Mediterranean: Cruise or Land Vacation?

[Cruise Junky]

I have to respectfully disagree with CruiseJunkie's assertion that land would be cheaper, esp. with the comparisons given. The hotels you listed did not come up as the top ten when I checked trip advisor. Comparing them to a balcony cabin is not apples to apples. I checked into hotels in London and Paris before looking at this cruise and the ones I looked at were considerably more than you are quoting (and they were also not top ten or 5 star). Also the experience is different. Staying in modest accommodations and eating items from the grocery in your grubbies, is not the same as a cruise vacation. I have no real desire to "do" formal night, and I am sure that I will be among those the most simply dressed (formally but simply) on formal night (or in buffet)./QUOTE]

 

I'm glad you booked your trip, but before telling me I'm wrong, maybe you should do both to be able to compare as we did.

[agabbymama]

I used to do only land vacations, but my friend likes to cruise so the last couple of years, we have cruised to the exotic ports we wanted to see. When my husband and I did our month in Italy in '98, we never paid over $50 per night for fairly nice lodging all throughout Italy. Some were B&Bs, some pensiones, and some really nice hotels.

 

For the trip to Europe, I started looking at land tours, as we are two old ladies travelling without a male companion, just didn't want to take the chance on driving ourselves off the beaten path. I found one for Italy that was reasonably priced at $1200 for an 11 day tour of just Italy then adding airfare. Then my friend found a cruise of Italy and Greece, we ended up booking a balcony cabin for $2050 with an OBC of $50. Thought we had done well, until I started looking in Rome for pre-cruise hotel and Venice for post-cruise hotel.

 

Even without the exchange rate of the EUR to the low value dollar, the prices are a lot higher. If we take a hypothetical situation, and imagine the dollar and the EURO are equal, the mid-range 3 star hotel I was looking at for Rome wants 350 EURO per night. I have never paid $350 for a hotel room in my life. But if you do the exchange that would be over $500. The same applies for excursions/tours. This just isn't a great time to be going to Europe, but with everything already paid for, can't lose the money invested, so we will go, but on a very tight budget.

 

I was able to find a fairly nice looking hotel run by nuns in Rome for 95 EUR, but nothing like that available in Venice, so had to bite the bullet for 175 EUR.

 

I don't think you can really compare the two types of vacations. If you are driving/travelling independent, you have all the responsibility of finding gas stations, roads, sights to see, hotels, places to eat, places to park etc. While on the cruise, I picked an itinerary I wanted to visit and can relax on the ship and let them carry me where I wanted to go with very little effort put into the getting there. And just enjoy the ports as best we can on our own. No high cost tour guides for us, and only 3 ship sponsored tours. The rest we will do Ho/Ho buses or walk on our two feet.

 

And I don't know if land vacations would be all that much more affordable, if you take into consideration that the fuel over there is over $10 per gallon, food I'm reading is $40+++ for a meal. So your expenses have to run higher. At least on the ship everything is in US dollars and you have already paid for meals, transportation and hotel.

 

Sorry for the long post, but once I got started, just couldn't keep it short.

Have a great trip, however you decide to do it.

[Cruise Junky]

There is no doubt the London, Paris & Rome are very expensive cities. No argument. But there are alternatives to staying in expensive cities. We just booked 5 nights at Le Meridien Beach Plaza in Monaco (#4 on Tripadvisor).... 210 Euro per night including buffet hot breakfast. And as I stated before, our hotel in Paris is 190 euro per night (#40 on tripadvisor out of 1763 hotels). Once you've seen Rome, it's not really necessary to base yourself there on a land trip. They are three of the most expensive cities in the world so not a true comparison.

 

Princess wants $200 per person for a shore excursion to Paris. Add that on to your daily cost of the cruise and it starts to look cheaper and cheaper.

[woodofpine]

Background-Europe: I did three 3-4 week land trips with parents in the late 60's-early '70's (incl. 2-3 nights on Epirotiki Semiramus in '68), spent a summer in Switzerland with family friends (including 2-3 weeks camping in France [fantastic] in '74), spent a year in college '77-78, a couple business trips in the '80's, 4 ski trips during the past dozen years, and Grand Med on Golden Princess in '03.

 

I've been very fortunate.

 

The world has become increasingly homogenized since I visited Europe as a kid. Cruising is part of the homogenization.

 

But - Cruises are the lowest hassle most cost efficient way to see a variety of places, regrdless of where you go. You can culture emmerse too if you slow down and avoid the tourist herd (but can you? It's so difficult given the lure of the lightlights.) Certainly, you can't see and "sense" major cities in a single day... But given the homogenation of urban culture, do you need to...

Some of the discontent of those that have visited cities recently seem to affirm tht big cities are big cities and urban 'charm' or character is hard to gain insight into in even a week or so.

 

A land trip to be REALLY rewarding needs involve some things that are beyond just destination touristing. Camping. Sports. Visiter specific hobby or study. Getting off the beaten path is key, and these sorts of things tend to get you off the beaten path - with a purpose. They give you perspectives and local contacts that enrich the experience. Interweaving this sort of purpose into a trip that has a couple of 'destinations' otherwise goes a long way toward a successful land trip.

 

If I'm simply trying to hit as many destination highlights as possible then cruising is certainly the easiest most efficient way. I'm planning the Baltic that way, someday...

[Cruise Junky]

A land trip to be REALLY rewarding needs involve some things that are beyond just destination touristing. Camping. Sports. ...

 

Can we add shopping and drinking wine under the "Sports" heading? ;) Then I'll agree :)

[bqkali]

Thank you all for your posts. I did make the decision to take the cruise, as I decided a "sampler" would allow us to choose which spots we MUST return to on land.

 

I do appreciate everyone's opinion, and agree that travel decisions are very personal and totally understand that one man's treasure is another man's (or woman's) torture. Considering our current economy and the dollar's decline, I think I will have a more comfortable trip (for less money) on a cruise...I will have to unpack once, a clean, comfortable room with twice daily service, and get a snipet (or more) of a variety of destinations.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with CruiseJunkie's assertion that land would be cheaper, esp. with the comparisons given. The hotels you listed did not come up as the top ten when I checked trip advisor. Comparing them to a balcony cabin is not apples to apples. I checked into hotels in London and Paris before looking at this cruise and the ones I looked at were considerably more than you are quoting (and they were also not top ten or 5 star). Also the experience is different. Staying in modest accommodations and eating items from the grocery in your grubbies, is not the same as a cruise vacation. I have no real desire to "do" formal night, and I am sure that I will be among those the most simply dressed (formally but simply) on formal night (or in buffet).

 

I can appreciate doing a land vacation as you describe and enjoying it thoroughly, but I do not think it is equivalent in accommodation quality. Of course that is why they make chocolate and vanilla (and banana) ice cream.

 

I do hope you enjoy your cruise and I think it's a great way to get a taste of Europe! I'd like to suggest you look at Priceline for any hotels you need pre or post-cruise. It's a great way to get quality accomodations for a better price since it seems like you don't want "modest" accomodations but budget is also a factor (you pick the neighborhood and quality rating, but you can't pick the specific hotel). I used Priceline quite successfully in both Paris & London in October. Both were 4* hotels in the "center" of things and both were about $125 US per night, including all taxes. You bid in US dollars, so the price is locked in regardless of any exchange rate fluctuations. But (hypothetically) with the current exchange, that works out to about $140/night which is still affordable:)

 

Cruise Junky - thanks for "sticking up" for land vacations. I'm a huge advocate of land vacations because they allow you to see so much more of one region than a cruise does. They also let you go places otherwise unreachable by cruise (for example, I'm traveling to Spain and I'd like to see someone visit Madrid and Cordoba by ship!) I think they are also comparably priced as long as you do plenty of research ahead of time. They also have the potential of being substantially cheaper if you are willing to stay in basic hotels and eat at cafes, etc.

 

However, I do believe that cruises offer their own advantages - there is less planning involved, you don't have to unpack/repack, you know where a meal is waiting for you, and for many people, it's comforting to stay on a cruise ship where you are familiar with how things work. I also think cruising is cost-effective if you are trying to see many places that are not close together in a short amount of time. If you were trying to see 10 ports in 4 countries in 12 days, the airfare (or train fare) would add up quickly.

[woodofpine]

Can we add shopping and drinking wine under the "Sports" heading? ;) Then I'll agree :)

 

ABSOLUTELY!! What's a hobby for some can be a MAJOR sport for others! ;)

[jwave]

I do hope you enjoy your cruise and I think it's a great way to get a taste of Europe! I'd like to suggest you look at Priceline for any hotels you need pre or post-cruise. It's a great way to get quality accomodations for a better price since it seems like you don't want "modest" accomodations but budget is also a factor (you pick the neighborhood and quality rating, but you can't pick the specific hotel). I used Priceline quite successfully in both Paris & London in October. Both were 4* hotels in the "center" of things and both were about $125 US per night, including all taxes. You bid in US dollars, so the price is locked in regardless of any exchange rate fluctuations. But (hypothetically) with the current exchange, that works out to about $140/night which is still affordable:)

 

Cruise Junky - thanks for "sticking up" for land vacations. I'm a huge advocate of land vacations because they allow you to see so much more of one region than a cruise does. They also let you go places otherwise unreachable by cruise (for example, I'm traveling to Spain and I'd like to see someone visit Madrid and Cordoba by ship!) I think they are also comparably priced as long as you do plenty of research ahead of time. They also have the potential of being substantially cheaper if you are willing to stay in basic hotels and eat at cafes, etc.

 

However, I do believe that cruises offer their own advantages - there is less planning involved, you don't have to unpack/repack, you know where a meal is waiting for you, and for many people, it's comforting to stay on a cruise ship where you are familiar with how things work. I also think cruising is cost-effective if you are trying to see many places that are not close together in a short amount of time. If you were trying to see 10 ports in 4 countries in 12 days, the airfare (or train fare) would add up quickly.

 

bqkali-

 

ITA on the land vacations being the best way to really get to know a destination. It is my desire to spend a longer vacation in one or two spots and really get to know the people and place. BUT until I have been I don't know where those spots are. I think a cruise will give me a better idea. Thank you for the Priceline tip. You are correct, budget is a concern, and yes, I would prefer less modest accommodations. I think most people would like to stay in the nicest place they can afford. Of course that does not include 5 star properties for me, and maybe not 4 stars. But it can't hurt to look.

 

I was in no way trying to disagree with Cruise Junky's regard for land vacations. I only took exception to the idea that costs were apples to apples. Maybe they are, but in my preliminary research (and I am a research junky) I did not find this to be the case.

[JNB]

Hi Jwave, my two cents are:

 

Scheduled to do Med cruise on Ruby in May 2009.

 

Did 2 week land tour last year in IT. When you are a do it yourself research junkie (as you described yourself), the land tour allows for more "experience" at a little over cost of the cruise (the dollar vs. the euro was a bit better last year). I used all the available resources on the internet to get recommendations. The splurge was the driver (and the hotel in San Marco). If you don't mind driving GPS could work.

 

DH did not want to drive, hates to run, hates to pack/unpack, doesn't want to be rushed. He loved the trip.

 

We packed light; one medium and one small carryon each; it was tight but we made it without doing laundry.

 

We used FFM to fly Bus. Class to Zurich and stayed one night (don't go, business town not a tourist town and EXPENSIVE). Train over the alps to Lake Como. Guide books largely tell you that other towns are "better", but this was a direct train route. It was a weekend and the people watching as the Milanese came for the weekend was great. We stayed 2 nights.

 

Off to Venice by train (I planned for the direct route to make it easy). The hotel offered to pick us up by private water taxi. Expensive ($150), but to us worth not lugging bags on the vaporetto and trying to find the hotel, so a guide met us at the train station. Stayed in Venice 3 nights at Hotel Concordia, asked for and got a room with a terrace overlooking St. Marks. As others have posted, at night with little tourists it is magical.

 

Private driver from Venice to Montisi, a tiny hill town in Tuscany that takes 7 minutes to walk but was incredible. At my request the driver arranged for a tour of a balsamic vinegar factory (the owner gave us a private tour; there was no charge, it was his home. We bought a bottle of the best vinegar and enjoy it over ice cream) and a stop at the Ferrari museum along the way.

 

Hot air balloon in Montisi. Great meals and fun with the locals; we were only tourists. Stayed 2 nights.

 

Private driver from Montisi to Siena. One night, I would never do again; hated Siena.

 

Driver from Siena to Rome. Stayed 3 nights at Albergo del Senato which was awesome. Arrived and got an upgrade to the only room with a balcony overlooking the Piazza. Took the local train and taxis to sight see.

 

Rome back home.

 

I agonized over the cruise vs another land tour b/c I missed Cinque Terre and Amalfi coast on the first trip. I don't know whether 12 hours in each as a cruise port will be enough! However, I am going to try it because it is my second trip and the cost was locked in. We will be staying in Barcelona overnight (I've learned my lesson with weather delays about going in the same day).

 

I think that if your preferance is seeing as much as possible: David, Last Supper, St. Marks, .... and you would be bored or felt you missed too much just sitting around a movie theatre with the locals in a hill town or spending 4 hours on a slow food dinner then do the cruise and if you find a spot you love perhaps you can return.

 

If the latter sounds better to you (I skipped Florence on the last trip and will skip it on this one because the people are more interesting to me than art) then go on the land tour that gives you the time to do this.

 

Either way: Travel well!