Yikes! Over $3000 just to fly to the port...

[momof4girls]

I am planning a cruise for my family (four girls, myself, & dh) and it will be over $3000 for us to fly to Miami (or FLL). :( The cruise itself doesn't seem terribly expensive, but the airfare is just a killer! This is flying from Seattle to Miami (or nearby).

 

Anyone know of a cheaper way to get there? :rolleyes: Please don't say driving...much too far with four girls!

 

The other option is spending approx. $1500 to fly to LAX and change the cruise from the Caribbean to the Mexican Riviera. :(

[Kerry's Girls]

I live in Los Angeles and have done many of the Mex Riviera cruises just to save on airfare. We just consider the ship our vacation instead of the ports. The last time I priced flights to do a Carib cruise, I found that we could fly to Spain for less and we ended up doing the Med instead. I'm still dying to take my girls on a Carib cruise, but the numbers never add up...I'd also love to hear if anyone has better ideas.

 

Can you cruise out of a Southwest city like Orlando since they usually have cheaper fares?

 

Best,

Mia

[cb at sea]

If the airfare raises the cost of the vacation...don't do it! It's not a bargain if the cost to get there negates any savings on the ship!

 

If folks stop flying, the prices will come down....supply and DEMAND...if there's no demand, the supply will expand!!!

[sharktums]

$500 each for US Domestic airfare sounds really high. If you give us some more details such as dates, airports, etc. more of us (some with lots of airfare experience!) may be able to help you find alternatives.

 

I've done the Mexican Riviera a few times and the Caribbean a ton. I don't know why the MR gets such a bad rep. It's a fun cruise and the ports are really no worse than most of the Caribbean ports.

 

You don't say the age of your girls but keep in mind the Disney Wonder is coming out to MR next month and it has had some pretty good deals for a Disney ship. That may at least balance out your lack of caribbean.

[epixx]

If the airfare raises the cost of the vacation...don't do it! It's not a bargain if the cost to get there negates any savings on the ship!

 

If folks stop flying, the prices will come down....supply and DEMAND...if there's no demand, the supply will expand!!!

 

Actually, a free market would work exactly the opposite. Decreased demand sufficient to lower prices would reduce, not expand, supply, assuming that the airlines have an upward sloping supply curve.

 

[tiyana4]

I agree with the previous posters. Airfare is the deal breaker. We always travel during peak season (spring break, summer, etc.) so we know to expect higher rates. After paying over $500 pp RT in 2008 for a spring break flight to MIA from the east coast....that was it for us!!!!

 

Last year we paid $238 RT from the east coast to LAX and did a MR cruise. To fly to MIA would have cost twice as much. While the Caribbean may hold more appeal, we thoroughly enjoyed the MR and would do it again if it meant saving $1,500.

 

I would keep shopping around for rates to see what is out there. Good luck.

[momof4girls]

$500 each for US Domestic airfare sounds really high. If you give us some more details such as dates, airports, etc. more of us (some with lots of airfare experience!) may be able to help you find alternatives.

 

I've done the Mexican Riviera a few times and the Caribbean a ton. I don't know why the MR gets such a bad rep. It's a fun cruise and the ports are really no worse than most of the Caribbean ports.

 

You don't say the age of your girls but keep in mind the Disney Wonder is coming out to MR next month and it has had some pretty good deals for a Disney ship. That may at least balance out your lack of caribbean.

 

My girls (at the time of cruising) would be 16, 15, 7, and 6. Quite the age difference. Disney would work for the younger two, but not my oldest girls. :( I've never been to either the Mexican Riviera or the Caribbean (going to the Bahamas the end of this month). At the time of the cruise, we will be living in NW Washington (thank goodness too!), so the nearest port that is drive-distance is Seattle, but I am sure my girls would NOT appreciate an Alaskan cruise. :rolleyes: My oldest two really want to do something like swim with dolphins, etc.

 

As for dates, hard to figure out pricing this far ahead, but it is August 2012. I was estimating prices based on the lowest airfare for August 2011 (can't imagine it will go down in a year).

 

The cruise I was looking at was out of Miami, btw.

[sharktums]

^Just checked the third week of August this year and found $329 round trip on Continental SEA - FLL with one stop. Seems pretty reasonable!

 

If you're only searching MIA Airport that may be your problem. I would also check PBI and FLL as they're both pretty easy to hit up any of the South Florida ports from.

[momof4girls]

Thank you :) I will look at other airports. Crazy part is that it cost $300 just for one bag each!:eek: I miss the 'good ol days' :cool:

[newbiecruiser09]

Thank you :) I will look at other airports. Crazy part is that it cost $300 just for one bag each!:eek: I miss the 'good ol days' :cool:

 

The bag fees kill me!!!! I never check bags now and have really worked to make it so we can get a week's worth of clothes in a carry on (plus a backpack/tote as our 2nd item) for each of us. Plan to use only carry on and save the $300 for more fun things!!!! :)

[new2cruising72]

If the airfare raises the cost of the vacation...don't do it! It's not a bargain if the cost to get there negates any savings on the ship!

 

If folks stop flying, the prices will come down....supply and DEMAND...if there's no demand, the supply will expand!!!

 

I like the way YOU think! I totally agree..

[98Charlie]

^Just checked the third week of August this year and found $329 round trip on Continental SEA - FLL with one stop. Seems pretty reasonable!

 

If you're only searching MIA Airport that may be your problem. I would also check PBI and FLL as they're both pretty easy to hit up any of the South Florida ports from.

We frequently find it less expensive to fly to FLL for a MIA cruise. We use a transport company for $15pp each way and save up to $100 on the air.

 

Bag fees are another problem. We use Southwest when we can. They fly from SEA to FLL and no baggage fees.

 

Good Luck,

 

Charlie

[momof4girls]

We frequently find it less expensive to fly to FLL for a MIA cruise. We use a transport company for $15pp each way and save up to $100 on the air.

 

Bag fees are another problem. We use Southwest when we can. They fly from SEA to FLL and no baggage fees.

 

Good Luck,

 

Charlie

 

Big fan of Southwest myself! Flying that airline when I cruise the end of this month. ;)

 

I really wish myself (and my family) could be the type to only do carry-on, but I have to face reality. NOT going to happen! :rolleyes::(

[Punchie]

If you're concerned about baggage fees, invest in some travel compression bags. On a recent 10 day trip, I was able to get clothes for 2 adults, a 4 yr old, an infant, and the infant's cloth diapers into one 25" suitcase. Over Xmas, I was able to do to the same minus 1 adult, and got it all into 2 carry-ons.

 

I know this doesn't help w/tickets, but it will help once you've purchased them. :)

[6rugrats]

As for dates, hard to figure out pricing this far ahead, but it is August 2012. I was estimating prices based on the lowest airfare for August 2011 (can't imagine it will go down in a year).

 

The cruise I was looking at was out of Miami, btw.

You just can't look any past pricing and use it as an accurate indicator for future airfare pricing. There's no way to predict what airfare will be in August 2012!

 

I have not found, on average, Southwest to have particularly good fares flying out of SEA. Perhaps you will be luckier. If your girls like the beach and swimming, IMO, they will be MUCH happier with the Caribbean than with Mexico.

[Colorado Kat]

Maybe you could do 2 checked bags, and the rest carry-on? Definitely for the little girls, at least. Combine people's stuff? I've got a rolling duffle that I use - starts out lightweight. I fill it half-way full, and then use compression straps. Maybe 24 lbs total.

 

Look at airfares, and then sign up for all the web-alert engines thru airlines. They notify you if a good deal appears. Then jump on it. Should be some good sales before then.

[boulders]

I wouldn't rule out Alaska. I personally would love to be in Seattle or Vancouver so that we didn't have to pay airfare to get there for our cruises.

 

There are many more wildlife opportunities in Alaska than in the Caribbean. On our recent 14 day cruise in the Caribbean, I found exactly ONE shore excursion for my 5 year old and a total of TWO for my 15 year old. In Alaska, there were many more active shore excursions and wildlife viewing opportunities available.

 

For all my kids, their favorite aspect of cruising is making friends on board. To them, it doesn't really matter where we go.

[98Charlie]

If you're concerned about baggage fees, invest in some travel compression bags. On a recent 10 day trip, I was able to get clothes for 2 adults, a 4 yr old, an infant, and the infant's cloth diapers into one 25" suitcase. Over Xmas, I was able to do to the same minus 1 adult, and got it all into 2 carry-ons.

 

I know this doesn't help w/tickets, but it will help once you've purchased them. :)

The only problem with compression bags is that the contents weigh the same. Without compressing any of our clothing the checked bags usually weigh in at 45-48 pounds each when we get to the ticket counter.

 

Charlie

[momof4girls]

I wouldn't rule out Alaska. I personally would love to be in Seattle or Vancouver so that we didn't have to pay airfare to get there for our cruises.

 

There are many more wildlife opportunities in Alaska than in the Caribbean. On our recent 14 day cruise in the Caribbean, I found exactly ONE shore excursion for my 5 year old and a total of TWO for my 15 year old. In Alaska, there were many more active shore excursions and wildlife viewing opportunities available.

 

For all my kids, their favorite aspect of cruising is making friends on board. To them, it doesn't really matter where we go.

 

The only thing with an Alaskan cruise is that the cost of the Alaskan cruise equals the cost of a MR cruise (including airfare). Dh and I already have an Alaskan cruise planned for the two of us, and my oldest girls have said they want to go somewhere where there are beaches, etc.

 

Too bad I can't leave my youngest two with family and just take the oldest two! ;):cool:

[junglejane]

I live in Los Angeles and have done many of the Mex Riviera cruises just to save on airfare. We just consider the ship our vacation instead of the ports. The last time I priced flights to do a Carib cruise' date=' I found that we could fly to Spain for less and we ended up doing the Med instead. I'm still dying to take my girls on a Carib cruise, but the numbers never add up...I'd also love to hear if anyone has better ideas. [/quote']

 

This is why we do the MR instead of the Caribbean. Like Mia, we consider the ship our vacation more than the ports. We get bargain fares on the cruise itself, and drive our family over from Phoenix. Even with the cost of gas and parking our car for the week, it's cheaper than flying everyone over. And it doesn't really take much longer than flying to and from Phoenix, when you consider all the time we'd have to spend at the airport, going through security, taking ground transportation to and from the cruise terminal, etc. When the cruise is over, we do self disembarkation and are usually in our car and on the freeway home by 8:15 am.

 

Not sure what I would do if I was coming from Seattle. Try posting your question on the Cruise Air board. There are lots of experts there who are very helpful.

[momof4girls]

This is why we do the MR instead of the Caribbean. Like Mia, we consider the ship our vacation more than the ports. We get bargain fares on the cruise itself, and drive our family over from Phoenix. Even with the cost of gas and parking our car for the week, it's cheaper than flying everyone over. And it doesn't really take much longer than flying to and from Phoenix, when you consider all the time we'd have to spend at the airport, going through security, taking ground transportation to and from the cruise terminal, etc. When the cruise is over, we do self disembarkation and are usually in our car and on the freeway home by 8:15 am.

 

Not sure what I would do if I was coming from Seattle. Try posting your question on the Cruise Air board. There are lots of experts there who are very helpful.

 

We are talking about switching to a MR cruise. If we don't mind driving approx. 20 hours, we can save about 1/2 the airfare it would cost to fly to CA (two hotel stays each way included). I suppose if we really wanted to do it right, we'd plan a short stop at Disneyland on this drive. :cool:

[6rugrats]

Not sure what I would do if I was coming from Seattle. Try posting your question on the Cruise Air board. There are lots of experts there who are very helpful.

If OP posts this question on the Cruise Air board she will be told exactly the same thing that's already been said on this board. No one can help her yet with any sort of concrete suggestions about airfare for August 2012; it's not even available for purchase until around 330 days before then.

 

OP, I just did this drive solo from San Diego to Seattle. It is around 20 hours. Two good places to stop that divide the trip in thirds are first stop around Tracy, CA and the second in Roseburg, OR. With that number of people, you will probably need two hotel rooms. That's paying for eight hotel rooms for the trip. Add the cost of meals and gas to that. Then, you're going to have to pay to leave your car somewhere. You could easily spend over $600 on these expenses. Keep that in mind when making your decision.

[momof4girls]

If OP posts this question on the Cruise Air board she will be told exactly the same thing that's already been said on this board. No one can help her yet with any sort of concrete suggestions about airfare for August 2012; it's not even available for purchase until around 330 days before then.

 

OP, I just did this drive solo from San Diego to Seattle. It is around 20 hours. Two good places to stop that divide the trip in thirds are first stop around Tracy, CA and the second in Roseburg, OR. With that number of people, you will probably need two hotel rooms. That's paying for eight hotel rooms for the trip. Add the cost of meals and gas to that. Then, you're going to have to pay to leave your car somewhere. You could easily spend over $600 on these expenses. Keep that in mind when making your decision.

 

Thank you for the reminder!! It has been a LONG time since I have stayed in a hotel room (well, since adding our 4th dd anyway) so I completely forgot about that! :rolleyes: I'm thinking flying sounds like a better deal. Easier to find cheap flights from SEA to LAX or nearby airport. Plus, not having to hear the constant whining and complaining that accompanies four girls on a road trip, would be well worth it!

[98Charlie]

Thank you for the reminder!! It has been a LONG time since I have stayed in a hotel room (well, since adding our 4th dd anyway) so I completely forgot about that! :rolleyes: I'm thinking flying sounds like a better deal. Easier to find cheap flights from SEA to LAX or nearby airport. Plus, not having to hear the constant whining and complaining that accompanies four girls on a road trip, would be well worth it!

 

As the mother of 3 kids (all grown now with families of their own) who was in charge of the kids while DH drove from Ohio to FL each year for spring break, I'd say start saving $$ where ever you can to afford those plane tickets!

 

We made that Ohio-FL trek for 25 years, sometimes in a VW van, sometimes in a VW Rabbit (RIP) and last few times in a large 5-pax car. Only twice did we have the $$ to fly the trip after finding some cheap flights.

 

The savings of dollars driving over flying weren't really worth it for Mom & Dad here. By the time we made it to our destination, Dad was frazzled due to traffic issues and I was always frazzled by keeping the kids entertained; quiet (as much as possible) and answering the proverbial question - ``Are we there yet?''

 

Once at our destination it took DH & I a day or two to rest up from the road trip. About 2 days before we were to return home we started worrying about the long drive home.

 

If your cruise is over a year away you have plenty of time to save up some extra cash for plane tickets. You'd be surprised how much you can put away each month if you cut a few corners on expenses each week or month.

 

Tell the girls you're making pizza at home instead of ordering out; rent a movie for the family instead of paying tickets to a movie; ask the girls to start saving a few dollars themselves by not buying something they ``just have to have,'' etc. etc.

 

It all adds up and when the airplane kitty starts to grow, it could get contagious. Whole thought of ``getting there'' in a couple of hours instead of 20-hours on the road in the back seat of a car could just motivate a much larger plane trip kitty.:D

 

Dianne

[6rugrats]

)

If your cruise is over a year away you have plenty of time to save up some extra cash for plane tickets. You'd be surprised how much you can put away each month if you cut a few corners on expenses each week or month.

 

Tell the girls you're making pizza at home instead of ordering out; rent a movie for the family instead of paying tickets to a movie; ask the girls to start saving a few dollars themselves by not buying something they ``just have to have,'' etc. etc.

 

It all adds up and when the airplane kitty starts to grow, it could get contagious. Whole thought of ``getting there'' in a couple of hours instead of 20-hours on the road in the back seat of a car could just motivate a much larger plane trip kitty.:D

 

Dianne

 

All great suggestions! We also just started a "cruise jar". Gave each child a roll of quarters (part of their allowance). Any rudeness, swearing or if they fail to do an assigned choir, that's one quarter (even from mom and dad) into the jar. Last time we stuck to this, I am ashamed to say we saved several hundred dollars with this alone.

 

We also require each child to contribute toward a major vacation, not a large sum, but who values what they don't pay for? A little each allowance day into their bank account really adds up by the end of the year.