Budget for Ports considering USD to Eur Exchange rate

[nsj]

Hi all,

 

considering that $100 Euros equates to $140 USD currently what would be an estimate of what one would spend getting around (tours aside) and eating in port in the likes of Rome, Naples, Florence, Portofino etc.

[Keith1010]

This really all varies. It depends how many of you are in your party, where you want to eat, what type of food, etc.

 

In general food is more expensive in Europe even without the conversion. So, figure out what you would pay in the USA and then add some because it will be more expensive and then convert it to Euros.

 

It would be like asking how much does it cost to eat in NYC for lunch. The answer would depend on what you are having.

 

The other question you have to ask yourself is are you going to really eat in every port.

 

And, what you plan to do.

 

There is no answer for this not knowing more specifics.

 

Keith

[cruisemom42]

I agree; this is where you will have to do some research and then post with more specific questions. Do you plan to visit a lot of museums (can get expensive) or churches (usually free)? Do you plan to eat a full lunch or grab a slice of pizza on the run?

 

Here's an example for Rome: if you buy a BIRG pass for (I think) 9 euros per person, your train trip into Rome from the port and all of your metro/bus transportation within Rome for the day are covered. If you take a taxi several times during the day in the city, your cost goes up. If you hire a private driver for the day to pick you up at the port and drive you around Rome, your cost goes up exponentially. And so on....

[chipmaster]

Hi all,

 

considering that $100 Euros equates to $140 USD currently what would be an estimate of what one would spend getting around (tours aside) and eating in port in the likes of Rome, Naples, Florence, Portofino etc.

 

Keith was spot on; YMMV.

 

We spent as much as 30 euros on meals to as little as 7 euros for pizza in Venice. Don't forget water either as you can easily spend another 5-10 euros a day for that.

[nsj]

Good Info. Obviously it can vary greatly, I understand. Given that each port visit is for 11-12 hours I imagine that I would at least do lunch on land each day and would like to check out some of the cafes etc...not high end but something local and try some of their wines. I guess I was looking mainly for ballpark prices for cafes for lunches and what it would cost in different ports if I were to go on my own - trains (I've heard some trains are spendy). I've seen some of the prices for Private tours and would most likely limit those to 2 or 3 ports. Is $50-75 usd pp a port reasonable when you do the train/on your own route for train transportation and a lunch.

[texancruzer]

Good Info. Obviously it can vary greatly, I understand. Given that each port visit is for 11-12 hours I imagine that I would at least do lunch on land each day and would like to check out some of the cafes etc...not high end but something local and try some of their wines. I guess I was looking mainly for ballpark prices for cafes for lunches and what it would cost in different ports if I were to go on my own - trains (I've heard some trains are spendy). I've seen some of the prices for Private tours and would most likely limit those to 2 or 3 ports. Is $50-75 usd pp a port reasonable when you do the train/on your own route for train transportation and a lunch.

 

You still didnt say how many people....... and if we knew exactly what ports that would help too. I have always said " whatever you THINK you are going to spend - DOUBLE IT"

 

We pretty much eat lunch in every port...... and while we enjoy nice sit down places..... we usually don't want to spend the time eating as it cuts down on the time you have to "see' stuff. In Rome our guide showed us this tiny hole-in-the-wall place where we each had a personal size pizza, a drink and a desert for 5 euros per person. It was good too. In Amalfi we also found a nice quick place where dh had pizza and I had some other Italian stuff I thought looked good. Reasonably priced too. But on Santorini on our last trip we ate dinner (nothing fancy) at one of the restaurants that overlooked the caldera near the cable car. It was waaaay overpriced.....but did have a great sunset view ;) Meals in Europe can really vary from place to place.

 

As far as tickets to sites......I would figure out what you want to do and then research costs there. And transportation..... ditto. ALWAYS figure in extra - such as a taxi back to port if for some reason your mode of choice (train, bus, walking etc.) puts you behind. It can and does happen. A taxi ride would probably be much less cheaper than having to get to the next port if you miss the ship :eek:

[chipmaster]

Good Info. Obviously it can vary greatly, I understand. Given that each port visit is for 11-12 hours I imagine that I would at least do lunch on land each day and would like to check out some of the cafes etc...not high end but something local and try some of their wines. I guess I was looking mainly for ballpark prices for cafes for lunches and what it would cost in different ports if I were to go on my own - trains (I've heard some trains are spendy). I've seen some of the prices for Private tours and would most likely limit those to 2 or 3 ports. Is $50-75 usd pp a port reasonable when you do the train/on your own route for train transportation and a lunch.

 

I think 50-75 could be good in some cities and busted in others depending on trains, entrance fees to attractions and what kind of wine drinker you are :D

 

Its like asking is 50-75 enough in NYC. For some plenty, for others won't get them thru half the day.

 

I think you need to figure out for each port the attractions you plan to go, what they cost and how you plan to get there. That sets the base cost. From there you add your meal/drink and souvenior budget to it.

 

There is no general all encompassing figure. If you are looking for one for larger budgeting I say 100-150 is a safer budget for total cost in port when you DIY. We spent close to that in Barcelona as it included entrance fees to several places and a couple meals and transportation. Yet in Venice, in what is considered a much more expensive city we spent considerably less because all we paid for was food, water and lots of gelato.

[English_in_Spain]

If you are visiting Spain then, for lunch, look for 'Menu del Dia'. This is a fixed priced menu and is usually very good value. This is what the locals eat.

 

There is usually a couple of choices at each course.

 

For example, you can get a 3 course meal plus salad plus bread and a glass of local wine for as little as €8-10 ($11-14) per person. You will also find out what local food is really like.

 

If you go to the high end, tourist, restaurants you could pay 4 times that.

[nsj]

Thanks for the info. Cruise is out of Barcelona and the ports are Cannes, Portofino, Florence, Rome and Naples. There are two of us going but we would join another 4 people or so at any destinations where we decided to do private tours.

[bqkali]

Good Info. Obviously it can vary greatly, I understand. Given that each port visit is for 11-12 hours I imagine that I would at least do lunch on land each day and would like to check out some of the cafes etc...not high end but something local and try some of their wines. I guess I was looking mainly for ballpark prices for cafes for lunches and what it would cost in different ports if I were to go on my own - trains (I've heard some trains are spendy). I've seen some of the prices for Private tours and would most likely limit those to 2 or 3 ports. Is $50-75 usd pp a port reasonable when you do the train/on your own route for train transportation and a lunch.

 

For a basic lunch in most casual cafes, expect to pay 10 euro per entree. A glass of wine should be no more than 5 euro (2-3 is more likely for a house wine), and a bottle to share is a great option. Bottled water is 1 or 2 euro per bottle; snacks are 2-5 euros. In other words, I'd budget 25 euro on food and drinks per person per day for a basic lunch with one glass of wine, a late-afternoon snack and a bottle or two of water. If that's too much, you'll find sandwiches, fast food, or even street vendors selling food for cheaper. If you want a nicer lunch, budget 20 euro per entree instead, or the sky's the limit if you want something really fancy :)

 

A metro pass in most European cities will run 7-10 euro per person per day. Walking is cheaper ;) Paying for one or two cabs over the course of the day and walking at all other times might end up cheaper than metro day passes for everyone in your party. Budget another 10-15 euro round-trip if your port is from the city and you need to take the train into the city center (i.e. Civitavecchia & Rome). Touristic hop-on/hop-off buses are about 15-25 euro per person per day if you prefer to combine your transportation with a guided tour.

 

So to do-it-yourself, food, metro, and train should be 50 euro per day or cheaper. Add it all up in euros and then right before your trip. Not sure why you need to know in USD? :confused: The rate will likely change between now and your cruise. But to look up a current exchange rate, try http://www.xe.com or http://www.oanda.com At today's rate (1 euro = $1.394), 50 euro per day is $70.

 

But like others have said, what you should budget will depend on what type of food you want to eat, how much wine you drink, if you want that gelato in the hot sun, or if you take cabs or buses or subways.

[CoralReef]

We just did a 10-day Western Med cruise. Entirely DIY with a lot of walking and buses, so our local transportation costs were minimal (but we did take taxis several times). We did spend on museums. Many days we skipped lunch or just had a snack, but a couple of days we had real meals in port, and we didn't skimp on those. Not counting our Rome pre- and post-cruise spending and not counting souvenirs, our cruise port spending was less than 400 euros.

 

You can check out my trip report (link in my signature) to see prices for specific ports and attractions. I tried to list prices whenever possible. Florence was our most expensive port because of the museum admissions, but so worth it for the great art. Naples can be very cheap if you use local transportation, or VERY expensive if you opt for private tours.

 

Rome was our cruise port, so I didn't include our Rome transfers and what we spent on entertainment there. Rome is expensive. If it's a port for you, I would add another 50 euros minimum. Our Rome costs ran more like 100 euros/day, not even counting hotel and transfers. But that does include dinners, which wouldn't be an issue if it's a port for you.

 

Some of the least expensive days were the most entertaining. For example, we had a great day in Tunis seeing the ruins of Carthage, for 30 Tunisian Dinar (about $25). In Palermo, we bused to Monreale, toured the beautiful cathedral and town, and had great Sicilian pastries, for less than 15 euros total.

[AmoMondo]

NSJ, trains are relatively cheap in Italy. For example it cost less than20 euros for 2 of us to get the train from naples to pompeii, Pompeii to Sorrento and then sorrento back to Naples. However the taxi from/to Port - naples train station came to 25 euros (both ways). if you were to take a taxi from naples to Pompeii and back expect to pay at least 80 euros (and a lot more if you don't negotiate/agree the price in advance).

If you are eating light lunch with just one drink, then 12 -15 euros would probably cover it. 20 or more if you are having more. If you are having a drink in a prestigious place like Piazzo San marco in venice then exoect to pay for the "priveledge!, Free tap water is often not available and you can pay up to 8 or 9 euros for a litre of mineral water, sometimes it is cheaper to have a carafe of the house wine!

 

Hop on hop off buses can vary from about 13 to 25 euros depending on the city and whther it is a single route or 2 seperate loops.

 

A horse drawn carriage city centre tour can cost 50-80 euros for an hour or so.

 

metro tickets cost around a euro for short trips (or sometimes day passes work out better value.

 

Cathedrals usually free but they like a donation. Museums can be under 10 euros each or a lot more depending on the museum.

 

Hope this helps.

[FTLcruisers]

In Rome our guide showed us this tiny hole-in-the-wall place where we each had a personal size pizza, a drink and a desert for 5 euros per person. :eek:

 

Do you happen to remember the name of this hole-in-the-wall?

[texancruzer]

Do you happen to remember the name of this hole-in-the-wall?

 

 

HaHa - to be honest I am not even sure it HAD a name ! It is very close to the Vatican museum entrance tho...... and there is a BIG sign out front

 

Pizza-Drink-Desert 5 euros

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

PS: just did a check on the map...... it is right down the street on Via Leone. Maybe 1-1/2 blocks on the right hand side.

[FTLcruisers]

We happen to be staying in a hotel right across the street from the Vatian Museum so that pizza joint will be in our neighborhood and on our list of places to stop! Thanks