Having never cruised before, I started looking for short duration cruises on the west coast. I wanted to taste the experience before diving into a weeklong voyage. I didn’t know if I would get seasick or worse, have continual flashbacks of The Love Boat and not be able to relax.
Of all places, I came a cross a 3-day, 2-night cruise on Overstock.com. For just $199 per person we could cruise from Vancouver into San Francisco Bay. I had never even purchased sheets on Overstock.com, so I was a little leery about purchasing a vacation from them.
The vacation was with The Princess Cruise line so that gave it legitimacy. Part of the reason this particular trip was so cheap is because it was the end of the Alaskan cruise season. The ships were making there way down to Mexico via Vancouver.
A huge bonus for us is that the cruise disembarked in San Francisco Bay – just 20 miles from our house. This would save us on round trip airfare and stress – I am not particularly fond of flying.
My husband Paul and I decided to give it a try. Just three weeks before the departure date we bought our tickets.
Vancouver We flew to Vancouver for $149 each. We left a few days early giving us an opportunity to explore the city.
Among the highlights:
Granville Island – we spent half a day wandering around this wonderful place. It is a combination of art and specialty shops, public markets and restaurants.
Gas Town – The steam clock and gas lamps are worth seeing. The shops were touristy.
RDS Skate Park – My husband Paul is a skater and this was a must visit spot. It is a beautiful, well cared for indoor park.
Capilano Suspension Bridge – Pricey at $21.95 per person, but we thought it was worth it. Once you get across the bridge you can explore the Treetops Adventure which is basically, an enormous tree house connected by additional suspension bridges.
Stanley Park – The park is populated by totem poles and gorgeous views.
Victoria – A quaint place worth exploring. It is a day trip from Vancouver that takes ALL day.
The Cruise
Our cruise boarded at 12:00 pm although it didn’t leave until 4:00 pm. Paul and I arrived right at 12:00 pm and it took us only 20 minutes to check in and get to our room. We had drinks in hand by 12:30 pm.
The next three days and two nights were among the most relaxing of my life. We ate. We drank. We explored the ship. When we got tired we went back to our room and watched movies.
One of our favorite things to do was nestle into a table with a big window at one of the bars. We relaxed for hours this way reading, talking and sipping cocktails. I was surprised that drinks were moderately priced. You do have to be careful though because it can add up fast.
Almost all of the food on the ship is free. On our particular cruise there was one restaurant with a $15 cover charge. One of our indulgences is good food, so Paul and I were excited to check it out. The cover charge was well worth the amazing meal. I did have one flashback from The Love Boat while there. We ended up having dinner with the captain of the ship. Ok, so we weren’t at his table, but he sat at the table right next to ours!
One budget savvy item was the gift shop. Normally, the prices are inflated. However, because we were in route to Mexico, all the Alaskan paraphernalia was on sale in the gift shops.
So, am I a cruise person? Absolutely! I like a bit more adventure and wouldn’t want to make cruises my only means of vacation. But if I can afford it, I’d do at least a short cruise once a year! They give you no choice but to relax.
The Whole Picture
Of course there are more expenses involved in a cruise than just your ticket. You have to actually get to the ship and in our case, we enjoyed a few extra nights in Vancouver.
Cruise $199
Air Fare $149
Hotel $260 for two nights
Car Rental $170 Excluding food, drinks and side trips, the total for our $199 cruise was actually $778. Still, not a bad price tag for a five night vacation.
