Maldives: 5-Star Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa: 5-Nights for 2 People Expired

That's another problem with a Maldives vacation. It's a heck of a long way from the US and the airfares are not particularly appealing. I think the shortest flights I could find to Male from the US West Coast were 25 hours total and on Air India. I ended up using miles and flying to Male via Frankfurt (UA/LH) and back via Istanbul (TK). After all that, you'll need a vacation from your vacation.

Big time cruiser here. I do at least 1 weekend a month, and usually 2x 7 night cruises a year.

Personally, I love cruising, but it is not the best for some destinations. For example, if you have never been to Europe, I don't personally think cruising is the best way to go through Europe on your first trip. There is just too much to do on land in Europe and it just sucks to be limited to just a few hours at each stop. You're basically getting 6-8hrs max at each destination, and with travel time, and comfort cushion of getting back to your cruise without missing it you really need to limit your total time. If you go to Italy, there's just so many amazing destinations that you will want to spend a few days there at least. If you are going to fly all the way to EU from US, you might as well take your time there. But, I still love Mediterranean cruises. It's a great way to enjoy an incredibly scenic week, all-inclusive travel, good food, and still get like 5 different countries to stop to. I LOVE visiting Croatia, but it's never my main destination and I would never go there if it wasn't for the cruise stop there, for example.

This can be said of many places as well, like heading to Ireland, or Scottland, or England. British Isle cruises are awesome, but not for your first time, you are just going to miss so much.

Some places you should really just enjoy the location. Hawaii is also a good example of this. You should make multiple trips to Hawaii in your lifetime, and each time go to a different island. A week in Oahu, there is just not enough time to see everything, so enjoy it, veg out on the amazing Waikiki beach in Honolulu, visit Pearl Harbor, Jurassic Valley, Polynesian Cultural Center, or all other manner of places to go. Amazing hikes, snorkeling, etc... But, Oahu is not my favorite island at all. I love Kauai island better for really experiencing Hawaii. Kauai is the oldest of the islands, and also has the best hikes and places to go. It's in my top 5 destinations to visit in the world. It's not as crowded as Oahu. Hikes are for all levels, from easy to hard. The scenery is unmatched. Cruising would be sad to visit each island of Hawaii for only 1 day.

So, I love cruising, but there are just some places where cruising is not the best choice, imo.

Maybe it's my age, but getting there and back sounds more like a job than a vacation.