Cheap Cruising

Photo by: sweetness6

You either love the cruise or detest it - few travelers feel lukewarm about a floating fun-ship.

Each line offers different levels of comfort and luxury. I can only speak of one very popular line that felt very much like an early 90s Vegas casino; let's just say I'm not a fan of mirror balls and gold lamé.

Cruise ships have been in the spotlight for several years regarding their environmental impact and, thankfully, have slowly initiated several positive changes in energy usage and dumping policies.

If you're looking to combine an inexpensive trip that has minimal environmental impact, cruising may not be the gig for you. After a quick search for a cruise package off-season (at the end of hurricane season) I'll admit the $499 7-night western Caribbean trip sounded attractive, but you need to investigate exactly what that covers.

This particular price included an inside room, 24/7 meals, some drinks, on-board activities, shows, taxes, and port charges. Any and everything extra is just that. You'll pay for meals on land, excursions, airfare, gratuities, spa treatments, and "service fees in alternative restaurants" (whatever that means).

Realistically, you'll need to add at least an average $350 per person per week for those extras and any port-of-call activities. Factoring the base price with transportation to and from departure city and extra charges will quickly add up. Also, you need to know that in bad weather or weird circumstances, you may miss one or more ports-of-call without a refund.

Cruise lines are notoriously stingy with refunds. You have no guarantee of a trip plan, so if you like to take the reins on your vacation, trade the floating luxury ship for a land-based vacation.

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