We just got back from our Spring Break cruise to Mexico and even though it was full of luxury and pampering it was a fairly low cost vacation.  Here’s how we kept the prices low.

1. Choose a port that you can drive to, eliminating flight costs.  The more people in your family the bigger the savings!  We drove 14 hours to Galveston, TX and it was great fun to watch movies and talk in the car.  We took some healthy snacks so we only ate out one meal on the way down.  We could have packed a lunch but I was maxed out on time getting us ready to go and since we never eat out it was a super big treat for the kids. On the way back the kids were so tired, they giggled slap happy style until they fell asleep in a pile like puppies (but with seat belts.)  There are also ports in California, Florida, New Orleans, Washington State, and along the East Coast, so you can choose the closest one to you.

2. Choose the ship and cruise line you want, then watch prices at Vacations to Go. Buy the deal when the prices drop. This is even easier if you are very flexible on the destination and sailing dates.  We had to be more specific since we didn’t want to take the kids out of school, but still found a deal for $300 a person.  It’s not an exact science to know when prices are the lowest.  Just decide ahead of time what your buy zone is and call immediately when you see it. Deals like that sell out FAST. I sat on the deal for a few hours and when I finally called it was sold out.  They did have a slight upgrade for $50 more (still a great deal!) which gave us a window in each room.  We’d never had a window before and it was great!  It’s not worth the extra money for a window though if you can get an inside cabin.

Remember, no matter which room you’re in, you still get the same great service with folded towel animals, twice daily maid service, and meals included.  We don’t spend much time in our rooms with all the things to do on the ship, so as long as it had a bed we were happy.

3.  Ships want to sail FULL.  So if you are super flexible on the price, watch the 90 day ticker.  You can get a really great deal if you can leave in a few days.  If they aren’t full they start slashing prices just to get bodies on there.  Once you’re there they’re hoping you’ll buy alcohol and other things so they’ll make a killing off of you, (but don’t.)

(The main dining hall requires formal dress at least one night of the trip and business casual the rest of the time. We had fun shopping thrift stores for several months before we left to get everyones wardrobe in shape.)

4. Ask about larger occupancy rooms.  Often the 3rd and 4th persons in a cabin are 1/2 price, though there is no age discount for small children (not even babies.) Our cruise was completely sold out and we got some of the last rooms, so they didn’t have any bigger rooms to offer us by the time I called. Our rooms also had several rooms in between them which made me nervous since 3 of our rooms were just unsupervised kids.  It worked out fine though.

5. Buy a motel room the night before the ship sails.  We drove all night to minimize missed work but still bought the hotel room, Beachcombers Inn in Galvaston. They offered free parking, so it was cheaper to pay for the room we only slept 4 hours in, and a taxi to the dock, than it was to pay for parking at the dock during the trip. We used hotels.com to find the best prices.  My dad booked his room a few months before we did and ours had dropped in price $5 from what he paid.  It’s ok to watch hotel prices to see if they drop.

6. If you are set on buying excursions (sight seeing trips when the ship stops at a land destination) buy them early.  Once you get on ship the price gets higher.  We chose to skip all the excursions for budget reasons and did our own sight seeing by foot and taxi at the ports.

7. Take lots of cash, but break it up into different locations.  In tropical countries they are used to haggling with the prices.  If you pull out too much money at once, they become less flexible on the price. Never take their first price offer as the final offer.  Look contemplative; use few words, and if all else fails start to walk away

8. Don’t forget to budget for tips.  Most ships add $14.50 per person per day to your final bill and if you have a lot of kids this can add up quickly. The cruise staff works super hard for you and is worth every penny of that gratuity.  You can opt out of paying it, but please don’t.  Just plan ahead so it’s not a hardship.

9. Don’t drink alcohol on the ship.  It’s crazy expensive. Some people on our trip paid an extra $1200 per person just for alcohol and sodas.

10. Watch out of other additional charges.    Upgrade restaurants, spa treatments, fitness classes, shopping, gambling, bingo.  We skipped it all so only had tips on our final bill.  There was plenty of free things to do that kept us happily engaged while we were on the ship.  Our absolute favorite was a kick boxing class.  My 2 daughters and I were the only ones that showed up for it, so we got a private training session from the coach.  It was supposed to only last 30 minutes, but we were having so much fun he coached us for an hour and 15 minutes.  It was way out of our usual thing to try and was a fun bonding experience.

Things to keep in mind:

1.  You won’t have cell or internet service on the ship, though you can pay extra for internet if you need it for work.  This was tricky for us to keep track of 6 kids all in their own rooms, without being able to text. If you have walkie talkies, it’s a great idea.
2. Your room doors are metal and will take a magnet.  My mom brought cute little magnet animals for each of our doors and wrote our names on them with a magic marker.  It was so helpful to be able to find our room quickly, especially with so many doors between the rooms in our party and everything in the  ship looking alike.
3. If you pack your luggage in a way that you can carry it all yourself, you can get off the ship 30 minutes faster at the end of your journey and be on your way.  Just skip the luggage tags they leave you at the end and don’t put your luggage out the night before for pick up.
4. You aren’t allowed to carry on your own luggage at the start of the trip, because they will let you on the ship 3 hours before you have access to your room.  It takes them awhile to deliver everyone’s luggage so I recommend a backpack or carry on bag with essentials that you might want to freshen up for dinner.
5. If you eat dinner in the dining room (vs the buffet area) and I recommend you do! You’ll need to request either early (5:30) or late dining (8:30) when you book your trip.  There is a strict dress code for the dining room which means no flip flops, shorts, hats, or tank tops. One or two  of the nights, it will be formal only–meaning dinner jackets, ties, and cocktail dresses.
6. I took a bunch of clothes I never wore.  I did all the free fitness activities offered and pretty much lived in workout clothes or my bathing suit and cover up while on the ship.  Then I wore sundresses or formal dresses for the dining room (the sundresses doubled for classes like napkin folding or the informational spa session) and I didn’t even touch my shorts outfits. Think about what you like to do and might not need as many clothes either.  A cute swimsuit cover up is a must if you plan to visit beaches and the onboard pools or hot tubs.  Then you can just slip it on and go to casual dining whenever you fancy.
7. Not all cruise lines are kid friendly.  We booked our first cruise with kids on Carnival and their idea of a kid’s program is to clear out a smoke filled bar and plunk down some crayons.  Even the smaller Royal Caribbean ships have dedicated kids and teen areas with quality programs that will have your kids begging to go.  My teens loved the teen center too, but it was on the 10th deck and they could feel the sway of the ship way too much to stay up there.  We’re now super loyal to Royal Caribbean and don’t plan on sailing with anyone else ever again.
8. Plan ahead for sea sickness.  My kids were helped by the acupressure sea bands, and we had essential oils (ginger) and dramamine for emergencies. I packed my diffuser which floated around the kids rooms as various ones felt seasick. Since colds and flu can travel around the ship quickly, I also packed my fast acting natural remedies just in case.
9. The ship goes quickly and even in tropical climates the breeze at night can get chilly in the fall or spring.  Take a comfy jacket or sweatshirt just in case, if you like walking around outdoors.
10. The tropical sun is different than the sun in Missouri.  We used 50 SPF sunscreen and applied often and still got burned.  If you have fair skin, take protective clothing as well.
11. Think outside the box.  We wanted to go snorkeling as a family, but just renting the gear was going to be over $100.  We paired up and rented gear for half the people.  They snorkeled while the rest played on the beach, then we swapped gear and the 2nd group went snorkeling.  Everyone had a blast and we saved 50%.