By Suzi Barrett | Posted: Sep. 12, 2025

This summer, my family of six embarked on an 11-day Florida trip that was nothing short of epic. We started our journey with a five-day cruise, then hit up Disney World for a day, and finished strong with two days at Universal Studios. The best part? We did almost all of it using points and miles, saving us over $8,000. It wasn't just a vacation; it was a masterclass in travel hacking, and I want to share my top tips with you so you can do it too!

Part 1: Cruise

Our journey began with Southwest flights to Miami and adjoining rooms at the Hyatt Place Miami. We decided to fly in a day early for the cruise, and thank goodness we did! During our layover, my husband’s suitcase decided to take a detour. Eight hours and a few frantic phone calls later, the bag finally made it to our hotel at 3 a.m. If we had planned to fly and board the cruise on the same day, my husband would have been starting his five-day cruise without so much as a swimsuit. Talk about a vacation nightmare! Always go a day early for cruises!

We sailed on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, and I loved that it was a bit smaller than some of their other ships. Fewer people meant less chaos, and since we went in May before most schools let out, it never felt too crowded. The kids were in absolute heaven with the FlowRider, waterslides, and pools. But let’s be real, the unlimited ice cream and all-you-can-eat restaurants stole the show. One day, they even had a five-foot chocolate fountain!

Cruises are also perfect for traveling with teens. The Royal Caribbean app lets you text on board for free, even if you don’t pay for the Wi-Fi plan. This gave my older kids a little freedom to explore the ship on their own while I still knew they were safe.

Our first port was Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. This place has a massive water park with slides for days, and you can get free food and drinks there.

The next port was Nassau, Bahamas, where we walked down to Junkanoo Beach. The water was so clear and warm — it was the perfect spot for relaxing by the ocean. You can walk from the cruise port to the beach, but you do have to cross several resorts to get there. It took about 15 minutes for us.

Our day at sea was really relaxing for my husband and me, and really fun for the kids. I love the ocean, and being on a bougie boat for days is bliss for me. I found several semi-private spots on the ship where I could enjoy the ocean breeze and relax, and my family explored every inch of the boat and soaked up every bit of play.

Part 2: Orlando Theme Parks

After the cruise, we rented a car (with points, naturally!) and drove up to Cocoa Beach for a chill day before heading to Orlando. This is where we did a home exchange — yes, just like in the movie, The Holiday! We stayed in a lovely family's home for five nights while they stayed in ours. It was a fantastic way to save on lodging and have a comfortable, homey space. An additional bonus was that my parents joined us for this part of the trip! The house was big enough for all eight of us!

Our first park day was at Disney's Hollywood Studios. My kids, ages 8 to 15, chose this park because they're big on thrill rides. It's a great option if you're looking for roller coasters and aren't as interested in the classic Disney characters, but it is similar to Disneyland in California. If you’re looking for a unique Disney experience, go to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom.

We took a day to just relax at the house and explore the Orlando area, which was a great way to recharge. I’ve done a rest day between park days for all our Disney trips and swear by it!

Finally, we spent our last two days at Universal Studios. I recommend getting the 2-Day, 2-Park Pass so you can ride the Hogwarts Express between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. The train ride is an experience in itself, and it gives you the flexibility to move between parks whenever you want. We spent the entire first day at Islands of Adventure and never ran short of things to do. On our second day, after about five hours on the Universal Studios side, we simply hopped on the Hogwarts Express to go back to Islands of Adventure so the kids could ride the VelociCoaster and the Hulk again.

“Epic” is the new third park that opened this summer, but we didn’t want to deal with the lines since we were there the day it opened. We also didn’t do the fast pass, and lines were definitely manageable. You can do each park in one day pretty easily.

Universal was truly amazing! Probably my favorite theme park I’ve ever been to. The thrill rides were really next level, Harry Potter World was unbelievably amazing, and Suessland was adorable. I highly recommend Universal Studios Orlando!

Part 3: The Money-Saving Magic

If you want to take a trip like this but don’t want to break the bank, here’s a quick breakdown of what we covered with points and miles:

Flights: We paid just $22 total for round-trip flights for all six of us with Southwest points and two companion passes
Cruise: The five-day Royal Caribbean cruise for six was completely free using Chase points (you have to book cruises with points over the phone), a value of over $3,700.
Hotels: Our one-night hotel stay in Miami was free, and our five nights in Orlando were covered by the home exchange.
Car Rental: We got a car rental for free using a Capital One travel credit.
Park Tickets: We even covered $1,500 worth of park tickets using the Capital One purchase eraser.

By combining points, miles, and a little creativity, we saved over $8,000 on this trip. It proves that with a bit of planning, you can have a vacation of a lifetime without breaking the bank.