Can a cruise be a budget vacation? I don't mean bare bones, but economical. We have a budget of about $1800.00. Will we be able to do anything more than a short cruise to the Bahamas?
Three of you . . . one an eight-year old. Yes, you can do that, but you must make the right choices to do it:
First, you have to choose off-season. I love fall for cruising. Yes, it's hurricane season, but you'll never be in any danger. As long as you can get TO THE SHIP, you'll cruise. If weather is a problem, the captain has the authority to take you to a different area to avoid the hurricane.
I happen to like Royal Caribbean, so I checked their website. I picked Liberty of the Seas, which is one of their biggest, relatively new ships (they have older ships too, but I personally like the newer, larger ships with all the amenities). If you go mid-October in an interior room, you can all three cruise for $1598. Oh, and that's for a 7-night cruise.
Or the three of you can sail on Grandeur of the Seas for 4-nights for $947, but that's an older ship with fewer niceties. And it's 4 nights instead of 7.
We're cruising in July for a GREAT price: Balcony cabins for $799/person -- but that's one of the best prices I've ever seen. The best way to get a good price is to book waaaaay in advance and keep looking for price drops. They'll match a new lower price, but you have to call in and ask for it.
Those price will include your cruise ticket, most of your food, basic drinks (but not alcohol or soda), and most entertainment. It'll give you access to most amenities on the ship: the pools, the ice skating rink, the evening shows, the screening room, the sports deck, dancing areas, and more.
Keep in mind that isn't EVERYTHING that you'll need for a cruise:
You must set aside tip money for the people who wait on you. Plan on $11/person/day. Unavoidable.
You'll be driving to port, which is a big money-saver, but you'll need to park. Parking runs $15-20/day at the port. Unavoidable.
You'll probably want to do something on the days you stop in ports. You can just visit the nearest beach, or you can spend $$$ to do great things like swim with dolphins, horseback ride, or tour lovely cities. This is a place you can spend as much or as little as you like.
Most people spend something on alcohol, the casino, and photographs on a cruise. You can also spend $$$ on the spa, specialty restaurants, and other extras onboard. Or you can spend literally nothing on these things and still have a blast.
Our first cruise we had to fly because we lived in the Midwest. Now we can drive to Galveston or New Orleans. Our budget buster is that we have to go over Spring Break or in the summer so as to not take the kids out of school. I'm planning a cruise for next spring break and it's going to cost more than our Disney vacations have. 
But, since there are only 3 of you, if you have some flexibility I'm guessing you could snag a good deal. Have fun researching!
