Fort Lauderdale & the Bahamas · February · September 10, 2026
A February Cruise Out of Fort Lauderdale for $44 in Cash
Four of us flew to Fort Lauderdale, spent the night before the ship left, and sailed for four nights — and the only cash that left our account was $44 in airline taxes.
Cash vs points
| Line item | Cash price | Points used | Cash still paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights to Fort LauderdaleTwo seats on points, two on our Companion Passes — the cash is taxes only | $1,740 | 67,000Southwest Rapid Rewards | $44 |
| Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Convention Center / Cruise PortFlew in a day early so a delay could not cost us the sailing | $423 | 15,000Hotel points | — |
| Four-night cruiseBooked through the Capital One travel portal | $1,089 | 108,900Capital One miles | — |
| Total | $3,252 | 190,900 | $44 |
This is the trip that still makes me laugh when I look at the numbers. A four-night cruise in February, the whole family, and the cash total was $44.
The flights were the Companion Pass doing its job
We flew Southwest into Fort Lauderdale on Rapid Rewards points, with our Companion Passes covering the other two seats. That is why the cash column says $44 — that is taxes, and nothing else. Buying those same seats would have run about $1,740.
If you take one thing from this report, let it be the Companion Pass. It is the single biggest reason we can take multiple flights as a family every year.
A hotel night before the ship left
We flew in the night before because there are no flights out of Salt Lake that get us to Fort Lauderdale with enough time to make the ship the same day. So we stayed one night at the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Convention Center / Cruise Port. That room would have been $423. It cost us 15,000 points — Chase points transferred to Hyatt.
Capital One points covered the cruise itself
The four-night cruise was $1,089, and we covered it with 108,900 Capital One miles through their travel portal. No cash.
The honest version
Every one of those points came from welcome offers and everyday spending we were already doing, on balances we pay off in full every month. I have never bought points and I have never spent money I would not have spent anyway to hit a minimum. That is the whole trick — the spending was going to happen, the trip did not have to.