Discount Cruises Affordable Family Getaways
With the economy at the bottom end of an upswing, now is the time to break the stagnation of the stay-cation and get your family back out into the world. In an effort to promote tourism, cruise companies are offering a myriad deals at incredibly discounted prices.
It’s a travelers market and the perfect time to take your family on a cruise that the kids will remember for the rest of their lives.
Because prices are so reasonable, it’s an opportune time to take a cruise outside the sphere of traditional destinations and travel to places rich in culture, history, and"perhaps most importantly"good food.
Really, the sky is the limit, so the first step in choosing a cruise for you and your family is to ask yourself where you want to go. What do you want to see? What kinds of things do you want to experience? What peoples and cultures intrigue you?
Exposing children to interesting cultures and places at an early age will enrich their lives far into the future and return them to “normal life” with a greater sense of tolerance and a heightened sense of adventure.
However, any cruise is an excursion far superior to the Jersey shore, so to maximize family fun, regardless of your choice of destination, be sure to look for cruises that are cheap on airfare, which is usually not included in the price, and offer on-board discounts or pay-backs. Ask your travel agent about the amenities that are included. You may also want to research the prices of food and shopping along your destination options.
Here are a few extraordinary cruise ideas for the family at discount prices:
Bahamas " Norwegian Cruise Line
This 7-night cruise departs from New York and stops at Port Canaveral in Orlando, FL, Great Stirrup Cay, Nassau, spends two days and nights at sea, and returns to New York.
Designed for family fun, the Norwegian Jewel features the Splashdown Kid’s Club, the Sapphire Kid’s Pool, and the Underground Club for teens"activities for kids of all ages.
For the adults there is the Bora Bora full-treatment Health Spa and Bar Central, complete with a Martini Bar, a champagne and wine bar, and a beer pub for varied tastes.
Stay connected with the world from the Jewel’s internet café and photo gallery"send pictures to your friends at home in real time. The Jewel even rents laptops for use around the ship.
To keep the family connected you can play together on the sports deck, which has basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, or eat as one at any of the Jewel’s ten eateries.
Only $499, the package includes a bonus $100 shipboard credit for each stateroom and a $400 value onboard coupon booklet.
Asia " Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
For a taste of the Far East take a 5-night Asian tour on the Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas. You’ll depart from culturally rich Shanghai, China, spend a night skirting the Japan Islands, spend a day in Fukuoka Japan, another in historic Busan, South Korea, a final night traversing the Yellow Sea, and arrive back in Shanghai.
Kids can hang out in the Optix Teen Center or the Club Ocean Children’s Room while the adults relax in the Solarium spa or one of the Legend’s four whirlpools; or maybe treat themselves to professional massages.
Spend your days on board shopping along the wrap-around Promenade Deck, miniature golfing as a family, and eating in one of the Legend’s three glamorous dining rooms.
Once the kids are tucked in, enjoy your nights meeting interesting foreigners at one of the Legend’s 3 lounges, two bars, or at the Casino Royaler"something to do for every taste.
The Legend offers so much you’ll barely have time to study up on the three unique languages you’ll encounter on your excursion.
Only $449 (not including airfare), the Royal Caribbean Asia Cruise is the ultimate in cruise vacation deals.
Alaska " Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas
Just $535, this 7-night cruise departs from lovely Vancouver, Canada, and travels up the western North American Coast, cruising through the Inside Passage and making stops at Juneau, Skagway, and Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska; and wrapping up in Seattle, Washington.
Accommodations include two swimming pools; a covered, Egyptian-themed Solarium spa and pool; a card room; the Club Ocean Children’s Room, FantaSEAS Teen Center and a video game room for the kids; a jogging track; six whirlpools; and the Boutiques of Centrum shopping district.
Eat in one of the Rhapsody’s three extravagant dining rooms, enjoy shows in the Broadway Melodies theater, then put the kids to bed and enjoy a glass of champagne on the Champagne Terrace"one of the Rhapsody’s six afterhours hotspots.
As if getting to see Alaska"possibly the most unspoiled of our glorious states"isn’t enough, the Rhapsody of the sea is a regal way to enjoy some of the finest cruise destinations in North America.
