Jump to content

How to cruise with a family of 5 without breaking the bank?


Recommended Posts

We haven't cruised since we've had kids and it seems impossible to not spend a fortune to cruise with 3 kids. Does anyone have advice on how to make this work and be affordable? My kids would love a cruise and I would really like to take them but it just seems too pricey.

 

Anyone have tips?

 

TIA!

 

I should add...I need exterior rooms. I get claustrophobic and need at least a window, if not a balcony.

Edited by kg006
Link to comment
Share on other sites

NCL is doing 3rd to 8th passengers sail free promo now for certain itineraries. Breakaway, Getaway and Escape have oceanview cabins that can sleep 5. Right now I think they still have the ultimate dining or beverage promo going on for OV and above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You don't need pricey excursions if you know something about your ports...so get a guidebook...let the kids learn something, too...and figure out things you can do on your own...much cheaper by far than paying someone to show you a good time!

 

Most cruise lines don't mind if you bring some soda....(if you drink that stuff), so you can save money that way.

 

 

Of course, if you don't have to FLY to port, that's a big savings....hopefully, that's the case for you!

Edited by cb at sea
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You sometimes have to be creative. Much of it will depend on where you are wanting to cruise to.

 

My wife and I had a day in Juneau where we only spent about $14 between the two of us:

- At breakfast we took a plate of food back to our cabin and packed up lunch. Bringing zip-lock bags helps with this.

- We took the bus ($2 each) to Mendenhal Glacier and had a nice walk (the bus stop is about half a mile from the visitor's center). We saw the film and spent a little time at the glacier. ($3 each)

- On the walk back, we saw three black bears (free!)

- We took another bus ($2 each) to the Alaskan brewery and did their tour (Free but with free bee samples, and they were generous with the samples)

- We met a couple and struck up a conversation with them and discovered that they were from Colorado as well. They offered to take us back to the pier and along the way we stopped off to see the salmon spawning.

 

At dinner, we told our table mates about our day and they were all stunned at how much we had squeezed in and for so little. On another day, we decided to rent a car, and we had a blast exploring on our own.

 

Think outside the box. There's no reason you HAVE to do the excursions the ship offers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some ideas...

  • inside or oceanview cabins will offer savings over balcony
  • booking early or booking last minute when there are sales
  • depending on where you live, you might find savings cruising West Coast versus East Coast
  • look for reposition cruises
  • some cruises will have seasonal highs due to school holidays or dry weather
  • look for flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • look for hotels a little bit away from the cruise terminal
  • pay attention to what's included. Disney costs more because most drinks are included
  • avoid Disney if you don't need to see the mouse

My weakness...

  • shore excursions
  • captain's tours
  • photo's

Edited by xlxo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You sometimes have to be creative. Much of it will depend on where you are wanting to cruise to.

 

My wife and I had a day in Juneau where we only spent about $14 between the two of us:

- At breakfast we took a plate of food back to our cabin and packed up lunch. Bringing zip-lock bags helps with this.

- We took the bus ($2 each) to Mendenhal Glacier and had a nice walk (the bus stop is about half a mile from the visitor's center). We saw the film and spent a little time at the glacier. ($3 each)

- On the walk back, we saw three black bears (free!)

- We took another bus ($2 each) to the Alaskan brewery and did their tour (Free but with free bee samples, and they were generous with the samples)

- We met a couple and struck up a conversation with them and discovered that they were from Colorado as well. They offered to take us back to the pier and along the way we stopped off to see the salmon spawning.

 

At dinner, we told our table mates about our day and they were all stunned at how much we had squeezed in and for so little. On another day, we decided to rent a car, and we had a blast exploring on our own.

 

Think outside the box. There's no reason you HAVE to do the excursions the ship offers.

 

Sound like good ideas - only issue I would have is whether or not food is allowed to be brought off the ship even in Alaska. Obviously not allowed in foreign ports, but not positive about AK.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some ideas...

  • inside or oceanview cabins will offer savings over balcony
  • booking early or booking last minute when there are sales
  • depending on where you live, you might find savings cruising West Coast versus East Coast
  • look for reposition cruises
  • some cruises will have seasonal highs due to school holidays or dry weather
  • look for flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • look for hotels a little bit away from the cruise terminal
  • pay attention to what's included. Disney costs more because most drinks are included
  • avoid Disney if you don't need to see the mouse

My weakness...

  • shore excursions
  • captain's tours
  • photo's

 

 

Good advice. Just one comment about flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday. If your cruise doesn't leave/return until a Saturday or Sunday, then you need to account for the cost of hotel stay, food and things to do for those extra days. It may not be worth it unless the savings are substantial.

Edited by LuCruise
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We cruised with our two kids last winter and have another one booked for 2016. We did the NCL kids cruise free promotion. And drove to the port instead of flying. It took an extra day to drive both ways, but money wise, it worked for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We cruised with our two kids last winter and have another one booked for 2016. We did the NCL kids cruise free promotion. And drove to the port instead of flying. It took an extra day to drive both ways, but money wise, it worked for us.

 

Wish we could drive but we're too far from the port (mind you, probably a similar drive to you)

Great that you have another cruise booked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We haven't cruised since we've had kids and it seems impossible to not spend a fortune to cruise with 3 kids. Does anyone have advice on how to make this work and be affordable? My kids would love a cruise and I would really like to take them but it just seems too pricey.

 

Anyone have tips?

 

TIA!

 

I should add...I need exterior rooms. I get claustrophobic and need at least a window, if not a balcony.

 

 

Any tips?? Well, the obvious would be to not go of course. Your need for an outside cabin is a HUGE dent in the old budget. I would also book as far out as you can, as you may be able to snag a better price, and keep your eyes open for sales or price drops. Another thing is that if you opt for Royal Caribbean, their Freedom class ships have family promenade rooms which do offer a window overlooking the promenade. Also try and squeeze into one cabin, if the ship you are interested in has any that allow 5. Also, don't book expensive shore excursions through the cruise line. Book cruises while kids are in school--summer and spring break times, as well as holidays are going to cost more.

 

We also are a family of 5, and this cruise is costing plenty--when you consider round trip airfare for 4 (youngest is under 2), full cruise fare for 5, tips for 5, soda packages for 4, plus a rental car for a week, it adds up VERY quickly. Thankfully my mother is paying for a day at Disney, otherwise, that would be completely impossible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is how my kids do it. Mom, the kids want to go on a cruise. When do we go? Mom, I don't have an active credit card I need to use yours. Mom, I'm broke how did you expect me to pay for the tips.

 

Now in fairness, they go on whatever cruise, flight or hotel I set up and pay for. They also go on whatever excursion I plan.

 

Is this what you were thinking when you asked the question? :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We haven't cruised since we've had kids and it seems impossible to not spend a fortune to cruise with 3 kids. Does anyone have advice on how to make this work and be affordable? My kids would love a cruise and I would really like to take them but it just seems too pricey.

 

Anyone have tips?

 

TIA!

 

I should add...I need exterior rooms. I get claustrophobic and need at least a window, if not a balcony.

 

You don't need exterior rooms if you turn on the TV to the Forward and Aft cameras and wake up to sunshine in the morning. That's one way to deal with interior rooms, don't have to pick it, its just a suggestion.

 

 

You could put a deposit down for a date 9 months or more in advance and pay it off slow without going broke / poor. That's what I do to save money without feeling crunch (you have to calculate the average payment before the deadline, which is like 90 days before sail date). And if the 3-4 sail free / hold off is going on; see if that applies for sailings that far out in advance to save even more. Also included in the price of service charges / DSC in the fare too (if your cruise line practices / uses it or not) - for 5 people that alot, it usually $12 per person per day. Luckily that can be paid separately before or during the cruise.

 

 

Regarding onboard spending on the ship - just lay out the ground rules to the kids (spouse too ;)) what they can or can't spend; depending on the line, you can also tell the Guest Services to limit the children's spending privileges. Decide if packages (drinking and dining) are right for your family, sometimes they are or times they are not due to your habits. Use credit card or cash for your onboard spending (never use debit card due to the double holds the cruise lines and bank do) and enjoy your vacation!!:D

Edited by maywell
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another thought... you might want to look for cruise lines with photo packages with the kids. Love HAL's all photo package... on my Princess 2 day reposition.... the photo's cost more than the cruise. So hard to choose on the last day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi there! I hope you don't mind another POV. We just returned from a sailing with RCCL on the Independence of the Seas on a 6-night Western Caribbean Cruise (March 22nd). I sailed with my hubby and two kids in two staterooms. In addition to that, I helped my parents and my sister with her son book two more staterooms.

 

I am hoping that CC will post my reviews soon as I delved into the planning process a bit and perhaps you can take a peek at that when it comes online. What I found that really helped us is that we booked over a year out during a WOW promo in December 2013 which included a 50% redux on deposits and $200 OBC on the two staterooms we reserved for us). This gave us a full year to plan and strategically save money every month until the final due date plus we got a bit of "free cash" to start out with.

 

Booking early also helped us watch the airfares closely to see which promotions offer the best price. We live in Idaho so schlepping to Florida is never a cheap affair and flying during spring break? What were we thinking?!? We took the red-eye from Salt Lake so that's something to consider. Also, if flying is one leg of your itinerary, choose "low season" to plan your trip.

 

I recommend you start by waiting for a promotion that offers that 50% redux on the deposit and whatever perks the cruiseline and/or TA offers, hopefully. Then up until the final payment due date, keep your eyes peeled for when the cruiseline puts out another promotion (or even resident rate specials) that is better than the rate you booked at initially and request a price match as most of them offer this. I was able to reduce our rate twice in the course of the year by diligently watching sales.

 

I know you said you wanted exterior rooms but I found them too expensive, even if we split it–booking an exterior cabin for ourselves and an interior cabin for our teenagers across the hall. The number-crunching didn't yield much in our favor even when we looked at the cost of a junior suite. So as a compromise, we chose two Promenade interior staterooms. RCCL has this feature in the Freedom Class ships. They have large bay windows that overlook the promenade so that it gives you that feeling of having a "room with a view" which is great and the ship changes the lighting to give the illusion of night and day along the promenade.

 

Also, in researching an option for my bro and his 4 young kids, I learned of family inside and oceanview staterooms that would have fit his group of 5 perfectly. With RCCL, it can't book it online. There are also only a handful of these available on a ship so it needs to be booked early. In the end, he couldn't join us but it would have allowed one to book only a single cabin (that is also a little bit larger to accommodate up to 6 people) making the cost per person lower. RCCL is rolling out their "virtual balconies" on inside staterooms on select ships, including the new ones that just recently came out. Anyways, something to consider.

 

Another idea: when my parents, sister and nephew decided to join us, Our TA did some creative paperwork by putting my mom in one cabin and my dad in another so that my sister was able to partake of their senior citizen discount.

 

Once on board, you'll want to make sure the kiddos can't just willy-nilly use their seapass to play in the arcade which could potentially rack up a tab. I've read that some parents disable their kids seapasses to prevent them from purchasing anything on the ship.

 

Shore excursions add up, no doubt. Even with our family of 4, I had to be really mindful of what we were realistically willing to pay while still enjoying the port-of-call. One thing for sure is that the onboard shore excursions are more expensive than those you can arrange independently. I think, a lot of people will use them out of convenience but I've noticed that RCCL was about 30% more on their SE's than if I were to put it together so I went to Viator or TripAdvisor for useful recommends on things to do at each port.

 

I have considered waiting at the very last minute to book since there's potentially even deeper savings to fill those cabins but the pickings can get slimmer and, as I found in the case of our cruise, thinking that my bro might change his mind and join us anyways at the 11th hour, the sailing was fully booked by February.

 

Good luck and I hope I gave you a few more ideas of note.

 

Pen

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Carnival's Dream, Magic and Breeze ships have Deluxe Ocean View Cabins. These are great for a family of 5 on a budget, especially when cruising during the off season.

 

"Two twin beds (convert to king), two upper pullmans and single sofa bed. Privacy curtain. Sofa and coffee table. Desk and seat. Full bathroom with shower plus separate washroom with sink and junior tub. 3 closets. Picture window." The cabins are a large 220 s.f.

 

I did a quick search and here are photos of a Deluxe OV cabin: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2196233

 

I also know a few of the NCL ships have Lage OV cabins that sleep 5. If you can get the Kids Sail Free (3-8 guests sail free), that would be very economical.

 

In my experience, all the other cruise lines have been much more expensive for a family. We are a family of 4 and I book a cruise based on itinerary and price. I am all about getting the biggest bang for my buck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer to sail on Royal, and I book 2 connecting oceanview cabins. Getting 2 balconies usually puts me over budget, but I need to see outside, so I get the cheapest oceanview I can get. This usually puts me on a lower deck, but I don't mind.

 

I don't book excursions through the cruiseline. I also book way in advance and pay a little over time. I try to figure out exactly how much money I'll need to spend in each port and save that too. So, by the time I'm actually on the cruise, everything is already paid for.

 

I love tropical islands and I've found that air fare + hotel + food and other expenses at a land-based resort usually costs more for a family of 5 than a cruise. So, even though cruising is expensive, it is still a good travel option for us. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with booking a cruise for 5 is many cruise line only allow 4 in most cabins so you are left to book the family rooms or book two rooms. It is sometimes cheaper to book two rooms but you need to compair the two.

 

The family rooms often sell out fast so the ploy of waiting for promotions is not a good idea. Another problem with waiting for promotions is that the price may be acutally more. That is the case for our upcoming cruise. We booked the ship shortly after being released and the price with the WOW that came out months later was near $1000 more. I would suggest booking the cruise as far out as possible. If there are any price drops you can get them. Different cruise lines have different policies for price adjustments so you need to know them upfront.

 

Shak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We haven't cruised since we've had kids and it seems impossible to not spend a fortune to cruise with 3 kids. Does anyone have advice on how to make this work and be affordable? My kids would love a cruise and I would really like to take them but it just seems too pricey.

 

Anyone have tips?

 

TIA!

 

I should add...I need exterior rooms. I get claustrophobic and need at least a window, if not a balcony.

 

On our Dream cruise, the comedian asked if anyone was traveling with young kids. When a few people answered in the affirmative, he told them that they are not really in a vacation and they should have left them at home with the grandparents, cousins, babysitter, or a stranger from Craigslist. Got a lot of laughs from the audience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We saved money by booking two connecting rooms instead of squeezing into one - sounds counter intuitive that all four of us would have paid more to fit into one of those exact rooms but that's it worked out.

 

We're not drinkers and we aren't doing the soda package. No fancy dining for us. We're not taking any excursions but may rent a local car on one of our stops as we've always wanted to explore that location.

 

If you're like us and prefer to not take the kids out of school, check the later summer prices, we have been to Disneyworld in August before for a very decent price, a fair number of states do have school starting back as early as the first week of August so it does get quieter as the month passes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We saved money by booking two connecting rooms instead of squeezing into one - sounds counter intuitive that all four of us would have paid more to fit into one of those exact rooms but that's it worked out.

You beat me to it . While there may be specials on 3rd 4th & 5th in one cabin , this is not always the case. We saved hundreds by booking 2 porthole cabins (considered insides) rather then a single ocean-view . Even more by not getting a balcony . Not sure how old the kids are . The younger they are the closer the 2nd cabin will be .

 

Driving rather then flying is a huge saver . Many hotels have stayNpark specials where when you stay the night you will get parking included . Don't forget to bring on you own sodas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plan ahead is all I can say if you want an oceanview or balcony for 5 people for cheap.

 

 

I just say this post courtesy of Dacsmom -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46537837&postcount=11

Feb 2017 8 night Eastern in a JS on the Freedom for 4 people $3600 total. I was happy with that.

__________________

 

With that one it'll be like $4,000 for 5 people in Junior Suite (comes with a king bed or two singles + sofa bed for 2). If the 5th person's in a baby cradle, then it should work I think.

Edited by cruisevv
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...

We have cruised twice with 3 kids and have another one coming up in April.

 

We did an inside on carnival fascination - space was tight but kids were young. Drove from NY to FL to save even more. (It was the Feb school break) I think it was $2500

 

Next was NCL dawn out of Tampa. Two ocean view rooms that connected were cheaper than a balcony. They didn't have insides for 5 ppl. Loved the extra room and extra bathroom. We Booked our flights to return the Monday after break (used Marriott points for a free night) and saved $1k on flights that way.

 

Booked both of these cruises last minute (in Dec for a Feb cruise)

 

For this upcoming cruise we found a great deal on the NCL Breakaway for NY to Bermuda. Kids sale free- with free beverage package- and it's over the April school break for my kids. So all 5 of us are cruising for about $3500. But we will be 5in an oceanview family (O1) room. I'd love a balcony but BA doesn't have them that can fit 5.. And moving into 2 rooms meant no kids sale free sale. For this one we booked 14months out.

So there isn't one way to save $. I just did research and signed up for various travel email alerts-- being flexible helps.. We didn't want to take kids out of school but that would have saved us even more$

 

As others have said- excursions can really add up- we didn't book any through the ship, instead we walked off and toured on our own. Did a lot of research beforehand. Most ports have a lot of free/low cost options, but be realistic about your expectations. (We knew we couldn't do the 1 day Atlantis visit or dolphin swims-it was just too expensive) but we made the best of it. Big breakfast on the ship meant we skipped lunch while touring and had snacks instead.

Cruising winds up cheaper for us than an all-inclusive in the Caribbean or Disney world but we are east coast and able to drive to ports so that helps.

 

Good luck-planning is half the fun

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am a Family with 3 kids as well. I think the best deal are RCCL family staterooms. They are really affordable and about 300 sq ft. Check out rooms 8200 and 8500 which are family ocean view staterooms at regular stateroom prices.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...