Cruises: Is It Worth It?

Depending on who you ask, the idea of a cruise may illicit a great response all the way to adamant groans of it not being a real way to see a country. Many backpackers often lump their viewpoint on cruises similar to that of large guided tours. It is true, there are many concessions that are made when booking a cruise, and having as low as 5 hours in port could definitely be enough reason for many to have bad feelings about the concept. But like guided tours, there are times in which a cruise would be not only practical, but very affordable for those on a budget. It all really depends on the type of traveler that you are, and what you are interested in seeing. (Pictured: Carnival Victory in March 2003)


There are many regions of the world in which cruise travel is very popular, including the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, Hawaii, Alaska, and multiple countries in Europe. If I had to assign the one major downfall of cruising, it would be the open days at sea. After two being on two cruises where half the itinerary was at sea, I have decided to avoid it as much as possible in the future. There is something about being stuck on a ship for half of the vacation with thousands of people crowding buffets and drinking profusely that I do not find relaxing. That is not to say that one day at sea is not bad, I can appreciate lounging around watching the water go by and eating tons of included food for a while, but when it is half the entire vacation, it gets a bit stale to me. For others this is the highlight of their trip for just being able to relax with a book and get some sun.

The real benefit of the cruise opens up when looking at visiting many destinations in a short period of time. For those who travel Europe, there are many cheap air carriers, a highly efficient rail line, and multiple buses to move around the countries with ease. Couple that with expensive airfare to get there, and it would make more sense financially to stay longer and do the Mediterranean on your own than with extra money to do a cruise. In the Caribbean this is not really an option. Instead you could research the countries and pick one to spend a week at, but going to another one in the region would cost quite a bit to fly to and would add up quickly. In this sense, a cruise provides a cost effective way to visit all the countries, albeit briefly, to determine if any would be worth to visit on a longer trip. Call it a taster if you will. (Pictured: Cruise ship off in the distance, March 2003)

In some cases the cost of a cruise plus airfare to the port city would be only slightly more expensive than just airfare to one country in the Caribbean, since most beginning ports are often located much closer to the United States. If you don't believe me, check out this price comparison for a Southern Caribbean cruise with airfare compared to individual airfare to all the ports on the same cruise (all values are quoted after tax):

7 night Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival with an inside cabin: $515
Airfare from Dayton, Ohio to San Juan, Puerto Rico: $356
Total Price: $871

Airfare from Dayton, Ohio to Barbados: $653
Airfare to Saint Lucia: $785
Airfare to St Thomas: $493
Airfare to St Kitts: $775
Airfare to Dominica: $825
Airfare to St Maarten: $605

While airfare to some countries on the cruise are substantially cheaper, if your ultimate goal was to visit Barbados only $218 more per person would get 7 nights hotel, breakfasts, and dinners included while visiting an array of countries in the Caribbean. Yes, you would not have a full week in the Caribbean, but you do have the opportunity to discover 6 additional locations to see if there are any others that would be worth going back to in the future. To me, this is entirely worth it.

The downsides to a cruise gets to be more when organizing excursions through the company, in which most are vastly over priced for what is provided. Some of these include $80 snorkeling trips and the likelihood that they will be canceled during adverse weather may force you to go on an excursion that was not of your original choosing last minute because all the good ones were full. In this case it is worth doing some research to see if there are any land based companies that are solely dedicated to the cruise crowd to see if there are similar itineraries listed, not only much cheaper, but are more flexible to change the schedule to account for unexpected closures and delays. In planning my Southern Caribbean cruise, I found a website dedicated to all things cruise related: Cruise Critic. I have primarily only visited the message boards, but here there are people who have been on every major cruise and every major destination giving advice. If it is not listed here, it is probably not good. And from family who have gone on other cruises, they are typically spot on when it comes to adventure activities and excursion advice, especially through 3rd party companies. (Pictured: Carnival Victory at port in March 2003)


Overall, I would say that I am not a huge fan of the idea of a cruise primarily because only having a few hours to see a country is not my idea of fun. However, being able to see all of the Caribbean briefly in under 3 weeks is definitely a good idea for a taster. I would much rather do that than make a semi-educated guess on what I might like the best, since I have been known to prove myself wrong plenty of times in my travels. Especially now during the global recession, cruise prices are at an all time low and great deals can be had. If you intend to take one, the biggest advice I have is to utilize your resources to get the best itinerary and prices. If you are adventurous, stay away from the itineraries with loads of at-sea days. You might have to pay more for airfare to get to a closer starting port, but it will be entirely worth it.

In March 2010 I will have a full review of the Carnival Victory's itinerary to the Southern Caribbean visiting all the countries listed in this entry and will comment again on some of these topics as well.

Posted in: Cruises,Initial,Planning