Italy on a budget?

MaggieF1990

So my dream honeymoon would be Italy. After some research, we found it was going to cost about $10,000. Unfortunately, my fiancee has a tumultuous relationship with his parents, so as of now, we are planning to pay for most, if not all, of the rehearsal dinner and honeymoon. We've looked at various trips and cruises and found trips for about $2-3,000 per person, not including flights which as I'm sure you all know, are the expensive thing when it comes to international trips.

I just want to know if anyone has any tips for traveling to Italy, whether it be websites, good airports to fly into or out of, or anything that could help make our dream honeymoon a little more affordable. Our honeymoon will be in late May 2016. We live in Oklahoma City but would definitely be willing to fly out of somewhere else in the U.S. As far as budget goes...it's not concrete right now, which I know is not helpful. Our backup option right now is Cancun, and the resort we found that we liked was going to cost about $5,000 total including airfare. I'm not sure if that is realistic for Italy though, so any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

CMGragain

Do you have a travel agent?  You should talk to one who knows cruise lines if you are interested in a Mediterranean cruise.  I have found some interesting ones within your budget.  If you can give up the private balcony idea and go with an inside or ocean view cabin, you can save a lot of money, and you still get the same cruise that the posh travelers get.  There are plenty of chairs on the promenade deck where you can sit together, sip a drink and watch the waves.  You can always stay an extra day or two in Rome or Venice before or after your cruise.

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=20524

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=20466

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=25276

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=17078

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=20450 (more days + Venice!)

http://vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=13747

If you don't have a travel agent, PM me and I will share my online agent who has good knowledge of cruises.

freebread03

Why wouldn't you be paying for the rehearsal dinner and honeymoon yourselves--I'm confused as to how your fiance's relationship with his parents impacts your honeymoon... As for traveling on a budget...be willing to fly on off days (I often fly mid-week); use AirBnB, Hostelbookers, and other similar sites to find lodging (and look for places that have a small kitchen and fridge so you can cook some of your own meals, like breakfast and snacks). Be willing to take public transportation. Or, consider renting a car (we've gotten pretty cheap rentals through EuroCar before). But the flights from OKC are going to kill you on cost, which you already know. I still think you could do it if you were willing to do it on a budget and really plan out what you want to do (and avoid hotels).

JoanE2012

I rarely recommend Europe by ocean cruise.  Unlike Caribbean islands where stops have you often right near beaches and shops, Europe ports tend to be rather "out there".  For example, to get to Rome from the dock will take about 1.5 hours each way. To get to Florence from the dock will take almost 2 hours each way. 

Then, excursions are often more expensive.  I just looked up Rome on Royal Caribbean.  It's $100 EACH for a "Taste of Rome".  Pay attention to what it includes - this one has listed:  "Admire the Colosseum’s enormous exterior, toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, and follow your guide for an exterior visit of the Roman Forum".  Not actually going into the Colossuem!  And an "exterior" visit of the Forum??  Then 2.5 hours free time.  They say you could use that time to visit the Vatican Museums, but there are usually lines, so that's doubtful.  Same goes with the Colosseum - long lines.

For Florence, similar excursion as Rome - $120 each, guided walking tour, then a measly 3 hours to enjoy the city on your own.  Not nearly enough time in my eyes to enjoy anything.

I guess it's good if you want to say you've been to these cities in Rome, but for me, that's not an acceptable way to see a city.  Remember, you don't have to take your honeymoon right away.  You could do something small, then save up and plan the trip for  6 months or even a 1 year anniversary.  

ETA - I've had some of my best, most memorable meals in Italy.  I think part of the lure of the cruise ship is that your meals are included.  While I've found the food on cruise ships to be rather good, I'd much prefer eating in restaurants in Italy.  I suppose you could do that for lunch during your 2 or 3 hours free time, but what a shame to miss out on the other meals.

CMGragain

I do agree, somewhat, with JoanE2012.  A cruise will not give you an in depth experience.  If budget is important to you, a cruise is a good way to get a taste of each port stop, with the idea that you can always go back another time to see what you really liked.  I would love to revisit Santorini, Greece, for instance.
DH is a nervous traveler, especially in a country where English is not the spoken language.  He is fussy about food, too.  Cruises fit him perfectly.  He gets to see things without the stress of packing and repacking, and he knows his well done beef will be available for dinner without him worrying about his budget.
Cruises are definitely not for everybody.  My son would prefer to backpack through Europe with a rail pass.  Not me!

JoanE2012

Don't get me wrong, @CMGragain - I like cruises!  I just don't like the Europe ones for the reasons mentioned above - cost of excursions, distance of sights from port, limited time to actually see any points of interest, and limited opportunity to try the regional cuisine.

We are not rail pass travelers either!  Language barriers intimidate DH and I.  But we did a guided tour of Italy and it was the perfect balance of guided visits to key sights (no lines!) and free time on your own to explore.

MaggieF1990

My finacee was the one originally leaning toward a cruise - I think the all-inclusive meals made him think it would end up being cheaper. And it might, but the reasons you all mentioned are the same reasons I'm concerned about. I'd also rather not have every detail of the trip planned for us. I think there will be days where we will just want to walk around and explore.

As I've looked more into Air BNB, I think it will be much more affordable if we plan it ourselves rather than purchasing a package of any kind. More effort, but more freedom and saving more money in the end... would you all agree with that? (I think we are leaning away from the cruise idea now.)

CMGragain

Do get the Rick Steves book on Italy.  It will give you lots of good ideas.

geemonkee

I went to Italy this past October for 2 weeks and it was pricey but not 10K. However, our extra pricing came from flights to and from Sicily which added to the cost and guided activities like wine tasting and cooking classes. We used AirBnB and had great luck with that, some random BnB's not so great but Trip Adviser is good for reviews, IMO.

Here's what I learned from planning my own trip (which spanned Tuscany to Sicily in 2 weeks): 

1. Know where you want to go. Get a travel book. If you want to travel between places look at a map and see how far they are. Lots of trains and public transpo to get there and you have to haul your luggage but it's doable.
2. Try and get a non-stop flight to Paris (or nearby) so you don't get hung up in other US cities and you can sleep the whole time (great advice from an Italian friend). You then get a short flight to your destination. If you fly Airfrance make sure your seats are together! They don't automatically place you next to each other and we found out the hard way.
3. Find accommodations that have free breakfast. Also places that have free airport shuttle service. You will save. Restaurants can be $$ but pizza and wine is always cheap!! (And so good!)  We also rented places that had kitchens and made our own coffee in the morning and kept fruit and takeout, etc.
4. If you do want to travel to various places choose a hotel close to the train or subway station. Saves on cabs. We only used a taxi once our entire stay.
5. Set up flight alerts on Kayak so you know when to buy. Also look at Costco travel, Groupon Getaways, etc, all have deals but you have to be ready to buy.

Lastly, take your dream honeymoon!!! It only happens once. Hope my advice is helpful and I do hope you get to experience beautiful Italy. Good luck to you!

Newborndoc2008

We honeymooned in Italy last September.  Some things that may help with planning:

Is it possible to delay your honeymoon? If you're flexible,  you might find better deals on airfare and hotels by traveling at a less popular time for tourists.  Italy has wonderful weather well into the fall after most tourists have returned to the US.

Are you willing to stay in one city as a home base?  We spent 6 nights in Rome which got us free breakfast every day and a free night at our hotel.  Most hotels offer similar deals if you stay more than 3 or 4 nights.  There was more than enough to see in Rome that we never felt bored but we still had downtime to enjoy a cappuccino or gelato and people watch.

Consider using a travel agent.  We used Delta Vacations (a glorified travel agent) and got airfare and hotel for less than the cost our airfare would have been alone.  The agents make a commission from the airlines or hotels after you book.  It should be free to sit down with one and discuss options but definitely make an appointment so they can do some research before you get there based on your budget and destination.

And Rick Steves!  His guides have great suggestions to save money on hotels, meals, etc.  He also has podcasts for several major tourist sites so you don't have to fork over 5 euros for a headset at every location.  Just load them on your iPod and go.  We also found great gelato and espresso on his recommendations.

And as previous posters said, if it's your dream vacation, definitely research ways to do it.  Even if you delay it a bit to save up!

MaggieF1990

We are really wanting to go right after the wedding, just a personal preference. We have found some Air BNB spots, and have come to about $4,300 including the Air BNBs, airfare and some attractions we want to see (doesn't include food and such or public transportation while we're there). I think we will be able to do it for much cheaper than originally thought, and thank you everyone for your suggestions! I know my fiance found an Italy book on his Kindle, but I will make sure we look into the Rick Steves book too!