Question on Europe

[sogamusicman]

Which would you do in June - Europe or Alaska? Just looking for opinions. The flight cost to Europe is a bit much (all right, it's ridiculous), but I'm so tempted........

[operafan]

Which would you do in June - Europe or Alaska? Just looking for opinions. The flight cost to Europe is a bit much (all right, it's ridiculous), but I'm so tempted........

 

Let me put it this way.......We've been telling everyone we're going to cruise Alaska. So often that we've gotten all sorts of Alaska stuff as gifts, then POOF! We end up cruising Europe! Haven't regretted it for one moment. We'll get to Alaska eventually, but there's so much to see in Europe that it may be a long while!!!

[sultan_sfo]

Alaska -- scenic beauty

Europe -- 3 C's -- Churches, Castles, and Coaches

[Cruise Junky]

Hands down, Europe!! and for the record, I've never stepped foot on a coach in Europe. Just keep in mind, it will be more expensive. Excursions are expensive, although Alaska they're certainly not cheap. I can't even get my husband to cruise Alaska and we live in Vancouver!

[jeanlyon]

Do your own excursions in Europe. Nearly every big city has a Citybus - hop on hop off. Palma, Cadiz, Barcelona all do. We are doing our own excursion in Istanbul at half the price of the ship.

[newcruz54]

hi. what type of excursion are you doing that's cheaper than the one offered by the ship? i'm going in spetember and haven't found anything chaper than what royal caribbean is offering.

thanks

[carfac]

hi. what type of excursion are you doing that's cheaper than the one offered by the ship? i'm going in spetember and haven't found anything chaper than what royal caribbean is offering.

thanks

 

ANY outing can be done cheaper than the Cruise SHip offerings. By half- atr least.

 

How do you find them? Google is your friend.

[cathi]

Hands down, Europe!! and for the record, I've never stepped foot on a coach in Europe. Just keep in mind, it will be more expensive. Excursions are expensive, although Alaska they're certainly not cheap. I can't even get my husband to cruise Alaska and we live in Vancouver!

 

You're not alone, cruisejunky!! After 10 years of cruising and 18 cruises under our belt, we finally found a way to do Alaska. Booked Princess from Beijing back to Vancouver!!! but not until 2009.

 

Anyway the question was Alaska or Europe - like everyone else I'd go back to Europe in a heartbeat!!! So much to do and see you could go 10 or 20 times and never do the same thing twice.

 

And yes, most times you can do your own excursions for a fraction of what the cruise lines want. For example, when we were in Naples wanted to go to Pompeii. The cruise ship wanted over $100 per person and the tour only spent an hour and a half in Pompeii. We followed some very good instructions found here on CC, got the train out, spent 6 hours in Pompeii, rode the train back and including lunch spent less $75 for both of us. I will always thank Cruise Critic for giving us the confidence to try stuff on our own!!!! We've met some really nice people in some very strange places and have a million stories to tell and memories for a lifetime!!

[Eurobikefan]

We love Europe, and recommend spending as much time there as humanly possible :).

 

But, as you have found, summer airfares across the pond are outta site. If you can get away other times of the year, consider travel to Europe in spring or fall. Weather is beautiful, fewer crowds, and airfares much better. Anytime not summer is good, but US to Europe airfares before mid-May and after mid-October are usually particularly good bargains.

 

So, go to Europe in June if the $$$ is ok for you, otherwise try to time it a little better.

[cruise kitty]

dd did europe last june for honeymoon, she and sil loved it, however be prepared for some very hot weather compared to spring or fall. they did all their own tours because public transport is easy and readily available, just do lots of research of ports ahead of time so you know what you want to see. They cruised on Royal Princess, smaller ship, can get into tighter ports. She said having a balcony is worth every dime for europe.

[tomko2]

We were booked for Alaska but did the Med instead --- LOVED IT! Lucky enough to use points for our air fare. Review and Photos from our trip below.

We enjoyed the trip so much we are again putting off Alaska and planning to do the Med. again in 2009.

Our rationale is that we are in our late 50's/early 60's and maybe in a few years we might not be able to do the walking/touring in Europe as we do now and then we will do Alaska.

Kathy:)

[goofysmom99]

We've done Europe and Alaska several times and recommend either. Right now we're concentrating on US travel and cruises because the dollar is so weak. As some posters have mentioned the HOHO buses in European cities are a true bargain and lots of fun. They're a great way to get your bearings. And we've always been able to set up our own tours rather than the ship's offerings.

 

BTW, the only time I would recommend using a ship's tour would be Paris and Berlin. They're so far inland, lots of things can go wrong getting back on your own. We left a few crew and pax behind in LeHavre in 2006 when the trains abruptly went on strike. They held the ship for about 2 hours extra and most got back, but we learned ALWAYS to have the phone numbers for the ship and their port agent in our cell phone. The folks left behind only had to get across the Channel to Dover the next morning (ferries readily available), so they weren't stranded.

 

Whichever choice you make, you'll love it. Enjoy!

[chasetf]

My recommendation is get them both on your travel horizon. Do Europe if you can afford it..... but Alaska is also a must.

 

The other thing to think about is unless you plan on spending a lot of time in Europe, it is not something you can see in one trip. You have Scandinavia, British Isles, Med, Greek Isles...... and each can be an individual cruise. Then there are places like Austria and Switzerland which you cannot cruise to. :o ;)

[SelectSys]

Our family has done 3 cruises in Europe in the summer and will hopefully go again. This summer we are trying Alaska for the first time. I am sure it will be nice but nothing beats the med in my book as a summer cruise destination.

[alcpa1]

We have done both cruises. Did the Med in May and one of our Alaska cruises was in late June.

When you decide to do either cruise join the Roll Call for your specific sailing and you will find wonderful people to share excursions with. The Destinations boards are loaded with information on self booked tours too. The savviest cruisers are found on Cruise Critic.

An Alaskan cruise is not inexpensive. The tours whether by cruise line or independently booked are expensive but if I could go back again this year I would not hesitate.

Europe is so expensive for Americans now that cruising is the only alternative to loosing your shirt. We will not go back until the dollar gains some strength.

As you investigate your choices, please avail yourself of Cruise Critic. We started working on our Med cruise through the Roll Call over a year before we sailed and even then some of the choice excursions were already booked, so it is critical that you make your choice early.

Have fun planning!