those trips. It’s really the perfect set up for little kids, teenagers and adults. We would drive from Utah to San Diego or Long Beach, spend the night in a hotel, leave our car there and board the cruise. Usually a 5 to 7 day Mexican Riviera.

You can find really cheap deals and they work great. The kids can all do their thing for the day and then everyone meets up for dinner. We rarely paid for excursions and just did our own thing at the ports. We did zip line one trip, ATVs on another trip or we would go to one of the Marriott Resorts and pay to use the pool area for a day but most of the time we just hung out for a bit and went back to the ship.

Cheapest trips we ever took and have great memories. I know those cruises are not for everyone and you need to research the ships because you can get a bad one but for small kids, teens and overall value, you just can’t beat it!