Is cruising really a great value travel option?

[calliopecruiser]

56 minutes ago, adelaidefc said:

There were some prices above for hotel prices that are well beyond what I've paid for great lodging.

It's also very location and time dependant......a 5 star, highly rated hotel in downtown Boston for one night next May is over $1000 a night, but a 5 star hotel for the same night in Lisbon is about $300 a night, and a 5 star hotel on Copacabana beach in Rio for the same night is about $500.   But the rates drop by half for a February night in Boston, and by a third for the same February night in Lisbon.   It's both kind of fascinating and frustrating.

 

I too love the planning, and I've been working on my month in Italy (this October) for many months, choosing where and how often to travel, and where to stay.  Should I get a transit card, should I get a multi-museum card, which language app should I get, etc.  It's half the fun!

[navybankerteacher]

12 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

It's also very location and time dependant......a 5 star, highly rated hotel in downtown Boston for one night next May is over $1000 a night, but a 5 star hotel for the same night in Lisbon is about $300 a night, and a 5 star hotel on Copacabana beach in Rio for the same night is about $500.   But the rates drop by half for a February night in Boston, and by a third for the same February night in Lisbon.   It's both kind of fascinating and frustrating.

 

I too love the planning, and I've been working on my month in Italy (this October) for many months, choosing where and how often to travel, and where to stay.  Should I get a transit card, should I get a multi-museum card, which language app should I get, etc.  It's half the fun!

Re: your other post - talking about cruising over and flying back.  If you are talking about October in Italy, there are very few T/A’s to take you over (Cunard to Southampton is probably only option) while there are many T/A repositionings Rome to Florida in late October early November time period - at much lower cost than Cunard.

[calliopecruiser]

43 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you are talking about October in Italy, there are very few T/A’s to take you over

As it happens, my October trip to Italy is a land only trip -- fly in and out of Rome, and spend the month exploring Italy, with train trips between the cities where I'll be hanging my hat.  I just used it as an example of a long trip that gave me extra enjoyment in the planning. 

[Warm Breezes]

IMHO whether you travel by air, land, or sea, what you spend is dependent upon what you want out of your vacation.  Plus whether or not what you spend on your vacation is considered a “great value” is very subjective based on your own financial situation.  I’ve had both land and sea vacations that I have considered to be be “great values”.  I’ve also had both land and sea vacations that I splurged and wasn’t looking for value as much as I was looking for something else out of our vacation.  Having said that my favorite vacations are ones where I can mix land and sea, value vacation or not.

[sverigecruiser]

5 hours ago, clo said:

In March we did a Norwegian coastal cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes.  I can't imagine doing that by land.  Just saying.  And I'm not an indiscriminate cruise fan.

 

My GPS say that Kirkenes is 17 hours away by car so I still think that's accessible. I know that it's not the same thing to arrive from the sea but that's true for almost every destination.

[clo]

33 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

My GPS say that Kirkenes is 17 hours away by car so I still think that's accessible. I know that it's not the same thing to arrive from the sea but that's true for almost every destination.

Thanks.  From where to where?  I'm open to suggestions.  So maybe we could cruise up and then do ??? something on the return? Suggestions?

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Thanks.  From where to where?  I'm open to suggestions.  So maybe we could cruise up and then do ??? something on the return? Suggestions?

 

17 hours is from Gävle to Kirkenes.

 

Maybe you can take Inlandsbanan from Gällivare to Kristinehamn?

 

It's not complicated to get from Kirkenes to Gällivare if you are an experienced traveller. The easiest way is by car but then you have to rent it in Norway and return it in Sweden so I don't know if that's an option. It's also possible to do it with bus, train and airplane.

[babs135]

Surely it all depends upon what you want from your holiday?  We are extremely fortunate to have visited Australia 4 times, twice as a land based holiday and twice by ship.  Obviously the land holiday gave us a much more in depth view of the country but we also thoroughly enjoyed the experience of cruising.  Not had the chance to put the two together, but who knows?!!  😀

[DirtyDawg]

Is cruising really a great value travel option?

It can be. And sometimes it is not a great value travel option.

Most of our cruising has been as a winter getaway to somewhere warm vacation. For the past few years the combination of flight and cruise pricing has not been competitive with AI pricing with airfares included. We could do cheaper cruising by choosing interior cabins, rather than balcony cabins, but I wouldn't stay at an AI in a windowless room so that's a non-starter for us. We both prefer cruising and always look at a cruise first but the cost differential lately has been too large to ignore. We need a good recession to kick the heck out of cruise pricing!!😀

 

 

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[navybankerteacher]

Until about a dozen or so years ago we saw cruising as a “great value travel option” because of what you got for what was essentially an all-included fare—- which covered good accommodations, good food, good entertainment, and good travel (ports visited).

 

While the basic fare has not gone up that much, what it included has gone down: food, entertainment (we prefer good live music to glitzy productions in crowded show rooms), and the ports visited are repeats, and much more crowded,  reducing the value of that aspect as well.  

 

Particularly in in our case, now that we have more time and the experience to find less expensive, and newer (to us) land based alternatives, we see much greater value in land travel. 

 

Of course, being at sea has its own irreplaceable value, so we will continue to cruise occasionally —- but more for the transportation aspect than the shipboard value.

[iancal]

We have grown a little tired of cruising.  Now we primarily do longer land trips. Independent and spontaneous.  We will consider a last minute cruise mid trip as a bit of a break.  Also doing more AI’s. Besides, cruises do not go to many of the places on our bucket lists.  When they do, a short excursion does not satisfy us.

 

We find that cruise prices are up in some areas like the Med.  Product quality and value (for us) have decreased.

 

[Velvetwater]

 

I often compare it to all inclusive prices and say yes it is. Although I would never book all inclusive resorts as the thought of staying in one place for a week is not for me.

 

Even without that comparison it is good value when you think that once you are on the ship, its all sorted as you unpack and visit destinations while still partying on the way. Time is money and I love training across Europe and the like but some things can be very time costing.

 

I think you do have to be clever with it though. Search for bargains/package and not pay too much for your cabin. We never book balconies for example as on a 13 day cruise a balcony upgrade costs the same as a break in Europe for us.

[K32682]

Cruises are a reasonable travel option for remote places that are otherwise hard to reach or have limited infrastructure.  Cruises are a good option for the hesitant traveller who is uncertain about managing in foreign places or to take chances on local accommodation and food.  The less adventuresome are willing to accept rigidity and inflexibility in return for predictability, reliability and an increased perception of security and comfort when cruising.  

 

Cruising is also a great option for those who are less mobile, older and those who can no longer manage the demands of independent travel. 

[clo]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

Cruises are a good option for the hesitant traveller who is uncertain about managing in foreign places or to take chances on local accommodation and food.  The less adventuresome are willing to accept rigidity and inflexibility in return for predictability, reliability and an increased perception of security and comfort when cruising.  

From my observation I find this to be true also.  That's why we (have likely) stopped escorted tours.  Rigid, inflexible.  And we're 'only' in our early 70s so still able to get around on our own.  Thanks for your post.

[adelaidefc]

In addition to the great comments above I tend to forget that the bulk of forum members here are stateside where annual leave seems to be a bit less than most of the rest of the world. In Aus we're somewhere in the mid range but we still tend to get 4 weeks per year plus in some jobs after 10 years you'll get 3 months long service leave.

I imagine if you're like me and like to stay somewhere between 3-7 days in a place it makes it hard to see much else if you only get a couple of weeks off.

Of course we have to factor in 24 hours of travel each way to Europe or US so that balances a bit!

 

[Dani24]

I agree that a few hours in port isn't enough to really experience an area. But it's a great way to get a sample to help you decide where you might want to do a direct vacation some day.

As for cost, I think the value really varies. In our case, we are taking a 10 day round trip cruise to Alaska from San Francisco as a family of 3. We live near SF so we don't have to fly to port (that itself is a huge savings). We even splurged and booked a suite. Total cost, including taxes and gratuities is about $8800. That includes about $1300 in OBC and other perks (e.g. specialty dining). But since most of that $1300 is being spent on excursions or other optionals, I'll take that out to put the net cost at $7500.

On the flip side, if we traveled to Alaska independently, it would cost approx. $2600 for round trip flights. And the flight days would be looooong... so that's two days of our ten burned by awful travel. 

Then I took a look at hotels. I looked around at Juneau, Ketchikan and Anchorage (we're not stopping there, but if we went independently it's an area we'd consider). For lodging at a Best Western or similar, which includes a continental breakfast, we'd be looking at approx. $180/nt. So $1800 for 10 nights. Maybe with some research we could find a better deal... but that already seemed on the economical end for what was pulling up in general searches.

We'd also need to rent a car to get around. If we just stuck in one area, a 10 day car rental for a vehicle that would fit the three of us and our luggage, it would cost around $1200 for the minimum acceptable vehicle. Plus add in gas. And if we wanted to visit other areas of Alaska add in lots of gas and potentially some long days of driving. Really long days if we wanted to try to hit a few of the ports we'd otherwise do on the cruise (e.g. 7 hours just from Juneau to Skagway, and Ketchikan wouldn't be worth it at all).  All that plane and car travel isn't anywhere near as nice as a sea day!

 

Based on prior vacations, I'd expect we'd average around $150 a day on food for the three of us, for both lunch and dinner (and a few breakfasts, since there's only so much Best Western continental breakfast I can handle). Maybe even more with snacks, and the fact that we like to splurge on food. So at least $1500 on food for the trip.

 

Just for airfare, lodging, rental car and food we're already up to $7100. Compared to the $7500 for the cruise. And that didn't factor in the gas costs for the rental car, the free entertainment on the ship (v.s. possibly paying for additional adventures on land), the relaxing sea days vs. more stressful driving days (and the emotional/mental cost of that), and even the equivalent cost of taking an independent excursion out to see the glacier the ship takes us to. And recall that we have a suite -- with all the suite perks. Had we booked an inside cabin for three, the cost would have been as low as $4800 (including port fees and gratuity). WAY cheaper than a land vacation.

[George C]

I think cruise is a good value like any other vacation you can do it first class in suites or on a budget in a inside room. Drink package was mentioned earlier,  we love nyc but can do a suite on a cruise much cheaper than a suite in nyc, in nyc you pay about 15 a drink or higher , half price broadway tkts are a hundred a piece , we easily spend way over a thousand a day . Also just find cruising relaxing, can do upscale resorts for about the same cost but entertainment is much better on cruises. 

[Mary229]

I think it is heavily dependent on itinerary.  As you mentioned the Norwegian fjords or anywhere that the notable sites are more easily accessible by water.  Another area is in certain countries where retreating to the safety and comfort of a cruise ship in the evening and for clean water and healthful meals is a great option.  Then there are many remote areas of the world that you must bring your housing. 

 

I love land land based travel and do it far more than cruising.  Cruising is part of my overall travel plans.  

[brillohead]

Value is subjective, as many have said.  

But if you just compared it to a similar land vacation, for someone like me, it makes financial sense as well as enjoyment sense.  

Being in the USA in a northern state, I especially love cruising in the tropical Caribbean waters, where the air is balmy and the water a beautiful blue and the fish are colorful when I snorkel.  

Flying to Florida (port) is roughly $300/person.
Flying to Aruba is roughly $700/person. 

Lodging, meals, entertainment, taxes, and gratuities for a 9-night cruise to the ABCs is $2550 for two people in a balcony room (Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas).  (And I typically get an inside room, which is even cheaper.)

Lodging for 9 nights in Aruba with an ocean view room in a moderately upscale resort is $2600 for two people.  This doesn't include any meals, so that would be another $150/day minimum for two people ($1350 for nine days). It also doesn't include any entertainment.  

A cruise would be $600 in airfare and $2550 in lodging/meals/entertainment = $3150.
An Aruba land vacation would be $1400 in airfare and $3950 in lodging and meals = $5350. 

(Alcohol and excursions would be extra on both trips, so not included in these totals.)
 
It not only makes financial sense to take a cruise, but you also get to enjoy the whole "cruise experience" (assuming that you enjoy cruising, which I do very much). 

I did an all-inclusive island resort once several years ago, and while it was a beautiful island vacation, the entertainment was not much different than a high school talent show, and the buffet served the same few options every single day, with only about a fifth of the variety of a cruise ship buffet and nowhere near the quality.  And if you wanted to eat in a restaurant where they took your order and served your meal, that was an upcharge -- only the limited buffet was included in the price (I know not all resorts are that way).  

Cruising costs less, AND I enjoy it more, so it very much is a great travel value for me.  

[geoherb]

For me, taking cruises has been fun because we like the relaxing time on board the ship. On our recent cruises to Europe (one last year and one the year before), the big savings came in booking our airfare through Princess. We flew to London for a significantly lower price than booking airfare on our own. I'd love to go back every year. I booked moderately priced hotels and we did not eat in fancy restaurants. Nevertheless, the cost of our land portion of our trips has ended up being significantly more per person per day than the cruise portion. One reason is that we're fine booking inside cabins on these cruises since they are port intensive.

[iancal]

We are doing more AIs.  AIr is included.  It may be a last minute inexpensive AI to Cuba or Puerto Vallarta or it could be a planned visit to a five or six star AI for a week at Christmastime.  Both are cost advantageous to us when we take into account, pre cruise hotel, balcony, etc.  And we very much prefer the five or six star AI dining venues to the mass market cruise lines.

 

We still do cruises but at the moment we are mostly looking at the premium lines like Az.   The price has to be very attractive to get us back on a Princess, Celebrity, or HAL ship.

[adelaidefc]

8 hours ago, Dani24 said:

I agree that a few hours in port isn't enough to really experience an area. But it's a great way to get a sample to help you decide where you might want to do a direct vacation some day.

As for cost, I think the value really varies. In our case, we are taking a 10 day round trip cruise to Alaska from San Francisco as a family of 3.

 

Wow really cool breakdown of costs, Alaska was already pretty high on my list of 'possible cruises to do'. Now it's up even higher. Especially given there are easy 14 hour flights straight from Aus to SFO - a city I already want to check out, and could make a nice trip of it. 

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, adelaidefc said:

 

Wow really cool breakdown of costs, Alaska was already pretty high on my list of 'possible cruises to do'. Now it's up even higher. Especially given there are easy 14 hour flights straight from Aus to SFO - a city I already want to check out, and could make a nice trip of it. 

The places cruises visit in Alaska are an example of why cruising works as an economic option.  Not many people live in Alaska and lodging is limited and expensive. Sure if there were only 10,000 people a year wishing to visit it could be done but cruise lines have opened Alaska to the world.  Travel is even more difficult and is usually by biplane.   As an example the capital city, Juneau, is only approachable by sea or air and is the access to the popular Medenhall Glacier.  

[sanger727]

While I understand that you are asking about the value of cruising purely from a financial perspective, it’s hard to isolate one factor because there are so many that go into a vacation decision. If I simply wanted to book the cheapest vacation I could it would be going somewhere i can drive to, staying in Airbnb’s, and cooking my own meals. But that’s not the vacation experience that I enjoy. There are things I enjoy about DIY land trips, things I enjoy about cruising, and things I enjoy about AIs. When we cruise it’s typically to the Caribbean and The Caribbean cruising dynamic is completely different than med cruising. There are many places in the Caribbean that you simply wouldn’t go to without a cruise or an AI and the only cost effective way to travel from place to place is via a cruise. 

[ducklite]

Just like land based travel, cruising has a lot of variables.

 

For those who want the cheapest holiday possible, they book a no-frills line like Carnival or HAL, taking the smallest inside room on an older ship;drink nothing but coffee, tea, iced tea, and water all week and only eat in the no extra charge restaurants; buy no shore excursions, souvenirs, or photos; and give no extra gratuities (or are rotten people and remove the auto-gratuities).  

They also don't buy travel insurance.
 

You could probably do two people on a one week Caribbean cruise for under $500 if you shop around a bit and go off season.

 

You could accomplish the same thing by flying to Berlin in January on the cheapest ticket available, sleeping in bunk beds in hostels and eating "bologna on hand" sandwiches all week.  Going to beer gardens, ordering one of the smallest, cheapest beers they have, and nursing it for six hours while enjoying the entertainment.  Only going to free museums/sights and never making a donation, and only going to free walking tours but not tipping the guide.  You get the idea.