In the spring our school district announced that we would have a Fall Break each year in the fall. Our kids start school in the beginning of August, so by the end of September they have logged about seven weeks of school. My husband and I researched a few vacation options. Living in Atlanta means that Disney/Universal/LEGO aren’t out of the question, nor are the beaches of the east coast. We searched for cruises and found a 6 day, 5 night cruise for less than $1,300 for our family of four. I had a friend who was in the process of planning on Disney World trip that was going to cost closer to $3,000. We knew that we had found a winner with the Bahamian cruise.
So we marked September 26 to October 1st on our calendars and counted down the days until we set sail to the Bahamas on the Carnival Fascination. We have sailed on Disney in the past with our girls and loved every minute. My husband and I cruised on Royal Caribbean before we had children. We knew that Carnival was not going to be Disney, but we didn’t truly know what to expect.
Our stateroom was about 185 square feet. The girls’ beds cleverly pulled down from the wall which is a great space saver. It was super tight to walk in our cabin. All four of us hit our heads multiple times on the beds. Having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night was tricky since I had to navigate the beds above my head and the ladders that took up floor space. The suitcases all stored nicely under the bed which left the closet for clothes instead of piled up suitcases and that was really nice.
We should have really researched and asked on Facebook, but we chose to get the Bottomless Bubbles. It costs $4.50 per day per child and $6.00 per day per adult to have unlimited soda pop. I wish we had known the following about the Bottomless Bubbles program:
- Lemonade and Iced Tea are free 24/7 and available at several locations on the ship
- Almost every time you order a soda you will be required to sign a receipt and then there is the awkward “should I tip?” question. We rarely tipped for the soda we purchased because we were grumpy that we had to stand in line, place a request, wait for it to be filled, then wait for a receipt. On Disney cruises there are soda machines that you just walk up to and fill your own cup. There were times when we waited on our fall break cruise for soda but ultimately changed our mind because the line was so long.
We thought the Bottomless Bubbles would be a special treat for the girls. We did not use it anywhere near enough to feel like we had gotten the value for what we paid. Lesson learned! Oh, and the lemonade was delicious and all four of us want more of it. I am having flashbacks just thinking about it.
I wasn’t prepared for the smoking factor of the Carnival cruise. It seemed like there was smoking everywhere, but I know that is an exaggeration. On the pool deck it seemed like smoking was allowed on one entire side of the deck and it was allowed in the casino. I am not a smoker and the smell makes me ill so this was disappointing, but not the end of the world.
At the time of cruising my girls were 7 and 9, which meant they went to two different camps/child care. They both LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the Camp Carnival. They had so much fun and made several friends. The hours were a little funky and there were a few chunks in the middle of the day when they were closed, but we used that time for family time.
Nassau and Freeport are both beautiful. The ocean…….it’s amazing! We didn’t do a ship excursion in Nassau, choosing instead to walk to a public beach. We rented beach chairs, an umbrella, and a paddleboard and paid a fraction of the price of one of the ship excursions. My girls LOVED the beach and I loved that we saved money!
Cruising during hurricane weather is always worrisome. You may want to consider travel insurance. We didn’t opt for travel insurance this time….but as we got off the ship the radio was abuzz about Hurricane Joaquin blasting the Bahamas. If our cruise was just starting instead of ending I am positive this would be a very different post.
Being able to travel during the off season made it possible to travel frugally. Several years ago I posted that Parent’s of Preschoolers Don’t Know How Good They Have It, and that is still true. If your school district ever considers having a fall break – embrace it, travel, and make memories!
What is your favorite vacation spot?
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Leandrea is a married mom of two girls, ages 13 and 12, living in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about helping people save money one coupon at a time. Read more