Would you spend $2500 on a Mediterranean cruise?

I'm supposed to be going on a Mediterranean cruise with some friends next year, and the date for the deposit is coming up. The trip will be around $2500, and that doesn't include airfare, hotel, etc. Is it worth it?

• Why do you ask? Are you cheap or something?

• Yes that's about right. Have fun

• How long is the cruise? How much do you estimate the other expenses will be?

• I just spent $1500 on a Caribbean cruise. An extra $1k for Italy, Greece, etc. isn't bad. Make sure the captain has good sonar equipment and you don't constantly see him cocktailing and canoodling with attractive guests.

• It's a ten-day cruise. I guess the airfare from the states to overseas will be roughly $1300. We'll be staying in a motel the night before the cruise, so that we won't risk missing the ship.

• A motel? Ewww. You really are cheap.

• It's just for a night, simpleton. And it may actually be a hotel. Not sure exactly.

• Yes. Definitely. YOu will not regret it. Tens days I did it a few years ago! First cruise. Loved it! Do it.

• Thanks!

• Cheap cruises are trashy and unenjoyable. It's worth spending a little extra to be on a nice boat. Keeps the riffraff out and the amenities are much nicer.

• Is it a known cruise line, a known ship? Big ship or tiny? Tell us, you may find some past passengers. Your "cruise" could be four guys on a boat to nowhere.

• I have spent $2500 on a Mediterranean cruise and didn't regret it.

• Even if it's worth it, I wouldn't spend it. I don't have it.

• I did a western Mediterranean cruise in 2008. It was 10 days and we also stayed overnight at Hotel Diagonal in Barcelona (our departure city). My total cost with airfare was $3000. This was on the Celebrity Cruise line.

• I would. I have been considering going on one, but I am afraid that I won't have enough time in each port.

• We need more details: which cruise line, what's the itinerary, where will you have to fly to and from? You will probably not have a lot of time in each port, so make sure you're going to enjoy the onboard experience. Will you feel like killing your friends before this trip is over? Maybe that's the question you should ask yourself first.

  Civitavecchia is NOT the same as Rome

• I never understood the appeal of cruises. They're basically hotels on water.

• It's an Atlantis cruise. Some of my friends have been before, and they rave about it. One of my friends will be going again, and it will be his sixth or seventh time. I've seen video tapes of pass cruises and they look like so much fun. I've also never been out of the country, and am looking forward to that aspect of it.

  OP

• That is, "past" cruises...

  OP

• A friend did the same type of trip. Started in Barcelona went to Rome, two Greek Islands, Athens, Istanbul and ended in Venice.

• I would never go on a cruise, especially an Atlantis cruise. They are magnets for tacky folks who are unable to think on their own.

• R20, I think that's similar to the cruise I'll be taking

  OP

• What kind of tacky garbage scow cruise is so cheap?

  Rich%20People

• Only trashy people take cruises with floor shows and casinos. The wealthy go on expeditions.

  http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com

• I'd sooner shoot myself than go on an Atlantis cruise, or any cruise that doesn't involve me as a private guest on someone's *very* large yacht (200-foot-long minimum).

• Why not just fly to Athens and then take a boat to a few Greek islands? Maybe even venture over to Istanbul for a few days.

• I'd like the full experience. I've also never been to Italy, so there's that.

• I went on a cruise once and hated it. I could see why people get off at the next port and fly home. Food poisoning awaits

• I'm not a cruiser but OP it sounds fun! You will be with friends and it is a great way to see several countries in a week. I think the price for what you get is reasonable.

• Thanks R29!

• That's one month of antiretrovirals right? Well wait till 2014 then you can suck on Uncle Sam's teat and get them free.

• OP, is it with a balcony at least? Even with a balcony for 10 days that's WAY too much, certainly is you're sharing the same cabin with others. But the Mediterranean has always been expensive because of the stops. And remember the Mediterranean is the harshest sea in the world.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D8z-MBvmlD-Y

• F & F for R31

• It's a balcony room with a few other people, and the way it's priced, by the time it's all broken down, we'll be paying less than $2500 anyway.

  OP

• Atlantis Cruise, Oh Dear. Gay Trash.

• Oh Atlantis. Ok, OP, good going. I've heard good things about these cruises. All gay. All easy. All fun. Booked on good ships. You'd pay that much on a Cunard Liner to cross the No. Atlantic. I've crossed a couple of times and prefer long days at sea to a port a day, but that's just me. I've hear Atlantis is lots of fun. Your friends probably booked a high-end balcony room, so go, enjoy.

  http://atlantisevents.com/cruise_what.php

  Edga

• Make sure the ship isn't named "Poseidon."

• If it's a good room with a reliable cruise line, that comes to $250/day, which is what you would spend for a good hotel and meals on a European trip. Cruises are fun, especially with friends, because you see a lot without having to pack and unpack constantly, food is great, and there are things for every interest on the ship. I'm hyperactive and find that cruises are the only places I am able to completely relax because I'm not driving, making arrangements, etc. It's all done for us - I'm 60, so I enjoy the amenities and though I travel a lot for business, find cruises to be very enjoyable IF they are with the right people.

• [quote] with a few other people How many other people, OP? Ten days is a long time to share.

• Go, OP, and have a lot of fun.

• Definitely go.

• Take a tiara in case the captain invites you to dine at his table

• Me and two other people in one room. Thanks for all the replies.

  OP

• Don't pay that much. Royal Caribbean is much nicer and you can get a balcony. I went a year and a half ago, and I spent $2000 for nine days, balcany, in late March/early April. I spent $700 airfare LA to Rome (Delta). Gas prices of today will be higher, though. and I spent $1300 for the ten day cruise. I also spent some time in Rome after the cruise. Port of calls: Greece, Italy, Sicily, and Turkey.

• It's not a bad idea for your first trip abroad, OP. You get a taste of several different cities without having to pack/unpack rush around from country to country, navigate foreign airports and train stations, etc. There won't be a lot of time in each port, which can be frustrating. Still, you'll get some ideas about where you want to go for a non-cruise vacation in the future.

• Has Shep Huntleigh arrived to carry you away yet OP?

  T.%20Williams%20

• I spent 7 days on a cruise in the Mexican Riviera. I realized that cruises are not for me. I was bored after a couple of days. Seasick for the first few days and during the return. Some people like that closed-off environment, I felt trapped. To be honest there wasn't much to do, at least for me. The shows are okay. The food was food. After a few days, none of it mattered anymore. I was actually looking forward to going home midway through the week.

• I went on a Tahiti cruise for 11 days. For 4 of those days we were on the ship with no ports of call. It was like being in a prison.

• Manny! Manny!

• Whatever you do, don't fall overboard pretending you're Goldie Hawn

• LOLing! Thanks all.

  OP

• I'd rather go on a regular cruise than an Atlantis or RSVP cruise. Nothing worse than being trapped at sea with a bunch of snotty sissies.