Saving Money on a Cruise

[dmwnc1959]

We have several friends who dine out (on average) four times a week. I am not a big fan of dining out (because we enjoy cooking, grilling and our own fine wines). Said friends think we're missing out, but I don't agree. Their dinner bills typically average $80 -$100+, which adds up to over $20,000 a year! Just EATING!! :eek: We could take 4 or 5 cruises for that amount, while seeing the world and STILL dining out (in the MDR!!) ;)

 

Wow! I could take eight 7-10 night cruise vacations (door to door) a year on that even paying the single occupancy surcharge on the amount they pay for eating out! :) My friend took me out to breakfast for my birthday Wednesday and the total with tip was around $30! I thought that was expensive. I definitely appreciated the wonderful meal and sweet gesture. :)

[vingtm]

Your type of 'fun' may not be the same as my type of 'fun'. My last cruise was 9-nights on the Celebrity Mercury. My final tab for all shipboard expenditures didn't exceed $500 including the Drink Package. I still had a blast and did everything I wanted to do, which mostly consists of relaxing on the ship to good music and eating good food.

 

No none should berate or belittle ANY ONE for wanting to save a little money on a cruise, and as long as they did it their way and had fun. THAT'S all that counts.

 

Have a great cruise! I know I am! :D

 

Sorry, do not want to offend anyone. We are not with unlimited $$$. I do look for best deal on cruise before booking but I think that is a given with most everyone. We don't cruise that often - our 5th cruise is coming up - over period of probably 10 yrs. I just feel once booking is done we want to go with intention of having a great time, and that is not drinking ourselves into a stooper, just enjoying those things we find that interest us at that particular time. Again I did say within reason. Pls accept my apology if anyone was offended. Happy cruising

[lysolqn]

Delete...error.

[lysolqn]

This might be harsh – but if one needs to budget so carefully, then perhaps they cannot afford the cruise. Any vacation or travel involves some sort of additional costs...Wait until you can afford the trip.

 

Ouch, and ouch again! I've no reason to believe you can't enjoy a perfectly lovely cruise vacation without ever having to spend an additional penny on assorted extras from the time you board your plane outbound until the time your plane touches down on your return home, provided of course you've purchased a cruise/air package and you've pre-paid transfers and tips. We've never been that lucky (LOL!) and it may not work for you but I bet it can be and has been done. With all due respect, it seems just a bit presumtive for anyone to set the bar for what someone else can or cannot afford, not to mention what they do or don't enjoy. JMHO.

[kelmac]

Life strategies are very diverse!

My wife and I travel eight to ten weeks of the year -- obviously we love to travel, and we have the time, but not unlimited resources. (I'm a retired teacher and work part-time, and my wife still teaches) It's all about the details!

--We have a small condo that's paid for.

--We have no children or pets.

--All our autos are paid for and our primary transportation is a "Smart Car".

--We find that we can eat out for almost the same cost as eating at home. (We share meals many times as portions are too large at many restaurants.)

--We don't crave "stuff". (jewelry, clothing, gadgets, tools...,)

--We save and invest, but want to die broke.

 

We've traveled much of the world, and have taken 38 cruises together.

 

--inside cabins are fine with us, although we have cruised in OV and balcony cabins.

--our onboard account, including tips is usually around $200 -- $300 dollars.

--We've been to many ports multiple times and usually find different things to do, and sometimes we will just stay on the ship. We feel comfortable doing things on our own, or we use private tour companies.

--our cruises usually turn into two or three week vacations, with land travel, coupled to our time onboard.

--I feel like a "master planner" when it comes to finding great deals on cruises, and planning trips.

--We never feel like we are holding back and are very generous with additional gratuities for those would make our vacations special.

 

Everyone's situation is so different!

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Bridge Maven]

Kelmac, my husband and I also own our house free and clear, without a mortgage, and have no car payments either on our two cars.

 

Since the discussion of spending money on "things" vs "experiences", such as a cruise vacation, has come up a few times on this thread, I thought this article might be of interest to some people.

 

 

http://www.accumulatingmoney.com/spend-your-money-on-doing-things-rather-than-owning-things/

[kelmac]

Kelmac, my husband and I also own our house free and clear, without a mortgage, and have no car payments either on our two cars.

 

Since the discussion of spending money on "things" vs "experiences", such as a cruise vacation, has come up a few times on this thread, I thought this article might be of interest to some people.

 

 

http://www.accumulatingmoney.com/spend-your-money-on-doing-things-rather-than-owning-things/

 

Bridge, good info!! Off to Denver, Flat Head Lake, MT and Breckenridge, CO for the next two weeks before Lauren has to be back at school. She does not like "down time" just after, and just before, the school year!:)

 

By the way, I just "rebooked" our Dec cruise, as the price dropped yesterday.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[J & G]

I would not consider any of them. I would wait until I could fully afford a cruise vacation.

 

This might be harsh – but if one needs to budget so carefully, then perhaps they cannot afford the cruise. Any vacation or travel involves some sort of additional costs. As an example, taking a cruise to an exotic port and staying on the ship because use you can’t afford an excursion is (in my opinion) ridiculous. Wait until you can afford the trip. (Ok – please no flaming from those who really like an empty ship and prefer to stay on board while at port. You know I’m not talking about you.)

 

Some of the options in the pole are not important to me so I don’t use them, like the spa. I don’t stay away to save money but I use many of these type services at home so don’t necessarily need them the week or so I am on the ship.

 

M

 

Why go on a cruise if you are looking to save $$$. It's a time to have fun and we do every thing we desire, within reason. Never look back and say I wish we didn't do that.

 

 

 

As with everything, I seek to make the dollars go as far as possible, since they are not unlimited. If you want to call that "looking to save money" then I guess it is.....but we want to see as much of the world as possible with the money that we have....so it has to s-t-r-e-t-c-h!!!

 

 

When we cruise, we prioritize.....

 

1) Balcony cabin (preferably aft)

2) Private shore excursions

3) Wine package

 

 

That (and gratuities, of course) is pretty much the extent of our spending.....not because we are looking to save money, but because many of the other things listed as part of this poll are of no interest to us on a cruise ship (casino, spa services, specialty dining, and so on).

 

 

Different strokes for different folks....thank goodness! What a boring world it would be if we were all the same!!

[CrabbyHarper]

In reading the other posts I may have missed these, but these are three areas in which DH and I save money.We don't buy the ship's photographs! Not only is it a pain to try to find them in the mass of photos posted, but the prices are ridiculous.We also like to go round trip from a port within driving distance. I won't fly anymore, and we think the cost of parking is worth it as opposed to an airline ticket. Keeping fingers crossed that Celebrity returns to Baltimore, or cruises out of Norfolk one of these days. Cape Liberty is fine.We don't do bingo! Too many other exciting things going on.In our salad days, when every penny counted, we'd book inside, and not spend anything extra. It was a way we could get to go on a cruise! YAY!Now retired, and with no debt, we like to spend a bit more on a balcony. But I still think the spa, the Casino, bingo, and the photos are a waste. I'd rather have some extra cash for extra tips for those crew who go the extra mile.For our next cruise, on Silhouette, I don't think we will rent an Alcove, but more power to those that do.I don't do any shopping because I have everything I need and indeed am trying to get rid of stuff. My hat is off to those folks who do budget every penny so that they can cruise. They may love cruising and at some point be able to spend a bit more.But hey, variety is the spice of life!

[gormless]

I won't fly anymore, and we think the cost of parking is worth it as opposed to an airline ticket. Keeping fingers crossed that Celebrity returns to Baltimore, or cruises out of Norfolk one of these days. Cape Liberty is fine.

 

Totally agree here. We really enjoyed the NCL cruises we did out of Baltimore (which isn't much farther than my old daily commute) and also enjoyed a Port Liberty cruise even though the drive was much longer. Both of these were much lower stress because we could avoid the airlines with their rip-off luggage charges. (For last year's Port Liberty trip to Bermuda on X, I packed much of my scuba gear- I'd never do that on an airline trip due to weight).

 

I'm really hoping for Celebrity to come back to Baltimore as well.

[Go-Bucks!]

I do lots of these routinely. I don't drink alcohol or gamble, go to free sauna/steam rooms, avoid specialty restaurants, and can be satisfied without a balcony if need be.

 

Since I cut back on some areas, I can spend more on areas I enjoy more or just have a cheaper vacation. ;)

[momzcruzing]

I'm really enjoying this thread! This Nov will be my 29th cruise and I have never regretted a single dollar spent on a cruise ship, or any vacation for that matter.

 

That said, i do prioritize as many posters have suggested and often have a sailpass bill, with mostly tips and very few other items on it. When I see the low balance on the last day it makes me feel as though I'll be back soon and helps me be less sad to see the cruise ending.

 

I feel so fortunate to have seen so much of the world in such a pleasant & affordable way.

[Pilot70D]

I think that one more choice is needed in this poll about saving maney. That choice would be "Book Private Excursions".

We spend zero dollars with excursions through the ship because we are divers and prefer to book our own dive excursions.

Many people do book their own private excursions for a variety of reasons. Cost savings is one reason. One can almost always save money by booking private excursions.

We book private excursions because we can get dive excursions which are tailored to our preferences. We do save money this way but not a whole lot. There are substantial savings to be had though for more conventional tours and excursions.

:):):)

[ArtM]

I am enough of a planner that I have a pretty good idea of what the cost of a cruise (including transportation) is going to be even before I book it. That includes consideration of outside vs veranda, likely cost of shore excursions- private or ship depending on the itinerary, and high or low season.

 

If that number is something I am comfortable with, I'll book the cruise. If I am not comfortable with the number and feel that I would have to cut corners wherever I could and limit our enjoyment of the cruise, I'd look for a different cruise.

 

As an example, Azamara is normally too expensive for our tastes. However, I stumbled on a deal that included using a timeshare week as partial payment and receiving the benefits of an airfare promotion. The net result was that the cost fell into my comfortable range, and we are now booked for an Azamara cruise.

 

Art