Save without Sacrifice

[Sky Sweet]

What do you do to save money on a cruise without sacrificing much, if anything? There are two main things we do. First of all, we book as early as possible to lock in a good price. Secondly, we select a cruise that leaves just before or after prime season. For example, by booking the Baltic Cruise that returns on July 1 instead of leaving that day we saved a few hundred dollars.

[Leela]

I know people think this is risky but I book my own air. Every time I've done it I've saved about $100 per person over what Celebrity was charging for their air package. Granted, I've only done this to "easy" ports so far -- like Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Seattle, but it works well for me.

 

Also, until recently, I was very flexible in my cruise plans. I would decide about a month before sailing that I wanted to go, and then I'd look at Celebrity's web site and take anything that was available that sounded interesting. If you're willing to be flexible about ship, itinerary, and cabin, you can pick up some good last-minute deals that way.

[Brucemcdou]

Good thread topic! Like you, Sky Sweet, we try to book far in advance and look for the good values - the relocation cruise, or the off-season trip. We watch for when cruises are originally released, and grab a cabin right then. We've never seen the price go below the original price. If we need to go in peak season then it's an OV or an inside cabin for us! Like Lila, we also book our own air, usually using FF miles to get one of our two tickets. For our upcoming Baltic trip we got one r/t ticket to London in business class using miles, and paid for one. That's a savings of more than the cost of our cruise right there!

 

To save onboard, we're judicious about taking shore excursions. Nowadays we only use the ship shore excursions if we're concerned about getting back to the ship on time - an all-day trip in a European port, for example. I've also given up getting massages on board - the Steiner services are great, but they cost almost twice what they do here in San Francisco (which is saying a lot!), and I can soak in the T-pool for free!

 

We still splurge on a couple of dinners in the Specialty restaurant on board, on wines at dinner, and we make sure we tip everyone who helped us significantly more than the recommended amounts. An excellent waiter, cabin steward or sommelier can make much more of a difference to our cruise experience than whether or not I get a hot stone massage!

[Leela]

I agree with you about the Steiner services. I used to get a hot stone massage every cruise, and also go for manicures and pedicures, but the truth is the services are twice what pay at home and not even always as good. My last manicure sealed it for me: the woman not only ripped two cuticles, but she spent the whole time pitching products at me. It really turned me off and I realized that if I skipped the spa completely I'd save a lot of money. I have yet to have a massage better than what my favorite bodyworkers at home can do, anyway.

 

Although...I might go in for one of those frangipani hair packs. I also had a color job done once that was incredible. It is so much fun to go to the spa, I'm just tired of going and being disappointed by the massages and the endless product pitches.

[spearmint]

What do you do to save money on a cruise without sacrificing much, if anything? There are two main things we do. First of all, we book as early as possible to lock in a good price. Secondly, we select a cruise that leaves just before or after prime season. For example, by booking the Baltic Cruise that returns on July 1 instead of leaving that day we saved a few hundred dollars.

 

I agree, this is a good thread. We actually don't do much and as result do not save what we could.

(1) Check the Captain's Club magazine for savings certificates on certain trips to see if they match up to what you want. They are time-limited. On our upcoming trip to the Baltics on Constellation this coming summer, I checked everything out in October/05, as to price etc. and I knew that a certificate for at least $75 was available if booked before Nov.30/05. The

amount will vary depending on OV, Concierge Class etc. But I dithered as to whether we would do the cruise or not and lost out.

(2) On our November/05 cruise on Century, (and I did at least use a Concierge Class certificate for that trip) I heard about the ship board credit for booking future cruises, but was not exactly sure what that was all about, and did NOT go and check it out on board and so lost out on a $200-credit, which can even be transferred to a future cruise if you change your mind as to the cruise you sign up for! (It was only on these boards that I got this all straight.)

(3) You are right about booking early. We did finally book the cruise in January/06, and the price was then higher than that in Oct./05, naturally, for the entire air/hotel/cruise package. Not too bright, wouldn't you say? LOL

 

As for wine, drinks etc. we have a bottle of wine with dinner every night, and some before and after dinner while we are dancing or in the theatre, so we do not save there. But in this case, why would you deny yourself to save a few dollars if it is not excessive? There are some people on these boards who say they save by purchasing liquor packages online to be in the cabin when they arrive. I must check this out further for wines.

[superjerryw]

The easiest way to save is to book a cheaper cabin. As people that are very active and really use the cabin just for sleeping and showering we don't feel the need to buy an expensive cabin that we will never be in.

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Best way to save money, and get the most for your cruising dollar,

summed up in three words or less:

Transatlantic, Transatlantic, Transatlantic!

[flashdog_1]

Agree with all the above, except a hot stone massage is worth more to me than two trips to the specialty restaurant. Just personal preference. I do not do it at full price, though, only when it is offered at a special rate.

 

I try to pack carefully taking all the supplies I think I'll need so I won't have to run to a drug store for sun screen etc. or hand sanitizers for shore excursions.

 

If there is a particularly good restaurant that serves local cuisine, I would not want to miss it in a foreign port (the ships of X do not serve local cuisine, unfortunately, just the Mexican, Italian and Oriental buffets which I have not enjoyed particularly) & will go for it, but otherwise, try to plan my shore excursions so that we don't miss a meal on the ship. If we'll only be a little late getting back, I will have some peanuts brought from home, that kind of thing to tide us over until we can get back to the ship. It isn't always wise to go back to the ship for lunch if you will be far away from her on your morning excursion if it will involve a $20 cab fare! In that case, you may as well eat lunch in a restaurant, saving cab fare and time.

 

Know the ship's duty free prices on liquor before you rush off to buy some on shore. Sometimes the ship is cheaper for the same product, but not always.

 

I also always take cokes/7 ups/empty water bottles that I've filled with ship's water etc. for shore excursions so I don't end up having to pay.

[Leela]

Here's another one.

 

If you're anything like me and actually enjoy playing Bingo and want to try for the big jackpot, don't get sucked in to playing every day. I really don't think on the first few days that the chances of hitting the jackpot are that good because they allow you so few calls to get it. As the week goes on, they add more calls. The last two cruises I went on the Bingo jackpot didn't get awarded until the 2nd to last and last nights of the trip. So, there's not much point (other than half-price sea breezes) to playing Bingo early in the week.

 

(I spent too much on Bingo on my last trip, and so figured this out then....)

 

Almost forgot --

 

I travel a lot so I have a tri-band GSM phone with world-wide coverage via T-Mobile. I'm very very happy with the service, and have found that it is cheaper to call home briefly from the cell phone when we are in port than to use the ship's phone at any time. (Of course, if you buy calling cards and use them ashore, that's even cheaper, but there is the convenience aspect of using your own cell phone.)

 

The only place where this hasn't worked, interestingly enough, was St. Thomas! I have no idea why, but I could not get a signal that day. So I made my call the next day when I got to St. Martin, no problem.

[Lois R]

Another way to save.....if you are so inclined and can go

at the last minute.....book something on a Happy Hour:).

That can really save a lot of $$$.

[DancerOT]

Your special cell may not have worked in St. Thomas, but regular not so special cells work there!

[trcori]

Totally agree with Leela's bingo tip. That's what I did last cruise. Put in $20 for a card on the second-to-last day -- and won the special $1K consolation prize, immediately applied to the deposit for the cruise we are now a month away from! ... speaking of which, booking onboard is a money-saver; you can always alter the reservation later, just pick some sort of date while you are on board, and you get onboard credit for your next cruise! (We have $200 for the Galaxy 12-nighter we're taking 4/1.)

 

We also keep our onboard tab down by only having the extra-cost beverages we REALLY want. For my husband, it's the daily martini. For me, it's an adult coffee at Cova. Rest of the time, I drink A LOT OF WATER on a cruise - saves calories and money and I don't feel deprived at all; would feel more deprived to be spending the outrageous cost for other drinks which aren't so special and don't ever seem (when we try them during "specials") to contain much booze anyway :) plus the soda card is ridiculously priced in our view, so our kid drinks the free punch on board (and likes it!). This is not inconsiderable savings considering I hear people going on and on (like the guy in line behind me for bingo on the last cruise) about four-digit bar tabs ... on a one-week cruise!

[davis0056]

Why is there one in every group? Mommy always told me if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all!!:

 

Dave

[LMKohler]

I'm not sure what the previous poster is referring to. So far, everyone seems to be responding very nicely.

 

I would like to add, though, that my Verizon cell phone worked perfectly in St. Thomas. Now, I'm wondering if it will work in Hawaii??????

 

Lucy

[usha]

We book early to get a good price locked in, and we book with an agent who will give us a price reduction if it comes along. Also, we usually get a basic outside cabin, only occasionally splurging for a balcony, but not a suite. We don't book the outrageously expensive cruiseline excursions; if we do the excursions, we book them on our own & save $$$. I'm not a spa freak and neither of us gambles at all, so LOTS of money gets saved there. DH gets a little nuts ordering good wines with dinner, though. That's our big splurge.

[Brucemcdou]

I would like to add, though, that my Verizon cell phone worked perfectly in St. Thomas. Now, I'm wondering if it will work in Hawaii??????

 

Lucy

 

Lucy - Just to give you comfort, my Verizon phone (actually two different Verizon phones over the past five years of annual trips to Hawaii) have worked just fine in Hawaii. Of course, if you don't have a plan that includes roaming (America's Choice?) then you'll pay extra for roaming, but it should work. You may have to mess with your settings to allow the phone to seek out the best signal, and if there are multiple signals you can select the signal you want to reduce or eliminate the roaming charge, again, at least on my phone.:)

[dmarch@islc.net]

I agree with you about the Steiner services. I used to get a hot stone massage every cruise, and also go for manicures and pedicures, but the truth is the services are twice what pay at home and not even always as good. My last manicure sealed it for me: the woman not only ripped two cuticles, but she spent the whole time pitching products at me. It really turned me off and I realized that if I skipped the spa completely I'd save a lot of money. I have yet to have a massage better than what my favorite bodyworkers at home can do, anyway.

 

Although...I might go in for one of those frangipani hair packs. I also had a color job done once that was incredible. It is so much fun to go to the spa, I'm just tired of going and being disappointed by the massages and the endless product pitches.

So true! Most of the treatments are a disappointment when compared to a land based spa. I do get my teeth whitened on board. The cost is $100 to $150 compared to my dentist's $500. Doesn't seem to last as long, but still I think it's a great deal. I've tried a few of their products and have been really impressed. I really love Thor body milk, too bad it's $60 a bottle! LOL

[LMKohler]

Brucemcdou--thanks:D :D Roaming is included in my plan so hopefully I won't have any problems.

 

Annual trips to Hawaii--lucky you;) ;)

 

Lucy

[Fang]

I agree with many of the above, the spa services are not worth the money, for me. My wife does get a massage, one time during the cruise. She books it on a port day, for the reduced rate.

 

For me, I would rather eat at the olympic, or other ones twice, for the price of the massage.

 

Also, I try to drink the drink of the day, that saves about a buck for each drink