Last weekend, Wendy Perrin, Conde Nast Traveler’s consumer news editor, wrote an interesting article on her blog: “Cruises Are NOT the Best Way to Stretch Your Dollar in Europe”. Wendy is one of the most highly respected travel journalists in the industry so her opinion matters. I suggest clicking on the title and reading her comments.
First of all, I’d never say cruises are the best way to stretch your dollar in Europe. My brother and sister-in-law searched airfare on Kayak and nailed a $1,000 round-trip flight to Bologna ($500 per person below the standard airfare for peak season travel). He and his wife have rented a lovely apartment for $700 for a week. He’ll hop on and off trains to get around. This probably beats the price of any cruise.
I agree with many points Wendy makes. Europe cruisers get a brief glance at many countries. She says that shore excursions are “ridiculously overpriced”. As I’ve written before, purchasing shore excursions in every port will drive your final tab up astronomically.
However, Wendy is writing as if travelers are all the same. There are plenty of folks like my brother who prefer to make their own arrangements and travel around Europe on their own. Many of these folks wouldn’t be caught dead on a cruise ship. Cruisers, on the other hand, love the creature comforts a cruise ship provides, waking up each day in another port and are delighted they don’t have to worry about accommodations, meals and sightseeing on their own.
In the end, Europe cruising can be highly affordable if you use Google to search out sightseeing options in each port before departure, skip the ship’s spa, art gallery and boutiques.
What’s your opinion of Wendy’s article? Do you think Europe cruises are the best way to stretch your vacation dollar?
