Go Cheap or Stay Home???

[DirtyDawg]

Nope! I'd stay home.

 

I could do without the Casino, the souvenir shopping or the pictures because we rarely do that stuff anyways.

 

But no balcony:eek:

No foo-foo drinks:eek::eek:

No wine with dinner:eek::eek::eek:

 

That's not a vacation, that's a prison sentence.

[SnappyNappi]

We LOVE to cruise, so definitely would go on the cheap to be on a ship...

* I'd leave from a port that I can drive to in order to save airfare, hotel, taxi/transfer costs (Bayonne is closest, so we are good there).

* If I have to fly, I'd take the cheapest flights available to my port to get there without cutting it too close on the timeline - early morning on the same day is fine with us

* I'd have someone drive and drop us/pick us up to save parking costs at the port.

* I don't drink but DH, who does, could definitely give that up to get on the ship for a cruise if he had to.

* We don't buy pictures. (So, no brainer there).

* Like someone else said, we also by very inexpensive souvenirs like magnets and key chains and little 'chachka' items, but we could bypass those without a problem.

* We like to get off the ship in port and explore on our own, so excursions wouldn't be missed too much if we had to bypass those.

* We don't gamble - and really only visit the casino to see what it looks like when we are exploring the ship.

* We don't need to eat in specialty restaurants - They are nice when we have the extra money, but MDR and Windjammer are great for us.

* I guess we could cut the other 'little' incidentals - specialty coffee would be hard for me, but not so bad that I couldn't do it.

* We would definitely stay in an inside cabin to be able to cruise. Sometimes I see the Oceanview rooms on some cruises drop to the same as the inside if you watch pricing. I'd be watching the fluctuations in pricing to get the best room for the lowest cost - regardless of category. While I love a balcony room (or a full suite when we can swing it), I would not hesitate to travel in an inside room or a lower category room if we had to cut the cost to be able to travel.

* I usually pre-purchase the soda package for us because we drink a lot of soda and are not too fond of the drinks available and included in the cost of the cruise, but I could also go without that if I needed to in order to save the money.

---- So, I think we are good to go... :)

[atb]

But :( I would give up the balcony in a heart beat for a cruise. :D

With everything on the list - the balcony is the closest to a deal-breaker.

[misty57]

I would have no problem myself, but DH does not like the inside cabins anymore. I would just sleep there and spend my time up on deck during the day. I would shop for the lowest price balcony I could find and usually do.

[AustinCruise]

Stay home... I have to consider limited amount of vacation.

 

But I do already skip many if the items listed.

[wwcruisers]

Well, I COULD -- but wouldn't necessarily want to ;) -- live with all of the OP's restriction, except for two:

-- Since we usually have to fly cross-country, coming in on departure day is logistically impossible -- so that's not a factor.

-- Inside cabins even make me claustrophobic on cabin crawls :eek: -- no way I could spend a whole cruise in one! However, in a pinch, I could see sacrificing my beloved balcony for an ocean-view cabin. :p

[avazah]

OK. So this is kind of just for fun, but would maybe make you think if you were given this ultimatum. If you were given the choice to go on a 7 night cruise but had to be on a very tight budget, would you do it or would you just stay home?

 

What I mean by being on a tight budget or "frugal" as I like to call it is

 

-flying in the same day as the cruise, therefore, no overnight hotel, no buying drinks and supper the night before the cruise and no buying breakfast the morning of the cruise.

 

-we are diamond, so we would just have the drinks in the DL from 5-8 every night. No foo-foo drinks around the pool:eek:

 

-no wine at vintages every afternoon

 

-no specialty restaurants, just eat in the MDR every night

 

-no excursions, just enjoy the empty ship

 

-no souvenir shopping--have all the t shirts from every island anyways

 

-no casino:(

 

-no picture buying

 

-and last but not least, stay in an inside cabin instead of our usual balcony:o

 

So if you had to decide, what would you choose?? Go cheap and still be able to cruise, or just stay home!!

 

REMEMBER People...this is just a hypothetical situation. Would you be able to give all these things up to go on a cruise???

 

Hypothetical?! This is my current situation! :P

 

My best friend and I are going on a cruise on Explorer in January. I'm going without my husband because we can't afford both of us plus the loss of income for him (sadly, no paid vacation days for him). My friend doesn't have a load of money, plus he wants to spend some time in NYC before we go. He IS flying in before the cruise, but he's going to be sleeping on my couch (the joys of a one bedroom apartment!). No hotel!

 

We booked an inside guarantee for $349pp.

 

The ports we are visiting are not really ports we feel the need to do any more than take a shuttle or taxi to a beach and sit around (Port Canaveral, Nassau, and Coco Cay). Our goal is to spend $20 or less at each port (to cover transportation and/or a beverage).

 

We both have dietary requirements which make the specialty restaurants a lot less worth it (neither of us can eat the red meat and I can't eat any meat or any shellfish). MDR/windjammer for us!

 

Neither of us are big drinkers, but we did get some OBC which will go towards those FEW drinks we have. Otherwise, we're bringing on 2 bottles of wine which will be just fine! :P

 

Basically, this was exactly the situation for us. We chose a less than desirable itinerary (there seems to be a lot of nassau hate going around), leaving from a cold area in january, on an older ship that hasn't had renovations yet, in an inside room. Because it's preferable for us to take a vacation together on the cheap than not go at all!!

[WetToes]

I could. Don't know if DH would want give up ALL alcohol.

[hazeleyez3]

OK. So this is kind of just for fun, but would maybe make you think if you were given this ultimatum. If you were given the choice to go on a 7 night cruise but had to be on a very tight budget, would you do it or would you just stay home?

 

What I mean by being on a tight budget or "frugal" as I like to call it is

 

-flying in the same day as the cruise, therefore, no overnight hotel, no buying drinks and supper the night before the cruise and no buying breakfast the morning of the cruise.

 

-we are diamond, so we would just have the drinks in the DL from 5-8 every night. No foo-foo drinks around the pool:eek:

 

-no wine at vintages every afternoon

 

-no specialty restaurants, just eat in the MDR every night

 

-no excursions, just enjoy the empty ship

 

-no souvenir shopping--have all the t shirts from every island anyways

 

-no casino:(

 

-no picture buying

 

-and last but not least, stay in an inside cabin instead of our usual balcony:o

 

So if you had to decide, what would you choose?? Go cheap and still be able to cruise, or just stay home!!

 

REMEMBER People...this is just a hypothetical situation. Would you be able to give all these things up to go on a cruise???

 

Two deal breakers:

• I'd have to at least have a window.
  
• The itineraries we have started taking start in Europe. There is absolutely no way you could talk me into not flying in at least a day before the cruise.
  

I'd go with a short land trip somewhere.

[griffy116]

We tried inside, OV, then balcony. Never felt the need to do anything above the regular old balcony room, but LOVE MY BALCONY. On a whim, my daughters and I decided to do a cruise during spring break (they both teach) to a port we could drive to (Port Canaveral) for a short cruise with Royal. We tried to get a balcony, but it was an old ship and we settled for OV. We have been there, done that with Nassau so it was no big deal to skip an excursion. There was really nothing we wanted to do. The cruise was a chance to rest and relax. We stopped buying the photos a long time ago. We are swimming in photos already. We don't really have the gambling bug because the casino doesn't really pay off. We love the meals in the MDR so the specialty restaurants aren't a biggie. I can now have a couple of bottles of wine brought on board, so that's no problem. No t-shirts, no problem. We couldn't really do an overnight ahead of the cruise because of the short holiday, so no problem. The only thing we REALLY missed was the balcony. We had another cruise for the summer and we were THRILLED to have our balcony back. In spite of that, if it was no cruise or an inside, I'd be on the cruise. Nothing beats it!

[WetToes]

I could. Don't know if DH would want give up ALL alcohol.

 

EDIT: Did not see the 'inside only' part.

Hell no! We wouldn't go.

[Aurora2143]

I hate to admit it but...I'm way too spoiled. I need my balcony and all the bells and whistles. I think my hubby is now the same way after vacationing with me for the past several years. :)

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

Because I love cruises, I definitely would choose to cruise "on the cheap" over staying home. My favorite aspects of cruises are the ships and the time spent onboard. I have had a variety of staterooms including suites, rooms with balconies, outside rooms with no balconies and inside cabins. When I book a cruise, I compare the prices of the different types of cabins and get a balcony room if the price is reasonable.

 

I don't really mind inside cabins. In fact, some of my all-time favorite cruises were on the QE2 when I booked very small inside single cabins.

 

Chuck

[NJcruisenewbie]

Most things on the list we don't buy anyway. Don't drink, buy photos. We can find our way ashore easily ourselves. Would miss Chops but wouldn't stay home because we couldn't dine there.

 

The biggie for me would be the inside cabin. After a pretty bad accident a few years ago, I have very bad claustrophobia. I couldn't manage an inside cabin.

 

I have tried to beat it. Made things very tough during my recent ER visit for heart issues. I tried everything, every happy drug, everything.

 

I just couldn't handle the inside cabin-----isn't that nuts!

 

I agree with you none of those things would be a deal breaker except the cabin choice. The same day flight would stress me a bit but it's the inside cabin that would do me in.

 

No matter what type of vacation we go on we spend a lot of time within our accomodations so they really do matter to us. On our last cruise our daughter got sick and I was in the cabin with her for the better part of 2 days. Thank goodness for a balcony and my Kindle:D.

[logan25]

Most of the drawbacks would not matter to me. I have cruised on several cruise lines and stayed all the way from an inside to a suite. I am no stranger to living the frugal life, so extras, while nice and appreciated, do not make or break my cruise vacation experience. I would choose to vacation and cruise several times a year over once a year. Hands down!!

 

Probably just as important would be shopping around for the best deal for what I want. Not tied to a rigid vacation schedule. I am very flexible. So I can afford to wait until the "right" deal comes along.

[Lottogirl]

We would stay home rather than cruising in an inside cabin.

 

Seriously?

 

That is the only way I will cruise!! :cool:

 

The inside cabins allows me to afford other luxuries during my cruise.

I am barely ever in my cabin as it is other than to shower and sleep, so the need for a "window" or a "balcony" is not necessary! :D

 

Now, on the other hand, IF I won the lottery, that OF COURSE would change things drastically! :rolleyes:

[alfaeric]

I've thought about it for a little- not sure why, just for fun, I suppose.

 

Of all of that, the only one that is really hard is the inside room- the rest we've done on past cruises for one reason or another.

 

Having access to the DL (as was laid out in the proposal) really reduces the need to do a lot of things- including eating in the MDR every night. Although, snacks in the WJ.. wait, i digress. It fills the wine desrire.

 

If you have access to the DL, you also have 2 free pictures (one each), so that's covered.

 

We pretty much never do paid excursions- just go wandering around.

 

I could go on, but back to the inside cabin.

 

If you have access to the DL- that makes you a Diamond. Which is very interesting, since I've seen a TON of upgrades to not only OV cabins but balcony's for free if you buy an inside cabin.

 

So the real question (given the scenario) would you take a chance on an inside cabin hoping to get an upgrade?

 

That, I think I would. Not so sure if DW would, though.

 

We've done cheap weekend cruises since we had to use award flight tickets. So presumably, it is possible.

 

edit- an add- this is about going cheap, yes? If you get a discount for a specific level, and most dicounts are larger for the higher class cabins, what if the OVERALL cost of a balcony for you is the cheapest- would that count?? I have seen a few ships where the inside cost is not much cheaper than outside, and balcony barely above that. So with the variable discounts, it's possible that the cheapest cabin you get is a balcony. reasonable?

[varoo]

OK. So this is kind of just for fun, but would maybe make you think if you were given this ultimatum. If you were given the choice to go on a 7 night cruise but had to be on a very tight budget, would you do it or would you just stay home?......

It depends on which type of cruise you are talking about.

 

For just an ordinary Caribbean or Bahamas cruise or similar, I would rather stay home in my comfortable house than spend a week in a cabin I wouldn't like.

I could save up and take the cruise in comfort at another time.

 

 

But if it was a special rare or exotic cruise and that was the only way I could go, I probably would do it.

 

[theotherchad]

The deal breakers for me?

 

1) No drinks or wine? Not bloody likely!

2) Inside cabin? I could deal with it but my wife couldn't. Sitting on her balcony having her morning coffee or at the end of a beautiful day is something she truly cherishes.

 

As to the other stuff, we do all of it, except gamble (no offense, but I consider gambling to be a tax on people who are bad at math) :D;) , but I could easily do without shopping, specialty restaurants, excursions, hotel the night before, buying photos, etc.

 

Like I said, we do all those things every cruise, but we budget for them. I am a little jealous of those who cruise cheaply because they don't drink or care about all those other things that we spendthrifts lay out dough for. However, I am skeptical of the idea that they have as much fun as we do. ;)

[NoobCruise]

I would delay the vacation for a few more months so I could save up for a better cruise.

 

Unless it was time dependant like I won a cruise, but it had to be a specific sailing or someone else was paying for me to join them, but it had to be now. Then I'd probably go.

 

As far as forgoing dinner and breakfast, I'd just bring some food from home for those meals.

 

*no excursions doesn't mean you just have to sit on the ship. You can go into port and window shop, maybe take a hike if it's within walking distance, or hit a beach within walking distance.

 

For example, in Sitka, we spent a total of 20 bucks. Not because we're cheap (we earned triple mariner points for suite + onboard spending) but because there weren't any excursions that appealed more than what we did. In Sitka, we walked out to the raptor center ($10/person), then walked around the National Historical Park, then around town a little. Cheap, but we still had an awesome time. Victoria, BC we just walked along the Inner Harbour Path and took pics of the harbour at sunset. Didn't spend a dime there, but we thoroughly enjoyed the evening and came home with the best sunset pics of the week.

 

The rest of the stuff doesn't matter much to us. We don't drink much anyways, and we have not bought photos either.

 

The hardest one would be sailing inside because I'm a little claustrophobic and tend to get sea sick. I like having a balcony where I can just step outside for some quick fresh air while in my jammies. So for that reason, I would delay the trip, save and get a balcony. If someone else were paying, I'd probably sail in the inside.

[mimi217]

None of that would be a problem for me including the inside cabin. We usually book an inside cabin which allows us to cruise more often.

[Warm Breezes]

OK. So this is kind of just for fun, but would maybe make you think if you were given this ultimatum. If you were given the choice to go on a 7 night cruise but had to be on a very tight budget, would you do it or would you just stay home?

 

What I mean by being on a tight budget or "frugal" as I like to call it is

 

-flying in the same day as the cruise, therefore, no overnight hotel, no buying drinks and supper the night before the cruise and no buying breakfast the morning of the cruise. The problem I would have with that is the risk of something going wrong and delaying the flight. All the rest of the stuff is just bonus vacation days and not really needed if not planned.

 

-we are diamond, so we would just have the drinks in the DL from 5-8 every night. No foo-foo drinks around the pool:eek: Only drink a couple during the cruise anyway so missing them is no big deal.

 

-no wine at vintages every afternoon Not a big wine drinker...gives me migraines. No problem here.

 

-no specialty restaurants, just eat in the MDR every night Rarely eat in the specialty restaurants so giving them up is not big deal.

 

-no excursions, just enjoy the empty ship Done that, loved the empty ship. Also like getting off to just check out the area local to the ship...don't need to spend money to do that either.

 

-no souvenir shopping--have all the t shirts from every island anyways No problem. Never buy much any way...just a few trickets for my sea themed bathroom.

 

-no casino:( Got one 1/2 hour from home. Didn't need it on my Disney Cruises.

 

-no picture buying Like to buy at least one but wouldn't be devasted at missing a cruise. I'll just take some of my own to blow up later.

 

-and last but not least, stay in an inside cabin instead of our usual balcony:o Done inside, OV, and Balcony. Have no problem sailing in any of them depending on our budget for that cruise.

 

So if you had to decide, what would you choose?? Go cheap and still be able to cruise, or just stay home!! Go Cheap for me.

 

REMEMBER People...this is just a hypothetical situation. Would you be able to give all these things up to go on a cruise???

Easily. The best thing to me about cruising is relaxing while watching the ocean and spending time with my family. Neither of those things were given up in your list.

[NoobCruise]

Most things on the list we don't buy anyway. Don't drink, buy photos. We can find our way ashore easily ourselves. Would miss Chops but wouldn't stay home because we couldn't dine there.

 

The biggie for me would be the inside cabin. After a pretty bad accident a few years ago, I have very bad claustrophobia. I couldn't manage an inside cabin.

 

I have tried to beat it. Made things very tough during my recent ER visit for heart issues. I tried everything, every happy drug, everything.

 

I just couldn't handle the inside cabin-----isn't that nuts!

 

It's not crazy at all. I never used to have problems either until I got an inoperable brain tumor. It's very tiny and it's not life threatening, but it releases hormones that cause anxiety, which for me, resulted in claustrophobia. It takes everything I've got to not totally freak out when I have to have an MRI every 6 months. Sliding into that coffin machine is awful. I can't scuba dive anymore either. That never used to bother me :( So you're not alone. I also get motion sick now from the tumor. Just have to deal with it, but I don't let it stop me.

[NoobCruise]

Hey pretty soon inside cabins won't be claustrophobic at all -the new Quantum will have Virtual Balcony inside cabins - there's no way I'd feel claustrophobic with an 80" videoscreen showing the outside view.

 

I hear they are putting some virtual balcony insides in Navigator during her upcoming drydock

 

I could probably cruise in that!

[navybankerteacher]

Because there is no way I would do without a glass of wine with dinner - at least every other night, or have an outside cabin (I could - reluctantly - give up the balcony), I guess I would stay home -that one time. I do not need pictures or souvenirs at all, or any tour costing more than a local bus fare, and can do without the casino (again, reluctantly - although my casino budget is never more than $100 for a week - and once in a great while I come out ahead).

 

So I would miss one out of every five or six cruises, so I could have the outside cabin and occasional glass of wine on the othe four or five cruises which I could afford - including the wine and outside cabin - by giving up that one cruise.