Western Caribbean/Jamaica Cruise (Oct. 2014)

This page details information about the cruise we took on Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) from 10/26/14 to 11/02/14 for 7 days out of the seaport in New Orleans, Louisiana.

We opted for a balcony stateroom and purchased the cruise during a double discount period; we received a discounted price from CCL during the last 30 days before the sail date, plus another discount for being a past guest with CCL. We were lucky to get this cruise for $1,395.28 total cost for two adults (including cruise, port charges, and govt. taxes). The advertised price for this cabin in the CCL brochure was $2,169.00 per person (not including any of the add on charges). We even got a free $75.00 ship board credit for use on the ship during our cruise. During the last month or so you can often get a cruise at 70 to 85% off of the brochure rate. So it can pay off in big ways if you can hang on for the huge sales that occur during the last month or weeks before a particular sail date.

Since our RV was parked at a military storage facility next to Belle Chasse, LA (New Orleans suburb), we simply drove our SUV to the port parking lot in New Orleans, LA. We went online and prepaid our parking through Discount Cruise Parking for an additional savings. Cost for parking for this cruise is $12.00 daily (includes tax)/$84.00 total if you use the Fulton Place Parking Garage that is located one block from the cruise port with free shuttle services every 10 minutes, versus $17.00 daily (includes tax)/$119.00 total if a person opts to park at the Port of New Orleans parking lot. A $35.00 savings simply by making a better parking choice is a pretty easy way to save money on the total cost of your cruise. Note: Fulton Place Parking Garage even has rooftop parking available for $9.00 daily (including taxes), but we have a luggage rack on top of our SUV so we can not drive into or through parking garages with low clearances.

Our retirement goal is to take one or two cruises per year. Anytime we are near a cruise port, we plan on trying to capture some last minute deals. We love cruising and want to go on many of them while retired. Cruises we have been on in the past (before taking this cruise) include Alaska, Hawaii, Bahamas, Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, and twice to the Mexican Riviera. We are more than happy to go to the same cruise areas numerous times. We feel that cruising, especially at a discount, is one of the best bangs for the buck since cruises include your room, meals, entertainment, and most soft drinks. The only thing not included in a regular cruise package is alcohol, soda, day tours, and specialty restaurants. If you have never been on a cruise, you absolutely need to go on one. As full-time RVers, cruising makes for a great vacation destination that you really should take advantage of. You should be able to acquire most cruises at a discount price of $40 to $100 per person per day; port charges, taxes, and gratuities will always be extra so have some fun finding the best cruise deals you can.