Trifter

Image By The Author

When was the last time you went on a vacation?   No, Christmas with the family at Aunt Mildred’s doesn’t count.  I mean, when was the last time you went on a REAL vacation?  Where did you go? How did you get there? Most importantly, how much did you spend and did you enjoy it?

Planning and going on vacation takes a lot of work, organization, communication and decision making.  Sometimes, it seems that in the end going on vacation is more stressful than our day-to-day lives and we come back from it exhausted and unfulfilled.  You have to decide with your group (be they family or friends) where you are going to go, figure out where you are going to stay, try to imagine what and where you are going to eat, and in the end try to estimate how much it is going to cost and how you are going to pay for it all.

My husband and I recently took the most relaxing vacation that either of us have ever been on.  We did it with less arguing, less concern and less wallet-pinching than we do when going to dinner (well, not quite; but almost), and we spent the entire trip truly relaxing without a care in the world.  We went on a cruise.

Cruising has become more affordable over the decades, and has morphed into a travel option that can now be enjoyed by the whole family regardless of how diverse their age group and tastes.  It used to be that only the upper-class or those willing to take out a second mortgage could enjoy such luxury; but today taking a cruise can be equally or even less expensive than your average road trip to see the World’s Largest Ball Of Yarn.

The only decisions you have to make in advance are what your destination should be, and what size stateroom you can afford.  Everything else is taken care of.  Food, drinks (depending on your package) and entertainment are all included in the booking price.  We found that this was a great solution for families because the dining and entertainment options are so varied.  There’s BINGO and a buffet line for Grandma, dance lessons and formal dining for you and your spouse, activities and ice cream stations for your kids, and shore adventures from shopping and historical tours to sea kayaking and horseback riding to meet everyone’s individual interests.

We took a 7 day cruise through the Mexican Riviera for about $170 per person per day.  We chose one of the mid-range rooms with a full window, and some special in-room surprises (cake and decorations to make the event super fun) so we spent a bit more than we could have.  The same cruise at the time of writing this article has rooms for as little as $89 per person per day for a room with no view; and honestly you aren’t going to spend a ton of time in your room anyway so losing the in-room view won’t mean losing out on a good time.

For a total sum of $2,358 we received round-trip airline tickets and shuttle service to the city and dock where the ship awaited us, a room with a different view every day, 3 ports of call with varied activities, all of our meals, all of our non-alcoholic drinks, midnight snacks, access to two pools and 6 hot-tubs, a new show every night, and 7 full days of complete relaxation. 

We paid a little extra after booking the cruise to also include horseback riding, swimming with dolphins, a tour of the rain forest via zip-lines and some down-time at a Tequila distillery.  We also took advantage of the cruise-line’s ability to break up the payment.  A deposit was required at booking, but the total sum wasn’t due to until a month before sailing.  We booked our cruise 9 months in advance and paid a couple hundred dollars a month on it until it was paid in full.  There weren’t any hidden fees and no surprises when we boarded, which was nice and made transitioning to “vacation mode” that much easier.

We ended up spending several hundred less than a visit to the land of the world’s most famous mouse would have cost us and were able to eat better food (lobster tail and rib-eye anyone?), with true professional wait-staff service and less stress.  We had the best turn-down service we’ve ever experienced, free room service when we didn’t feel like going to one of the several eateries on board and met people with similar interests from all over the world.  We didn’t have to stand in line for anything, there were no crowds to fight through and no need to so much as carry a wallet most of the time.

In the end, we decided that cruising is our favorite mode of vacationing and I encourage you to give it a shot.  Even if it’s only a weekend trip to a place you’ve already been, everything will look and feel more glamorous from the sea.  Shop around for a great deal and get going; although beware that you may enjoy it so much that you don’t want to go home.

Read More By Denise Kawaii:
A Sunday Afternoon Getaway: McMinnville, Oregon
A Winter Wonderland; Or is it?
Gifts for Him: 10 Gifts That Will Make Him Think You’re The Coolest Chick Ever