The Hubs and I recently took our first cruise. Another vacation that I had painstaking saved my PTO for was moved back to early next year, and we both had a busy and tumultuous October and November, so it seemed like a good time to take the recommendation of friends and family and try the hands-off, almost-all-inclusive Caribbean cruise vacation.

Here’s the nitty-gritty, potentially boring, money-saving part:

Based on two recommendations from highly trusted sources, we looked for a 7-day Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises, settling on a Southern Caribbean cruise. We purchased through Discover, since we get a better price and better room selection as cardholders than I saw anywhere else. Also, Princess is a cash-back partner with Discover, so you can double your cash-back for additional discounts. We wound up paying $500 each for the 7-day cruise, with meals included. If anyone knows how to get great cruise deals, do speak up. I don’t think we’ve learned how to really rock the cruise discounts yet.

We used British Airways points for airfare from Atlanta to Miami, securing an amazing price of $5 per person, round-trip (the tax). The cruise ship, Caribbean Princess, embarks from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, but the ten bucks in airfare plus a $20 shuttle fee through Princess was far cheaper than paying full-price to fly into Ft. Lauderdale directly. We used Hotwire to get a conveniently-located Doubletree for $100, using the free airport shuttle to get back to the airport to catch the Princess shuttle up to the port.

That’s the how-to details bit. Next, I’ll talk about each of the ports of call individually, and then follow up with a review of the boat, at-sea activities, and the cruise experience as a whole.

Princess Cays, Bahamas
Willemstad, Curacao
Oranjestad, Aruba
Fort Lauderdale, Fl – Holiday Park
Fort Lauderdale, Fl – Flamingo Gardens