sLOVEnians travel

So you would like to see the Bahamas but don’t have a lot of money? Here are our suggestions how to manage a budget visit to these gorges islands.

1. HOW

   As island hopping can be pricey, especially with an airplane, we suggest a last minute cruise.

2. WHEN

   Usually the prices are the lowest right before or after the holidays and during the week. Our cruise was from Monday to Friday, 1 week before Christmas. Be open and flexible with dates!

3. WHERE

   If you want a low price, don’t be picky with the itinerary. And btw you’ll cruise in the Caribbean Sea, so any itinerary is good. 😉

4. BOOKING

   Search the www. Try different sites like expedia, cruisecritic etc., and compare prices. We found our cruise on lastminutecruises, but booked directly with Norwegian as the price was even better.
   Be very careful with comparing prices – some have some extras included, like on-board credit, Norwegian have been offering All Inclusive cruises since January and don’t forget about taxes and surcharges. 😉

5. NUMBERS & THE FINE PRINT

   You all want to know how much was our cruise, hey? 199 USD per person.
   But…
   In the process of booking there’s always some fine print. Prepare to pay some tax, especially if you are booking through a US based company. ALL cruise operators have a surcharge, which varies between them. Norwegian charges all guests 13,5 USD per day.

6. WHAT

   If you’re on a budget, you probably won’t book a balcony cabin. But sometimes the differences between the inner and outside cabin is very small – think about it, but be aware that an outside cabin comes sometimes with just a small window, in front of which can be a life boat.

7. ONCE ON THE BOAT

   The food is included, so don’t worry about that (but forget special restaurants). The drinks on the other hand are included in the self-catering restaurants (just soft drinks, coffee and tea), but not in the dinner restaurants. There it’s ok to just drink water as the drinks are pretty expensive and an extra service charge is added to the price.
   Also the spa, tours and shops are more expensive on board, so if you are on a budget, avoid them and go sightseeing on your own.