A Family Cruise: The Closest Thing to a "Perfect Vacation"

Planning a family vacation can be an exciting though trying event. Think of the National Lampoon's vacation series with Chevy Chase and family. Planning a cross-country trip with all the scheduled stops can be an overwhelming task for all but the most detailed planner. Toss in all those unplanned stops, reservations at motels that mysteriously disappeared - oh, and we must not forget sitting in road construction for three hours in 100-degree heat - and a week's vacation can suddenly turn into a lifetime. Let's not even consider the fact that your family of two, three, four or more will be locked in the close quarters of an automobile for the better part of seven days. Plus, no matter how much we planned, the cost of this road trip will probably be higher than we anticipated. So the perfect family vacation turns out to not be as perfect as we had planned. In fact, maybe there really isn't such a thing as a perfect vacation; however, there is something that is awful close to it.

What about taking the family on a cruise? Your first response is probably, "I can't afford to take five people on a cruise!" Have you really ever priced a family cruise? Don't go by the rack rate quoted by the cruise lines to make this decision. There are many opportunities to have that perfect vacation at a price that you can not only afford but that will leave you smiling!

Two years ago our family of five took its first cruise. This family sailed from Galveston, Texas aboard the Carnival's Ecstasy for five days to Progresso and Cozumel, Mexico. This cruise was arranged by http://www.teachereducationalcruises.com/Cruises.html. Total cost of the cruise for this family of five was less than two thousand dollars and included a trip to the Mayan ruins at Dzibilchaltun and a musical show highlighting the various periods in the development of Cozumel and Mexico.