As cruise lines have begun to "unbundle" services and found ways to charge additional for some services that were pretty much included in the days of yore, I've gotten to be a bit cynical and wondered if passengers were still really getting great value for their money.
Recently I went on a road trip from Jacksonville, FL to Syracuse, NY with my Mom to bring some family heirlooms to one of my nephews. Think basic road trip with a geriatric parent in tow (well, actually I didn't tow her, I let her ride in the front seat). Here are cost breakdowns for just the northbound leg of the trip (yes, I did bring her back too):
- Holiday Inn: $95.15
- TownePlace Suites $151.51
- Residence Inn $165.39
- Grand Total $412.05
Add in fuel costs (the automobile of choice we drove gets about 30 mpg) of $170.26 and it cost us $582.31 for the oh-so-fun experience of driving across America's interstates and listening to books-on tape. Note I am not including
meals, entertainment (well, books-on-tape were from the library) but I promise there were no showgirls, comedians, trapeze acts, room service, sexy legs contests or other activities. I even had to make my own sofa bed in some of the above hotels (rather than share a King with Mom - where's my cabin steward?!). Three days of driving with Mom essentially came to $206 per person. Not including Diet Cokes and Cheetos.
So I think I can stick with the argument that cruising is still a very good value given that you can get three night cruises starting from $249 (depending on the season). Sign me up for the next 3-night cruise to Syracuse (or Denver for that matter).
No comments:
Post a Comment