I came across a post on Reddit recently that made me stop scrolling.

Someone had found a 12-day Caribbean cruise advertised for...

$29.

Yes. Twenty-nine dollars.

Now, there were also $590 in taxes and port fees, so nobody was sailing around the Caribbean for the price of a couple of pizzas.

Still.

A 12-day cruise with a $29 cruise fare definitely gets your attention.

And it got me thinking.

At what price would you stop caring where the ship was going?

Normally, the itinerary is a pretty big part of choosing a cruise.

We compare ports.

Look at excursions.

Check how long the ship stays in each place.

Maybe there's somewhere we've always wanted to visit.

But imagine finding an incredible deal on a cruise going somewhere that wasn't even on your radar.

Would you book it anyway?

I think there's a price where my answer might become:

"Where's it going?"

"Doesn't matter. When do we leave?"

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This probably works best for someone who genuinely enjoys being on the ship.

If your favourite cruise days involve sitting by the pool, wandering around the ship, eating whenever you feel like it, seeing a show and enjoying the ocean, the ports might not matter quite as much.

Especially if you've already visited some of them.

Suddenly a cruise that wasn't particularly exciting at $1,500 could become VERY interesting at $600.

Same ship.

Same itinerary.

Completely different reaction.

Of course, I'd still want to know what that bargain cruise is actually going to cost me.

The fare might look fantastic, but there's still transportation to the port, taxes and fees, gratuities, hotels if needed and whatever else you choose to spend onboard.

That $29 Reddit cruise, for example, came with $590 in taxes and port fees.

So I'd definitely look at the total trip cost, not just the number designed to make me click "Book Now."

Because a $299 cruise isn't much of a bargain if I need a $900 flight to get there.

As tempting as a ridiculously cheap cruise would be, I don't think I'd book absolutely anything.

I'd still look at the ship.

The departure port.

How I'd get there.

The length of the cruise.

And whether the dates actually worked.

I'd also want at least something about the itinerary to interest me.

Although admittedly, my standards might become surprisingly flexible once the price got low enough.

"Oh...another sea day?"

At $1,800: Hmm.

At $499: I LOVE SEA DAYS.

I think there's something kind of fun about the idea of choosing the deal first and the destination second.

Instead of saying:

"I want to go HERE. Find me a cruise."

You'd say:

"Find me an amazing cruise deal. Let's see where I end up."

Would I want to travel that way every time?

Probably not.

Sometimes the destination really is the reason for the trip.

But if the right deal popped up?

I could absolutely see myself becoming considerably less picky.

How cheap would a cruise have to be before you stopped caring where it was going?

Because apparently, somewhere between "That's not really where I wanted to go" and "Wait...HOW much?"...

I become very open-minded.

Have a great week,

Tara

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