Cruises are wonderful vacations to take as a family, but most adults only think of cruises as something that they would do for their own vacation because of the expense involved. However, if you look at everything you would spend on vacation with your children, you will find that cruising is often a better value then taking the entire family to Orlando or California for a week.
Discovery Cruise Lines for example offers a very inexpensive cruise deal that caters to the entire family. If you have never been cruising before and aren’t sure how the children will handle it, then you could always start with a day cruise that takes you from Florida to the Bahamas and back. You can even decide to stay overnight on the island and return the next day. The total price is under $100 for the adults and about $50 for the children.
Both the children and the adults will love the Bahamas. The weather is warm and it is almost always sunny there. There are plenty of activities for the entire family such as swimming, snorkeling, rock climbing, and just hanging out on the beach. The prices to the Bahamas are very reasonable as well.
The best way to find prices before you book your next vacation is on the travel comparison websites such as Expedia, Hotwire, or Orbitz. They usually offer the best rates, and for cruises in particular they can compare the ships, the amenities, as well as the prices for you which means less work when planning out your vacation. You can find last minute deals for the spur of the moment vacation, or you can plan ahead and get some equally inexpensive deals. Just remember, if you are planning ahead, you may want to look into getting travel insurance in case you need to cancel because your children get sick or are unable to go for any reason. This will allow you to cancel and get most of your money back.
When looking at a particular cruise, find out if they have rates specifically for children, and if they don’t, you can ask about rates for third and fourth members in the cabin. These discounted rates can save you from 50% to 80% off the standard adult fare. This may even be better than a child rate in some cases.
Disney Cruise Lines cater mostly to families with children, so they do offer children’s rates for those 12 and under. There are times during certain parts of the year that they also have promotions in which the rates are even lower than usual. Along with discounted rates you may get incentives such as onboard credits, free t-shirts, and other perks that come with traveling in the off-season. Perhaps you may even get lucky and book during a “kids cruise free” promotion time period.
If you consider how much you pay not only for the vacation itself, but for food, entertainment, and everything else, you will find that cruising can be an excellent value. Not to mention you will see the world in a new and exciting way.
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