Monday, August 15, 2011

Proving to Myself That Cruising is Still a GREAT Value

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).



      







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