While the price of everything has seemingly gone up, the value of a cruise vacation is still undeniable.
As someone that covers cruises for a living, I go on a lot of ships each year. Going on more than a dozen cruises doesn't leave a lot of time for land vacations.
In all honesty, I prefer to cruise as a vacation anyway. But in case I had any doubts, cruising is not only a fun way to travel, it also makes a lot of economic sense.
My family planned a European cruise this year, heading on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas for over a week visiting Northern Europe.
We decided to add in a pre-cruise trip to Disneyland Paris as a way to maximize the value of our expensive flight, and better acclimate ourselves to the local time before the cruise.
After spending two days enjoying the theme parks, it reminded me how much more a cruise incudes for the cost.
I took for granted food, drinks, and entertainment that comes with a cruise
Anytime I stay at a hotel or visit a city, I quickly miss having food as part of the included cost.
Royal Caribbean cruises include certain restaurants in the fare. You can go on a cruise and never spend any more money on food. I usually buy at least some specialty food, but at least the basics are covered.
When we arrived to our Disneyland Paris hotel, it dawned on me I couldn't make a quick visit to the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade for coffee, a snack, or anything.
Food costs added up quickly, and within 24 hours, I had over $300 in food charges without ever going to a sit down restaurant.
I've grown accustomed to having snacks and basic food and drink readily available when on a cruise.
I'd probably have been okay with the money spent on food if we had been in a city where the food is authentic to the region and arguably the kind of food you can't get elsewhere, but theme park food was notably disappointing.
Theme park travel is expensive
Both a cruise and a theme park resort have certain costs that you don't find if just visiting a city.
Your cruise fare includes transportation on the ship, accommodations, food, entertainment and more. At Disneyland, you're paying for hotel and theme park tickets.
Between the resort hotel, tickets, and their upgraded front of the line access program, I spent over $4,500 for my family of four across the two night stay. That doesn't include food costs.
To put that in perspective, two connecting balcony cabins on a 8-night cruise cost $5,567.20, which includes food and more.
The realization I had wasn't that cruising is cheap, but the value is higher given what's included with a cruise.
Loyalty benefits really tip the scales towards cruising
An x-factor that makes cruises far more attractive to me financially is what I get by being a loyal cruiser.
Royal Caribbean has an array of perks for its repeat customers, with the best benefits beginning at the Diamond level.
With that, you can get free drink vouchers, souvenir photos, dedicated lounge space and more. I even get a free cruise every 350 points I achieve now that I've made it to Pinnacle Club level.
I think the free drinks that you get once you reach Diamond alone are the best benefit.
Both are fun, but cruising gets me more for the money
I'm not complaining about riding Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Phantom Manor, because a day in a Disney park is lovely. Rather, I couldn't help but think about the value proposition.
Our visit to Disneyland Paris was about checking a box off our list of places to visit, but I'm in no hurry to return.
Ironically, if not for our cruise vacation, I doubt we would have been able to visit Disneyland. And that's how things will remain: cruising is our preferred means of vacation.
For the money, I'd rather be on a cruise so we can get more value for what we spend on the trip. Plus, another cruise earns me more loyalty points that get me future benefits too.