Compare a Cruise with Las Vegas

As popular as cruising has become in recent years, there are a lot of people that still think of cruising as an expensive vacation. This couldn't be further from the truth but how does one explain why? I decided to compare a 4 day Mexican Baja Cruise on Carnival to a 4 night stay in Vegas at the Excalibur hotel on the strip for a couple with no children with all nights weeknights. The comparison shows how the two vacations are not as far off as people may think. For this comparison, all meals in Vegas are assumed eaten in the same restaurant in the Excalibur. Gambling and souvenirs will not be added because that will vary greatly by person. Transportation is also not added because it depends on where flying from.

Room Price:
Carnival - $280 per person for a total of $560
Vegas - $61 per night for a total of $244

Taxes and fees:
Carnival - $40 per person for a total for $80
Vegas - $20

Breakfast:
Carnival - included
Vegas - $11 per person per day

Lunch:
Carnival - included
Vegas - $13 per person per day

Dinner:
Carnival - included
Vegas - $21 per person per day

Meals total:
Carnival - $0
Vegas - $360


Entertainment (shows):
Carnival - Included
Vegas - $12 to $100 per person ($30 average) per night
Assuming only going to shows on 3 of the 4 nights - $180 total

Alcohol (varies by person, we will use 5 drinks per day per person):
Carnival - $50 each
Vegas - $2o each (assumed 3 of the 5 drinks each were free because of gambling)

Total:
Carnival - $740
Vegas - $844

This is a quick and dirty comparison, and every person is different. Searching for the right week and deals can change both vacations greatly so this is just used as a guideline to show how a cruising vacation is not as expensive as some people may think. It also shows that Vegas may not be as expensive as some may think as well. Just to create this simple comparison has taken weeks of discussion here with all the other factors that we could not decide how to include or if they should be included in the comparison such as other activities on board ship, the destinations visited, and even the free offers that exist in Vegas. No matter what vacation you choose, make it a great one.