Luxury cruise ship suite prices are beating Europe’s top hotels by thousands according to new research and our own investigation.
Reports on Europe show that more consumers are willing to splurge on the right experiences, and that has led to steeply rising nightly rates. New research shows more and more European hotels are charging upwards of $1500 per night.
According to data from CoStar, in 2019 around 150 hotels could boast an average daily rate, or ADR, of over USD$1,000; by 2023 that figure had ballooned to 460. The number of hotels in that price range has tripled in the Americas and Europe, and more than doubled in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa region.
The underlying trend here is clear: demand is surging and that has led to a proliferation of hotels charging over USD$1,000 per night – around AUD$1,500 in Australian dollaroos.
Where high-end cruises are gaining ground
When you’re shelling out AUD$1,500 for a place to lay your head, you expect the absolute best – meticulously crafted spaces, personalised service, and serious attention to detail.
With a hotel, of course, you will need to add breakfast, lunch, and dinner to that room bill of $1,500. Add a bottle of premium wine, spirits, canapés, and gratuities – included in your cruise ship fare – you’ll quickly be down another $300 to $700 a night per person, making a cruise night in the best suite some 25 per cent less expensive.
Even without getting into a full apples-to-apples price comparison covering things like transfers, day excursions, gratuities, and entertainment, even the most high-end cruise lines can provide a better deal.
Which explains why many cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas are now offering longer stays in major European cities so guests can enjoy the major monuments and avoid the high costs of hotels.
Regent Seven Seas | Penthouse Suite B
Sailing in April 2025, a ten night Mediterranean cruise in a Regent Penthouse Suite is costed at AU$11,149. This includes unlimited dinning and beverages, shore excursions, 24 hour room service, and daily mini-bar refresh.
Comparable rooms at five star hotels along the itinerary of Barcelona, Marseille, Cannes, Tuscany, Sicily, Valletta, Monemvasia, Athens (with two nights at sea costed at the average rate of the hotel rooms combined) had combined room costs totalling $12,043 – with no other inclusions.
Scenic Cruises | Verandah Suites
Favourite in ultra-luxury cruising, Scenic Eclipse, currently has a saving of $2,500 per person for their ultra-luxury Mediterranean voyages for 2025, leaving their “six star” cabins around $10,115 per person.
Hotel rooms fit to match a Scenic Eclipse‘s verandah suites along the eight night route of Barcelona, Roses, Collioure, Sanary-sur-Mer, Saint-Tropez, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Calvi and Monte Carlo total $9,929.
Now before you helpfully point out that the cruise rates are per person, remember to then add dinning for three meals per day including fine wines and cocktails, entertainment, shore excursions, travel and transfers to your hotel bill.
Using the most conservative estimates these still total to around $8,000 per person, meaning Scenic Eclipse is $2,859 cheaper per person than the self guided option.
Silversea | Classic Veranda Suite
With Silverseas’ Silver Ray an all inclusive Classic Veranda Suite for two adults costs A$18,400 for their May/June 2025 sailing from Rome to Naples, Porto Santo Stefano, Livorno (two nights), Portofino and Monte Carlo.
Comparable, five star hotel rooms (each linked above) for the same cities come in at $10, 894 before you add meals, butler service, shore excursions, gratuities and transfers which for the seven nights in those destinations averages at $7,500 per person. This totals $12, 947 each, or $25, 894 for two.
As always, it always comes down to personal preference but for those chasing the luxury high, the all-inclusivity of cruise travel, combined with silver service and the seamless transition from port to port, makes high-end cruises not only a competitor but, in many cases, a superior choice.
