The main dining room on board the Independence of the Seas certainly felt grand. I left the boat wishing I had a few more days on board, which is something I never would have imagined before this year. This cruise ran about $400 in taxes for the four of us plus about $250 in gratuities and a small upgrade charge - but the ship itself was better.

While this cruise wasn’t the epitome of high-end experiences that you can access with miles and points, the port stops and the convenience, particularly when traveling with a family, have turned me from someone who hates boats and had zero interest in cruises into someone ready to go on another “free” cruise at the next opportunity.Īt the end of November, I boarded the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas for four nights in a balcony room, stopping at Nassau, Bahamas and Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. More detail on total cost with a family (as well as ways we cut cost further) later in this post.

With taxes and fees, we would have paid a net cost of $470 and gotten the balcony room and $200 onboard credit if we were just two passengers. My wife and I at the starting line in ancient Olympia, one of the stops on our Carnival cruise. We were also scheduled to visit Mykonos, Greece, but we were unable to dock there due to high winds (we got an extra day at sea). So far this year, I cruised on the Carnival Pride in a balcony room for 10 days, sailing from Rome, Italy to Santorini, Greece Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus) Athens, Greece Katakolon, Greece (Olympia) Messina, Sicily (Italy) and Naples, Italy before returning to Rome. My “free” cruises this year Looking down the Promenade on my recent cruise on the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas. How to cruise for free on other cruise lines.How was the Royal Caribbean cruise and would I do it again?.How much does the Royal Caribbean free cruise offer cost?.How to cruise for free on Royal Caribbean (almost).How was the Carnival cruise and would I do it again?.How much does the Carnival free cruise offer cost for four passengers?.How much does the Carnival free cruise offer cost for two passengers?.Tips regarding the Carnival free cruise offers.Hyatt / MGM Path to a free Carnival Cruise offer.Wyndham / Caesars Path to a free Carnival Cruise offer.How to cruise for free with Carnival (almost).

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