Cruise travel is such a phenomenal value that it's easy to believe that it just might be cheaper to take a cruise than to stay at home. Conde Nast Traveler recently reported that U.K.-based Cruise Deals did the math to prove its truth as it relates to living in London, but what about in the U.S.?
For the sake of comparison, Cruise Deals said it costs about $4,000 a month or $133 a day (converted from pounds) to be a London resident including average prices for rent, food, transportation and entertainment - all things included in a cruise vacation. Alternatively, the company said a 120-day world cruise aboard P&O Cruises' Arcadia comes in at $16,000 total or $125 a day. Indeed, a per diem of $125 is less than $133, and under that, travel to destinations well beyond England are featured such as Barbados, Curacao, Bora Bora and Los Angeles.
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According to Career Trends, the average annual cost of living for a single adult without children in the United States is $28,474, or $2,372 per month or $79 per day. It doesn't even require a world cruise to calculate whether or not that per diem can be beat on a cruise. One of the most common deals found for a seven-day sailing is a cost of $399 per person which breaks down to only $57 per day - easily less than $79 per day staying home.
So, it's true. It is indeed cheeper to cruise than stay home, in certain situations that is. Generally, such cruise deals are common to mainstream standard lines and not luxury ones, but even the highest tier can be deemed comparatively affordable. Take, for instance, Lee Wachtstetter in her 80s who spends $164,000 annually to live full-time on Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity according to USA Today.
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Now, that's a pretty penny, but according to Bankrate, luxurious assisted living communities can charge an entrance fee alone of $1.1 million (partially refundable) plus $5,100 per month thereafter, which, depending on longevity, could still average out to far more expensive for the resident.
For the average person, however, seeking out a good cruise deal is definitely an opportunity to not only save some money versus staying shoreside but also seeing other parts of the world in the process. It's a no brainer, particularly if you live near a homeport that eliminates the need for flying and the extra costs associated with it. Of course, even in circumstances when it costs more to cruise than stay home, cruising remains one of the best values in travel today.
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