I was playing golf with three friends a couple of weeks ago, and the subject of cruises came up on the 13th tee. I know it was the 13th because after the way I played the 12th, I was looking to change the subject.
Only one of my friends had been on a cruise, and he was lamenting the cost of flying to Europe, sailing around the North Sea and taking the North Atlantic route back to New York.
As the other two asked questions about cruising, I had to interject and point out, all the while insisting I was being unbiased, the value of going on a cruise.
“Remember,” I said, “if you take an 18-day trip like our pal did, it includes 18 hotel-room nights, 18 days of eating [that’s 108 meals, plus whatever else you want, whenever you 
want it], and as many as 18 days of entertainment. If you take out the air fare, how much would you spend on equivalent meals, equivalent lodging and equivalent entertainment…not that anybody is likely to do that 18 times in 18 days.”
One of the non-cruisers replied: “Hmmm.”
I think I was making some headway.
It made me think that sometimes, because the all-inclusiveness of the price, it sounds like a lot of money to first-timers…or non-timers. No 18-day vacation is cheap — unless you go camping, and I won’t even go there, because I’d be going alone — but it does need some perspective for people who’ve never been on a cruise ship.
And I didn’t even get around to mentioning the places you visit in 18 days.