Saving some money on next cruise

[neverbeenhere]

OP: why not get off the ship in Cozumel and Nassau? Both are easy exits and the port areas are safe and free. No need to spend a nickel. Watch the giant screen in Nassau,,sit in the grass and stare at the ships in port. listen to the drunks sing in Cozumel. Get whistled at for crossing the yellow line. Go above the water snorkeling. Sit and people watch. Free free free free. 

[restasured]

20 hours ago, tvo7 said:

Hello.

 

I want to do 1 last cruise with my family and I am looking at Harmony of the seas 8 days to Eastern Caribbean with a stop in Coco Cay. 

 

Unfortunately, I am not rich like everyone else on here and I am a tight budget.  There will be 6 of my family members.  2 interior rooms with 3 people in each.

 

To save money, I will only be doing free things.  No paying extra for restaurants, no excursions off the ship, no drink package, just free things.

 

Another way to save money, was to save on tipping.  I will go to the front desk and cancel prepaid tips.  I am estimating prepaid tips to be almost 700 dollars which is pretty extensive for someone like me.  

 

I was thinking of just handing cash of 50$ to each stateroom attendant, 20 dollars to the waiter and 10 to his assistant in the main dining room.  

 

Has anyone done this before?

 

 

No and never would!!  The state room attendant and dining staff may be all a cruiser sees and interacts with, but there are many others on the ship that without them the experience would be nowhere neat what a cruiser would want to experience.  I realize finances can be tight for many people, but I would forget the 8-day cruise and opt for a 5-, 6- or 7-night cruise that costs less.  Cruise price and tips would be less expensive, as long as a person checks prices for cruises.  A $75per person decrease in cost cruise fare, taxes and fees would let you just forget about doing anything with the prepaid tips. The past 3 RCCL ships I have been on, all in the last 5 months have only had 1 stateroom attendant.  $50 for a stateroom attendant for 8 people for an 8 day cruise, breaks down to less than a dollar a day.  I realize everyone has a different budget, but the people that work on the ships work long hours, 7 days a week, for 6 to 9 months straight, away from family, so they can give us a good time.  Personally, if I couldn't afford to give the recommended tips I would cut back a couple days on the cruise length.  Just me. 

[restasured]

15 hours ago, chfenton said:

I'll tell you what.  I know you asked for advice on a forum and as Dallas Guy points out most people will start flaming you as your proposal will not be a popular view. They will tell you" oh no your are taking food out of some guys mouth", or "Take a shorter cruise so you can pay the staff" etc...

 

But you know what I say - Carpe Diem-- Its your cruise and if that is the one you want to take or the one that works for your family--then take it!  Some people on your ship will tip more than recommended, some will tip less and some will tip not at all.  It's YOUR CHOICE and no one else's.  If it was mandatory they'd make it mandatory.  If you can't tip you can't tip.  Take the vacation as priced and enjoy it to its fullest.   The fact that your are budgeting something for the staff you interact with is admirable in and of its own.  There are certainly cruisers that will tip zero--so you already are doing more for the staff than some others.  But again--I wouldn't worry in the least and enjoy your last cruise.

 

I'm sure your family will appreciate all or anything you can do!

I would venture that you nor anyone else can find or even have heard of a cruiser that has tipped zero.  I have heard of a few that have removed the auto tips and just given to the cabin stew and maybe the dining room, "because they are the only ones that did anything for you", which is a complete lie.  The sheets on the beds are washed by people in the laundry, the people that work in the galley help prepare your food, the people that work in the Lido serve and clean up after you.  There are many people that you see and don't see that serve you in many ways.  So, removing tips is not OK, no matter how a person tries to justify it.

[MD_Dan]

21 hours ago, tvo7 said:

Hello.

 

I want to do 1 last cruise with my family and I am looking at Harmony of the seas 8 days to Eastern Caribbean with a stop in Coco Cay. 

 

Unfortunately, I am not rich like everyone else on here and I am a tight budget.  There will be 6 of my family members.  2 interior rooms with 3 people in each.

 

To save money, I will only be doing free things.  No paying extra for restaurants, no excursions off the ship, no drink package, just free things.

 

You should have just stopped after the first three paragraphs!  There is nothing wrong with what you said up to this point!  You were saying that we can have a very nice cruise without the extras.  And you were willing to cut those extras to save money.  All that is true.

 

But when your plan to save money took the tips away from the staff, you lost me.  If you lived a day in their shoes, you'd understand why!

[cruiselvr04]

I’m hoping you’re planning to insure your trip. Have you figured this into your budget?  If you or your family were to have a medical emergency while gone you could be paying if off for years to come.  Or if something happens and you can’t go you’d lose your money. Just hoping you’ve considered all the costs regardless if you tip or not.

 

Personally we consider insurance and and tips as mandatory for every cruise we take.  We are not rich but budget accordingly. 

[tvo7]

I will be charging the trip on chase sapphire preferred so it has its own travel insurance.

 

 

[sfaaa]

16 hours ago, tvo7 said:

.

They were wanting to do a big ship so it will be a little more expensive. I asked them about ships like mariner and they did not want it, just new ship.

 

 

You should reconsider. This is a wonderful opportunity to educate your kids that one should always live within his/her means. So if this means an older ship at a more affordable price, so be it.  They will thank you later in life for this valuable lesson.

[Seville2Cabo]

2 hours ago, tvo7 said:

I will be charging the trip on chase sapphire preferred so it has its own travel insurance.

 

 

Why do you have a card with a $550 fee if you can't afford to really travel or leave tips.  

 

BTW - do you go into nice restaurants for a special meal and don't tip because you can't afford it?  

[Sunshine3601]

8 hours ago, tvo7 said:

Scottish inn?  Could I reserve a room, the day before, arrive the morning of and they shuttle my family in?  In other words. Rent the room, but never stay in?

 

I park at port parking for about 120 dollars for 7 days.  If I can get cheaper hotel than that with free shuttle, that would be amazing.

 

That is a good idea too.  I eat 3 times a day in Windjammer and pizza place then I dont need to tip MDR attendant.  I can also avoid formal.night also.  

 

For kids, long story short,  I have to use birth certificates to get them aboard and do not have access to their passports.  I know I can let them off on cocoa cay, but I am.afraid to let them walk too far in cozumel or Nassau in case something happens.  

 

If the Mother of your children is not traveling with you there maybe requirements for a notarized consent letter from their Mother.  Best to check requirements on royals Faq sections.

 

For Nassau you and the kids could take a 20 minute walk to Junkanoo Beach, its free.   

 

You can eat at Parks Cafe or Solarium buffet as other 'included food' options.  Also included is breakfast at Johnny Rockets.  We always enjoy their breakfast.  

[Sunshine3601]

6 hours ago, tvo7 said:

I will be charging the trip on chase sapphire preferred so it has its own travel insurance.

 

 

What dates are you looking to sail?

Edited Tuesday at 11:08 AM by Sunshine3601

[lovesthebeach2]

5 hours ago, sfaaa said:

You should reconsider. This is a wonderful opportunity to educate your kids that one should always live within his/her means. So if this means an older ship at a more affordable price, so be it.  They will thank you later in life for this valuable lesson.

I wasn’t planning to add to this discussion AT ALL, but I agree that showing these children that it’s ok to live ABOVE their means is absolutely the wrong lesson. This will stick in their heads and can create problems for their entire life, and it appears by what the OP wrote, may have made that mistake too.

The best advice I ever learned very early on in life was to live within my means. By doing that we are now able to cruise and live without the burden of debt hanging over our heads.  
And we are not rich.

 

I would reconsider this cruise if I was the OP. Spending quality time with family can be made anywhere….memories can be made even at home.
 

[marci22]

5 hours ago, Seville2Cabo said:

Why do you have a card with a $550 fee if you can't afford to really travel or leave tips.   

That card has a $95 annual fee and save money on trip insurance, international fees, etc.

[marci22]

7 hours ago, tvo7 said:

I will be charging the trip on chase sapphire preferred so it has its own travel insurance.

That covers certain events for cancellation reimbursement but does not cover medical. 

 

To get various TA quotes you can go onto a site like *****, put in your info, and you will get no obligation quotes telling you what you will get. Sometimes obc, sometimes prepaid gratuities, etc.

[tvo7]

For me, dad, as long as I have the kids birth  certificate and the cruise is a closed circuit cruise, galveston back to galveston, I dont need anything else including notarized letter.  I did this yeats ago and no problem.  Security looked at my passport and the birth certificates and that was it.

 

I have to go when I have the kids, so I am looking at August next year.  

 

The kids have already been told that daddy is poor now and this will be our last cruise together. They know I saved a little  more to get them one last cruise with me and grandparents and let them enjoy a nice cruise.

 

If I go to a restaurant, I dont have to tip 20 percent like they keep asking for.  I can tip.10 percent if I want or even 5 percent.  

By the way. I dont eat in restaurants anymore by choice, I would order to go so I dont have to tip.

 

 

I have that 95 dollar fee chase sapphire preferred for situations like this.  After, this last trip, I will hold on to it for the rental car insurance, and for travel insurance for obligatory travel like funerals, weddings.and cash back points.

 

Edited Tuesday at 01:01 PM by tvo7

[OldCaver]

7 hours ago, sfaaa said:

You should reconsider. This is a wonderful opportunity to educate your kids that one should always live within his/her means. So if this means an older ship at a more affordable price, so be it.  They will thank you later in life for this valuable lesson.

I'll add a great big gold-pressed latinum "amen" to this paragraph.

[Arzeena]

On 9/23/2024 at 1:24 AM, tvo7 said:

Hello.

 

I want to do 1 last cruise with my family and I am looking at Harmony of the seas 8 days to Eastern Caribbean with a stop in Coco Cay. 

 

Unfortunately, I am not rich like everyone else on here and I am a tight budget.  There will be 6 of my family members.  2 interior rooms with 3 people in each.

 

To save money, I will only be doing free things.  No paying extra for restaurants, no excursions off the ship, no drink package, just free things.

 

Another way to save money, was to save on tipping.  I will go to the front desk and cancel prepaid tips.  I am estimating prepaid tips to be almost 700 dollars which is pretty extensive for someone like me.  

 

I was thinking of just handing cash of 50$ to each stateroom attendant, 20 dollars to the waiter and 10 to his assistant in the main dining room.  

 

Has anyone done this before?

 

 

You do what is appropriate for you and whatever you can live with.
You really do not need the hundreds of posts here on what to do with your life and how to bring up your children, unless you want to stir up things here.
Good luck and have a good time on your cruise and what you decide on doing.

[LobsterStalker]

19 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

You likely did not ask the right question.  If you asked for a group rate, then the TA answered correctly as they assumed you were trying to form your own group.  All you need to ask is for the best fares they have available for your planned itinerary and go from there.

 

What others who were suggesting group rates through TA's meant is that TA's have access to group rates provided by the cruise line for cruise line sponsored groups, or rates provided to TA's for groups or blocks of staterooms consigned by them which can be sold individually at the reduced group rates.  These rates are only available to TA's and are not published by the cruise lines. 

 

Call the TA back and, as mentioned, just ask for the best rates available for your passenger base and chosen itinerary.  They will likely be able to provide rates more attractive than booking direct.  Or try calling different TA's to compare.

 

But that does not change my opinion about further reducing costs by reducing gratuities to the staff.  That is unfair to them and not the way to manage your budget.  If the TA can't provide better rates then you should change your cruising plans rather than shortchange the staff as previously mentioned.  Again, JMO.

 

Just sayin....If the TA couldn't figure out how to give a better answer then this TA shouldn't be called back !

 

Cheers