How much did you pay for your Baltimore cruise?

[vtwiggy]

We are looking at taking a cruise out of Baltimore in 2013. There will be two teachers in our group so we need to work around school schedules. We want to cruise out of Baltimore because we can drive there and save some money on not having to fly. We're not particular about cruise line. I've been trying to look for June 2013 but a lot of cruises haven't been released yet - checked June 2012 and the cheapest I can find is $637 for an interior :eek: I'm hoping that's only because it's 2 months away!

 

Soo.. what kind of cruises have you done out of Baltimore and how much were they? We're open to Bermuda, Bahamas, Caribbean, whatever.. or if anyone has any general info to give me about when the cruise schedule will be released and such, that'd be great! Thanks!

[dmwnc1959]

There are only two cruise lines sailing from Baltimore; Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International. CCL currently has schedules released out to April 2013, RCI should release theirs late next week.

 

There was another cruise line sailing from Baltimore up until Feb. 2011, Celebrity Cruises, which had the Celebrity Mercury doing 9-12 night cruises in the Winter months to the Caribbean and Bahamas. I happened upon an excellent deal and got a 9-nt single occupancy rate including all port charges and taxes for a BALCONY cabin at less than $900. Won't see that again I suppose. ;) See was a superb ship and it was an outstanding cruise!

 

Keep in mind that due to the lack of competition in the immediate area (next closest port is NYC/Bayonne/Brooklyn) the prices out of Baltimore may be higher than what you see on cruises leaving from Florida. Add to that the fact that you are looking at summer and it only adds to the higher rates.

[DanJ]

When we cruised the Carnival Pride in August 2009, we paid $3200 for an obstructed balcony, for 4 people. The oceanview we got for my in-laws was $1800 for the 2 of them. We booked about 7 months out, when we were able to confirm vacation time.

 

Sailings from Baltimore vary widely in price, based on season, because of the high demand during school vacations and in warmer weather. I just did a quick comparison, and our same category, I can get for $1800 for the 4 of us in January, when it's cold outside for the first and last days of the cruise and school is in session. But this August, the cheapest balcony I could get is $4100 for 4.

[NYMac4]

We have cruised on the Pride out of Baltimore and work around school schedules because of our daughters. We just got back and went over their April break - I think we ended up paying around $800 per person (for the first 2 anyway) for a balcony room. It was less than that when I originally reserved it then the lovely state of NY decided to change the dates of their state testing and by result changed our vacation so I had to rebook for Easter week which made it more expensive. I did look at summer cruises just because i was curious and they seemed more expensive ...if you book early for a vacation week you might find a better price. I guess I also keep in mind we can drive to the port too and don't have to add in air fare that way ...I like the schedule of the Pride leaving Sunday - Sunday - no extra days off needed!

[ladytonya]

We're going on May 27, Memorial Day weekend so we can do a 7 day and only have to take 5 days of vacation, and are paying $749/person for a balcony stateroom. You can find good deals, just keep looking. We booked in January for the May cruise. I think the bookings for next year are going to be released soon so I'd just be patient and wait for them to be released, trying to guess how much it's going to cost based on how much it costs this year is pretty pointless in my experience.

[becky7953]

Vtwiggy- check carnival site again. They now list June 2013 cruise from Baltimore. I priced out 2 adults 2 kids balcony little under $3200. We are trying to decide Baltimore port or New York City port.

[bmore cruiser]

I have found that you get better deals on carnival but I prefer RCCL. To me you get what you pay for. I have a cruise coming up on Carnival with family and friends because it was a great price. My next cruise out of Baltimore though will be on RCCL. To me if you want a better price stick with carnival. If you are looking for better quality and better itineraries pick RCCL.

[familycruzer]

Vtwiggy- check carnival site again. They now list June 2013 cruise from Baltimore. I priced out 2 adults 2 kids balcony little under $3200. We are trying to decide Baltimore port or New York City port.

 

Be sure to factor in parking, hotel, and transfers if you are interested in leaving from NYC.

[mommaof 3]

Recently booked an anniversary cruise on RCCL out of Baltimore for $550 a person for mid August this year - 6 nights to Bermuda. It is an inside, but we needed a bargain and it had to return before the 24th of August, so I think we did well. The taxes were about $250 and the base was $309. It was much less on one particular website, so it was well worth looking around.

 

The school year constraint can make it difficult, so I hope you can find what you are looking for!