The ultimate money saving tip?

[jcruise67]

I know theres been numerous threads suggesting various methods of saving money on a cruise. what is your ultimate money saving tip? Just post your most significant one. I know there may be more than one, but by posting only one of your best other members can add their own personal best here on this thread. Thanks.

 

Heres mine...and it save DW and almost $600.00

 

Since everything on the cruise is purchased with your sail & sign sea pass be sure and save every single receipt when you make a purchase. In 1998 DW and I were on our first cruise and our sail & sign account resulted in a $600.00 overcharge. If we didn't save every receipt that we signed, we would never have been capable of refuting the charges with the purser. A review of our bill showed that the overcharges originated from other pax signing the wrong receipt that went unnoticed by cruise line bar staff. Other charges did not reflect my signature at all, and several other receipts didn't match my signature. Thank God we saved our receipts, because it was the only way it could be rectified. Its a good idea to sign your receipt in such a unique way that only you have that type of signature. if it is consistent with all your receipts the cruise line has no other choice but to remove the charges that you are challenging. I have seen pax become irate over being overcharged, however the purser's desk could not resove the matter with them becuase their receipts accumulated over the duration of the cruise reflected the charges and the pax did not retain their receipts in order to refute them. Just something DW and I learned and wanted to share with you.

 

jcruise

[Happy ks]

My best money saving tip is to book way in advance. I read from time to time about price drops, but I've never had a cruise price drop lower than what we pay if we book a year in advance.

 

Put yourself on a budget and stick to it while on a cruise, don't throw caution to the wind and buy, buy, buy. We purchase one formal photo, wine with dinner and a few drinks during the week. I have, a few times, purchased cosmetics onboard, only if they carry what I already know I use and need. We learned, the hard way, to not buy any logo souvenir, we end up throwing it in the trash when we get home anyway.

 

Take enough money to have a good time, but don't spend so much you end up paying off the cruise for months after you return home.

[98Charlie]

For those who live too far from port cities to drive (like us):

 

We take bumps on flights when available coming home from a cruise. The added wait time for the next flight is minimal in comparison to the free flight vouchers we receive which helps pay for our flights to our next cruise.

 

Our ultimate bump experience happened on our last cruise in December last year. Purchased our flight to port city with $400 in bump vouchers received from a flight home a March 05 cruise. Volunteered for two bumps flying home from the December cruise. Had an extra day of vacation padded into our schedule in case we could take a bump.

 

Got home a day later than originally scheduled with $1600 in free air fare vouchers in hand. Have already used those vouchers to pay for flights for two more cruises this year.:)

 

Our cruise motto: We may cruise cheap, but we do cruise often!:D

 

Dianne

[kingclick]

Stay home.

[kstmommy]

We take bumps on flights when available coming home from a cruise. The added wait time for the next flight is minimal in comparison to the free flight vouchers we receive which helps pay for our flights to our next cruise.

Dianne

 

I sure would be willing to do this as well. I'm not sure what you mean though by "bump"? How exactly does that work?

 

My best money savings tip is to watch watch watch cruise prices. It may be redundant every day or boring, but it's worth it if the price does drop. Mine dropped $100 and I got a better cabin, so it was way worth it. The cruiselines usually will honor a lower price. Maybe not always, but usually I'd say.

[98Charlie]

I sure would be willing to do this as well. I'm not sure what you mean though by "bump"? How exactly does that work?

 

My best money savings tip is to watch watch watch cruise prices. It may be redundant every day or boring, but it's worth it if the price does drop. Mine dropped $100 and I got a better cabin, so it was way worth it. The cruiselines usually will honor a lower price. Maybe not always, but usually I'd say.

 

When a flight is overbooked, which happens more times than most realize, the air line will ask at the gate if anyone is willing to give up their seats on the plane and wait for a later flight. That's what is called a bump - sometimes you need to spend an extra night at your point of departure, sometimes not. You just need to know up front from the air line what your expenses and time difference in arriving at desitnation would be if you offer to give up your seats.

 

Twice we've taken airline bumps that had entailed overnight stays at the point of departure. Both times the cost of staying overnight were far less than the free air miles offered to us by the air lines. We look at is an extra night of vacation as long as we can use the free flight vouchures in the amount of times designated. There is a time limit in which to use the free air miles, normally within a year from the date the voucher is earned.

 

Dianne

[Nliedel]

Trip insurance. It seems like a big expense but it makes the stress lesson and the most expensive a vacation is one you need a vacation from afterwards!

[SueSea]

If we didn't save every receipt that we signed, we would never have been capable of refuting the charges with the purser. A review of our bill showed that the overcharges originated from other pax signing the wrong receipt that went unnoticed by cruise line bar staff. Other charges did not reflect my signature at all, and several other receipts didn't match my signature. Thank God we saved our receipts, because it was the only way it could be rectified. Its a good idea to sign your receipt in such a unique way that only you have that type of signature. if it is consistent with all your receipts the cruise line has no other choice but to remove the charges that you are challenging. I have seen pax become irate over being overcharged, however the purser's desk could not resove the matter with them becuase their receipts accumulated over the duration of the cruise reflected the charges and the pax did not retain their receipts in order to refute them. Just something DW and I learned and wanted to share with you.

 

I agree with you that you should save all your receipts, but I don't quite see how saving your receipts helps you refute a charge you didn't make. That is, by showing the Purser all your receipts except those in question doesn't prove you didn't make the disputed charges. Someone could simply throw away half their receipts and claim they didn't make those charges. Showing receipts for charges you aren't disputing is not going to prove anything.

 

You should save your receipts so that you can verify all the charges on your statement. If you find any charges on your statement that you do not have a receipt for, ask the Purser to show you the original charge slip with your signature. If he can't, you aren't liable--especially if you use a credit card to pay for your sign & sail card. If you dispute the charge with your credit card company, they will back you up if the cruise line can't provide proof of purchase.

[macnbc]

The biggest money-saver out there:

 

Don't cruise and don't travel.... unfortunately that can get boring. :)

[Jane110]

98Charlie,

 

When you accept being bumped from the flight, do they give your luggage back to you or do they send it on the plane to your destination so it's there a day ahead of you?

 

Jane

[98Charlie]

98Charlie,

 

When you accept being bumped from the flight, do they give your luggage back to you or do they send it on the plane to your destination so it's there a day ahead of you?

 

Jane

 

Our luggage has always been flown to our destination on our original flight and placed in locked storage until we arrive to claim it.

 

I've learned to always pack any basic essentials (underwear, toothbrush, etc. for DH & I in a carry on in case a bump requires an over night stay.

 

Dianne

[cruisinbuddy]

I like the idea of keeping the reciepts to check over them. I am planning to bring something to keep them separated by the day and go through them a couple times during the cruise. You can get a copy of your bill any time you want. So some evening while I'm waiting for DW to get ready for dinner, well worth the wait I might add, I'll go through them.

[jcruise67]

I like the idea of keeping the reciepts to check over them. I am planning to bring something to keep them separated by the day and go through them a couple times during the cruise. You can get a copy of your bill any time you want. So some evening while I'm waiting for DW to get ready for dinner, well worth the wait I might add, I'll go through them.

 

Good Point Cruisinbuddy. Sometimes, pax do not understand the significance of saving their Sail & Sign Receipts. It could make all the difference in the event of a descrepency.

 

jcruise

[Jane110]

Our luggage has always been flown to our destination on our original flight and placed in locked storage until we arrive to claim it.

 

I've learned to always pack any basic essentials (underwear, toothbrush, etc. for DH & I in a carry on in case a bump requires an over night stay.

 

Dianne

 

 

Thanks. Good to know!

 

I enjoyed your "bump" story. The few times I've been in the airport and asked for a volunteer bump, I was not able to take the airline up on the offer. However, I do have a nice "bump" story to share too.....

 

Early in my career when I was not making much money, the airline I usually flew on, was offering a sale on coach class tickets from NY to Fla, for the price of 10,000 miles instead of the usual 20,000. I thought it was a good opp. to go and see my Mom. The only stipulation was that you had to make a stop in DC instead of flying nonstop. I booked it. No problem on the trip down. On the trip home, when we stopped in DC, they asked for volunteer bumps. The offer was that we would get on another plane within 2 hours, but it would go to Newark instead of LaGuardia and we'd get a voucher for a free domestic coach class ticket. At the time, cabfare from LaG, was about $25. and cabfare from Nwk was about $40. and I only had about $30 or $40. on me. No one was volunteering so I went up for the desk and explained my situation and the gate agent said, "is that you're ONLY problem?". I said yes and she said she'd arrange a private car to pick me up from Nwk and take me home at NO charge!

I took the bump. So for a measly 10,000 miles I got a trip to Fla, a free cab ride home and a trip to LA the next year! What a deal!:D

 

Jane

[98Charlie]

Thanks. Good to know!

 

I enjoyed your "bump" story. The few times I've been in the airport and asked for a volunteer bump, I was not able to take the airline up on the offer. However, I do have a nice "bump" story to share too.....

 

Early in my career when I was not making much money, the airline I usually flew on, was offering a sale on coach class tickets from NY to Fla, for the price of 10,000 miles instead of the usual 20,000. I thought it was a good opp. to go and see my Mom. The only stipulation was that you had to make a stop in DC instead of flying nonstop. I booked it. No problem on the trip down. On the trip home, when we stopped in DC, they asked for volunteer bumps. The offer was that we would get on another plane within 2 hours, but it would go to Newark instead of LaGuardia and we'd get a voucher for a free domestic coach class ticket. At the time, cabfare from LaG, was about $25. and cabfare from Nwk was about $40. and I only had about $30 or $40. on me. No one was volunteering so I went up for the desk and explained my situation and the gate agent said, "is that you're ONLY problem?". I said yes and she said she'd arrange a private car to pick me up from Nwk and take me home at NO charge!

I took the bump. So for a measly 10,000 miles I got a trip to Fla, a free cab ride home and a trip to LA the next year! What a deal!:D

 

Jane

 

Way to go, Jane!:)

 

Dianne

[drwong]

Our luggage has always been flown to our destination on our original flight and placed in locked storage until we arrive to claim it.

 

I've learned to always pack any basic essentials (underwear, toothbrush, etc. for DH & I in a carry on in case a bump requires an over night stay.

 

Dianne

 

Most of the major airlines at the major airports either carry toiletries kits, or will give you a travel voucher to use at one of the stores there (if they're still open by the time you arrive!). Ask at the baggage office or the customer service desk.

[mared1]

Not only should you keep your receipts from you sail and sign card but also copies of any reservations you made for hotels, car rentals, etc.

I had booked a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and cancelled it when I found a beter rate elsewhere. I printed out the cancellation notice and kept it - which was a good thing. When we got our credit card statement I had been charged for one nights stay at the hotel I had cancelled. I faxed the cancellation notice and the charge was removed. If I hadn't kept it I would have no way to prove I had cancelled it.

[dyslexic pirate]

On our recent Costa cruise we really kept a cap on our expenses. Planned our own idependent excursions etc. I put together my own "Daily" sheet of what we had planned each day right down to the expenses.

 

At the end of each day while I was snuggled in bed going over the information that had been left in the cabin by our room steward for the next day, I would also do a quick reconciliation of the day we'd just enjoyed. I saved all the reciepts and it took about 5 minutes and my little sheets acted almost like a journal of the cruise. It kept us on track for spending and it was encouraging to see where we'd managed to save a little here and there but still have fun.

 

98Charlie my husband is real antsy to try that airline "bump" thing. Maybe you can teach him the technique when we meet up on the Star in September!

[cruisingismylife]

:) One thing you can do to try and save money is your pre and post cruise hotels. Many sites such as Howard Johnson, Days Inn, Travelodge, Wingate and Americahost all have the policy that they offer the best rate on their hotels if not its FREE. So you only have to check their rates then shop other websites for their hotels and if you find the same room offered cheaper, note the price and website. Go back and book it and then fill out the request form and with 4-6 hours you will get a response back. If only applies to 1 night but its perfect if you are only there for 1 night. We have been so lucky with this program that we have booked over 6 hotels at various times in the next couple of months and we have them all for FREE!!!!:p :)

[alley524]

The bump is the most awsome trick. Don't wait for them ask. Go up to the desk as soon as someone appears and let them know you're willing to take a bump is there is a need. You'll be first on their list and first one asked.

 

On our flight back from our Alaskan cruise we got to take a bump. We got vouchers for food, put up in a hotel for the night and each got a 300.00 airfare voucher. Oh and free cab back and forth to the airport.

 

The next morning we went back to catch our 'bumped' flight and they were asking, begging for two people to take a bump. LOL. I so wanted to take the second bump but couldn't possible use the tickets in the year's time allowance. Our next two trips were already paid for. LOL. We got on the plane. But we got on in style. Our bumped flights had bumped us up to first class. Yes!

[c_galle]

What is your unit patch. I know its out of Meade. My dad wore that patch when he was in. Worked at NSA. Thanks.

[Narina]

My tip is to look in the back of the little brochure Carnival sends with your tickets. In the back of that brochure is a list of hotels in the port cities or near the airport you fly into to get to the port. If you call those hotels alot of them have pre and post cruise packages. Just ask them if they give a discounted rate for Cruise passengers.

 

I have stayed in Orlando at the Marriot for $50.00 a night pre and post cruise. And also the Crown plaza for $50.00 a night pre and post Cruise.

 

In Vancouver we stayed at the Hilton for $70.00 a night Canadian before our Alaskan cruise.

 

You do have to do a bit of calling around because they do sell out fast. But it doesnt hurt to take a few minutes and ask. I have stayed at really nice hotels for cheap money.