Don't waste vacation $ or time

Vacation time and money are precious, so why waste them?

Our annual vacation budget study once again concluded that the No. 1 vacation value in the world is - taking a cruise. Run the numbers yourself; dollar for dollar you get more value for your hard earned money aboard a cruise ship.

Don’t believe me? Or are you facing skeptics who don’t think a cruise offers the best vacation value? Read on.

We put a mystery shopping team to work booking the most popular vacation options. We compared the costs of a seven-night vacation in three popular tourist destinations vs. a seven-night Caribbean cruise on one of our nine cruise line brands. Care was taken to compare trips involving comparable accommodations and activities from contemporary to luxury travel industry brands. We weren’t surprised by what we learned. But you may be.

Figuring in typical spending on air and ground transportation, lodging, meals and beverages, plus entertainment we found that the cost of a trip to a contemporary resort in Nassau, Bahamas, was $5,481. The cost of a similar trip to Orlando was $4,574. And a trip to Las Vegas cost $5,332. Meanwhile, a seven-night Caribbean cruise in comparable accommodations aboard a Carnival ship cost $2,958.

On a per person/per day basis that worked out to $392 for Nassau, $327 for Orlando and $381 for Las Vegas vs. just $211 for the cruise.

We also recently compared the cost of a seven-day cruise aboard a luxurious Holland America Line cruise ship with a seven-day trip from Chicago to any of five different Caribbean destinations. It’s important to note that Holland America is one of our more upscale cruise line brands in North America. So you might expect for its prices to top those for comparable land-based vacations – or at the very least that they would be about the same price. But if you thought that, you’ll be surprised by this:

When we searched the cost of a March or April 2015 trip for a family of four traveling from Chicago to Aruba (including air fare and ground transfers) was $7,568. Meanwhile that same family of four could take a Holland America cruise for $2,702 less if they choose to stay in a premium Balcony Cabin on a Holland America ship (that Holland America cruise also includes air and ground travel costs). That family’s savings would be even larger if they choose an Outside Cabin without a balcony - $3,107. And if they choose our most affordable Inside Cabin their savings would be $3,302 vs. that $7,568 Aruba land vacation.

Similar value is available on Holland America trips from just about every major North American city when compared against week-long land-based trips to Cozumel, Punta Cana, Jamaica, and St. Thomas. And in nearly all cases similar percentage savings are available for two adults – traveling without children – who choose a cruise over a land-only vacation to those same vacation destinations.

And, the same is true if you choose to sail aboard one of our other North American cruise line brands like Carnival or Princess Cruise Line, or with one of our other brands serving other regions of the world like P&O, Costa, AIDA or P&O Australia.

Because travel prices change frequently and vary based on day of the week, season and competition, the prices you find when you do your own online shopping likely will be different. But we are pretty confident that you will find similar price differences, however and whenever you do your comparison shopping.

But value goes well beyond just price comparisons. So our team went to work comparing the things that most matter to people on vacation – things like food, entertainment, seeing the best sites, relaxing, and experiencing new adventures. A common objection we hear is that by choosing a cruise over a land-only vacation you would be missing some experiences you might have in a land-based vacation. However, because cruise ships move every night, you can have those experiences in multiple locations on a single trip.

So, for example, if you really want time on a great beach like those in Nassau, a Caribbean cruise will take you to several of the world’s very best beaches. The first cruise I mentioned above would take you to the outstanding beaches on Grand Turk Island, Half Moon Cay and Freeport, Bahamas.

You want high energy activity like an Orlando theme park? Cruise ships can’t replicate the enormous scale of theme parks, but cruise ships do offer a huge menu of physically active adventures, and great recreation and workout facilities that include everything from volleyball and basketball courts to yoga studios. There’s all sorts of exciting water sports like scuba diving and snorkeling, jet skiing and parasailing, and more relaxing activities like clay shooting, mini-golf and even driving ranges while in port. On top of all that, today’s cruise ships are, in effect, floating world-class spas. And at night you can enjoy fantastic shows, entertainers and clubs that are the equal of anything you’ll find on land, even in Las Vegas.

If you want to gamble there actually might not be a better place to do it than aboard a cruise ship. Vegas and Nassau may have lots more tables than any one cruise ship, but nothing beats the gaming tables-per-passenger ratio that you’ll find on cruise ships. That means cruise passengers can get in on more action than gamblers anywhere else.

And if sight-seeing, or exploring local culture, art and history is your thing, it’s hard to beat a floating resort that allows you to explore three or four breathtakingly beautiful and exotic locations in a single week.

Then there’s the food. If you’re like most people, when you’re on vacation one of your favorite things to do is eat really well. And you simply can’t beat the world-class food served – at all hours – aboard cruise ships.

My point is this: Vacation time is sacred time. We all need not just time off from work to rest, but time away, in a different, exciting environment where we can really relax and have our spirits revived through new and interesting experiences. But we all also want top value for our vacation dollars. For most of us it makes no sense to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than necessary on a vacation.

And the data clearly show that taking a cruise represents the best vacation value available. It’s how you get the biggest bang for your vacation buck.

See you on the seas.