• Home
  • About
    • About The Girl
    • Where She’s Gone
  • Contact
    • Work With Her
    • Instagram Consulting
    • Travel Consulting
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Balkans
        • Bosnia & Herzegovina
        • Bulgaria
        • Macedonia (FYROM)
        • Montenegro
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Eastern Europe
        • Belarus
        • Estonia
        • Latvia
        • Lithuania
        • Moldova
        • Romania
      • Germany
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • Scandinavia
        • Denmark
          • Faroe Islands
          • Greenland
        • Finland
        • Norway
        • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • The Netherlands
      • United Kingdom
        • Guernsey
    • Africa
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
    • Asia & the Middle East
      • Bhutan
      • Cambodia
      • Indonesia
      • Jordan
      • Lebanon
      • Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • UAE
        • Dubai
    • Central Asia/Caucasus
      • Armenia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Georgia
      • Uzbekistan
    • North America
      • Canada
      • USA
    • Caribbean & South America
      • Brazil
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Honduras
      • The Bahamas
      • Uruguay
    • Australasia/Oceania
      • New Zealand
  • Shop
    • Lightroom Presets
      • Lightroom Mobile Presets

The Flyaway Girl

A Brit Abroad.

Caribbean, Cruises, Guest post, The Bahamas, USA · October 30, 2016

How To Enjoy a Cruise to the Bahamas for Under $1,000

SharePinTweet
GoogleLinkedInEmailFlip

This is a guest post by Darrelle Thompson of Darrelle Thompson Writing. Thanks, Darrelle!

What's In This Article

      • I can’t swim.
  • Travel in the Off-Season
  • Research different cruise lines
  • You’ve picked your cruise line – now what?
  • Excursions
  • Events on the Cruise ship
  • Sales at the duty-free shop
  • Gambling
  • Alcoholic drinks
  • BONUS: Getting to your departure point
      • To Miami
      • To Orlando
      • Don’t forget to download the Skyscanner app to get great flight prices!

I can’t swim.

Do I fit all of the stereotypes of a non-swimmer? In my eyes, yes! I’m a 30-year-old African-American man with a fear of water, so when my wife mentioned a cruise for our honeymoon in 2014 I immediately thought of the Titanic or being stranded out at sea on a broken cruise ship. It took 3 months of talking about it for me to agree to take a cruise to the Bahamas, and it was an amazing experience.

However, it was still expensive. We all want ways to enjoy a vacation and get the most bang for your buck, and today I’ll explain some key tips on how to enjoy a fun cruise for under $1000.

(This article may include affiliate links to help fund the upkeep of this site. Yay!)

Travel in the Off-Season

The most expensive time to book a cruise is during the summer months (June-August). You won’t find much under $1000 unless you use a third-party website, which can sometimes provide some good last-minute deals, but you can still get it cheaper in the off-season and by looking out for cruise lines offering deals! Third-party booking sites can also make it much harder to cancel or alter your booking, so just be aware.

The cheapest time to book is between September and December, the ending of hurricane season, where cruise lines normally lower their rates. I always look to book over a year in advance as well, since those new rates will be extremely higher in 6-9 months.

What to wear?! Check out Jessica’s awesome packing guide for ladies off to the Bahamas!

Research different cruise lines

Much like looking up hotel reviews before you travel, you need to do your research before picking a cruise line. The main cruise lines are Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. You need to see if there is a repeating pattern in the comments such as good or bad staff service, quality of food, excursion options, etc.

Penelope’s Tip – check out their Facebook page and the reviews there! If there seems to be a theme in a similar complaint or the company is not responding to any complaints, that’s a red flag saying maybe you should look elsewhere. 

You’ve picked your cruise line – now what?

Once you have settled on a cruise line there are a few things you need to do. The first is determining how many days you want to be on the ship. For some of you, 3 days may be enough – a nice getaway weekend – but 4 days or longer cruises are where you really save your money. I looked at cruises for the month of January in 2018 with Carnival cruises and found a good deal!

I looked at cruises to the Bahamas for the month of January in 2018 with Carnival cruises and found a good deal! A 4-day cruise for $214 per person plus taxes. The total came out to $617.10 for two people. With over $350 left to spend for your trip, here are some things you can do to make it that much more enjoyable.

Room options for a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas starting at $214pp

Penelope’s Tip – There is currently a sale on at Carnival if you book by October 31st 2016! As Darrelle mentioned, you can get a 4-day cruise from Orlando to the Bahamas (visiting Nassau and Freeport) for $617.10 for two people in an interior stateroom, $697.10 for an ocean view stateroom or $857.10 for an ocean view stateroom with a balcony. Obviously the cheapest is the interior stateroom, but you can upgrade this room for $2.50 per person per day for a room with portholes so you get a view!

If you are military personnel (from any country) there are discounts available. No other discounts (55+ and so on) appear to be available during this promo.

You can also sign up for free to be a VIFP guest and gain access to members-only discounts. This works like a reward programme – the more cruises you go on and the longer the cruise is, the more points you gain! Think of it like a mileage scheme but on water.

3-day cruises from Miami start at $209pp exc. taxes with an overnight in Nassau, 4-day from Jacksonville to Nassau and Freeport for $239pp exc. taxes, 5-day from Jacksonville to Nassau and Freeport OR Half Moon Cay and Nassau from $269pp exc. taxes.

You can also find cruises for a longer duration from Miami, Baltimore and Charleston starting at $274pp exc. taxes for 4 days, $324pp exc. taxes for 5 days or from $434pp exc. taxes for 7 days (Baltimore only).

 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...  Top Travel Tips For The Dominican Republic

Excursions

Taking an excursion is like a vacation within a vacation, and they will definitely create memories you won’t forget (like a chicken shyly following you as you hike up a road). Depending on the type of excursion you want to take the price ranges can be anywhere from $15- over $200 per person. The cheaper price is the way to go, and there are still plenty of wonderful options to choose from.

A few of the excursions I found under $50 were:

Beach Getaway (Freeport- $39.99 per person)

Private Island Beach Day (Nassau-$49.99 per person)

Freeport Island Tour (Freeport- $35.99 per person)

Freeport Island Tour Shore Excursion in The Bahamas - explore the island of Freeport during your cruise

 

The Private Island Beach Day was full of relaxing, fresh cooked food & cold beverages, and a private pool with (for me) a failed attempt learning to swim. These three options should all be put on your excursion list when planning for the time the cruise ship is docked.

For this example we will take the Freeport Island Tour for a total of $70, leaving us with $280 for the remainder of the trip.

Events on the Cruise ship

Each cruise ship will have plenty of events to keep you occupied without having to spend much money on them. There are contests, live music, clubs, musicals and activities all over the ship. One fun free event is the stand-up comedy act offered on the cruise line. The big thing to know here is to arrive early to get a good seat!

There will be a number of free contests, sweepstakes, and games that can earn you free drinks, cash, or gifts. Sign up for the Bingo, it’s only a few dollars and you can win some serious cash if you hit the big jackpot.

Penelope’s Tip – There are SO many free activities on cruise ships, check these out first before heading for any that incur additional charges! You can see cooking demonstrations, go to an art seminar, demonstrate your knowledge at the trivia nights, attend a dance class and even play mini golf – all for free!

Sales at the duty-free shop

Every cruise ship has a duty-free shop, and the prices aren’t going to set the world on fire since there are deals to be found every day. However, the biggest deal comes on the last day of the cruise, where the vendors try to sell as many items as possible. You can find clothes, jewellery, watches, and other gifts discounted to up to 80% off! We were able to buy two watches (priced at $109 each), and 2 bracelets (priced at $89 each) for $80 total. We also picked up gifts for our kids ranging from 50-75% off. This is the biggest place to see your remaining budget ($280 in this example) allow you to bring home items that would normally be out of your “spending money” price range.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...  Best Places to Travel in 2019

Now since we have gone over some fun things to do on your trip, let me explain some of the mistakes many first time cruisers on a budget make.

Gambling

This is easily the easiest way to blow through your remaining money. Now you may be thinking “If I’m on a budget I’m not going to gamble!”, but trust me the flashing lights and the seemingly easy to win games will suck your funds dry.

Stay away from the games where you have to press the button to stop on a specific dollar amount, the odds of winning the Electronic Game Machines can be up to 1 in 137 million. I made the mistake of consistently charging the games to my room ($1 a pop, 50 times on 3 different machines), and had my card stop working due to insufficient funds. Do not make the same mistake I did, simply DO NOT GAMBLE.

Alcoholic drinks

Food and most non-alcoholic drinks are free on a cruise, but if you want to have a beer or any other alcoholic drink it will cost you. My wife purchased a strawberry daiquiri and it was $9! We decided no more alcoholic drinks for the trip and stuck to juice and soda.

Penelope’s Tip – Don’t forget to check which dining options are included in your ticket and which cost extra. Meals in certain restaurants can cost you an extra $15 – $95pp. Why pay for food when you can get it for free? Sometimes I think it’s obvious I’m a student.

I’ve given you the tips to enjoy an excellent cruise to the Bahamas. The DOs and DON’Ts I have provided aren’t a ‘must follow’ rulebook but CAN give you a general idea of how to have fun, without it breaking the bank.

BONUS: Getting to your departure point

Flights are not yet available to book in January 2018 – most airlines are only providing booking for flights before July 2017. However, here are some guide prices for January 2017. Usually, one to four months in advance is the best time to purchase flights as these are usually the lowest prices. Set a Google Flights alert or on your favourite booking provider so you can see when they’re going down!

According to CheapAir, 54 days before your departure is the statistically optimum time to book when flying domestically within the USA. 

Cheapest time to book flights from Washington DC to Orlando Momondo
Example for when to book: Washington, DC to Orlando

To Miami

Departing Philadelphia from $75

Departing New Orleans from $77

Departing Cincinnati from $79

Departing Denver from $98

Departing Minneapolis from $128

Departing Las Vegas from $147

To Orlando

Departing Washington DC  from $62

Departing Houston from $75

Departing Kansas City from $87

Don’t forget to download the Skyscanner app to get great flight prices!

Don’t forget to pin this article if you enjoyed it!

How to plan and book a cruise to the Bahamas for less than $500 per person! Including shore excursions and activities onboard. Cruises don't have to break the bank!

Have you been on a cruise or do you hope to in the future? Feel free to leave a comment below, especially if you have any tips and tricks to share!

For more about Barbados, check out Naike’s Photo Diary of Nassau and Janet’s guide about her cruise to the Bahamas. 

 

 

SharePinTweet
GoogleLinkedInEmailFlip

Posted In: Caribbean, Cruises, Guest post, The Bahamas, USA · Tagged: bahamas, Caribbean, central america, cruise

Get on the List

You’ll Also Love

One thing to add to your Dominican Republic packing list is a waterproof camera. I used a GoPro with a GoPro dome for this over-under shot.What to Pack for the Dominican Republic
There is lots to know about the Dominican Republic before you go - check out these important travel tips for the Dominican Republic to keep your trip stress free and awesome!Top Travel Tips For The Dominican Republic
Things to do in Milos - watch sunset from the harbour at PlakaTop Things to do in Milos, Greece

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ten + nine =

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts
Next Post >

Five Foods You Have to Try When in Lithuania

Most Shared Posts

  •  
    The Best Cotswolds Villages You Must Visit...
  •  
    The Most Beautiful Instagram Places in Paris...
  •  
    Most Beautiful Places in London in Autumn...
  •  
    Most Instagrammable Places in Istanbul...
  •  
    Top Things to Do in Cascais, Portugal...

Search

Reader Favorites

  • One of the most instagrammable locations in Tbilisi Georgia is the Blue House, a traditional house built around a courtyard with classic Georgian balconies Best Things to do in Tbilisi, Georgia
  • The bell tower of the Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Estepona's main church, is visible from various different streets in the old town. Here the bell tower peeks out above the houses on the street, with the bright yellow brick of the tower and the blue and white tiled roof standing out amongst the whitewashed houses. Ten Top Things To Do in Estepona, Andalusia
  • Le Consulat is an amazing photo location in Paris and also offers delicious mulled wine in winter! The Most Beautiful Instagram Places in Paris
Privacy Policy

Latest on Instagram

RIP Nan 💔 You just celebrated your 94th birthda RIP Nan 💔You just celebrated your 94th birthday. We couldn’t be there for that. I haven’t been able to see you in over a year. I won’t be able to go to your funeral. Neither will your daughter or son-in-law.-It sucks that you got your first vaccine jab but contracted the virus just after, or possibly just before you did. It sucks that we couldn’t visit you. It sucks that you seemed to have got better, but then you just... weren’t. 🤍 I wish we could have been there with you. I wish we could have said goodbye. 🤍-Last night, my Nan passed away around 7pm. Her oxygen levels dropped badly and she didn’t recover. She had contracted Covid in her care home, despite all the safety measures they had in place. She had JUST had the first vaccine, so I thought she was ‘safe’. Then when she got the virus, she was taken into hospital for the evening for observation but taken back to the care home (in isolation) as she seemed fine. That was about two weeks ago. She was fine, until yesterday she suddenly wasn’t. I’m still kind of in shock over it.-Nan always said about how she wanted to be with grandpops. He passed away 21 years ago, and she struggled so much after he passed. At least now she can finally be with him again ❤️1927 - 2021, you did good Nan 💜 rest in peace 🤍
[ad] 🇩🇴 I can’t wait to see spectacular Ca [ad] 🇩🇴 I can’t wait to see spectacular Caribbean sunsets like this again! Hopefully the new year will bring amazing new travels - the Dominican Republic has easily been one of my favourite destinations in the past few years.-I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went since I’m not much of a ‘beach person’ but I even fell in love with the beaches, just as much as I fell in love with the amazing architecture, the street art, the lovely people and - of course - the delicious food. Oh! And the excellent rum 😏😍-There are so many beautiful destinations in DR, from Santo Domingo, Bahía de las Águilas, Cabarete, Santiago de los Caballeros and so many more! Is the Dominican Republic on your 2021 travel bucket list? 🧳✈️-📸 @byrnephotography-#TFGinDR #GoDomRep #therealDR #myDR #republicadominicana🇩🇴
CONGRATULATIONS 🥳 @thepurposelylost 🥰 you ar CONGRATULATIONS 🥳 @thepurposelylost 🥰 you are the lucky winner of a stunning Yellowstone print! Please contact @b_garcia_art to arrange getting your prize 🎁-#TFGinGibraltar #gibraltar #gibraltar🇬🇮 #gibraltarrock #homedecorations #interiors4all
One of my favourite trips last year was a quick br One of my favourite trips last year was a quick break to Armenia, which I took after a week in Georgia 😍 Armenia had always been on my list due to its stunning landscapes, beautiful monasteries and interesting history. I had the opportunity to spend three days there before flying back from Georgia and I’m SO glad I did 😍✨I did a tour with @armeniaexplorer, a local tour guide I found online. It was just me and them on an awesome little private tour, which meant I could take all the photo breaks I needed 😝 plus Armine was always willing to help me with any photos!✨This is probably one of the most iconic views in Armenia. Khor Virap is a monastery that dates all the way back to 642 😱 and behind it you can see Mount Ararat, a snow-capped dormant volcano that is actually located just across the border in Turkey. Mount Ararat is considered a sacred mountain by Armenians and is actually depicted on the coat of arms of the country. In the future, I definitely want to go back to Armenia for longer! There are so many other places I would love to visit in the country, such as Tatev Monastery, Lake Sevan, Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery.✨Where did you go last year that you would love to visit again in the future?✨#TFGinArmenia #armenia🇦🇲 #khorvirap #visitarmenia
I’m missing autumn foliage this year so here is I’m missing autumn foliage this year so here is a throwback to autumn with @solarpoweredblonde a few years back 😍 this house in Hampstead Heath is absolutely stunning! The facade just goes bright red in autumn 🍂 and it’s a sight to behold 😍✨We were supposed to go to Boston in October (originally May 😂) and we were super excited about seeing all the fall foliage in New England, but obviously that has been postponed until who knows when 🤷🏻‍♀️ we have been talking about where our next big trip would be, whenever that’s possible! Some places on our list include:• Canada 🇨🇦• Japan 🇯🇵• Germany 🇩🇪New Zealand would also be there but I want to be able to drive before I go back 😁✨What destination is/will be top of your list when a big international (or even domestic) trip is possible? Where would you most like to travel to when it’s safe?✨#TFGinLondon #londoninautumn #londonautumn #autumnalcolours #fallfoliage #fallcolours
Missing the autumn colours of my university town 😍 I usually go back to Bath at least once a year but no trip to my uni city this year because 2020 😂 this year has really been a rollercoaster 😳✨I’m super happy to see the news coming out of the USA, although I’m still surprised (well, as surprised as you can be anymore) with how close it was 😬✨I haven’t left the house in a week because I’ve felt pretty under the weather ☹️ hopefully nothing serious and properly just because winter 🥶 but I’m staying home for the time being just in case! I’ve got new projects to work on, plus we have DIY to do 😍 I’m for sure obsessed with DIY and painting right now and I’m not even going to try and hide that 🤣 my explore page right now is currently WAY more full of home decor and DIY than it is of travel right now 🙊 we now can’t really go anywhere here in Gibraltar because Andalucía has closed all the municipality borders ☹️ so even though my parents are in Spain and the closest they’ve been for a while, I still can’t see them 😂 damn you 2020 😆✨How are you guys doing? How are my American friends doing? Are you staying home right now and is there another lockdown where you are?✨#TFGinBath #igersbath #bathuk #instabritain #topukphoto #autumnaesthetic #lovegreatbritain
Throwing it back to adventures in Scotland with @r Throwing it back to adventures in Scotland with @readysetjetset 😍 I definitely miss being able to travel right now but I’m oddly loving being a bit of a homebody 😂 I have a new DIY project to work on 😍 and I’ve loved getting into interior decor a little bit!✨Since I usually travel so much and because I’ve not really lived in the same place for long enough, I’ve never really properly decorated the place where I live. However, with spending so much time at home right now, I’ve been LOVING making our home super cozy and really *ours*. Throw blankets and cute cushions are a big part of that 🤪🤪✨Is there anything you’ve ended up really getting into (or back into) since you’re spending a lot more time at home?✨📸 @readysetjetset✨#TFGinScotland #edinburgh_snapshots #edinburghcity #edinburghcastle #scotland_greatshots
Today we have been enjoying some October sun ☀️ and one of my favourite spots is Plaza de las Flores 😍 it’s definitely one spot you have to visit when you’re in Estepona!✨Today has otherwise included doing Pokémon Go raids 😆 as well as fixing my website and applying for jobs 👀 it turns out that ‘entry level’ always seems to include a demand for 2-5 years of experience in the area 😒 seriously, I don’t get it. I had the same issue when I was graduating, when graduate jobs wanted 2+ years experience 🤔 how can you have experience when you’re applying for the first time and how can it be entry level if you already need experience?! And how can you get experience if all the entry level ones require previous experience 😳😳😳 anyway, rant over on that front 😂✨I’m also working on an exciting new project that I’m hoping to release more details about soon 😍 I love working on new projects, it’s always super exciting and motivating 🥰✨However, I also really really fancy a nap 👀 anyone else get super motivated about things but also really feel like they need to nap? 😆 or is that just me 🤔✨How has it been for you with jobs and so on? Do you have a full-time job or have you changed job recently?✨#TFGinAndalucia #TFGinSpain #ok_spain #ok_andalucia #visitandalucia #costadelsol
Twirling into autumn like 💃🏻 if there’s on Twirling into autumn like 💃🏻 if there’s one thing I do really miss while living in this region, it’s the autumn colours 😁I don’t miss autumn weather (rain... cold...) but I do miss seeing the leaves turn to orange and red 😍✨Estepona has no shortage of parks and @theflyawaydad and I ‘discovered’ two new ones (for us anyway 😆) today on our adventures around the city. This stunning park has endless greenery, plus fountains and a waterfall 😱🤩 photo heaven 😆✨I’ve loved the ability to slowly explore the city. To have siestas and looooong coffee breaks ☕️ to enjoy a glass of wine and watch the world go by 🥰 new rules are coming into force soon in Spain so we are enjoying going out for dinner, drinks and so on while we can (all socially distanced and wearing masks when you’re supposed to, etc).✨I’m also somewhat enjoying finding masks to compliment my dresses 😂 I haven’t found one to match this one yet though 🤔 who thought that 2020 fashion would be accessorising with masks 😷🧐✨Are you enjoying autumn where you are? Are you watching the leaves change or are you seeing autumnal photos on insta like me and getting jealous? 😂✨📸 @theflyawaydad✨#TFGinSpain #TFGinAndalucia #estepona #ihavethisthingwithplants #estaes_andalucia
See More Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 The Flyaway Girl · Theme by 17th Avenue