A good choice for an all adult family member vacation - inexpensive

[neecerz69]

I'd like to take a cruise with my immediate family, mother, 2 sisters and brother - all adults (26-60 yo). Me and my mother are often the only ones paying for stuff, so I want it to be not crazy expensive. I'd be cool with us paying for the cabin, and then extra stuff they can pay for. I'm thinking 4-5 days (we're in the Midwest, so would likely have to fly to our embarkation location). Also, only 3 of us currently have passports, although if we needed them, I would push the other two. I'd love some ideas. 

Please let me know if I've missed any important details that would help identify.

Thanks for the assistance!

[shipgeeks]

How would flights to Baltimore (BWI) work for you?  Royal Caribbean has cruises from there year-round, with a different itinerary and different length each time.  You mention 4-5 days, which they occasionally do, but if you are going to the trouble and expense of flying in, I would recommend at least 7 nights.  The ship, Enchantment, to be followed by Vision of the Seas, is smaller and has fewer "bells and whistles" than the mega-ships sailing out of Florida, but has excellent service, nice music, entertainment, and activities.

Not mentioned by you, but are you set on a certain time of year, destination, beaches, ports, hot weather, etc.?

[neecerz69]

19 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

How would flights to Baltimore (BWI) work for you?  Royal Caribbean has cruises from there year-round, with a different itinerary and different length each time.  You mention 4-5 days, which they occasionally do, but if you are going to the trouble and expense of flying in, I would recommend at least 7 nights.  The ship, Enchantment, to be followed by Vision of the Seas, is smaller and has fewer "bells and whistles" than the mega-ships sailing out of Florida, but has excellent service, nice music, entertainment, and activities.

Not mentioned by you, but are you set on a certain time of year, destination, beaches, ports, hot weather, etc.?

Not set on a time of year or destination. I wouldn't have thought of Baltimore, though. Interesting idea.

I do doubt that a couple of my siblings can get 7 days off in a row, though. Worth a try, of course.

[mom says]

You're probably going to find the least expensive cruises on Carnival, but you can check out prices on a few of the online cruise travel agencies. Short, closed loop cruises from US ports don't usually require a passport for US born citizens, although those are always preferable. Just realize that short cruises from the more northerly cruise ports are likely pretty limited in the ports they can sail to in the time available. If you don't have experience with the extra costs that come with cruises,  speaking with a cruise travel agent is the way to go.

[Essiesmom]

I would look at what is sailing from each port in your time limit/time frame.  If you are not constrained by school vacations, you will find that sailing when kids are in school will be less expensive.  
    Next, check airfare from your airport to the departure city.  And routes…some routes are ridiculous.  
   Then, it is always recommended that you fly in the day before, particularly in seasons that there might be flight delays, such as snow…

   You might need to make a spreadsheet…

you may find that the cost of airfare and pre-cruise hotel will be more than the cruise fare.  EM

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, mom says said:

You're probably going to find the least expensive cruises on Carnival

I think - MSC. But you get what you pay for. 🙂

 

3 hours ago, neecerz69 said:

Not set on a time of year or destination.

 

to OP: avoid school holidays if a price is a factor. It's always more expensive to go during holidays and

during school breaks. Also, you need to think - nice, tropical beach getaways (Mexico, Caribbean) or more of a historic or nature stuff (Alaska, New England)?

[Cruise Kay]

What about Galveston, Texas? Royal Caribbean has a big ship cruise out of there....Allure of the Seas. Very fun and lots of features and entertainment. 

[navybankerteacher]

If some cannot take a full week, Bahamas cruises from Miami or Fort Lauderdale have many three to five day itineraries — but they would involve flights from mid-West - also possible pre-cruise hotel stay.

 

 

[shipgeeks]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

If some cannot take a full week, Bahamas cruises from Miami or Fort Lauderdale have many three to five day itineraries — but they would involve flights from mid-West - also possible pre-cruise hotel stay.

 

 

And short cruises tend to be more party/booze cruises, which might or might not suit your family.

[Mum2Mercury]

Since you seem new to the world of cruising, let's talk about the complete list of costs -- you may be surprised that the cabin may not be the biggest expense:  

 

Cruise ticket -- this includes cabin, basic meals, most entertainment onboard -- this can be as little as $99 for a three-night cruise or it could be thousands, depending upon the choices you make.  

 

How to do this economically:  You'll probably want to go with inside cabins, which means interior rooms /no windows.  Also, consider going with Guarantees; this means you don't choose a room; rather, the ship puts you in whatever cabins are left empty -- this can be as much as 30% cheaper, but you won't have side-by-side cabins.  We like cruising in the fall, as the weather is great and the prices are at their lowest; cruising in summer is much more expensive, and forget about holidays -- they're outrageously priced and the ships are crowded.  Consider a smaller-to-midsized ship -- they're much cheaper than the newer, mega-ships.  

 

Extras onboard -- Many drinks, especially alcohol, cost extra onboard.  A beer runs $9-10 and a mixed drink runs $14-15 (mandatory 18% tip included).  You can eat at specialty restaurants, which add to the cost.  The ship will give you an ID card, which you will use for spending -- they do not take cash onboard; you'll need to give the ship your credit card number ahead of time, and they'll charge anything you've spent on the last night.  

 

Island stops -- The ship will stop at a couple islands, and you'll want to get off and do something.  This could be as cheap as a beach trip, which would just cost a taxi ride.  Or it could be something more expensive.  Once you choose your itinerary, you'll decide what you want to do.  One island stop might cost you $20 and another might cost you $500 -- totally depends upon your choices.  

 

Transportation to your port -- You say you're in the midwest and expect to need to fly; you'll have to look into what this will cost.  Some cruises go out of Texas -- is that within driving distance for you?  Driving is almost always cheaper than flying (though then you have to pay for parking, and that's probably $15-20/day).  You probably want to start your journey by choosing a departure port, as this will narrow down your choices.  

 

Night-before hotel -- This board isn't completely united in many things, but everyone here will agree that you must arrive the night before your cruise sails.  Especially since you're flying, too many things can happen to prevent you from meeting your ship -- and that's just not an acceptable risk.  Personally, we always do something pretty basic and cheap for our night-before.  

 

Passports --  If you're American citizens leaving from and returning to American soil, you can sail with a passport OR a certified birth certificate and government-issued ID.  

 

Length of cruise -- You say you want to go 4-5 days.  I'm with the above poster who says, "If you go to the trouble and expense of flying in, stay at least a week."  You fear your siblings can't get off work for a week -- what if you make your plans for a year from now, giving them time to "build up" the time off?  

 

[Aquahound]

On 2/13/2023 at 6:46 AM, neecerz69 said:

I'd like to take a cruise with my immediate family, mother, 2 sisters and brother - all adults (26-60 yo). Me and my mother are often the only ones paying for stuff, so I want it to be not crazy expensive. I'd be cool with us paying for the cabin, and then extra stuff they can pay for. I'm thinking 4-5 days (we're in the Midwest, so would likely have to fly to our embarkation location). Also, only 3 of us currently have passports, although if we needed them, I would push the other two. I'd love some ideas. 

Please let me know if I've missed any important details that would help identify.

Thanks for the assistance!

 

Of the cruise lines that have regular 4-5 night cruises, my first recommendation is Royal Caribbean.  Look at cruises embarking in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Port Canaveral, and Galveston.  LA or San Diego might even be an option, but I recommend East Coast first.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

20 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Passports --  If you're American citizens leaving from and returning to American soil, you can sail with a passport OR a certified birth certificate and government-issued ID. 

I am just going to add: If you are American citizens born in the US - you can sail on most close-loop cruises with an official birth certificate and a govt ID. If you are naturalized - you have a foreign birth certificate which is useless when it comes to proving that you are a US citizen.

[CruisingWalter]

On 2/14/2023 at 3:27 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

Passports --  If you're American citizens leaving from and returning to American soil, you can sail with a passport OR a certified birth certificate and government-issued ID. 

 

Except on Virgin Voyages. Passports required for all VV cruises no matter where they sail from. 

 

And some Panama Canal cruises require passports, even closed-loop from Florida. There was an article recently about that biting some passengers who were left behind at the terminal because they did not have passports. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by WheresWalter

[CruisingWalter]

On 2/13/2023 at 9:46 AM, neecerz69 said:

I'd like to take a cruise with my immediate family, mother, 2 sisters and brother - all adults (26-60 yo). Me and my mother are often the only ones paying for stuff, so I want it to be not crazy expensive

 

First off I would suggest working with travel agent to help you pick the best cruise line / itinerary for your budget. They cost you nothing and can be of great assistance. 

 

If the others are willing to get passports, Virgin Voyages has a great selection of 4 and 5 night cruises from Miami that are almost all-inclusive and the cruise line is all-adults, 18+. Passports are required to sail on VV. 

 

While the pricing may appear higher than other cruise lines, those fares including all meals, WiFi, gratuities, soft drinks and group exercise classes. With all other cruise lines you will be paying extra for the WiFi, gratuities and soft drinks. If you want to go to the specialty dining restaurants on other cruise lines, you'll be paying $10 - $100+ per person per meal. And if you book a cruise with VV by Feb 28, they are throwing in a $300 Bar Tab for under 7 night cruises. So even some of your paid drinks will be covered. The food is the best at sea right now and the service from the crew is exemplary. 

 

Next I would look at Celebrity. Lovely ships, great crew and beautiful pools. They're food is quite good as well and they have my favorite buffet selection at sea. It can be very eclectic at times, especially at lunch and dinner. Plus they have the fried toast for breakfast and it's the only place I've found that. 

 

Princess and HAL are also lovely cruise lines with a very laid back adult vibe. Princess has some of our favorite pools and their staff is always amazing. We're headed out on the Sky Princess next week.

 

Celebrity, Princess and HAL have their own versions of 'all inclusive packages' that may include WiFi, gratuities, drinks packages and dining packages. These are added in addition to the base cruise fare. 

 

For more activities and 'fun on board' you would look at Royal Caribbean and Carnival.  Know that Carnival shorter cruises are often on their smaller, older ships whereas Royal Caribbean runs their Voyager, Freedom and even at least one of their Oasis class ships on 4 or 5 night runs. So you might have larger ships with more activities and 'things to do' onboard RCCL short cruise. 

 

Royal and Carnival also have add-on packages for drinks and Royal has a dining package as well. 

 

Again, I would suggest working with a TA to help you navigate the cruise lines, itineraries, ports and onboard packages for you and your family. Good luck and I hope you all have an amazing time! 

 

[SPacificbound]

The earlier you book the better, more choice in cabin location, might get a better price.. Since you will need more that one cabin for five, you'll need to decide inside, ocean view, balcony etc. I recommend at least 7 days. If you have to fly to port city, it just isn't worth it for 4 or 5 days IMHO. You could check on a suite for five, since it's only the two of us I've never had reason to check for more.

 

We cruise Cunard, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

Just get an idea where you and your mom would like to go and spend some time looking at itineraries where you decide you want to go, that will give you options.

 

I read last week that passports are taking three months, so that's something to get them started on.

[cruiseaholic777]

I would look at Royal Caribbean. Great prices and a great cruise experience. Galveston would be a good place to look.

[broadwaybaby123]

If you can swing it and want a guarantied "no kids" experience, you could try Virgin Voyages, as they're all adults.

 

Otherwise, you might want to avoid school vacation weeks/months since that's when a lot of families tend to go.

 

As far as pricing, Royal, Norwegian, MSC, and Carnival are all decently priced.

 

And yes, get the passports if you can and get the applications in now as there's a backlog, and it can take months for you to get your approvals.

[cruiserking]

Perhaps you've already booked your cruise. Here are some other ideas. 

 

Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas - does 4 & 5-night Bermuda cruises from New Jersey all summer. 

 

The prices go up a lot during the summer months when everyone and his brother wants to travel. 

 

You would get better deals on an off-peak Bahamas cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Anthem sailing round trip from New Jersey. Early February, March are the best times when schools are in session. 

 

Port stops are Port Canaveral, Florida - Nassau, Bahamas and Coco Cay, Bahamas (Private island). 

 

Coco Cay is absolutely gorgeous the cruise line spent a quarter billion refurbishing it a few years ago. Nassau, Bahamas has a brand new port area with shops, restaurants and a museum. Florida is great to stay on board. 

 

Hope you have a great cruise. 

 

Jonathan