Cruises VS Land-Based Holidays

It’s the big travel debate. Which is the better experience for the culinary traveler, a cruise or a destination-based holiday without the ship? Here’s some food for thought.

For Convenience Sake
For travelers that only like to unpack once, cruises provide travelers with a room to call home for the length of their vacation. But some land-based culinary vacations offer the same feature, such as a full immersion cooking school, or staying at a winery B&B.

Best Bang for the Buck
The feature that makes cruises popular is the numerous of ports that are offered during one holiday. To get a similar multi-destination land vacation, travelers would need to stay in numerous hotels, and be transported around by bus or train. Sure, waking up in the heart of Florence with a cappuccino and a cornetto cioccolata (croissant filled with chocolate) has its advantages. But so is enjoying lunch in five different countries in one week.

How Fresh is Fresh?
Consider that a ship loads its provisions only once or twice on a seven day cruise, where as a land-based restaurant has the opportunity to buy fresh every day. But onboard restaurants push the boundaries of gourmet cuisine with artfully plated dishes, attentive service, and the same waiter every night if you prefer. On the other hand, moonlight evenings at a beachside restaurant with fresh seafood, and dinners in a wine cellar in Tuscany is also tempting for foodies.

Don’t Drink the Water
It’s a given when on holidays abroad to take extra precautions about the food we eat and the drinks we drink. How clean is the kitchen of the popular local restaurant? And how safe is the food that we eat ashore? Ships need to follow food safe procedures, or risk an outbreak. Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/contentAirTravelCruiseShips.aspx) for latest ship inspections. Passengers can also take galley tours and see for themselves how clean is clean.