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What happens all too often on vacations at resorts? By the time you're checking out, your bill is a hard-to-decipher list of telephone, laundry, golf, tennis, meal, cabaret and other charges - with hundreds of dollars of out-of-pocket expenses you never intended to spend. This is what you remember when you're spreading those maps on the living room floor and thinking dollars as you plan a vacation. Just how does a cruise stack up against a vacation at resort? No Hidden Costs. Take a cruise and see the difference. Dollar for dollar, you get more value for your money than you do on most land-based vacations. Practically all you spend is included in the original price tag. And it's convenient one-stop shopping: when you book a cabin, that's it. On shipboard you don't need your wallet or purse. There are no hidden costs-and no surprise credit card charges trickling in once the cruise is over. (About the only out-of-pocket expenses, outside of drinks and gratuities, are shore excursions, spa treatments and any onboard purchases.) When you dine, you don't need to worry about getting socked with a big bill. Dining is part of the bundled cruise price. In fact, count on six meals a day from breakfast to a late-night buffet, with health-conscious choices available. And the meals are, literally, priceless. An Escape With Extras. Untie the ribbon around a cruise vacation package, look inside and you'll find more in a three-day or three-week holiday on a ship than in a similar stay at a traditional resort. "If you compare the value of cruises with land-based vacations among travelers who have experienced both within the last five years, you'll find that cruises consistently come out on top and have a much higher overall satisfaction rating," says CLlA's (Godsman. From airfare and meals to sports, it's the built in extras that give your cruise the advantage. You and your farmily awake to find a jam-packed selection of activities, from a lecture on the Incas or an aerobics class at 10:30 a.m. to high tea or a golf-swing lesson at 4:30 p.m. - with a detour to the video arcade or a scavenger hunt for the kids and first-run Hollywood movies in your cabin or ship's theater. And it all comes with the territory, even your right to just do nothing but cool out in a chaise lounge at poolside. Bookings and Bargains. In today's cost-conscious environment, price alone is - unapologetically - one of cruising's biggest attractions. The cost of your cruise depends on your ship, duration and destination - but an all-inclusive, week-long cruise may average about $200 a day. Try to match that at a resort. Bargain-hunters can look for off peak sailing dates, usually in the early spring and late fall,and do well by booking early. For family vacationers, several cruise lines offer reduced rate for third and fourth passengers who share a cabin with two full-fare passengers. Still other cruise lines provide free or discounted passage for children, accommodating today's growing family market. Seamless Service. What you get, in any case, is a very pleasant surprise - more than you expected, because of the overall high quality of the cruising experience. All the parts fit together: the comfortable accommodations, the attentive crew, the seamless web of service, the sense that you're enjoying the comforts of a very versatile home on the water. It's your ship as much as the captain's.
Cruise Vacations, Inc.®
Last up date 7/31/02
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