We found a great alternative to the latest being ripped off on some of the cruises. We rented a Villa in Tuscany for $700 for the week. It had a kitchen, little living room, bedroom and a patio that overlooked olive trees with horses that came to the fence in the evening. We could drive all over Tuscany, (one of the garden spots of the world). The cost for airfare, Villa and rental car did not reach the level of a cruise when you put all the added cost on the cruise. We rented a car in Paris and drove to Tuscany which was our excursion and it was terrific. We found that the price of the cruises ended up to be about 40% of the total cost of getting to the ship, excursions, tips, added fees on the cruise and if a transatlantic air fare to return home. This may not be for some but it is the alternative we found for seeing the world.