Best BUDGET Saving Idea - and Must have SPLURGE?

[bartolino]

Hello Folks! :cool:

We're first time cruisers looking forward to our 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise in March aboard the Crown Princess. I'm reading various books and websites trying to gather ideas and educate myself on the "art" of cruising. Whcih brings me to my question:

 

What's your best "Budget Saving" idea: What have you found that saves you money, but keeps your cruise as enjoyable as possible.

 

AND

 

What "Splurge" do you buy every cruise that you just can't do without?

 

Love to hear your answers! :D

[Sincity]

I would try Crown Grill (if that is what is called on the Crown as I cannot remember). It is the steakhouse @ $25/pp but worth it. We like it better than Sabitini's.

 

You can buy tours at the port from local operators that are much less than what is offered by Princess. The downside is that if you have a late tour, Princess will not wait for you if you miss the ship. When you get off the ship, you will see them holding up their signs.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Sincity

[Nancyquilts]

Budget - If you go to PV, take the city bus at the main street next to the pier. It says " Centro".

Splurge - Ultimate balcony dinner. It's $100 per couple, but well worth it.

[Thrak]

I buy the coffee card for my wife. She loves the unlimited fresh-brewed coffee and the 15 "specialty" coffees that cost a punch on the card. (I drink the regular ship coffee but my wife is worth the extra. ;)) It's a very minor "splurge".

 

As for cost saving ideas: Book independent tours or do things on your own if possible. Princess excursions are often far more expensive than necessary. Just make sure you aren't late getting back to the ship if you do an independent tour or an "on your own" thing. The ship won't wait for you... :eek:

[Nan_Sea]

Join the roll call for your cruise. Often there are people making arrangements for tours as a group and the price is much better than the ship offers.

[Jadn13]

Budget/Drinks: You are each allowed a bottle of wine to bring on board but

you can also bring your own bottled water or soda if you like.

 

Splurge: The coffee card is great and convenient you also get unlimited hot tea while on board along with your 15 specialty coffees and unlimited fresh brewed

Edited October 28, 2014 by Jadn13

[hllwdcruiser]

We bring bottled water and soft drinks onboard as well as our two allotted bottles of wine.

 

At the ports that we don't feel like doing an extended,expensive excursion, we find local operators to give us a tour for a fraction of the price offered by the cruise lines. On caribbean cruises and the like, they will often drop you off at a beach and pick you up an hour or two later. Once in Mexico we grabbed a cab to a local beach - the cost was about $10.00 each way. It was also a Princess excursion - which had to be at least 3 times what we paid. The savings bought us plenty of Coronas and guacamole to enjoy surf side!:)

 

On board, we always splurge on the coffee card, specialty restaurants (I recommend Crown Grill over Sabattinis) and at least a martini (or two ;)) at Crooners pre dinner.

 

If you can, you should splurge on the Chef's Dinner. It is basically a tasting menu with paired wines and should be experienced at least once. It's expensive, but imo, worth it. You need to call the dine line as soon as you are onboard to reserve a space. Reservations are extremely limited.

 

We did splurge on the spa once for a massage, and were underwhelmed and really didn't appreciate the hard upsell, so never again.

[Sincity]

And WELCOME to Princess! :cool:

[Love2travel4]

Budget: I bring a water bottle and fill it up before I go on shore. I also lake snacks to bring on shore: nuts, granola bars, trail mix etc.

 

Splurge: Whether it is a cruise line excursion or private tour company. I cruise for the ports and I want to really experience them. Dog sledding in Alaska, walking on a volcano, snorkeling adventures etc.

[2pbears]

We tend to be Splurgers rather than Budget Savers but I guess the areas that we save in are the 2 bottles of wine brought on board to drink in our room and not purchasing the things on board that we used to get sucked into when we first started cruising (i.e. gold by the inch and professional photos). Those things can really add up quickly if you don't watch it.

 

The splurges that we just can't (or don't want to) do without are Sabatini's and Crown Grill and our balcony. I know some will argue that spending money on a balcony is wasteful but for us it is worth every penny.

[paul929207]

Look at the various beverage options to figure out which if any work for you.

 

Get all the freebies you can. If you plan to cruise again with Princess get a Future cruise Credit for each of you. If you are or were in the military, claim the Military OBC. If you own 100 shares of Carnival Corp, claim the Shareholder OBC.

[dedosr]

The best advice I can offer is to book from a Discount Travel Agency. You can save hundreds of dollars over booking directly with the Cruise Line. The TA can also offer On Board Credits (OBC), and other free perks. These savings can then go towards the splurges. Also get a Princess Visa Card. You can earn OBC and apply it to your sailing.

We don't us cash. We charge everything, including utilities, and pay off the bill each month, thereby incur no finance charges but earn OBC. On our last cruise, between the TA OBC and the Visa OBC, we had over $900.00 in on board credits!!

[Grannycb]

Budget saving ideas:

Book inside or ocean view cabins unless you can get a terrific price on a balcony.

Limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage a day.

Bring your own wine.

Skip the specialty restaurants.

Skip jewelry and onboard shops.

Don't go to port lectures where selling is the main theme.

Take a taxi to the port from the airport unless there is a large distance to travel.

Try to book flights on SouthWest - no luggage fee and you can get price drops.

Some retirement accounts will let you purchase 100 shares of Carnival stock with what's already in the account.

You don't need to buy a new wardrobe for cruising. People dress comfortably during the day and nicely in the evenings. By nicely, I mean slacks and nice shirt or top. One extra nice dress or outfit for formal night will do if you don't mind wearing the same outfit twice.

 

Splurge:

Fly in the day before the cruise and explore the area.

Shore excursions through the ship are good if you are uncomfortable with DIY. The important thing is to get out there and have fun.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Grannycb

[Vexorg]

Savings:

- If you live close to a cruise port, consider taking a cruise out of there. It saves a bunch of money if you don't need to fly anywhere.

- Keep a close eye on prices even after you book. I've had good luck with getting price drops, even after final payment.

 

Splurge:

- I typically plan for at least one "good" shore excursion per cruise, especially if it's something I won't be likely to get a chance to do again. Typically this ends up being something like SCUBA diving or a submarine ride in the Caribbean. If I go to Alaska again I'd probably budget for a flight tour of some sort.

- I'll usually do the UKP sticker for non-alcoholic drinks when I cruise. Since I don't drink alcohol or coffee, it covers pretty much everything while on board.

[Pam in CA]

The best advice I can offer is to book from a Discount Travel Agency. You can save hundreds of dollars over booking directly with the Cruise Line. The TA can also offer On Board Credits (OBC), and other free perks. These savings can then go towards the splurges. Also get a Princess Visa Card. You can earn OBC and apply it to your sailing.

 

We don't us cash. We charge everything, including utilities, and pay off the bill each month, thereby incur no finance charges but earn OBC. On our last cruise, between the TA OBC and the Visa OBC, we had over $900.00 in on board credits!!

I agree. You can save 10-20% using a discount travel agent rather than booking directly. The savings could pay for all of your onboard expenses.

 

Buy an FCC (Future Cruise Credit) or two for each of you for $100 each. While this is an upfront expense, you can use an FCC as the total deposit on a cruise when you see one you'd like to take. Plus, you get OBC for booking using an FCC.

[TravelingEA]

Budget - we walk past the every photographer that is trying to take our pictures as we board or eat. We never plan to even look at any of the photos, let alone buy any so why waste the paper and ink to print them.

 

Splurges - coffee card for me and coke card for my wife and specialty restaurants on formal nights.

 

I don't agree with Southwest being the lowest price airlines. They may have been at one time, but the past year or two they have been more expensive (even with the luggage charges) of some of the legacy airlines.

[searoses]

Don't wait til you get off the ship to find a tour....go to trip advisor to get an idea of what is out there .....a tour provider won't last long if they let you miss the boat!....your first cruise will be very exciting....try not to over schedule yourself.....watch a sunrise or sunset or 2 with the kids.....order room service hot choc and cookies and sit on the deck with them...a balcony is our splurge.....we spend very little on board by choice....you 've already paid for what you really need...have a wonderful time!

[coldinerie]

Splurge: The Sanctuary

[taxatty]

Budget--if you want to see a town/city outside of the port, rent a car or take a ferry, train or a bus--the services are often quite good and much cheaper than taking a tour. Advance planning is necessary, but there's lots of information available to do this. Just give yourself plenty of time to get back to the ship in time.

 

If you run out of toiletries, buy them in port--not on the ship.

 

Find an Internet café in the port for online service.

 

Splurge--have a nice lunch at a fancy restaurant in port (a reservation may be necessary)--usually much cheaper than the restaurant's evening meal.

 

Do a private port tour with 2-4 persons--you'll see a lot more.

 

The Chef's Table dinner is excellent and well worth the $$.

[BroncoLvrs]

Savings: Bring our own bottled water to take on excursions as well as "packaged" snacks.

 

Splurge:

 

We buy the UKP for each of us. It allows unlimited sodas, juices, mocktails (try the Key West), shakes and malts.

 

If you are a coffee drinker the coffee card is great. You get 15 specialty coffees (latte, etc) and unlimited brewed coffee. You can use both the UKP and coffee card in the dining room...just let your waiter know and they are happy to get your drinks for you.

 

If you have a balcony you have to do the Ultimate Balcony Dinner...well worth the $ 100 per couple.

 

Booking Independent Tours...check the Ports section in Cruise Critic

(http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5) and then double check with Trip Advisor. Our first cruise we did all Princess excursions (due to the benefit of Princess getting you to your next port if you miss the Ship) but have found we really enjoy the private tours which are usually less costly and give you more options.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Cruise Raider]

Budget: Book an inside room but close to an exit to get out for fresh air when a balcony is not affordable.

Always purchase some extra FCCs so you can book cruises last minute and not be caught without any to apply.

Skip the silly onboard sales

 

Splurge: Try your luck at bingo or the casino...yes, it is a splurge but it might actually turn into a money saving function.

[djms11504]

I love this thread!!! Does Bingo cost money????

[KruzeKrazy!]

Yes, bingo costs money.

 

Budget: make free iced tea with hot tea (bags) and ice.

 

Splurge: UBD is quite special.

 

Ultimate splurge: the Suite life is great!

[Grannycb]

Splurge on buying travel insurance.

[shepcookie]

Budget - We try to book our tours so that we can eat lunch on board since it's included in the cost of the cruise. Also, I only drink water on the ship. I know that's not what most people do, but it can save a lot of money. When going ashore, I'll buy one bottled water and then refill it with tap water for the other ports.

 

Splurge - Usually, I do book my tours through Princess. I can find one that sounds interesting, and I don't have to do any other work to arrange or worry that something will go wrong.

 

Tammy