No, none of us ever learned to travel light – although Brad has been trying to teach me that for 26 years! Seattle Airport was the rendezvous point, with the Frugal Princess family flying from Atlanta and Brad and I, from Las Vegas.
I’m not going to give a blow-by-blow account of our 9-day adventure. However, since this blog celebrates all things Vegas and gambling, I will give you some details that may be of interest.
First, this trip started out in my mind when Brad and I each earned a free Norwegian Cruise Line cruise voucher in a Hard Rock promotion the latter part of 2009. Brad and I had been on 14 cruises and really weren’t interested in going on another. I get seasick every time and Brad says that cruises lost his interest once we moved to Las Vegas and we had all the free food and entertainment and excitement our bodies could stand.
However, we did enjoy the Alaskan cruise we took a few years ago and I had always said I would like to have our grandchildren experience that same adventure. So I decided it would be fun to share in their excitement. (We do a lot of things these days for that reason – grandkids DO keep you thinking young although sometimes our bodies rebel!)
“Free cruises” is a popular casino promotion these days. I think the cruise lines are practically giving away cabins to the casinos. In this recession known gamblers that probably will drop money in the ship’s casino are going to make them more money than empty cabins. However, the “free” in these promotions varies greatly from promotion to promotion. We have been on a few cruises where all the basics was comped by the casino, including port fees, transportation between casino and ship, and sometimes even the tips. The cruise was truly free – and often there were extras provided, like balcony staterooms, invitations to cocktail parties, daily treats to your stateroom, or even a tour in the dock city.
These days the “free” part the casino gives you is usually only part of the basic cost of the cruise. You have to pay port fees, fuel supplement fees, government fees/taxes, and all ground and/or air transportation costs. Most “free cruise” certificates only cover an inside stateroom and you pay extra to upgrade. And almost no casino cruise will now cover tips. (Added to our bill was the required Onboard Service Charge of $12 per day per person.) These costs will add hundreds of dollars to your total price.
It was a wonderful vacation and we didn’t regret a penny of what we spent – but it was not “free.”
More pictures and details to come.
Jean, Glad to hear that you had a great time on your cruise. My mother in law went on an Alaskan cruise in early July with her sister, her older daughter and oldest neice. She is not a water person and really didn’t think she’d have a good time. After it was over she called my wife and said she could do that every day of her life. Talk about a change of heart. She’s already talking about a Caribbean cruise for next summer. BTW- She won over $600 in the casino playing, DREAD, slots! She only put $20 in the machine. Look forward to reading more of your blogs.