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Would you rather take a cruise or go to Europe?

S

SAWYER

Lifer
We are planning a vacation later this year and I would love to see Europe but I believe a cruise would be much cheaper(2 adults/2 kids). Has anyone here been on a cruise to the Caribbean or been on a European tourist-style trip? What kind of prices(on the cheap) can you get by with on going to Europe? Where is the best place to book a trip for either a cruise or trip to Europe?
 
I'm doing both. Flying out to Barcelona in June to take a Mediterranean cruise to France and Ibiza. Gonna stay at the Ritz while I'm in Barcelona so it'll be a cool trip.
 
One answer is to ask yourself whether you would prefer to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life, the culture and history of one of the ~200 other countries that exist on this good green earth OR stuff yourself nightly at the shrimp and salad bar along with several hundred other dreary, boring middle class Americans the likes of which you have surely experienced time and time and time again.

 
I lucked out actually. I used my frequent flier miles for a flight on Continental to Barcelona. My company had given me some Ritz Prestige awards that I'm using for the hotel. The cruise is a 5 day cruise and its about $599 per person.
 
With two kids, cruising is a lot less hassle, everything is taken care for you.

Also remember the dollar is very weak against the Euro right now.
 
Originally posted by: Perknose
One answer is to ask yourself whether you would prefer to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life, the culture and history of one of the ~200 other countries that exist on this good green earth OR stuff yourself nightly at the shrimp and salad bar along with several hundred other dreary, boring middle class Americans the likes of which you have surely experienced time and time and time again.
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Damn that puts things in perspective:laugh:
 
W/ kids definitely cruise. Those two are pretty different vacations in terms of price, energy expended, experience. Cruise might be a lot more carefree since you dont have to constantly drag teh kids around and give you more opportunity to actually relax. A Euro vacation would involve a lot of moving around and going to various locales that is ultimately pretty draining. It'd be an amazing cultural experience but you'll probably end up more tired than you started out.
 
I would MUCH rather do Europe, but with the deals my wife finds on cruises, that's usually what we do. It would cost a factor of 4x or 5x at least to go to Europe, especially with three kids. The last cruise was very cheap for her and the 3 kids (just over $600 for a 4 day).

However we'll probably do Europe in a few years, when the kids are in a better position to appreciate it all.

Cruises are great with kids though. The ships have programs for the kids that they absolutely love. And don't listen to Perknose - it's not all middle-class Americans on the ships. Most of the cruises we've done have been at least 10% non-Americans.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
i'd rather go to Europe
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Same here, but it depends on the cruise. I went on a cruise through Greece and I have to say, it's probably the most convenient way to see the most in the shortest amount of time.
 
I'd rather go to Europe, but it's a little less clear with kids. The problem with the first post is that it appears to fall victim to false economy. A cheap cruise is usually a disappointment. To really enjoy a cruise, you need to spend a little more money and get a nice ship and nice meals. Otherwise you end up eating the same donkey bile that you used to eat in grade school cafeterias, only even more bland, and you have to put up with ungodly terrible service and musty old rooms.
 
I'd absolutely unquestionably infinitely rather go to Europe.

The idea of cruises is low on my list. Why would you spend all that money to go on a boat and see very little new when you can see half a continent in a couple weeks?
 
Originally posted by: Perknose
One answer is to ask yourself whether you would prefer to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life, the culture and history of one of the ~200 other countries that exist on this good green earth OR stuff yourself nightly at the shrimp and salad bar along with several hundred other dreary, boring middle class Americans the likes of which you have surely experienced time and time and time again.
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:thumbsup:

I'd go Europe myself, but with kids, I might be more inclined for the cruise route so that they can be busy doing their thing and you can have some alone time with the missus. 😉
 
A cruise would be cheaper, but you would experience a lot more if you went to Europe. Like some other posters said though, a cruise would be good for keeping the kids occupied and making things easier for you and your wife.

Also, I have to disagree with torpid's opinions on cruises. I've never heard of bad cruises that serve bland food and have musty rooms. I'm sure you get what you pay for in some cases, but overall I don't think that things would be that bad.
 
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Perknose
One answer is to ask yourself whether you would prefer to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life, the culture and history of one of the ~200 other countries that exist on this good green earth OR stuff yourself nightly at the shrimp and salad bar along with several hundred other dreary, boring middle class Americans the likes of which you have surely experienced time and time and time again.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

I'd go Europe myself, but with kids, I might be more inclined for the cruise route so that they can be busy doing their thing and you can have some alone time with the missus. 😉
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It all depends. I just got back from a mini Europ trip last year (London, Amsterdam, and pretty much all of Germany). Now I've gotten that out of the system, I'm DYING to go on a cruise.

I want to be spoiled, endlessly fed, drink your ass off with friends only to walk back to your cabin (instead of driving home), etc.

Also it's not so much the Cruise itself that excites me. The tropical excursions and destinations that entail makes it most interesting.
 
I've been to Europe a few times and on a cruise once. The wife and I had a blast on the cruise; however, the cruise was more about relaxation and having raw fun than an experience. Europe is an experience that you can't substitute for much anything else.

So, if you can, go to Europe, imo. You could also potentially blend the two. There are cruises that go to Europe from the US. There are relocation cruises that go one-way as well, and they tend to be less expensive; however, you'll spend a few weeks on the ocean and at various ports, and you could spend that time around Europe instead.
 
Cruise for right now. With the exchange rate what it is I am happy paying for the entire cruise in US dollars and not converting it.
 
I went to Europe 3 years ago and the exchange rate was bad.....now it's even worse. If you go to Europe, it's cheaper to go through a tour company and let them cover your meals and currency conversion....but airfare right now is the killer.
 
Originally posted by: Perknose
One answer is to ask yourself whether you would prefer to experience, perhaps for the first time in your life, the culture and history of one of the ~200 other countries that exist on this good green earth OR stuff yourself nightly at the shrimp and salad bar along with several hundred other dreary, boring middle class Americans the likes of which you have surely experienced time and time and time again.
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jesus... do you cut yourself at night?
 
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