My husband has always wanted to go on a cruise, but living in Canada we thought it would be out of our budget when facing some hefty airfares to reach the port. We have decided to take a road trip to Charleston, South Carolina where we will board the Carnival Fantasy and cruise to the Bahamas for a 5 day family trip. Planning a cruise can seem daunting, there are so many choices to make but when you break it all down it’s not as intimidating as it seems.
We have booked a 5 day Cruise to Bahamas on Carnival’s Fantasy, to say we’re excited is an understatement! We are currently packing and making last minute arrangements because we leave in just a week!
Planning a Cruise
Identify What Type of Vacation You Want
The types of cruises available is endless, there is something for everyone! Are you a family looking for adventure, looking to relax or to see the sights? We are looking to cruise to somewhere WARM after all of this snow and Bahamas seemed perfect.
Choose The Destination
Once you’ve decided what kind of vacation you’re looking for the destination choice becomes easier. We knew we wanted white sand and beaches so we searched by Caribbean cruises. Be sure you check the destinations which are available at the time of year you’re going as they do change.
What’s Your Budget
Don’t jump in without first establishing a budget, a family trip isn’t meant to break the bank and leave you with buyers remorse once you return home. Cruise prices are based on many factors – destination and length, time of year, stateroom choice, and availability. Stateroom fares are quoted per person and based on double occupancy. There are also fees for gratuities which are added as a per person per day cost.
Choose your Accommodations
Choosing a stateroom is a personal choice decision, there are many choices available from the least expensive inside cabin to suites with balconies. Determine how much time you’ll spend in your room, factor in your budget and make a choice. You will also be offered an upgrade based upon room location, if you want to be closer to the action this is viewed as an upgrade.
We have chosen to get 2 rooms side by side which will suit us well. Carnival made it easy for us, their website has deck plans and stateroom descriptions which helped tremendously.
Choose your Excursions
From sightseeing and nature tours to off-the- beaten-path adventures and more, you can experience the best of every destination with a shore excursion. And it is easy for you to choose the right tour, with excursions categorized by interest and activity level.
We are pre-booking our shore excursions to make sure we are able to see the sights we want.
On Board Activities
Each of the cruise ships has massive amounts of activities. These are outlined on the Carnival website and we will receive a daily itinerary once we are aboard. We look forward to things like: Hasbro Game show, Carnival WaterWorks, Yoga, AA meetings, Camp Carnival, Camp Carnival Night Owl and more.
This will be our very first cruise and I cannot wait to share it all with you. I’ll be sharing on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook during our cruise so be sure to watch!
Have loads of FUN!
I worked on a cruise ship in the 90’s and took my first cruise on Carnival Liberty in 2012.
We upgraded to a balcony cabin and did Carnival excursions in 3 of 4 ports. It was awesome. I hope your family has a great time!
I’ve never been on a cruise yet, but I have a plan to go on one. One thing I can say though is that planning for the event including what you’ll be doing while out to sea or stopped at ports will make all the difference in the amount of experiences and memories you gather.
I bet you had a great time specially in February, I have never been on a cruise, good tips for the future too.