10 reasons you should choose a cruise instead of Las Vegas

Did you know that there are more similarities than differences between a cruise vacation and a Las Vegas vacation? Maybe you’re like Trippy user Ronnie H. from Texas who was torn between Las Vegas and a Caribbean cruise when he asked:
Las Vegas vs. Caribbean Cruise

I am torn between an all-inclusive resort, five day Caribbean cruise, or Las Vegas. I have been to Vegas, love it every time and have been on one 4-day cruise to Mexico, not impressed with Mexico or Carnival but willing to do it again. It's for, and we do not drink, but wife loves slot machines, too much, sometimes.

We’ve got the reasons why you should choose a cruise instead of Las Vegas:

1. All-you-can-eat and fine dining options


There’s food from sun up to sun down on a cruise ship. When you’re up, you get free-flowing coffee and tea and mountains of food to delight your stomach. And it is all included when you pay for your cruise vacation. The cruise ship has at least one large all-you-can-eat dining room.

Even if your stomach hardly had time to digest, the dining rooms are already ready to serve guests with the next course. And the next! You can snack on pizza, hot dogs, hamburgers and fries in between your meals.

Those who prefer fine dining can pay a little extra for food prepared by celebrity chefs for a gastronomic indulgence. These meals cost a fraction of what you would pay in Las Vegas. And that’s not all. You don’t have to drive or walk a mile to get to the restaurant. Everything you want is within easy reach from your room.

2. Casino


Trippy user Marie R from Las Vegas wrote:
For the cruise, I'm a big cruiser. You can get slot machines (and a full casino) on most cruise lines. A 4-day cruise is usually a drunken party boat where a 7-day cruise is not quite that way due to a larger cost to sail, more days to drink so that cost rises, etc. Also, depending on the cruise line you pick, you'll find better ships, different ages of cruisers, etc. I don't have an issue with Carnival, but you may want to try a different line for another experience. You can pick a Caribbean cruise and hit the beaches all day for a sort of "best of both worlds" experience.

Einn from California prefers the cruise. He said:
There are ships that sail out of Galveston, so that might save a little on flights since you're from Texas. If Carnival didn't work out for you, you could always try a different cruise line - Princess, Royal Caribbean or Disney. Cruise ships have casinos onboard as well, although I believe they take more than they give... ;)

3. World-class entertainment


Besides the casinos, live entertainment is another top attraction in Las Vegas. All cruise ships have nightly live entertainment too. These live shows are by no means cheesy. U.S. News had an article on 8 Over-the-Top Cruise Shows in 2017, and the list includes:

• Frozen, A Musical Spectacular on Disney Cruise
• Amor Cubano on Carnival
• World Stage Theater on Holland America
• Cirque du Soleil on MSC
• Priscilla Queen of the Dessert on Norwegian
• Magic to Do on Princess

Most shows are included in the cost of your cruise.

4. Visit new countries and exotic destinations




Mary Gerber from Ohio had her mind set on cruises instead of Las Vegas:
I am a great person to answer this question -- I have been on 2 Caribbean cruises, have been to an all-inclusive, and have been to Vegas about 10 times. The all-inclusive is great if you just want to hang out and use the amenities of the resort but not if you really want to see the local area you are visiting.

The cruise is great if you want to see a lot of different places or try different activities. If you do the Caribbean, I was not a fan of The Bahamas (lots of people asking for money or trying to get you to buy something in Nassau) but we did the eastern Caribbean that visited St Thomas, Barbados, St Lucia, and St Maarten and it was fantastic. Vegas is always great, but it's Vegas -- gambling, shopping, food, shows. You need to decide how active you want to be on this trip and what your goal is. Do you want to lay by the pool or on a beach? Snorkel or see a Cirque show?

5. Variety of things to do


When you go on a cruise, you can choose a variety of shore excursions. You’re not restricted to activities like shopping, sightseeing, and ziplining. You have an array of options. For example, if you’re cruising to Aruba, Trippy user Susan Swetz recommends:
Aruba ... you can do all those activities. Great snorkeling, sailing, and hiking. Aruba is also out of the hurricane belt ...so bad weather rarely happens. Also, the nightlife is abundant, especially for young couples.

If you’re sailing to Antigua, J Santiago Vazquez said it is the best island for pro-diver. Jacey and Scott Mahaffy liked Barbados. They wrote:
They have gorgeous caves that are very well run and easy to access. A little tram will even take you down, so you don't have to walk/crawl. Plenty of lights and most hotel areas are within 30 minutes from the airport. They even have a museum to airplanes with a Concorde on display. Lots of cultures (the fish market on Friday) and plenty of local cuisines or high-end cuisine. It was awesome!

6. More relaxed


When you’re on a cruise, you don’t need to have a set schedule to have breakfast, lunch or dinner. There’s no need to plan on where to eat or hail a taxi to get to a restaurant. There’s no heat stroke to deal with or fussy kids to drag along. Kids have plenty of supervised activities on board, and everything you want is there on the ship.

You can go with the flow, and if you miss lunch, you can always have an early dinner or a substantial snack on board.

7. Caters to the whole family


Most cruise ships have amenities that cater to all age groups. According to CLIA:
Grandparents who enjoy adventure can try a surf simulator or indoor skydiving with their families or, to keep things more relaxed, families can take scenic tours of historic landmarks. Cruises also offer children’s programs, teen clubs, and organized, supervised activities, including karaoke, cooking lessons, scavenger hunts or dance contests.


8. See the real New York


Las Vegas has themed hotels: New York New York, Venitian (Venice) and Paris. Why not go to the real New York City and join a cruise from the Big Apple to the Caribbean. New York Times’ article New York-New York, It’s a Las Vegas Town had this to say about the Las Vegas version of New York City:
The high point of it all is a mock skyline, roughly one-third as high as the real thing, in which a 47-story imitation Empire State Building, a 35-story Chrysler Building, and numerous other skyscrapers,.. cluster tightly together to form the high-rise section containing the hotel guest rooms.

Norwegian and Carnival are some of the cruise lines that sail out of New York City.

9. Nightlife


After dinner and the live shows, the next activity to look forward to on a cruise ship is at the dance floor, lounges or cruise bars. There are no cover charges, and you don’t need to have a designated driver for the night.

Royal Caribbean and Carnival are known for their exciting night scene. Royal Caribbean features multi-level nightclubs, themed parties, Latin beat hot spot, English pubs and more.

10. Water sports galore


From infinity pools and water parks to a plunge pool and adult-only oasis, cruise ships have it all. Depending on which ship you’re on, you’re bound to have endless time in the water. But if you want more, go for the shore excursions that offer water sports.

Trippy user Sue Jeske from California said:

Caribbean Cruise, hands down.
Do you dive or snorkel? Some of the best times we have had were in the water in the Caribbean. If you can go out of Florida and hit the smaller islands like Grenada or St Lucia or Dominica or even San Juan! If you go to St. Thomas take the ferry over to St John. MSC is an excellent cruise line to try out. If you want the Mega-Ships try Norwegian or Princess cruise lines.

Cruise ships come in all shapes and sizes. And not all cruise ships will suit your needs. When planning to cruise, consider these questions:

1. How much time do I have?
2. What time of the year am I traveling?
3. Which islands will suit my needs?
4. What port do I want to sail out of?
5. What’s my budget?
6. What are the 3 things I must do when I have a vacation?
7. Will I suffer from seasickness?
8. Who am I traveling with? Family-friendly, romantic, party, older couple, solo etc.

Have more questions about cruising? Become a Trippy user and get your questions answered.

Photos from Pixabay




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