Trying to pre-pay as much as possible - what am I missing?

[MistyRo76]

So, I am trying to pre-pay as much as I can for our upcoming cruise and I'd like to buy some discounted gift cards to do so. I've already pre-purchased the Cheers program. I'm planning on pre-paying our required gratuities as well. Since we are leaving our 4 year old at home with the grandparents, I plan on getting the Social Wi-Fi Plan to stay in touch with home. We've also reserved the Chef's Table so I can include that. We are on the Paradise - so outside of the Chef's Table, Room Service and the To-Go Sushi stand, I don't think there are any other pay dining option. I'm on the fence about pre-buying the Pixel's Package. And we will have a $75 Visa fee since we are visiting Cuba - I would assume we could put cruise cash down on our account before sailing to pay for that?? 

 

Is there anything else that I'm missing? My sis is treating me to a massage on board for my birthday, so I won't need any other spa treatments. And I will gamble some in the casino, but will probably bring cash for that. Anything else? 

 

Thanks! 

 

 

[bury me at sea]

I prepay parking, though that might not be applicable in your situation.  I also know in advance pretty well what I will spend on board, so I buy discounted gift cards from AARP to take with me and apply them to my S&S account at Guest Services.

Edited January 28, 2019 by bury me at sea

[Schoifmom]

You mentioned the wifi plan.  You can pre-order that and have it paid for before leaving, as well.

 

I think you have a fairly good understanding of the "extras" available on board.

[chasinraynbowz]

Prepay your excursions, your parking if you drive (if you can) and if you are staying at a hotel the night before, prepay that also.  Like you, we prepay everything we can pay. 

[Cruiser_1977]

Not sure if it applies....transportation airport to pier and vice versa. If you buy through Carnival you can pay in advance and use the discounted gift cards 🙂

[MistyRo76]

Thanks, all! 

 

I failed to mention that we are flying in the night before and will just Uber from the airport to hotel and port and back. Being just the hubby and I this time will make getting around pretty easy. 

 

I was thinking I could buy Cruise Cash using the discounted gift cards....is that correct? I've used the discounted gift cards before but only to pay down our balance. 

[Schoifmom]

34 minutes ago, MistyRo76 said:

I was thinking I could buy Cruise Cash using the discounted gift cards....is that correct? I've used the discounted gift cards before but only to pay down our balance. 

 

Yes, you can.  I normally buy a little bit to get us started so I can avoid GS on embarkation day.  

[Roz]

41 minutes ago, chasinraynbowz said:

Prepay your excursions, your parking if you drive (if you can) and if you are staying at a hotel the night before, prepay that also.  Like you, we prepay everything we can pay. 

 

The problem with pre-paying hotel rooms is that most of the time it's non-refundable.

 

Roz

[MistyRo76]

47 minutes ago, Roz said:

 

The problem with pre-paying hotel rooms is that most of the time it's non-refundable.

 

Roz

Agreed on that....I can get good non-refundable rates through work. And I doubt at this point, we'll cancel or change hotel rooms, but it's nice to have the option just in case our flights delay or something crazy happens! 

[hotsauce126]

Why would you buy cruise cash with gift cards when you can just apply the gift cards to your sign and sail account once you get on board?

[MistyRo76]

1 minute ago, hotsauce126 said:

Why would you buy cruise cash with gift cards when you can just apply the gift cards to your sign and sail account once you get on board?

So I don't have to go to guest services to have the gift card added to my account. The Cruise Cash is an immediate credit to your Sign and Sail card. Just easier. 

[bury me at sea]

22 minutes ago, hotsauce126 said:

Why would you buy cruise cash with gift cards when you can just apply the gift cards to your sign and sail account once you get on board?

 

To have one less thing to do upon embarking.

 

I often buy cruise cash close to the amount I've committed to spend (eg Chef's Table) with discounted gift cards, prior to boarding.

Edited January 28, 2019 by bury me at sea

[chasinraynbowz]

1 hour ago, Roz said:

 

The problem with pre-paying hotel rooms is that most of the time it's non-refundable.

 

Roz

You have to use a credit card to reserve and if you are a no show they will charge you anyway, so I am not sure what the problem is with prepaying.  

 

 

[Roz]

When I use my credit card to reserve a hotel room, I can usually cancel within 24-48 hrs. with no penalty.  If pre-paying works for you, go for it.

 

Roz

[chasinraynbowz]

Not trying to be argumentative, but if you book thru a site (hotels.com), you can usually book and pay for you room then and still have the ability to cancel 24-48 hours before your trip.  Just FYI for anyone who is interested.

 

The Op asked what she was missing and that's one of the items she was missing, in my experience.  Everyone's experience is different.  🙂

 

 

 

[tweety33]

4 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

And we will have a $75 Visa fee since we are visiting Cuba - I would assume we could put cruise cash down on our account before sailing to pay for that?? 

I was also looking to confirm this also. I am assuming we can. Wanting to besure before also purchasing more AARP cards.

 

[ZoeyVictoria]

28 minutes ago, chasinraynbowz said:

Not trying to be argumentative, but if you book thru a site (hotels.com), you can usually book and pay for you room then and still have the ability to cancel 24-48 hours before your trip.  Just FYI for anyone who is interested.

 

The Op asked what she was missing and that's one of the items she was missing, in my experience.  Everyone's experience is different.  🙂

 

 

 

 

The last time I used Hotels.com, Amex had a statement credit offer.  I got a discount, paid in advance, and still had the ability to cancel in advance for a refund.

[CLS/KAS]

On 1/28/2019 at 10:22 AM, MistyRo76 said:

So, I am trying to pre-pay as much as I can for our upcoming cruise and I'd like to buy some discounted gift cards to do so. I've already pre-purchased the Cheers program. I'm planning on pre-paying our required gratuities as well. Since we are leaving our 4 year old at home with the grandparents, I plan on getting the Social Wi-Fi Plan to stay in touch with home. We've also reserved the Chef's Table so I can include that. We are on the Paradise - so outside of the Chef's Table, Room Service and the To-Go Sushi stand, I don't think there are any other pay dining option. I'm on the fence about pre-buying the Pixel's Package. And we will have a $75 Visa fee since we are visiting Cuba - I would assume we could put cruise cash down on our account before sailing to pay for that?? 

 

Is there anything else that I'm missing? My sis is treating me to a massage on board for my birthday, so I won't need any other spa treatments. And I will gamble some in the casino, but will probably bring cash for that. Anything else? 

 

Thanks! 

 

 

if you drink water/soda/ beer/liqueur, have it put in your room... water alone is worth it.. all cost extra on board.. can do it through Carnival.. what ever you want...

 

[TruckerDave]

You didn't say which port you are going out of, but another option (depending on the port)  is to get a hotel with a shuttle to/from airport and cruise port.  Thus saving transportation costs. 

[MistyRo76]

16 hours ago, CLS/KAS said:

if you drink water/soda/ beer/liqueur, have it put in your room... water alone is worth it.. all cost extra on board.. can do it through Carnival.. what ever you want...

 

We are doing the Cheers package, so we'll be covered as far as beer/liquor/soda/water. And we'll carry on some sodas for our room and bring on our allotted bottles of wine. 

[MistyRo76]

15 hours ago, TruckerDave said:

You didn't say which port you are going out of, but another option (depending on the port)  is to get a hotel with a shuttle to/from airport and cruise port.  Thus saving transportation costs. 

We are going out of TPA. We are staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Ybor City. We prefer to be in a prime location that is walkable to dining/shopping/nightlife etc. So I don't ever book a hotel based on them having a shuttle or not. I book based on location, pool options and breakfast (free is great!). TPA is pretty easy to get around and an Uber or Lyft is pretty inexpensive to get where we need to go. 

[southbayer]

On 1/28/2019 at 10:36 AM, bury me at sea said:

I prepay parking, though that might not be applicable in your situation.  I also know in advance pretty well what I will spend on board, so I buy discounted gift cards from AARP to take with me and apply them to my S&S account at Guest Services.

I have been seeing people post about discounted AARP gift cards for a long time now... And now that Im a member I have decided to try to... Went to the site it took me too, bout a $100 e gift card, and I entered my AARP member number as i was filling out my info, and I didn't get a discount, just charged me the face value... what did I do wrong ??

[MoxieDoll66]

Southbayer- you have to do things on the AARP website (quizzes and signing up for newsletters) and then redeem the points for the discounted gift card.  It's called "Rewards for Good".  It's really really easy to rack up a lot of points quickly!

 

Here's the place you want to go on the AARP website :rewards for good

[sanger727]

To answer your question; the only thing you didn’t mention was excursions.

[tandemcruzr]

I didn't see if you mentioned David's Steakhouse as a pay for meal. It is on deck 10.