Experiment: Doing It Cheaply!!

[yoyocruiser]

Our last two cruises we have been fortunate enough to sail in suites, where obviously the experience is likely to be more favorable and a different level of service provided. So this will be an interesting experiment to determine if 1) indeed as everyone here says--if you sail in a suite it ruins you forever--:eek::D ?? and 2) are my extremely positive feelings about NCL primarily related to my experience in suites.

 

My experiment is to absolutely do the entire trip as cheaply as possible (no I will not smuggle in booze). I am just really wondering if I have convinced myself that I have to have certain things. When I traveled in my younger days I was much more willing to go forgo many of the amenities. Do I really need these things to have a good time? For years I have said I could not possibly cruise without a balcony--well, really? Maybe that's true. But maybe its not.

 

So I am moving down from a suite to an INSIDE room, the lowest level, a guaranteed room assignment. We could end up in the boiler room I guess. Because this cruise was so inexpensive AND booked so late, we are not getting insurance nor are we flying in a day early. (Yes, I am indeed breaking every rule I have regarding cruising. In doing this I realize that things can go badly--but I have consciously decided that I will be able to deal with that if it happens.)

 

I am traveling with my college age son and daughter. We will not book excursions, or eat in specialty dining rooms, buy pictures, or anything else. We will not pay for activities. We will forgo costly transportation in favor of shuttles and vans to and from the airport. My kids are aware of the experiment and are good to go. They are thrilled to go somewhere warm and be on a ship. I will carry on a couple bottles of wine and pay the corkage--LOL--the one splurge.

 

We are going on the Sky out of Miami week after next. It is a four night cruise and we are just as excited as when looking forward to our previous cruises. I will report my findings back to CCers.:D Any predictions?? Has anyone else made this comparison??

[asand5554]

We are the Ying to your Yang! Cruising on the Sky the week after next, travelling to the airport (Logan) in a limo (thanks Groupon) vs driving and parking off-site, purchased travel insurance, flying to Miami 2 days early and staying in a suite on-board for the first time. I am worried that I will face the inevitable - once in a suite, you can never return. We already have our next cruise booked for April (balcony). If you are on the same sailing, perhaps we should meet and compare notes.

[mpk218]

YoYo we will pray for you !! :D

 

From one suite addict to another.

 

 

 

mpk

[russianmom]

We are thinking of doing the same thing!!!

 

Had to cancel our suite cruise for Feb and now the circumstance that caused us to cancel has been delayed....

 

The cost of the suite has doubled and airfare is RIDICULOUS. We are thinking of booking an ov and driving to NY. I told him we'll bring our own wine on board, won't eat in specialty restaurants and find our own inexpensive excursions...

 

Please report back upon your return....:p

[jertom]

Our last two cruises we have been fortunate enough to sail in suites, where obviously the experience is likely to be more favorable and a different level of service provided. So this will be an interesting experiment to determine if 1) indeed as everyone here says--if you sail in a suite it ruins you forever--:eek::D ?? and 2) are my extremely positive feelings about NCL primarily related to my experience in suites.

 

I will report my findings back to CCers.:D Any predictions?? Has anyone else made this comparison??

 

Hope you will report back before we leave on the Dawn Jan 25. Don't know about the suites comparison, since we haven't been in one. But I predict you will find some pleasures that you haven't experienced before !

Good luck,

Tom, South Carolina

[sdmike]

I think you'll enjoy the ship more. We all say "we only use the room to sleep", but when you're in a nice room you tend to spend more time there. We found this when we were in an OS on the Vision. It was an awesome room, and sometimes we just hung out there.

 

With you in an inside I bet you spend a lot more time out and about doing things on the ship. You'll find places to sit and relax that you never would have found (or looked for) otherwise, and you'll fill you day with fun things rather than sit in your inside room. I think this is a great thing. Besides, when you're at a nice meal, enjoying a show, playing on the pool deck, etc., it'll feel exactly like a suite cruise.

 

Have a great time!

[fiftyguy]

WOW! you are a better person than I. Now that we've gone suite there's no turning back for us. We do our sacrificing here at home!

I truly wish you an excellent cruise with family.

[jmcdon7230]

If you enjoy taking naps, there is nothing like the total blackness of an inside cabin for an afternoon nap. Combined with a heavy lunch and the rocking of the ship.....you'll sleep like a baby.

[sparks1093]

Well, I think the Sky is an excellent choice for the experiment. You'll be in port every day so not having the suite or the balcony won't be as painful (I would think, anyway, we've only sailed insides). Another plus is if you absolutely hate it you only have to put up with it for 4 nights:D.

[glorialagos]

Sounds like a great experiment and I cannot wait for the report back. I bet your kids will love it just to get away and get some sun.

 

We have normally done inside cabins and on the last booked a balcony.

As others have said, because the balcony was roomier and there was something to look at, we did spend more time in the room and on the balcony. You will not do that at all, I am sure. Get out and about and enjoy the entire ship. I am sure they have the fun furniture equal to Gem's Spinnaker Lounge and Bliss?

 

Here are some more frugal tips - check to see if the casino has free rum punch and gaming lessons - we enjoyed two of these on the Gem (there are snacks in the casino also). Be sure to attend the latitudes party.

 

Enjoy and report back. Can't wait to hear. Which ports are you going to?

[swedish weave]

The art auctions usually have free champagne also.

 

Lounging on deck and meeting people should greatly enhance your cruise experience.

[yoyocruiser]

MPK and 50Guy--:D--LOL--yep, I do love a suite!!

 

And thanks to those providing encouragement--I had not really thought about the aspect of this forcing us out of the room more--but that is so true--when you have a great room you do hang there a lot more. And I DO REMEMBER how good that dark cabin is for sleeping!!

 

Sparks, I did think a 4 day cruise was a good length for an experiment!:)

 

Gloria--I have never gone to a gaming lesson or had the free rum punch at the lesson--great tip (unless I decide to gamble and lose my shirt:eek:)

 

RussianMom I will definitely report back to you!! Asand554 I will sign up at the roll call board--yes I think we are on the same cruise.

[jdvmd]

It will be just fine. We went from a two-bedroom on the Pearl to an oceanview on the Sky and then an inside guarantee on the Sun. All with three people. It is a short trip.

[fergusonvt]

Our upcoming cruise started out that way. Snagged a mid-ship balcony for $579pp a year ago. Since then I've upgraded myself to an aft balcony then finally to an aft PH. We have excursions booked at all 4 ports. I keep telling myself its a second honeymoon for justification, LOL!

[debnjoe1438]

Enjoy your trip:D

[Starry Eyes]

I have not consciously done such an experiment, but I have stayed in suites and successfully and happily subsequently cruised in regular cabins. more often I select OV rather than inside. Sometimes we have a balcony sometimes not depending on price and ports. We often book gty. we rarely buy excursions. we do buy wine...not ready to give up that. With avoid attitude, I think you will have a good time. get out there and enjoy the ship.

[hateswaterloves2cruise]

I'm sure the folks saying you'll spend more time out and about are correct. We've been in an inside for only 1 cruise, and we lasted only 1 night! We've had OV, balcony and suites. Of course the suites are the very best, you do love hanging around your room so much more. We've been cruising since around 1996 and as we've aged we've come to appreciate our own quiet balcony where we can go take a nap or read a book when the pool area gets too crazy. I've decided that cruising is my favorite way to vacation (and I love to vacation). Right now we are hooked on the aft balconies, they are so relaxing. Of course, an aft suite would be better yet, unfortunately the $$$$ sometimes prohibit that. Good luck to both of you with your experiments. Can't wait to hear your comments.

[saddixie]

Sometimes, circumstances force you to "experiment".

I am recently seperated after cruising for the last six years with my former husband.

I refuse to let a seperation curtail my cruising mentality so am taking my first cruise solo on the Epic in October 2012 and celebrating my 50th birthday at the same time :).

Everything will be an "experiment":-

1) being on my own for the first time instead of part of a couple

2) a new line (NCL) - have only travelled P & O, Cunard and once on Royal Carribean (didnt like that!)

3) a studio cabin instead of a balcony

4) Excursions may have to be organised - previously have just got off the ship and taken local transport but may feel a little safer with organised tours

5) not so sure about eating on my own so chose the Epic because of my circumstances and the Solo lounge - so I can meet people more easily

I am looking forward to your review when back - despite the above, in the back of my mind, my cruise this time is just going to be like any other - even with the many differences ;)

[rsinj]

yoyo, you will have a fabulous time!

 

We have only sailed in suites and are spoiled as well. However, I am extremely frugal by nature, and would have a great time even if you did stick me in the boiler room - just a different kind of great time. Instead of spending more time in the cabin, I would be out and about more. Excursions - most are overpriced and underdeliver. You can do lots just walking around the port area or hopping on a local bus/van/ferry, or even staying on-board.

 

The cruise is what you make of it. Regardless of which cabin you're in, you get the same food, same activities, same great staff. At the end of this one, just remind yourself how inexpensive it was, how you got a really good vacation out of it, and that you probably could do it a second or third time the same way and the total would still be less than the suite would have cost doing it once.

 

Howard

[dalgirl]

Please let us know how it goes - we have always had a balcony - which we love - but our "experiment" will be 9 days on the Sun where we will have an inside for the first time. Then its back to an AFT balcony on the Epic in Jan 2013 - then back into an inside for Hawaii May 2013. If the Sun doesn't go well I might have to upgrade - I hope not, Hawaii is going to bust the budget as it is. I am afraid of the "suite life" - I am also addicted to cruising and a suite would cut down on how often we cruise. I hope you will have if not a glowing report, at least a positive one - you already are 90% there - attitude is the most important part of travel.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[yoyocruiser]

Hateswater: I totally agree about the balcony--it is always my favorite thing and so totally relaxing. Of everything that is what I am msot concerned about. Frankly, unlike many others who do not like the MDR food, I have always been happy there and even with the buffet. And I don't mind not shopping. Excursions have been an up and down thing, but something I feel I can live without. But that BALCONY--well--that has been a great enhancer of the vacation. So we shall see.

 

Howard: Thanks for the encouragement. You know I am just really interested in having perhaps a different experience. Yes--love the suites--but I do think this will force us to explore/create in different ways.

 

Saddixie: Let me just say that I am really sorry that you have lost your cruising partner. But I am glad that you did not let it make you lose something else--cruising. I really applaud your initiative to go out there and do it alone. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy yourself. I have a friend who has had a similar experience, and she is finding, that although very much missing him, she is enjoying a new found freedom to experience things that she had previously I suppose "given up" in the itnerest of her relationship. Also, I read the boards here a lot, and I cna say that I have read MANY happy reviews from solo cruisers who really feel comfortable and happy with the Epic. So I will look forward to your review also.

 

dalgirl: Hoping for a good experience. I want to spend time with my kids, and you know, to them the benefits of the suite are nice but they are simply not use to any type of high life, and they are happy anywhere. I am going to go with their frame of mind.

 

All of this said, I am expecting this to be a very different type of experience. But I know there are MANY people who only travel in this frugal manner and have a wonderful time. For the new year I really want to evaluate a little closer what is important to me--and what I have simply come to believe that I want/need. Anyway, I really thank all of you for this wonderful discussion.

[Mooloo]

Good luck with your experiment! The only thing I've noticed is not having any excursions. Depending on the ship and itenary, the excursions can make the trip.

 

I think it would be a lot of fun to get the kids scouting around in the ports of call board and trying to creatively come up with some fun excursions / planning a low key or inexpensive tour.

[yoyocruiser]

That's a great idea Mooloo! Because it is a shame to not maximize the experience. That is--you can save money by not doing anything--but then in some ways you have wasted money because you have not taken advantage of the opportunity of different ports/experiences. I totally get that. There are so many things to consider. So we do need to come up with alternatives. And the port boards do have great ideas.

[Bars7816]

With the price of cruising going up and up, you will likely not be the only ones downsizing. Almost any cruise is better than no cruise! We're hooked on balconies, but depending on the itinerary, OV will probably do just fine. We spend very little onboard, and we never go to the fee restaurants. We do, however, fly in the day before and buy travel insurance. The results of your experiment should teach us all lessons in frugality. Enjoy!

[yoyocruiser]

Thanks Bars. Of course I would NEVER recommend to someone that they not do travel insurance or fly in early. But for purposes of this experiment I really wanted to scale it down to bare bones--just see what is possible.

 

Incidentally, two of us paid $179 and then $109 for the third--add in the tax and fees, and I also paid the service charge up front (i will never stiff the staff). That is a really good price. Feeding a college kid for a week can cost me more than $109!!:) We also got $15 onboard credit--that should buy my sail away drink-LOL!!

 

But I am not JUST looking at cost, I also want to seriously evaluate the experience of the cruise. Thus the point Mooloo made was important--if you don't DO anything--well you are missing out on opportunity.