<prompt> Human: Or, in other words, convince me that a cruise is worth it. Im looking for opinions from people who have cruised in the past, felt they had a great time, and felt they got a good value out of it.I am a recent college grad. My family has decided to channel their newfound empty nest syndrome into an Anthem of the Seas voyage to Bermuda. Theyve invited me along, provided I pay my own way. Were talking 1,100 to 1,300 per person depending on stateroom.I just got off the phone with my mother, who believes adamantly that I should take advantage of the opportunity to travel and see new sights while Im young and unencumbered. While I see her point, I think dropping 1300 on a vacation while Im still in student loan debt can be filed under absolutely insane. I have a emergency fund of around 4k at this point, but call me crazy if I dont think that jetting off to Bermuda qualifies as an emergency.I told her as much, and she seemed disappointed and slightly annoyed that I dont want to go.Aside from my personal financial situation, I guess the problem that I have with cruising in general is that I really think for what youre paying, you should be getting more value and privacy out of the experience. Im picturing a large cruise ship with not much opportunity to get away from the crowds other than a 180 sqft. cabin. My idea of a vacation valued at 1,300 per person is one in which I can get remain in a constant state of warm-sandy drunknenness, reading a book in peaceful solitude on a private balcony off of my own room with my own bathroom, with nothing in sight that remotely reminds me of work, loud people, loud machinery, loud anything, children, or adults who elect to act like children. Why do we pay so much if were packed in there like sardines?TL;DR: do you think cruising is worth it and how do you justify the expense?probably more for the one that I would want; the prices listed are for interior and exterior rooms with only a window, and I dont see the point in shelling out all the and going to all that trouble if you dont even have a balcony.  <response>: You can certainly cruise on a budget. It can be a great way to see a lot of different places in a short time without needing to worry about the logistics, and depending on the location it can even be cheaper than hotel meals for the same time.You dont mention how long this cruise is or where youre going. But one way to see if its a deal is to figure out how much a hotel and meals would be in the same area and determine if the per day cost of the cruise is cheaper dont forget to factor in expected gratuities, the cruise line webpage will tell you what the suggest per day amount is. Youll also want to find out if booze is included as that sounds like an important part of the vacation to you and while sometime you can get a drink package included as part of a special, if its not included drinks on board are pricey. In general to cruise on a budget youre going to want to go in the off or shoulder season, book either well in advance or very close to the departure date prices drop a lot in the two weeks before a cruise leaves if they have empty rooms. Its also a lot cheaper as a couple, since then you dont mind sharing a stateroom. Also look for older ships and budget cruise lines for cheaper deals.We cruise once a year and general try to keep the cost at less than 100person a day for a room with a window if you have great destinations a balcony doesnt matter as much since youre out and about but inside rooms are a bit depressing heres what we look for to keep it cheap: Get quotes from multiple cruise travel agents online. Usually one or another is running a special that will get you 50 off or a 100 on board credit. Check if the cruise line is offering a special, such as offering a drinks package, or shore excursion package or onboard credit. The big ones usually have something running and it usually changes every few weeks so may be worth waiting to book until a better one comes up. Get a drinks special or cruise on a line that includes drinks or be okay with not drinking Cruise to ports you cant easily or cheaply get to yourself. Alaska and Norway are great values- the Caribbean and Mexico is not Never book shore excursions. You can do anything they offer on your own much cheaper. Dont buy anything on board. With the sometimes exception of duty free, its never a deal.If you want to cruise on a budget theres lots of advice out there, but it might not be able to make your family cruise into a budget cruise. 