I spent five days in London, and it reminded me what a great value cruises really are

Although cruise fares have increased over the years, there's no denying they still provide a solid bang for your buck. I was recently reminded of this after planning a five-night trip to London, England. 

As a cruise writer, I'm always on the lookout for deals, so when I came across a sailing aboard the recently renovated Liberty of the Seas for less than $750 per person out of Southampton, I immediately started planning a trip across the pond.

However, flying across the Atlantic for a five-night cruise seemed silly, so my fiancée and I decided to extend our trip with a pre-cruise trip to London. Adding a few days on land not only allowed us to make the most of our time aboard, but it also helped justify the cost of airfare from North Carolina to England. 

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That said, by the time I added up the cost of our hotel, meals, transportation, and miscellaneous sightseeing, our total quickly climbed into the thousands — way more than our cruise fare, which included meals, entertainment, and transportation to Germany and Belgium. 

In the end, we spent around $4,200 on a five-night trip to London, excluding our international flights, compared to $2,240 during our Liberty of the Seas cruise. In fact, our hotel alone cost more than the cruise fare, totaling $1,785.62, versus the $1,497.84 we paid for our sailing.

The comparison was a brutal reminder that while cruises may cost more than they did years ago, they still offer families an incredible value that simply cannot be beat. 

It's easy to overlook the value of everything included in a cruise fare

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There's so much included in your cruise fare that you don't have to worry about on top of the initial fare, ranging from meals to entertainment, onboard activities, and transportation between ports. Those added benefits make a huge difference when comparing a cruise vacation to a traditional land-based trip. 

For example, the only meal included during our London trip was breakfast at the hotel, thanks to a perk from my Hilton Honors status. Everything else, from mid-day coffees to multi-course dinners and late-night sweet treats, was an added cost. 

Major cities like London aren't cheap, either. We spent over $700 on food alone during our five-night stay, an expense that would have largely been covered on a cruise. Instead, I found myself constantly keeping tabs on our spending. 

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Not only that, but since entertainment is included on a cruise, you don't have to worry about buying tickets to theater shows or admission to tourist attractions — unless you're in port. 

On our London trip, every attraction came with an additional price tag, ranging from $99.37 for the Tower of London and $276.91 for Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. The same can't be said for a cruise, where you're guaranteed to have a lineup of activities that don't cost a penny extra. 

Although the expenses were well worth it, they also highlight how quickly a land-based vacation can become more expensive than a cruise, especially if you love keeping busy. 

My cruise loyalty perks add more value to vacations at sea

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Over the years, I've inched my way up Royal Caribbean's loyalty ladder, earning benefits that make each sailing even more rewarding as a frequent cruiser. 

For example, on each sailing, I receive four complimentary drinks per day, along with one free professional photograph, as part of my loyalty benefits. Another perk I love is that, as a Diamond member, I can unwind in the Crown Lounge, which even features a laid-back continental breakfast spread and espresso machine. 

Now, I'm not saying these benefits completely change the cost of a cruise vacation, but they do add some value that you don't get with most traditional vacations.

How much does it cost to go on a cruise?

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The cost of a cruise varies based on factors such as the time of year, ship, cabin category, and more. However, in this case, my base fare on Liberty of the Seas came in at less than $1,500 for two people.

That price covered way more than our interior accommodations, including transportation between our ports in Germany and Belgium, meals in the main dining venues and other designated restaurants, entertainment, and access to most onboard activities. 

We didn't, for example, have to worry about shelling out money every time we needed to get from one place to another. Whereas in London, we spent extra on transportation around the city on the Underground. 

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Instead, everything we needed was less than a ten-minute walk from our cabin. Whether we were heading to dinner, catching a show, grabbing a drink, or hanging out in the adult-only Solarium, we could get wherever we wanted without tapping our credit cards and boarding a crowded tube car. 

Let's talk add-ons. Cruises aren't all-inclusive, and my fiancée and I did rack up some additional costs during our sailing. However, even after factoring in optional specialty dining, Wi-Fi, souvenirs, and excursions, our extra expenses totaled around $745, which was less than what we spent in London on similar things. 

And the best part is that add-ons are called that for a reason: they are completely optional, and cruisers can customize their experience based on their budget and personal preferences. 

Is a cruise worth it?

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From a value standpoint, my five-night London trip answers that question. While land-based vacations offer incredible opportunities to explore destinations that simply can't be done during short port visits, cruises combine convenience, entertainment, dining, and transportation in a way that's impossible to replicate. 

When you consider everything included in your cruise fare, along with the flexibility to add experiences that matter to you and skip those that don't, it's abundantly clear why so many travelers continue to remain adamant cruisers. 

Of course, cruises aren't the best choice for every type of traveler or every destination. I've taken plenty of land-based vacations to places like Prague, Czechia; Zürich, Switzerland; and Munich, Germany — all of which are inaccessible via ocean-going cruise ships. 

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That said, when it comes to maximizing your vacation budget while visiting multiple destinations, cruising will always be one of the best ways to travel.