Which trip? Alaskan cruise or Europe?
 

Good people of Fodors, here is our dilemma...

This year is our 25th wedding anniversary along with many of our friends. The friends are getting together and planning a cruise to Alaska on Celebrity concierge level for seven days, inland passage, taking off from Vancouver. This is with about 10 other couples, fun people that we don't do things with normally...

Trip #2 is in April, trip to Ireland for an awards trip for DH's company. Dublin for five days. That part is a done deal. DH wants to extend and see other cool places in Europe, since we are already "almost" there, like ports in Italy or France or who knows, many options here.

Here is the deal, can't really afford both. What would you pick and why? Really need Fodors help on this one. Thanks very much...

I'm the type that likes to celebrate things like anniversaries (especially big ones) alone (well, with the spouse, of course!). So, I'd pick Europe just the two of us, rather than Alaska with a large group of friends.

Plus, as your DH says, the cost of Europe may be less (or you can splurge more on hotels and meals) because you've got the airfare covered.

Obviously, though, someone with a different preference for celebration style might choose differently.

How much do you want to spend a week with the people taking the cruise?

Hmmm...let's see.

Ketchikan...Florence...
Juneau...Paris...
Skagway...Barcelona...

Hmmm...

I like Gardyloo's analysis! Seeing 1 state (Alaska) vs seeing a number of countries (Europe). Seems obvious to me! :)
Also, would you rather do a cruise and be stuck on a ship most of the time or would you rather be on land to see other things?

I also think it would be better to spend a trip like that with your husband, just the 2 of you instead of a bunch of other couples, since it's your anniversary.

As usual, Gardyloo brings clear, concise (and an amusing) perspective to the question.

How often do you have a chance to go to Europe? My wife and I spent a week in Paris to celebrate our 30th. We both want to do an inside passage cruise too, but think that's more appropriate to a 45th or 50th anniversary.

YOu know it really depends upon how you want so spend your days. Face it, a cruise is like a floating resort/hotel, you don't unpack, you have constant room service, limited choice of restaurant but you have no hassles.. if you are not longing to be physically active, then I would opt for the cruise.
Personally, there would be no choice GIVE ME EUROPE anytime, my husband and I spent our honeymoon in Paris.. and to stroll the Sein with the twinkle lights just like Les Mis made me ball like a baby! But note: A trip to Europe means packing/unpacking, speaking a strange language, having to use an electrical converter.. in short, more work for you both. Of course, Europe won't have your 10 friends, but...

Europe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or, make that....Europe!!!!!!!

Alaska will be there for another time...(hopefully with a few glaciers still standing/floating). But if a 25th anniversary calls for 1-1 enjoyment, sharing (and in my household, it does/did)...then the vote is hands-down Europe.

Also...to remark on the previous poster's comment about "not longing to be physically active (don't get nervous Fodor-censor!)...I would make the point that an Alaskan cruise is going to be exactly that...in a way. It is going to be port-port-port with you and hubby feeling obliged to scurry off and see what is to be seen.

Not that you won't want to do lots of seeing in Europe, wherever you head, as well of course. But that can be on YOUR schedule....sit in a cafe or bar or bistro. Stroll. Discover.

In order to appreciate the Alaska cruise (and I speak only as one who is looking forward to her first next summer), you are going to be really on the go. And with other people.

Well....as noted, Gardyloo already nailed it!

Whatever you do...enjoy and congratulations! We will mark our 40th the end of this month.

i love europe dont get me wrong, but a cruise with all of your friends would be a blast. You are wined and dined on a cruise. You go to dinner with these fun people every night, go to shows, relax in the hot tub, maybe get a spa treatment.

Europe will always be there, when else are you going to get 20 people together for a cruise. And alaska is amazing. it is so relaxing just to be on the ship, sipping hot chocolate as the glaciers go by. You can go whale watching (its amazing) and you can take a helicopter to a glacier. or you can just explore the small port towns. Europe will always be there for your 30th, 35th...

p.s. on the cruise, try to get a balcony cabin on the back. We had great views and a pretty big balcony to lounge on.

I also agree, Europe, but if you scale down your cabin, maybe you could do both?? I say live for today!! I travel 8 weeks/ year and have no regrets!! As they say, tomorrow may never come. Perhaps, yes tour Europe, but maybe go on a reasonable budget and strech it into 2 trips?

I've traveled on celebrity in their &quot;Concierge level&quot; and I love Alaska but be READY for a whole bunch of evergreen trees and please don;t sail up there thinking you are going out on deck and that calving glacier you saw on National geographic is going to be <b>right there</b> because it won't be that close.

You might have a lot of fun with your friends which would make the surroundings somewhat irrelevant and I would consider that factor..even though you <b>implied</b> these aren't the closest of &quot;fiends.&quot;

Although you'll end up spending money on any cruise I rather doubt that you'll get away cheaper in Europe...but I think you'll find Europe to be MUCH more varied than one state in the US.

I'd have to go with Europe, even with the friends thing! I think going with friends would be wonderful, but selfishly on my part, a trip to Dublin and beyond would just dwarf any thought of an Alaskan cruise!

i should've read responses before I replied, but like others said, Gardyloo hit the nail on the head!!!

I agree with the others: Europe! No question about it in my mind. What could be more romantic than walking the streets of Paris or Rome with a loved one to mark such a milestone anniverary? And I agree with jlm_mi; although being with friends is always fun, I would rather spend an anniversary alone with my husband. Just my preference, of course.

From Dublin its very easy (and very inexpensive do to all of Europe's no-frills airlines like easyjet and ryanair) to get from Dublin to just about anywhere in Europe.

Best wishes and happy early anniversary!

Tracy

Well for me the answer would be Europe no contest.

But the chance to spend time with many good friends, you don't often see, is possibly a more rare opportunity in your situation?

Thanks for all of your responses. Seems that Europe is the favored destination in this scenario. I can see your reasons on this.

Anyone want to weigh in on WHERE you would go after Dublin for our 25th anniversary? We have been to London together and that is about it. I have been to Rome. Niether one of us have been to Paris and I have very mixed feelings about this.

We are in our 50's if that matters. We like wine, food, romance, sports, and museum lite ( that means not all day every day). We both love history, expecially WWII. So, where would you go???

Almost too many choices here. Post the question on the Europe board and stand back.

I agree with Gardyloo; post the question on the Europe board but be sure to include what your interests are (do you like museums, city or countryside, history, etc.).

Good luck!
Tracy

Also, when you post there, answer two things:

1) Why do you have very mixed feelings about Paris. From your description of your interests, and the fact that it's an anniversary (Paris is romantic), it seems a perfect fit, but you obviously have doubts that might make it easier for someone to help you decide.

2) What about Europe interests you (I don't mean food, museums lite, etc.). Where have you dreamed of going someday? What cities/countries/towns have you seen pictures of and longed to be there?

If there are no places that get you going, and you really love the idea of the cruise, do it. You're not going to get all of us to prefer it too, but that doesn't really matter. ;)

I have just heard many mixed reactions to the people of Paris and how they treat Americans. I have traveled extensively bc I was an International flight attendant, so have seen many places, but never Paris. I have always wanted to see it, and so many people LOVE it, but its reputation does intimidate me. My husband nor I speak any foreign languages and that might be a handicap. To be honest, the whole Europe thing and getting around intimidates me. The cruise sounded appealling bc it was easy; show up and unpack...

Well, you <i>could</i> do a Mediterranean cruise. Not a lot of options for cruise companies in the Med in April, but Costa Cruises does a number of routes, and while their ships are Italian-themed and oriented, there won't be any major language barriers. You can fly to Venice cheaply from Dublin, do a 7-night cruise (most likely Greek islands) then back to Dublin and connect home. Prices ought to be around $1000 - $1200 per person for a decent cabin, and Ryanair or Aer Lingus from DUB will probably run &euro;120 or so RT or less, so not a deal-breaker.

Otherwise, you can go to some place where English is widely spoken - Amsterdam comes to mind (tulip time, maybe) or Prague - and also not worry about language issues. Base yourselves in Amsterdam and take day trips to Delft or Haarlem - plenty of nice places, friendly people, easy transportation... not a bad alternative.

Heavens, Don't be intimidated... give it a try! Unfortunately I have no other language skills than English myself, but have never found this to be a problem in visiting Europe (Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Geneva are my experiences).

My best advice is to keep things very simple. For example, fly to Paris and stay there for 10 days. Taking the train for some day trips maybe. Or Paris and Venice make a nice combination that is not hard to figure out. I have only been to Paris once but did not experience anything negative, not even close.

See, I hear both sides. Horrible, horrible, and loved it, loved it. Ugh. Just not sure what to do...but you guys are helping out quite a bit. Thanks again.

Well... I would find a way to do both... cheaper cabins on the cruise, perhaps? Cheaper hotels and restaurants in Europe?

What the heck, I would load my credit card, pay off later, won't take a vacation for 2 years after that, but I'd find a way to do both.

I would venture a guess that the vast majority of people who (in recent years) have claimed rude treatment by Parisians to Americans fall into 1 of 2 categories:

1) They don't understand that French customs are different from American, so they perceive as rude what the French perceive as courteous - such as French waiters not stopping by your table frequently and asking cheerily how you're doing, people not smiling and saying hello on the street, etc.

2) They're doing something wrong to offend in the first place. Some people (of all nationalities) feel they own the world, and they can do whatever they want and expect people to thank them just for being them. Others simply don't know - they walk into a small shop, don't say hello, start manhandling the merchandise (because they can at home), and then get peeved when the salesclerk isn't particularly friendly. Or, they walk up to a stranger on the street and ask in loud english where to find something instead of simply starting with &quot;parlez-vous anglais&quot; and then get peeved when that person simply says they don't speak english and walks away.

If you want to have a good time in Paris, learn to say &quot;hello&quot;, &quot;please&quot;, &quot;thank you&quot; and &quot;do you speak english&quot; in french, and recognize that a lack of overt friendliness is not the same as rudeness. No promises that you won't meet a rude person, but you won't generally have problems this way. And you might just meet a rude person on an Alaskan cruise too. ;)

But, as I said, you sound like you'd really rather take the cruise but are feeling guilty. You don't have to want to vacation in Europe just because so many people do - go with what you really want. :)

I WANT BOTH! Waaaahhhh! But life is about choices. Europe intruiges me and there are so many places I haven't seen. We haven't seen. I agree with DH, we are almost there, let's go further. So, will look into that. About the cruise, well...have to put down deposit first of Jan. so will have to figure that out soon. Thanks all for your help.

jlm-mi, I agree with what you say. My neighbor went on a cruise in Europe last summer and told me they had a horrible experience on the French airline and at the Paris airport and we have never had time to discuss. They are the nicest people in the world, so will find out what the story is.

Secretly, I want to go to Paris, I think...but am afraid to admit that I am intimidated by it, ME, the world traveler. So, maybe need to get past that, yes? Could be quite an adventure. Will have to look into it.

Heavens, I totally understand your concerns. My husband and I have traveled quite a bit around Europe but just made our first trip to Paris in November. We were both hesitant because we've heard the same things, but we fell in love with the city. Its beautiful and there is so much to see and do. And nobody was rude, I promise!

If you are nervous, perhaps you can do what we did; we just went for three nights. Plan an itinerary that includes just a few days in Paris and the rest of your trip elsewhere. Then if you like it you can plan on going back. If you don't like it, three days will go by fast.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
Tracy

I think everyone should go to Paris once ;)!