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Combining a Cruise and Villa Stay in Florida
During one of our visits to Orlando Florida, we decided that the ultimate holiday experience would be to go on a week’s cruise, yet stay in our own villa in Orlando. Although you will find cruise and stay options with travel agents and on the Internet, we found that by booking our own fly drive, and cruise, we could take advantage of exactly what we wanted, staying in our own pool villa.
We booked our own fly drive into Orlando International, purchased the cruise in US Dollars departing from Port Canaveral, as well as having a week in Orlando to visit the sites and enjoy the tremendous choice of restaurants and shopping available.
We combined a Western Caribbean 7 night cruise with a 7 night stay in our vacation home. As it was only my husband and I, this proved to be the best of both worlds. Spending a week in the Orlando area was excellent followed by a week’s cruise, visiting the various Caribbean islands.
With the excellent exchange rate at the moment, we got our cruise at an excellent price, and paying for it at the height of the exchange rate proved even more advantageous. For us, it was like having two different but linked vacations. Not only were we able to stay in our villa and check its condition and attend to the little things that needed doing, but we were then able to enjoy the luxury of being indulged on a luxury cruise liner.
We visited several ports, including St Thomas, St. Maarten, and the Bahamas. I have never seen water so clear and so blue. It was breathtaking. We chose a five star Royal Caribbean’s ship and simply enjoyed every minute of being pampered aboard liner and visiting the ports of call.
We parked our rental car at Port Canaveral, which costs approximately $10 per day. It was actually cheaper to rent a car for 2 weeks, park it at the port, than trying to rent it for a week. Port Canaveral is located about an hour from Orlando Florida.
Would we do it again! Most definitely. We would highly recommend it for those travelling in smaller groups as you quickly make friends on board ship. The seven day cruise, including meals, port charges, etc., as a general rule of thumb, costs about $100 per day per person plus tax. You can also get some terrific deals on 3 – 5 night cruises to the Bahamas and surround islands. Some Internet sites offer additional discounts on selected cruises, if one of the passengers is at least 55+ years of age. It’s definitely worth looking into if you enjoy cruising but don’t want to give up your trips to Orlando to visit the attraction and theme parks.
Many ships now cater for children of all ages and teens, providing everything from their own pools, arcade, restaurants/diners, discos and appointed cruise directors. When selecting a cruise, ensure that your whole party is catered for and everyone will be delighted!
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