It costs over a thousand USD to take some ocean liners.
What are alternative ways that are cheaper, and how would one go about it?
(No planes)
For context, I know someone who went from China to California by freight ship in the 1990s by bribing the captain with beer and their cooking skills.
Many freighters rent cabins for passage. No idea how expensive this is, tho.
https://cargoholidays.com/
Also bare in mind that this is a cargo ship, not a modern cruise ship with stabilizers. A modern cruise ship has a maximum roll of 0.5 degrees. A cargo ship can roll up to 12 degrees.