Cruise Planners - Meetings at Sea vs Land Based Venues

The best cruise deals delivered right to your in-box!

Meetings at Sea vs Land Based Venues

Cruises -vs- Resorts

What's the Price Difference Between Cruises & Resorts?

Well, it all depends on the kind of cruise you are looking for and to what type of resort you are comparing it to. Just like anything you may buy, whether it's a house, a car, an airline ticket or a new sofa, the products you choose depend on what's important to you. Cruises are the same way. The cost of a cruise is determined by many variable factors including:

The time of year you choose to take your cruise
How long you'd like to get away.
Where you'd like to go
The type of cruise you take
Which cruise line you like
Which ship you decide on
The type of accommodations you select
The package inclusions in addition to the cruise fare
What promotional offers are available when you make your reservation
How quickly you are able to pay for your booking once you've been quoted the rates
Where you live or where you will be flying from
If you've ever cruised before and if so, on which lines
Which agency you choose to book with

So you see, there is no simple answer to how much a cruise costs compared to other vacations. There are a lot of things to take into consideration! And that's how we can help.

We want to make sure that you choose the cruise that's right for you. In addition to the information listed above we also want to find out what your preferences are and what's important to you. Unlike other online retailers, we want you to call us and speak to us directly. We'll take the time you need and ask all the right questions.

If you're looking for your first cruise, it's natural to what to know the price. What you'll find is that the beauty of a cruise vacation is that virtually all aspects of your trip are included. So when you compare the cost of a cruise vacation to a comparable land-based option, you'll find that a cruise is a tremendous value.

For your benefit, we have created a Cruise -versus- a Resort chart that compares cost of a very popular honeymoon cruise to three equally popular honeymoon land vacations. This chart will show you that dollar for dollar, nothing beats a cruise vacation.

The prices on this chart are shown per person, based on two people in a room, for a 7-night vacation stay during the off-peak travel season, specifically between the Thanksgiving holiday in November. Air travel is priced sing airline Internet fares. Room accommodations are as follows:

Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Triumph,
Category 8A Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony;
Marriott Frenchman's Reef in St. Thomas,
Water View Room with Balcony;
Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas,
City View Room (sorry, no Balconies in Vegas *-);
Sandals Negril Resort and Spa
Honeymoon Grand Luxe Beachfront with Balcony or Patio

The rates used in this comparison were accurate on the day they were checked and used for this comparison exercise only. It's important remember that rates can change at any time. Promotional price cuts can appear and then disappear quickly once they've been booked.

Meals for this chart are budgeted at $75 per person per day, broken down as follows: $10 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, $10 for snacks and $40 for dinner. These meal costs are conservative and may be higher in some island destinations! Cruises provide a great variety of choices all with consistently high quality cuisine; and it's included in your cruise fare. The Sandals Resort is totally all-inclusive, so we have included a weekly budget of $200 per person for alcohol assuming each guest consumes six drinks per day.

Gambling is offered on cruise ships and in Las Vegas, but this is not considered a form of entertainment that was included on this chart. Entertainment would include lavish productions, comedy shows, live bands, discos, cover charges, piano bars, karaoke, etc.

Obviously, there are dozens of cruises and hundreds of hotels in these same destinations: some less expensive and some more costly. The seasonality of demand may also affect prices. These cruise and hotel properties were selected because they deliver a comparable experience among one another. The property comparison section of the chart shows how similar they are with respect to facilities and amenities.

Vacation Options

Property:

Carnival Triumph

Frenchman's Reef

Mandalay Bay

Sandals Negril

Company:

Carnival

Marriott

Mandalay

Sandals

Rating:

Num Guests:

2,758 guests

1,008 guests

6,600 guests

446 guests

Day By Day Vacation Comparison

Length of Stay:

7 Nights

Destination:

Caribbean

Las Vegas, NV

Negril, Jamaica

Home Airport:

Miami, FL

St. Thomas

Las Vegas, NV

Montego Bay

Room Type:

Ocean view
Balcony

Water View
with Balcony

City View

Grand Luxe Beachfront

Day One

Fly to Miami

Fly to St. Thomas

Fly to Vegas

Fly to Jamaica

Day Two

Fun Day at Sea

St. Thomas

Las Vegas

Negril

Day Three

San Juan

St. Thomas

Las Vegas

Negril

Day Four

St. Thomas

Still in Las Vegas

Negril

Day Five

St. Maarten

St. Thomas

More gambling?

Negril

Day Six

Fun Day at Sea

St. Thomas

More Vegas?

Negril

Day Seven

Relaxing at Sea

St. Thomas

Viva Las Vegas

Negril

Day Eight

Fly Home

Property and Amenity Comparison

Num Rooms:

1,379 Rooms

504 Rooms

3,300 Rooms

223 Rooms

Restaurants:

Bars & Lounges:

Coffee Shop:

Yes

Snack Bar:

Yes

24 Hr Dining:

Yes

Nightclub:

Yes

Casino:

Yes

Show Lounge:

Yes

Pools/Hot Tubs:

Sauna/Steam:

Yes

Spa/Salon:

Yes

Fitness Facilities:

Yes

Tennis Courts:

Yes

Tour Desk:

Yes

Shops:

Yes

Angela DeDomenico

Meetings at Sea vs Land Based Venues