Honeymoon Cruises -vs- Honeymoon Resorts

What's the Price Difference Between Cruises & Resorts?

Well, it all depends on the kind of honeymoon cruise you are looking for and to what type of honeymoon 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. Honeymoon cruises are the same way. The cost of a honeymoon cruise is determined by many variable factors including:

• The time of year you choose to take your honeymoon
• How long you'd like to get away.
• Where you'd like to go
• The type of honeymoon 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 honeymoon cruise costs compared to other honeymoon vacations. There are a lot of things to take into consideration! And that's how we can help.

At CruiseCheap.com, we want to make sure that you choose the honeymoon cruise that's right for you. So we want to get to know you a little bit. 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 honeymoon 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 Honeymoon Cruise -versus- a Honeymoon 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 November 6-13, 2004. Air travel is priced from Chicago O'Hare airport using 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	7 Nights	7 Nights	7 Nights
Destination:	Caribbean	Caribbean	Las Vegas, NV	Negril, Jamaica
Home Airport:	Miami, FL	St. Thomas	Las Vegas, NV	Montego Bay
Room Type:	Oceanview 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	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	Fly Home	Fly Home	Fly Home
Property and Amenity Comparison
Num Rooms:	1,379 Rooms	504 Rooms	3,300 Rooms	223 Rooms
Restaurants:	4	4	16	4
Bars & Lounges:	11	4	3	7
Coffee Shop:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Snack Bar:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
24 Hr Dining:	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Nightclub:	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Casino:	Yes	No	Yes	No
Show Lounge:	Yes	No	Yes	No
Pools/Hot Tubs:	11	3	2	4
Sauna/Steam:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Spa/Salon:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fitness Facilities:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tennis Courts:	No	Yes	No	Yes
Tour Desk:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Shops:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Room Service:	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Rate Comparison
Property:	Carnival Triumph	Frenchman's Reef	Mandalay Bay	Sandals Negril
Company:	Carnival	Marriott	Mandalay	Sandals
Room Rate:	$860	$888	$974	$1,867
Airfare:	$289	$462	$156	$379
Transfers:	$30	Included	Included	Included
Baggage Handling:	Included	Included	Included	Included
Meals/Snacks:	Included	$525	$525	Included
Drinks/Alcohol	$200	$200	$200	Included
Entertainment:	Included	$50	$250	Included
Gratuities:	$75	$140	$140	Included
Taxes/Fees:	$30	$53	$31	Included
Total Per Person:	$1,484 pp	$2,318 pp	$2,276 pp	$2,246 pp
Total Per Couple	$2,968	$4,638	$4,552	$4,492

And you should also know that in addition to being affordable, cruises have a higher percentage of satisfied guests than any other vacation experience. It's difficult to match the fun, adventure, variety, comfort and quality of cruise vacation options. And when you add it all up it's easy to see why a cruise is the best value in the travel industry. Call one of our cruise experts today to being planning your best vacation ever!

Notes about this comparison:

• All rates are based on off-peak travel specifically for the weeks of November 6 - 13, 2004. Rates were available as of June 1, 2004 when this page was created. Rates are for this chart comparison only and may be higher or lower based on availability.
• Rates can be higher or lower depending upon the dates of travel, number of people traveling, ship or resort you choose, age, loyalty programs, room accommodations, transportation and a number of other factors.
• Airfare rates were provided by Gogo Tours and Orbitz and include airline taxes, fees and service charges.
• Approximate meal charges were estimated based on a daily meal allowance of $75 per person. $10 for Breakfast, $15 for Lunch, $10 for daily snacks, and $40 for dinner. These number are conservative and may be higher or lower depending upon guests individual dining preferences, choice of restaurant, and eating habits.
• Gratuities are based on a 20% service charge on meals and miscellaneous gratuities that are extended to bellmen, sky caps, or others who perform a performance-based service.
• Entertainment costs are based on a comparison to entertainment included on a cruise ship. This includes large productions, comedy shows, live bands, piano bars, cover charges, discos, etc. Disney Caribbean Beach package does include a weeklong pass to Disney World Parks.
• Taxes and government fees are additional and added by the various cruise lines and properties.