In August, I will be going on my first gay cruise with RSVP Vacations. I will be joining 1,700 other guests on a seven-day adventure to Alaska. A personal goal of mine is to visit every state in the Union, and I have told that a cruise is a fantastic way to see the majestic scenery of Alaska.

Cruises can be an incredible value for your vacation dollars, especially when using some valuable tips:

Departure – The Alaska cruise departs from Seattle, about a 3-hour train ride for me so I will not have to pay for airfare. Obviously a major expensive for a cruise vacation can be air travel, and you can cut out this expense if you are within distance of major departure cities of Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Diego, or Port Canaveral. However, as the cruise industry segments, expect more cruises to leave seasonally out of more cities like New Orleans and New York.

Type – Cruises range from intimate riverboat cruises with few guests, to family cruises like R Family Cruises, to club-like Atlantis cruises. Typically these queer-friendly companies chart out a ship for 3, 4, 7, or more days. Of course there are a plethora of traditional cruise companies as well.

Deals – Right now incredible deals can be found on a variety of websites. Check out company web sites like Royal Caribbean or Atlantis for some incredible summer and fall values. I recently found a 7-night cruise out of Los Angeles for $401 in December. That breaks down to about $58 a day, including food.

Other Costs – Once onboard, it is extremely easy to get caught up with all of the ‘œextras.’ On the Alaska Cruise, massages start at $110 and a dog sledding excursion goes for $569. If one is not careful, one could easily spend more on ‘œextras’ than on the cruise itself.

For those interested in visiting several locales in a short time (most ports visited are for less than a day) but enjoy the benefit of unpacking only once per vacation, a cruise can be a great experience’¦for both you and your wallet.

Bon voyage!

Photo credit: stock.xchng.