

 

For me I love the idea that once I get on the ship I am already at my hotel, the vacation has begun. The food on a ship is not gourmet by any means but it works for me.

 

So yes I will say for me personally a cruise is a great vacation bargain, especially having five ports within a four hour drive.

 

 

Glad I ran into this post. I was "what iffing" my way to an off the strip locale and I was already at $1k.

 

$30 per person at any Carnival Steakhouse. Try going into Berns (one of the Bay Areas better eateries) and tell em youll pay only that. The waiters will laugh louder than they have in years.

 

Cruising isn't perfect, but what is? It's better than a land vacation unless someone is cooking for you or picking up part of the tab.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Like everyone else has pretty much said, it is still the best bargain out there vacation wise. With the exception of some special deals you might get for an all inclusive in Jamaica or the Mexican Riviera or something, cruising cannot be beaten for overall value. Even at an ai, you are in one area the whole time and a lot of the places are located in not so nice places and you probably don't want to venture off the resort by yourself. Besides the ship being an attraction and a resort in itself, you go and see different ports pretty much every day for a week or whatever. The food is included, you don't have to drive anywhere, entertainment for all tastes and ages. I refused to cruise for a bunch of years when other friends and family members were doing it because I was unsure of sea sickness, being bored, etc. I was dragged along kicking and screaming back in 2006 on a 4 day sailing from Miami and have been hooked ever since. 13 cruises later and number 14 in a couple weeks. So yes, to me it is worth it. Even amidst all the cutbacks and nickel and diming the lines do now, it still is my favorite kind of vacation.

Edited September 9, 2014 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[pe4all]

We have done all inclusive resorts and cruises, they both work out to about the same price in the end, if you drink some. Best part of cruising is you are not stuck in the same place for a week, we were in Cancun for a week in January earlier this year and it rained everyday, 4 days that basically we were stuck inside the resort and the other days it rained some. On a cruise you hopefully escape the rain if you have it, plus you get to see many places in a week. Service was equally as good on the cruise as the all inclusive, we stay at a higher end, not top end all inclusive and I will give them a higher grade on the food. Entertainment about the same. I believe both are good values but still prefer cruising.

This!! We cruised a bit without kids, then started doing AI's when the kids were little. As soon as they reached around 12 years old, they were charged as adults at the AI's, which literally doubled the price we were paying. Cruising became a better bargain for us, and then we just fell in love with the idea of being in different places during the week. Went to an AI last year, and was bored after 3 days. (luckily were only there for 5) And there are so many cruiselines and ports to visit. How many fire-eaters and limbo dancers can you stand seeing at an AI?:p:D It is now way cheaper for us to get 2 balcony cabins, rather than have 4 of us at an AI. And there are far more activities on a ship!

[Warm Breezes]

There have been numerous threads recently posted about service cuts by CCL and their competitors. In most cases, individuals will reply with the statement that cruise line rates have not gone up, and cruises, especially Carnival's are a better bargain than they have ever been.

 

But is this true. Depends on what you value on a cruise.

 

My wife and I have been cruising for well over twenty years and we have noticed that while the price for a cruise may be the same or even less, the ancillary charges that the cruise line will charge will make the cruise more expensive than advertised. We have found that the more we cruise, the less our ancillary charges are. We no longer purchase a handful of pictures, we don't drink more than 5 alcoholic drinks between the 2 of us for the whole cruise, we don't purchase soda cards, we don't purchase spa services and rarely book tours through the ship. For example:

 

In the past dining in the MDR was excellent with great service, great food and plenty of it. Today, especially with Carnival, food in the MDR is mediocre at best and to get a decent meal who have to pay over $30.00/person to eat in the steak house. We have never paid to eat at the steak house on CCL. We feel we get a great dinner in the MDR and have never felt the desire to have to pay more...especially since I am not a steak eater.

 

The price of drinks have gone steadily up and at the end of a cruise, a bar bill could run several hundred dollars. Since we purchase less than 5 drinks between the 2 of us for an entire cruise, this is a non-issue for us.

 

Carnival used to advertise Broadway Style Shows and entertainment. This is no longer the case with their shows being a poor imitation of what they were in the past. I have never cruised Carnival for the entertainment. Yes we have seen better on Disney, NCL, and Princess....but for what we have paid for our CCL cruises, I have been more than satisfied with the entertainment we have received on CCL.

 

The Cabin Steward was "always there" with excellent service. Today you are lucky if you have ice in the room. We have never had an issue getting ice in our room. I politely ask our room steward at the start and it is always there.

 

Service from all the crew members used to be excellent. But the cruise lines have put more passengers on the ships with fewer cruise members. This has led to a significant decline in the quality of service. We have not noticed a significant decline in the quality of service on any of our cruises.

 

There used to be a Midnight Buffet every night. Getting food on a ship after 10:00 excellent for some select items with room service is now impossible. I recall a midnight buffet one night a week, not every night and I never once made it to one as I was always asleep at that time. I rarely eat that late at night either so I'm not going around looking for food. DH and the kids always seem to find something to snack on.

 

Deck parties have become a way to supplement the ship's income with selling of drinks and drink glasses. I've never once purchased a drink at the deck parties.

 

Ships tours have become much more expensive. So buy independantly. No one is stopping you. Ship tours were always more expensive than purchasing independantly.

 

Tipping used to be for excellent service. Now it is taken our of you account automatically with a significant decline in service. Again I have not noticed a significant decline in service and I personnally prefer the convenience of having it done automatically.

 

Bands with live music used to be all over the ship. Today most music is canned. I keep reading this yet every cruise I have been on has had live music throughout the ship. There have been live music in the shows, in the atrium, outside of the casino, in some of the lounges and at the karaoke.

 

Cruise lines like Carnival are making a record profit. But they have done this at the expense of the consumer. In reality, cruises are no longer the "all-inclusive" vacations that they were in the past. Low prices offered by lines such as Carnival are a vehicle to get individuals to cruise where they have to decide between a "bare bones" experience on pay for additional services. They haven't done it at my expense. I am paying less or close the same and still enjoying everything I liked about cruising when I first started.

 

What do you think. Are cruises still a great value.

To us they absolutely are a great value. In fact every time we take land vacation we come back wishing we had done a cruise instead because the land vacation nickled and dimed us much more than our cruises ever do and we find we enjoy the cruises more and come back more relaxed. I am speaking as someone who just came back from a road trip to Detroit (1D for 3 teen girls and Tigers game for the rest of us), Minneapolis (Mall of America) and Wisconsin Dells. I'm exhausted and need a cruise vacation :) Edited September 9, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[FSRoberts]

I for one am glad they have somewhat unbundled. I'm on a budget, and at old prices, I'd stick to land based options. I'm glad I don't have to pay for stuff I don't use.

 

I only started cruising 2 years ago, and don't miss the stuff that I didn't even know existed. Sure, the food is not 3 star, but it is good enough for me. I thought the stewards are great. Certainly better service than a hotel daily maid.

 

The fact is, the white glove cruising experience is certainly still available. Just hop on another line.

 

My only regret about Carnival is the emphasis on warm weather destinations. Wish they did more Canada, Alaska (including one ways to/from Anchorage rather than Seattle round trips), and NORTHERN Europe.

[bunchesofun]

A six night Disney package cost the same as a 7 night Caribbean cruise and didn't include gas or airfare to get there, or food. We'd much rather cruise for the same money.

[SWSSMH]

For me, personally, I no longer believe cruising is our best deal. My last cruise with Carnival was in February 2013.

 

Our *total* expenses relating to that cruise/vacation were: the base cruise price, plus tax & surcharges, plus gratuity, plus any dining/drinking/entertainment costs.... a flght to FL that included a layover that resulted in breakfast at the airport.... because we're from Eastern Canada, flight delays due to weather are always a possibility so we fly in the day before our cruise.... this results in a hotel plus a couple of meals.... unless a shuttle is provided by the hotel, there are transportation costs from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the port (can't remember specifically for this trip).... once the cruise is underway, there is the optional cost of any excursions..... then a taxi or shuttle back to the airport..... possible meal in the airport on the way home.

 

My last AI to Mexico was just shy of $1,200 pp with a direct flight and they delivered me right to the door of my resort. No additional meal costs, no additional bar costs, no additional transportation costs. I did optional excursions in Mexico the same as I would on a cruise.

 

The only advantage to cruising that I can see at this point is that you visit multiple locations. Depending on what kind of experience I'm looking for, this can be a pro or a con. But for me personally, I'm done cruising for awhile.

[wiskt]

I believe they still are.

I see all these posts about picking apart cutbacks, fewer amenities, less than one's standard of FREEBIES, etc. I guess its all how you want to look at it. Are they cutbacks? or adjustments to keep up with economy & demand?

The OP and others may see or (be looking for) all the negatives. you can nit-pick and point them out all you want, but some day the reality of cruising today just isn't what cruising 20 years ago is needs to settle in. Everything changes and as it becomes more popular something has to give to keep it affordable. People used to Dress up to fly on airplanes & go out to eat. Special occasions are now the norm.

 

I still see as affordable vacation away from my routine work life. Its refreshing to see people smile over the same co-workers with that bland melancholy look on their faces everyday.

- No Driving

- My room is cleaned

- My food is prepared & Served

- Room service whenever I want

- not just one but multiple entertainment options that change daily

- Free movies

- Meeting new people

- Seeing New places

- Experiencing different cultures

 

Is it still worth it? I guess that depends on your standards and what you feel is "expected" -vs- "entitled". Beyond any legit circumstances of extreme stateroom issues, unexpected injuries, weather conditions, etc...... Pretty much everyone I see leaving a cruise (on any cruise line) is smiling, and if they are not it is because they are upset its over.

 

Is it still a bargain?

Book a Disney vacation or a week long vacation with all of the above experiences listed above and make a comparison. Rent the car, get your room cleaned, go out to eat 3-4 times a day, catch a show every night, go to the movies, catch a comedian show, hit the bar, book a side trip. When its all over, get out your calculator, add it all up, consider the extra "valuable vacation time" spent transitioning between everything and COMPARE.

 

Then you have the "All inclusive" argument. One answer.. Ships can move, resorts can not. Its all a gamble with the Weather gods. If it works out that's great! Enjoy it. They have their pluses and negatives as well.

 

My thought is YES Cruising is STILL a great affordable way to vacation... ESPECIALLY for a FAMILY! What is even better is you still have a choice of what type of experience you want on different cruise lines. No one is forcing anyone to book and step on any specific ship. We all can choose our own experience.

 

Once you step off that gangway onto the ship ask yourself what type of experience you want to have.... "expected" -vs- "entitled"??

 

Happy cruising whatever your choice is :)

Edited September 9, 2014 by wiskt