cruise vacations - Pitstops for Kids

On a budget? Cruise tips for saving money!

July 25, 2017 By Amy Hagstrom

Cruise vacations remain some of the most budget-friendly family vacation options available. While I admit to being quite picky about cruises, experience has taught me that cruises make for excellent multi-generational trips, allowing diverse family groups to have a great time together without extensive effort, stress, time, and, if you do it right, money.

On a budget: cruise tips! How to save money (and when it’s worth paying full price):

In travel, just like in anything else, you get what you pay for. However, whether you’re springing for a exotic small-ship adventure cruise or a mega-ship family cruise, within your budget category, it’s absolutely possible to save money. Here’s how:

Cruise in the off-season:

Is there still an off-season in cruising? Yes. Families willing to avoid the busy holiday and summer break periods will snag deals on cruise lines across the board, especially if they’re willing to cruise to the Caribbean or Bahamas during September through mid-November. While this time period sees primarily adult travelers without kids in tow, families able to break free from the traditional school schedule will be rewarded with deals and less crowded ships. While I realize this is not always possible, it’s a great strategy to have in parents’ back pocket.

Take a weekend getaway cruise:

Obviously, the longer your vacation, the more it is apt to cost. Consider a land-cruise combination holiday, or a shorter, weekend-long cruise of 2-3 nights. Cruise lines such as Royal Seas Cruises regularly offer 2-3 night cruises to the Bahamas, which can either whet the appetite for longer journeys or simply serve as a short trip that doesn’t have to break the bank. Naturally, weekend-length cruises are easiest to manage if you live near a cruise port in Florida, where most of these shorter trips depart.

Cruise from a port within driving distance:

You don’t have to live in Florida to take advantage of longer cruise itineraries that depart from cities as diverse as Galveston, New York City, Seattle, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. Additional ports on the eastern seaboard host shorter cruises into the waters of eastern Canada and Europe as well. Picking a cruise based on the port can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in airfare, and had the added benefit of causing less stress pre-cruise: there’s no worry about missing your cruise due to airline delays or cancellations.

Find the most inclusive cruise in your budget category:

Unless you have incredible will power, it can be hard to resist the many, many upgrades sold on cruise ships. Start fighting this battle by picking the most inclusive cruise you can afford. For instance, many cruise lines charge extra per person for all types of drinks, including soda and tea, while only a handful include these beverages in their base rate (and even fewer include alcoholic drinks). If you must cruise on a less-than-inclusive cruise line, and you can resist these types of packages, bring your own travel water filter along and filter your own drinking water to use in a reusable water bottle (the water in buffets and restaurants onboard cruise ships is potable, but sometimes not very tasty).

Set a daily budget for extras onboard cruise ships, to be put to use at cruise ship arcades, casinos, dining upgrades, and bars. Decide before your trip what extras you won’t be paying for, and then stay away from those areas of the ship. If you enjoy spa treatments, consider booking on less desirable days, such as port days, when discounts are offered on most cruise lines, or the same day you embark on the ship.

Opt out of cruise line excursions:

Booking your excursions via your cruise line is convenient, but more costly than booking them on your own, and almost always a less satisfying travel experience, too. Unless you are very tight on time at your port (in which case only the cruise line’s excursions guarantee you’ll be back in time), book your own getaways off the ship. Read through the cruise line’s offerings, then do some research on your own, finding reputable companies offering similar excursions for less. TripAdvisor and your favorite travel blogs are a good place to start. Often, booking solo will result in a more personalized tour or experience for less money. If you don’t want to plan ahead, exit the port and simply find a local taxi, and ask for a rate for half a day. You may end up with a local tour guide for a personalized experience. If in doubt about reputable taxis or guides, as the tourism police who are almost always stationed at cruise ports.

Should you take a ‘budget’ cruise?

I personally believe that we all get what we pay for, which is why I’d rather take a shorter cruise or watch my budget more closely on a quality cruise line than take a chance on a budget or bare bones cruise line. That said, I know travelers who have had good experiences on cheap cruises by managing their expectations, being flexible, and enjoying the ride.

Need more tips? Check out our mega guide to cruise vacations!

This story was sponsored by Royal Sea Cruises but the opinions are the author’s own.

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Dominican Republic with kids: 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua

July 15, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Located in the countryside outside of Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic, the 27 Waterfalls of Damajuana is the most talked-about experience on the north side of the island. Is it worthy of the hype? In a word, yes.

What is the 27 Waterfalls of Damajagua?

The 27 Charcos of Damajagua is exactly what it sounds like: 27 waterfalls in a row in the middle of the Dominican jungle. Unregulated until 2004, the waterfalls are now controlled by a private company thanks to Peace Corps volunteer Joe Kennedy (yes, of those Kennedys), and there’s quite the operation at the site. When you arrive, either by tour group or on your own, you’ll now find a dirt parking lot, tour booth, bathrooms and lockers, and outdoor dining area. Your group is paired with a guide from the falls, and you opt between navigating 27, 12, 7, or just one waterfall.

We wanted to do all 27, but the water level restricted us to 12. We went with Iguana Mama, and had a fun-loving guide, Raul. Our group of about 10 people were fitted with life vests and helmets (required), and we trekked almost two miles up a dirt trail. (The trail is around 3 km.) The youngest person in our group was eight, and the oldest was probably me, at age 40. The trail included steep wooden steps, rocks, and pretty severe inclines and declines, but overall was in good shape. The way was shaded as we hiked into the jungle canopy, and we were joined by a second guide, plus our guide who came with us from our cruise port.

When we reached the end of the trail to the 12 waterfalls (which took about 45 minutes), we climbed down another steep staircase and entered the river. In places, the water was only ankle deep, and in other places, over our heads. We began making our way back toward the ‘camp’ via the river, alternatively wading, swimming, jumping, sliding, and climbing in, over, under, and through the river. It was amazing.

At each of the 12 waterfalls, our guides would stop us and explain our options, which usually included leaping off a rock or outcropping into a deep pool of water below, sliding on our butts along naturally carved waterslides in the rock, or taking the ‘chicken’ way around waterfalls on questionable-looking ladders and staircases. Honestly, I think the most dangerous route was via those ladders!

Most of the time, I opted to jump (sometimes as much as 10 feet), but I also enjoyed sliding. The kids loved both options, and often, we’d climb back up ladders or ropes to do certain waterfalls a second time. There were groups ahead and behind us, which meant we had to keep to a schedule (see ’tips’ section below), but overall, we didn’t feel rushed. I don’t love heights, but I’m used to jumping off ledges, so the experience didn’t daunt me. If you REALLY don’t like heights, there are work-arounds for each waterfall, but they’re in the form of the aforementioned ladders, which, honestly, are just as scary.

In some places, you can swim underneath the waterfalls or explore partial caves carved out of the rock, and throughout the whole experience, the jungle canopy is above you, shading you and sheltering you. The sunlight cuts through gently (you don’t need sunglasses), and we didn’t find the hike or the swim to be buggy. The water is refreshing but not too cold.

The route down through the waterfalls took us about 1.5 hours, and afterward, we had a short hike back to the camp where we changed and had an included lunch of Dominican beans and rice, BBQed chicken, and a few kid pleasers like (oddly) spaghetti. Soda and rum and coke were included.

How to book a tour:

You can either arrive to the waterfalls on your own, taking a taxi from Amber Cove or an autobus from Puerto Plata, or you can book an excursion through Iguana Mama or Marysol Tours. The latter option is more expensive, but what you’re paying for is the convenience of the transportation (and the expensive gasoline required to make that happen). If you opt to arrive solo, you simply pay as you arrive (about $480 Dominican pesos for all 27), and guides are assigned to you on a first-come, first-served basis. This means you may have to wait a bit for the next guide.

Tips for the waterfalls:

Book a tour early in the day to play in the water with fewer crowds. This ensures you won’t wait for a guide if you’re going solo, either.
Bring waterproof shoes (like Keens or Chacos) or an old pair of sneakers to get wet.
Put on bug spray and sun screen ahead of time.
Keep everything but your waterproof camera on the bus or in a locker.

Cost:

We booked a tour through Iguana Mama, because we wanted the convenience of a port pick-up. Our tour included lunch and cost just over $50 US per adult. If you opt out of a tour, the cost is significantly less per person (around $10), but does not include transportation or lunch. We were quoted everything from $40-100 US for a cab ride for five people from Amber Cove. It IS possible to negotiate a flat rate from taxis on the highway.

How to get there:

If you go on your own, get up-to-date directions at 27charcos.com. More information is found here.

Dominican Republic with kids: Exploring Puerto Plata with Marysol Tours

July 13, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

If you find yourselves on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic near Puerto Plata, you’ve probably come to the island via Carnival or Fathom cruise, to Amber Cove port. (Most all-inclusive resorts are located at the far tip of the island at Punta Cana.) From Amber Cove, the town of Puerta Plata is only about 10 minutes away, and well worth a visit in your exploration of the area.

You can get a ’top 10’ sort of tour through your cruise ship, but we recommend hiring a guide on your own. We used Marysol Tours, and found the experience far superior to a large bus tour.

The good:

We easily set up our day with Marysol Tours ahead of time, via email. From their site, simply go to the section on Puerto Plata city tours and email your preferred date and number in your party. We were a party of five, and had no trouble getting the day we needed. Francisco organizes the tours, and you’ll be well taken care of.

Before our tour, we told Francisco we wanted to see some of the highlights of the city, including Fort San Filipe and Central Park, but also wanted the opportunity to make some changes to the set itinerary (anticipating we’d get recommendations once on the ship). I loved that Marysol Tours welcomed this flexibility. The price (listed below) was actually less than that of the big group tour, and we had the ability to make changes on the fly.

The standard city tour includes a tour of the rum factory in town, a visit to the amber museum (this area is rich in amber), a few minutes in the old city center with its Victorian homes and church, the San Filipe fort, a cigar factory, and a walk along the Malecon (ocean front). For an extra $10 each, visitors can also go up the cable car, which is the highest in the Caribbean with views overlooking the city.

We decided we wanted to see everything except the cigar factory (which simply didn’t interest us), and we were obliged. We also skipped the cable car, since it was a foggy day, and our guide, Jesus, and driver, Ricardo, took us to a scenic overlook instead, which still gave us views of the city. At the rum factory, we were given the standard tour (with entrance fee covered), and at the city center, we visited the central square and church. This area was run down, but beautiful to see, despite some fairly aggressive locals hoping to show us around for tips. Nearby was an amber jewelry store, and we visited this instead of the museum. To us, this was more authentic because we met the jewelers and saw the process of making the jewelry they sold.

We took a San Filipe fort tour in the same manner as the run factory (Jesus left us in the hands of the on-site tour operators), and then we walked along the waterfront adjacent. All of this was well-worth seeing.

The not so great:

After we visited the fort, we asked if we could end our tour at a restaurant recommended to us. Instead, Jesus and Ricardo first took us to another restaurant on their agenda, which was far too touristy for us, and we had to firmly explain that this wasn’t what we wanted. Despite assurances that we could deviate from the planned itinerary, it took a phone call to Francisco to explain our desires. Certainly, the tour company has an agenda they are trying to stick to. However, after a phone call to Francisco, Jesus was able to take us to Maimon, the tiny town on the other side of the port, where we had been told we could find some of the best seafood in the region. We told Jesus he could leave us here to eat, as it was only a few minutes’ taxi ride from the port, but he and Ricardo kindly returned for us after our meal. And yes, our meal was the best we had in the Dominican Republic. We highly recommend La Primo in Maimon.

The totally awesome:

When Jesus and Ricardo came to pick us up, we asked them where we could find a rare tropical fruit, guanoabana. Ricardo cheerfully took us on a wild goose chase to no fewer than four roadside fruit stands to find the after-dinner treat. Finding guanoabana made our day!

The bottom line:

We had to keep our wits about us to make sure we got the tour we wanted, but once we were clear about our needs, Marysol Tours went above and beyond. We had a very good, personalized tour of Puerto Plata.

Cost:

A city tour with Marysol Tours is $35 for adults and $18 for kids (free for lap children). As noted above, this is less than the pre-determined cruise excursions for a more personalized experience. Be sure to budget a little extra for a tip for your guide and driver.

Directions:

Marysol Tours will pick you up at Amber Cove. During our trip, they were not an official cruise partner, so we had to meet them just outside the main gate (by the highway) instead of in the terminal. It was about a 10 minute walk from our ship.

Disclosure: We were given a media discount from Marysol Tours, for the purpose of review. I paid full price for the teens.