Ways to pay off most of cruise before we sail?

[Hotrocker2011]

So i am looking for ways to pay off most of our cruise and avoid a BIG bill at the end of it....I am aware of the soda card, but is there any thing els we can per pay or purchase before the cruise that will help some money..Thank. :)

[Lyncoya]

excursions...tips...

[Hotrocker2011]

excursions...tips...

 

Thanks, we got the tips, but the excursions are going to be booked threw another company so that will have to wait....

[Colorado Kat]

You can purchase Fun Ship dollars ahead of time, and use them for your shipboard account.

[SanD88]

you can purchase bar tickets ahead of time too.

[TracyL]

Thanks, we got the tips, but the excursions are going to be booked threw another company so that will have to wait....

 

I have a separate savings account that I put a certain amount of money in each paycheck. When I get back from our cruise, I will pay off the credit card with money from that account. Anything left in the account goes to the next vacation, and I will keep saving. That account is hands off to anything except vacation expenses.

[Hotrocker2011]

You can purchase Fun Ship dollars ahead of time, and use them for your shipboard account.

 

 

I have no clue what those are, how to use them or even how to buy them. :(

[sjcruiser]

We purchase Fun Ship Dollars ahead of time, and have the automatically added to our account. We have one account setup for vacation, which does not specifically include just spending money, but every part of the vacation can be paid for/used out of this account. Some years ago a friend of mine told me every year he takes all his loose change from every cash transaction and puts it in a 5 gallon jug. I've never filled mine up, but you'd be surprised how much money you can save!!

[Hotrocker2011]

you can purchase bar tickets ahead of time too.

 

How exactly do they work?.....I think i saw a thread started about them ...ok ima look there first LOL

[Hotrocker2011]

Thanks for all the replays...keep them coming.....We have a separate saving acc just for this, have been saving since last October.... :D

[SanD88]

http://www.carnival.com/BonVoyage/AddToCart.aspx?pid=BAR

 

this is where you get the bar tickets. it tells you how it works :)

[deena26]

I have been calling carnival periodically , the promotions desk at 800-906-7603 and I give them my credit card and tell them how much I want to add, and I am clear to say 'apply to onboard credit'. After a few weeks it shows up on my online account. Have done this twice so far. I have already prepaid tips, and will prepay excursions, and I sent a check to the hotel we will stay at the night before (which they have applied in full) I've read on here not to buy the drink coupons as you are treated 'differently'- I also ordered a von boyage gift through carnival for husband and I which has 2 shirts, a beach towel, champagne, champagne glasses, hats, 4 drink coupons, and 1 picture voucher- so that will cover some of my extras. I'm gonna save save save and have EVERYTHING prepaid for when I board. Then we can focus on having fun!!

[re-re]

We prepay the tips and after i booked a vacation i put away $25 dollars a week,thats not much but it adds up quick,but i always book my vacation at least 6 months out so i always have an extra couple bucks,at least it takes care of the drink tab.:D

[mommiemudd]

When we did our Alaska cruise we knew the excursions were going to be pricey and we were also touring Seattle. We didn't want to have a huge bill at the end Since the cruise was booked a year in advance, every once in a while I would buy travelers checks. We used these to pay onboard account and excursions. The only things that went on our CC was anything we bought after we paid it off the last night of the cruise. Great feeling to only have a small charge!

[Spurs Fans]

The Dave Ramsey way would be to not book the cruise until you are able to pay cash for it. Pay for incidentals on the ship with cash as well. That way, you have no bill (the best thing you could have) when you return from your vacation.

[CanWeGoYet?]

The Dave Ramsey way would be to not book the cruise until you are able to pay cash for it. Pay for incidentals on the ship with cash as well. That way, you have no bill (the best thing you could have) when you return from your vacation.

 

From her post I thought she was just asking for ways to pay off incidentals that you rack up on board.

 

I don't think you can pay with cash on board, unless you mean setting up your on board account with cash. Except for the video games & room service tips or other tips you give out at the time of service, it's a cashless system.

[Spurs Fans]

From her post I thought she was just asking for ways to pay off incidentals that you rack up on board.

 

I don't think you can pay with cash on board, unless you mean setting up your on board account with cash. Except for the video games & room service tips or other tips you give out at the time of service, it's a cashless system.

 

You are probably right, I think I might have misread her question. We do not use credit cards and just use a debit card and thus do not have a bill when we return. Also, we do not book a trip until we can pay for it fully in cash before we leave. It makes coming home from the trip MUCH more enjoyable.

[USNUZULOOSE]

You could have a yard sale, or you could sell some stuff on ebay as well. If you have a little bit better items try consignment shops.

[Delta Dear]

I've done both the drink coupons and the fun dollars ( like a gift card to myself.) I alternate, one month I'll add $25.00 to the account with fun dollars, the next monty I purchase drink coupons for $21.95. You do have to pay the difference if your drink costs more than $5.25, I think, but it isn't bad. We don't drink that much so when we cruise in Oct. I still have several bar coupons left to use. Every little bit helps. In the three cruises that we have taken, our bill at the end has never been over $100.00.

 

We did the soda card on our first cruise, but since then we drink lemonade and ice tea instead of soda. That is a big savings.

 

I save all of my coins all year so that becomes some of my spending money, too. My bank has a free coin counting machine. Each time I have had about $100 in change.

 

Have a wonderful time on your cruise. You don't have to spend a lot to have a lot of fun.

[re-re]

Also you're allowed a 12pack of soda each,that knocks out the soda card.

[serene56]

I get a 25.00 funship dollar each pay- 3 pays each month- you have 5 months before yousail and that will give you almost 400. to spend onboard.

 

Carnival also sells photo coupons (which are dollar for dollar) it jsut prepays your photos.

[Warm Breezes]

You are probably right, I think I might have misread her question. We do not use credit cards and just use a debit card and thus do not have a bill when we return. Also, we do not book a trip until we can pay for it fully in cash before we leave. It makes coming home from the trip MUCH more enjoyable.

 

We purchase everything on our credit card. Pay it off in full each month with the money we have in our checking account (to avoid any interest charges) and use the rewards points as spending money on our vacations. We usually do have a bill when we return since we use our credit card to buy everything. But we also have our rewards money and any other money we set aside sitting in the checking account waiting to pay the bill off. It makes the spending and the coming home Much more enjoyable.

 

The goal should be to not spend it if you don't have it. To me that doesn't matter if you are using a debit card or a credit card. It depends on your ability to control your spending habits to live within your means. There is nothing wrong with using a credit card if you can control your spending, have the money in the bank to pay for your purchases and make timely payments. If you can do that then the rewards are great:D.

[MMMD]

So i am looking for ways to pay off most of our cruise and avoid a BIG bill at the end of it....I am aware of the soda card, but is there any thing els we can per pay or purchase before the cruise that will help some money..Thank. :)

 

I'm not sure if you are trying to pay off a cruise you have booked or if you are looking for ways to keep your on-board account low.

 

If it's the first one, I suggest you cancel until you can pay for it in full.

 

If you are going to use a credit card for your final on-board expenses, I'd just put my money in an account and pay the card in full when it's due.

 

Or, you can bring cash. You'll have to check with the cruise line for the minimum amount you will have to put down, and then keep an eye on your account in case you need to add more cash during the cruise.

 

I like the idea others gave you on purchasing on-board credits ahead of time too. While on the cruise be aware of bar expenses. They can add up quickly.

 

Your bar bill and excursions will most likely be your biggest 'extras'. (unless you like to shop!) :D

 

Vacations are fun unless you have to finance them once home. Do whatever you can to be sure the money to pay it off is available once you are back home.

 

Hope you have a great time!

[howard6933]

I'm a little confused about some of the things that people have noted on this thread. Does the OP want to know how to get a very small balance on the final payment for the cruise?

If that's what they want, there is a simple way to do it. I usually book a cruise 9-12 months ahead of time. I book through my TA and after paying the deposit ($250 per person) I tell the TA to bill my credit card for $200 on the first of every month. When final payment is due, I have a very small balance to pay or sometimes it's already payed off completely. I've done this for many cruises and it works out very well. ;)

[carters4usm]

We purchase everything on our credit card. Pay it off in full each month with the money we have in our checking account (to avoid any interest charges) and use the rewards points as spending money on our vacations.

 

Ditto ... except that with our Chase Visa, we use our reward points to get $200 off the actual cruise price. They have a reward program that gives $200 off on either Carnival or Royal and with their 5X bonuses, it's really pretty easy to accumulate 20,000 points. I'd only recommend this if you use it for everything and then pay if off each month in full. We really use ours more like a debit card and not a true credit card, so it make sense for us. Our upcoming cruise was pretty cheap already, but with this $200 off and a stockholder $100 OBC factored in, our 7 day cruise will be just over $600 for both of us!:D Can't beat it!