Money saving tips

[bingo3]

Sorry do not believe this change was due to the booze smugglers' date=' any more than I think they will not deliver purchases to your cabin the last night of the cruise as they think you will drink your stuff instead of buying drinks on the ship.

 

They do it to increase revenue[/quote']

 

bringing your own cans, as opposed to bottles, does not increase revenue, nor does not delivering your booze. They clearly were tired of checking bottles for liquor, and picking up your own booze saves them staff hours delivering it. But, since they do not want you buying it elsewhere and then drinking it onboard, they should be the ones inconvenienced to deliver it, not the customers. :(

[TC Cruiser]

The pour your own beer stand in the lido was cheaper than at the bar.

 

Skip the specialty dining.

 

Check the Ports of Call area on CC and find out who to go with for excursions outside the cruise line. We've had great luck with this in three or four ports.

 

Skip the spa treatments.

 

Bring a plastic water bottle and fill it on the ship instead of buying water.

 

Book an inside stateroom.

[smurf1635]

The best I do is 10% off with Verizon. Pay with a rewards CC and I get a total of 10.9-11.8% off, total. Might not seem like a high % but for two rooms plus gratuities on our upcoming cruise, about $400 savings.

 

These were not available yesterday. I've done this in the past and hoped to do it again.:confused:

[Badfinger]

Last summer's clothes will work just fine. No need to go buy a whole new cruise wardrobe. Nobody will remember a thing that you wore other than yourself. Wish someone had told ME that a few years ago....

 

I do just the opposite. I pack clothes that I will likely just throw away on the ship rather than bring home. Old tee shirts and worn out shoes for excursions... check...faded swim trunks for the hot tub...check....half-used tubes of sunscreen...check...razor blade with 2-3 shaves left...check. You get the idea.

[mapsmith]

Ignore the fact that there is a Casino and Spa on the ship. Walk through the towns rather than take an expensive excursion.

[mzloolue]

Take a cheap watch from home.

There are very few clocks.

And Carnival's watches are fake.

 

Anything the Cruise Director is selling is a con, so avoid anything he touts.

Inch of fake gold, fake watches, rip off bingo, casino, Carnival's recommended shops in port, expensive costume bracelets, onboard teeth whitening...

 

Also avoid any "sales" from printed out ads delivered to your bed nightly.

 

And for the cruise price, watch prices on line.

Learn the different room categories and check prices for each.

It helps if you can cruise off season.

 

Study the port of call boards.

 

Have a nice family who will give you Carnival gift cards instead of junk you don't need.

Edited March 8, 2016 by mzloolue

[caddykid12]

Go to all the free trivia you can.. 2 or 3 a day... win about 12 ships on a stick and smelt down the "24 karat coating" they have :D you should gather at least an ounce and with gold being so high! You can't go wrong. You would think carnival wouldn't make them in 24k gold any longer. Either way an ounce smelted down is a decent return.

[tbmrt]

I just got a Carnival Credit Card from Barclay's that offered a $75 gift card and $100 OBC. Not bad for 5 minutes work.

 

Can you use $100 OBC on cruise already booked?

 

Couldn't find this link. Would appreciate more info/link.

 

Thanks

[Micahs Grandad]

bringing your own cans, as opposed to bottles, does not increase revenue, nor does not delivering your booze. They clearly were tired of checking bottles for liquor, and picking up your own booze saves them staff hours delivering it. But, since they do not want you buying it elsewhere and then drinking it onboard, they should be the ones inconvenienced to deliver it, not the customers. :(

 

When they started to expect us to wait on line to pickup booze purchased on the ship the last morning is when we stopped buying it there.

[skyeman27]

Only use your S&S card for cabin entry and on & off ship at ports...

[sjn911]

Great thread reminder...when you need or want to go spending the least..enjoy reading...wow on all the card ideas. And the jokes.

 

I love coke..it is my worst thing..coke and bread and butter...working on much much less..as I do...taste does change...ice water and a cup of coffee that I sip...have close all the time..but drink way more water than coffee..seems to help me the most...and that is a money helper..even if you are a two fisted drinker...LOL.

 

PS..the older I get the less i care about the "newest" look...there are lots of looks that are more or less timeless and I have bought a lot online last few years...E-bay local garage sales...now I am done for a while..don't overdue..but have many things along with inheriting a lot of my mom's wardrobe...that are timeless jacket, tank or blouse, nice shirt, slack looks. Dressy and casual...winter and summer..coats and sweaters. Enjoy what you have a little longer. When I get thinner again...I will splurge a little. Moving back to Montana...all types..and there is less need to dress to the nines and folks are more casual. But many dress properly things still!!

 

I only do the toss thing for camping though...not cruising or special travel..new undie pack for that LOL.

Edited March 9, 2016 by sjn911

[lgildein]

I booked a guarantee cabin thru Carnival. Today I received my cabin number, however, I don't know what site to go to so I can "see" where my cabin is located. Is there a special site for this? I tried Carnival, it didn't show me.

I understand its a brand new ship, any ideas???

[birdiebob1961]

I booked a guarantee cabin thru Carnival. Today I received my cabin number, however, I don't know what site to go to so I can "see" where my cabin is located. Is there a special site for this? I tried Carnival, it didn't show me.

I understand its a brand new ship, any ideas???

 

Go to carnival.com, click on EXPLORE and then OUR SHIPS. Find the Vista and click on it and then go into DECK PLANS. Will show you each deck of the ship.

[violetsmile]

A few things we've learned:

 

• Grocery store Carnival gift cards purchased with a cash back rewards program (we haven't paid for gas in months).
  
• Independently booked excursions in port--check the boards here and posts on TA.
  
• No souvenir cups for drinks (I also avoid the premade drinks at embarkation, and order what I actually want at a bar).
  
• Book Early Saver and track prices obsessively.
  
• Prioritize where you are willing to spend money, and where you aren't BEFORE the cruise. For example, we love Chef's Table, which is pricey, but a great experience. However, as much as we love massages, we never go to the spa.
  
• Remember the research that says more happiness is gained through experiences than stuff. Avoid buying stuff you don't actually want because you're caught up in the moment.
  
• If you drink, wine packages, or the first-night promo in the Steakhouse may be worth your money.
  
• Set a budget. We use gift cards for our S&S, too, and try not to go over our budgeted amount.
  

[Revdoll]

The best way we save money is by following a daily budget, we decide what we are going to spend on each day before we leave for the cruise. We always add about 10% extra for each day. When we go ashore we take only the money we planned on taking for that day. That keeps us from spontaneously spending money on junk we don't need. We do private tours and pay for them before the cruise. Usually we find by the end of the cruise we have extra money in our budget, which we spend on the last port day or the last day at sea. The best part about it, is there are no surprises on my sail and sign account on the last night. For those who will comment that it's a vacation and sticking to a budget is not what you do on vacation. I enjoy watching you stand in line with the other non-budgeting passengers, at guest services on the last night trying to figure out why you bill is over $1000 or more.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Warm Breezes]

We use our rewards credit card to purchase everything...food, gas, clothing, restaurants, college tuition (2 kids this year), travel, etc and pay it off in full each month. It takes discipline and self-control to purchase only what you can afford, but with me as an accountant and DH as an avid saver we have no problem. We will have close to $900 in spending money for our cruise in May free just from rewards points.

[crusinpsychRN]

True but when your hand changes color due to the "gold" coming right off it can be a bit annoying.

 

Mine never did that. I've had it 10 years.

[tigresslea]

Here's another one for anyone that might have to fly to their port and can use Southwest.

 

1) Sign up for Target red card (credit or debit)

 

2) Purchase discounted secondary market gift cards (Target) from a gift card reseller. I use Raise.com or Cardpool.com most of the time but there are others out there.

• Target discounted cards vary but should be between 4-8% off

 

3) Register for a Target account and enter your red card as the default payment.

 

4) Place Southwest gift cards into your cart. There may be a limit on how many gift cards you can purchase in one transaction but you can just do multiple transactions. Proceed to check out. Make sure your Red card is the default payment.

 

5) Chose pay with a gift card. Enter and apply up to 4 gift cards at a time.

 

6) You should see your 5% red card discount and NO taxes or shipping fees. Some have reported taxes being charged or the discount not showing. If that happened clear all your cookies/history and try again.

 

This has to be done at Target.com in order to use the 5% redcard discount when paying with a gift card.

 

Using this method, you can save anywhere from 8.8% - 12.6% (depending on your secondary market Target gift card savings) on your Southwest flight.

This is great! Thanks.

[snowskier]

I book the cruise with my rewards card, through the airline website and get tons of points. Haven't paid for a flight in years. The trip back from our TA this year is first class -- free. That saves lots of dollars.

 

I don't drink alcohol or soda, took advantage of the free gratuities, specialty restaurant sale quite some time ago so S&S balance will be next to nothing.

 

I tend to spend money on travel that has more adventure and unique things to do than cruising so it is easy for me to walk away from a cruise without spending much money other than the cruise fare.

[bar1068]

bringing your own cans, as opposed to bottles, does not increase revenue, nor does not delivering your booze. They clearly were tired of checking bottles for liquor, and picking up your own booze saves them staff hours delivering it. But, since they do not want you buying it elsewhere and then drinking it onboard, they should be the ones inconvenienced to deliver it, not the customers. :(

 

No, all of that does not generate revenue, but the $2.99, now $3.99 12 paks of water does....

[Florings]

Take your allowed bottle of wine per person, and your 12 pack of canned soft drinks per person.

 

Set a daily budget and stick to it. We start saving for each cruise a year in advance and pay cash for everything, including the cruise fares.

 

So much free stuff to do onboard, music, trivia, comedy, shows, dancing. Beaches in port, some ports have good self-guided walking tours (Google it).

 

Order room service, no charge items. Don't pay for any extra food when so much is included at no charge.

[guxu]

If you have some cash sitting in local bank earning 0.1% interest, buy CCL stock and get some OBC.

[RuthlessBoss]

Mine never did that. I've had it 10 years.

 

But how much is it worn? Ours turned the skin green real quick.

[sjn911]

I do have a silver chained beautiful aquamarine with a teeny diamond on top drop necklace. It is my fancy "real necklace" I paid appx 70 to 79 dollars for it on the ship..Costa Riviera in late 80's or early 90's. I know is not too expensive of a stone and just silver..but it is lovely..and I had something "real" to wear when my neck was young from a "peak" experience and to dream with and one day give to a niece. We can make silly mistakes...but do not throw your wisdom or playfulness away, look, ...sometimes ship sales have real nice middle range special things. If they match your kind of special: And your extra money is there.... splurge...I may have to go put it on now ( it has magic powers and feelings to it 30 years later)...LOL...happy cruising...just be reasonable and yes even "junk" jewelry can be special worn right..over the sweater etc. I beleive in having both kinds and vintage..best way in the world to make a 10 year wardrobe classic piece different...shop with care..know the metal stamps..and please have fun on your vacation...one little splurge, if able is nice, from one trip a necklace. another a massage, another the steakhouse, another...the best beach with drinks you brought and the cab getting there...

Edited March 9, 2016 by sjn911

[SkyMaster]

But how much is it worn? Ours turned the skin green real quick.

 

The lovely, and talented Mrs. Jones bought an ankle bracelet from Carnival, Inch of Gold, and each and every time it starts to wear off, she just takes it back to 'em, and they replace it, FREE OF CHARGE. Granted, we cruise a lot, so it's no problem to keep her ankle bracelet like new, at all times. ;)

 

"SKY"