There’s no hiding it. We LOVE cruising.
Our first cruise was in 2014 and was a belated Honeymoon. We did a 5-day cruise on the Carnival Elation, which at the time was departing out of New Orleans. We went to Progreso and Cozumel. It was the first time either of us had been to Mexico.
To be honest, we weren’t 100% sold on cruising after that first experience. We’d flown to New Orleans (if I had it to do over, I’d drive), and thought we “upgraded” to an ocean view cabin (after 16 cruises, I see no value in an ocean view…) and purchased Carnival’s “faster to the fun” add on, which was supposed to get us on and off the ship faster (we did not ever purchase that again if that tells you anything).
What I found was that there was a learning curve when it came to cruising. Lots of stuff we learned along the way that has since brought us to the point where we LOVE to cruise, want to take every single person we know on a cruise, and will 100% always recommend a cruise as the absolute best value for a family trip.
My best tips for getting the most bang for your buck:
- Choose a port you can easily drive to. For us, that is New Orleans, Louisiana, or Galveston, Texas. Flying these days is too pricey (unless you can snag a deal…more on that in a minute) and once you figure in the cost of airport parking, bag fees, and transportation once you’ve landed in your port city, you will probably see what I mean!
- Stay in a hotel the night before that is outside of your port city. This can easily save you $100 or more. We have found some great, budget-friendly options in Texas City, about a 30-minute drive from Galveston.
- Search for port parking coupons and deals! When it comes to parking for a cruise, we always shop around. In New Orleans, I once found a hotel that offered a park and cruise special–it allowed us to leave our van there and just Uber to the port. This was very convenient. In Galveston, I’ve found internet specials for parking both right at the port and outside of the port. You can easily save money by doing your homework. If you’re working with a travel advisor, ask them if they have any tips or suggestions!
- Try and get onboard the ship as early as possible. This seems like a no-brainer, but it still needs to be said. Most cruise lines will have you pick an arrival time. If you will log on and be prepared to fill out all your paperwork on the day you are allowed (typically about 3 months prior to departure) you can choose the earliest arrival time. This will essentially give you more time onboard and thus more time when you’re actually “on vacation.”
- Budget! Talk to your family ahead of time and figure out what budget each of you plans to adhere to. While cruises are “all inclusive” there are also some things (sodas, casino play, arcade games, excursions, souvenirs, etc.) that cost extra. What is important to one family member may not be important to another! We always sit down prior to our cruise and determine how much spending money we want to take. We know going into the week how much we are going to spend so there are no surprises on the last day! (While you’re encouraged to add a credit card to your account so that all charges will go there, we usually opt to do cash accounts. This way, we don’t go overboard (see what I did there?) on spending. When the cash is gone, it’s gone!)
- Book in advance. The farther out you book, the cheaper it is (usually). Most cruise lines will show you the date that is the cheapest. Your travel advisor can also help with this. If you can be flexible on dates, you can usually snag some great deals. We love to travel in January/February and also anytime from October through early December. (And don’t hate on me for saying this but pulling your kid out of school for a few days for a family trip is perfectly fine…the memories you’ll make far outweigh the class time they will miss.)
Overall, I definitely believe a family cruise is much more economical than a land trip. We once priced taking our three kids to Branson. The results were surprising!
Once we figured out the cost of two hotel rooms, 3 meals a day (plus snacks), and the cost to get in to all the area attractions, it was far cheaper AND easier to book a cruise. Do the math for your own family or ask your travel advisor to quote you two types of vacations and see what you think! Let me know in the comments if you’ve taken a family cruise–or if you’re considering it!