Seapass balance

[kken67]

I know this is terribly nosey but is anyone prepared to say what their seapass balance was at the end of a weeks cruise. Also, without putting a dampener on the holiday how low did you manage to keep it. Just trying to budget as best as possible for upcoming cruise. Our situation has taken a bit of a nosedive financially so thought about cancelling but have decided still to go but be savvy cruisers as much as possible. Any advice re keeping charges low (how have any of you saved onboard)

Thankyou and once again apologies for being nosey. By the way we would be paying for 2 adults and 2 teens.

[Sue L]

With my husband and myself last year on the Serenade and our two kids 21 and 19 at the time, the bill was 700$ or so. BTW this is a very popular question so you are not being nosey.

[ziggypup]

Any advice re keeping charges low (how have any of you saved onboard)

 

This sounds like a no brainer. If you are looking to keep your charges down then only spend what is necessary. And what is necessary is really up to you.

[lil nemo]

I know this is terribly nosey but is anyone prepared to say what their seapass balance was at the end of a weeks cruise. Also, without putting a dampener on the holiday how low did you manage to keep it. Just trying to budget as best as possible for upcoming cruise. Our situation has taken a bit of a nosedive financially so thought about cancelling but have decided still to go but be savvy cruisers as much as possible. Any advice re keeping charges low (how have any of you saved onboard)

Thankyou and once again apologies for being nosey. By the way we would be paying for 2 adults and 2 teens.

 

We spend and additional $550/$600 on our SEA PASS for 2 ads & 1 teen! This includes the gratis.

We are not big drinkers, so a glass of wine w/dinner or DOD on sea days only occassionally! We bring our own pop, fairly big soda drinkers and still 3 six packs is plenty. We also bring the drink mixers for bottled water like the fruit punch packets etc. Bring your own refillable bottles, also good tip when your ice melts pour it into an empty water bottle, Ice is usually run through a purifier. In the windjammer we make our own fresh lemonade using the cut up lemons and water and sugar! Beverages are your biggest financial drain.

We don't patronize Rockets or any fee dining, big savings and you'll never really miss it! We don't book excursions through the ship. Also limit

onboard souvenir shopping. Stay away from the casino. We never feel like we have restricted ourselves and not having the sticker shock of the sea pass at the end is wonderful.

[CaribbeanCrush]

$186 for us on our last cruise. We had one excursion booked that got cancelled, so that helped. Also, limited our beverage purchases onboard the ship. I don't think we'll see one that low again, we are usually around $500 or so.

[English_in_Spain]

We both like a drink, including wine with meals. I occasionally buy souvenirs in the onboard shop. I occasionally charge a few dollars at the casino, we dine some evenings in the alternative restaurants. Heck! we are on vacation.

 

We normally spend about $1000 per week (including tips) between the 2 of us.

 

If you pre-pay your tips, do not drink, do not take excursions, do not buy in the shops, do not go to alternative dining locations your final account could be ZERO.

 

It is up to you how much you want to spend. It depends what is important to you, what you like.

 

It is a bit like the 'how long is a piece of string' question.

[Happy ks]

As a couple, we don't usually spend more than $100 per day. Most of that is for a nice bottle of wine with dinner, plus a cocktail or two either before or after. We usually purchase only one formal photo, we aren't gamblers, don't play bingo and we don't go on ship sponsored excursions. We also rarely will buy anything from the gift shops or souvenirs on land. We would be able to take that down a bit if we didn't have the wine with dinner, but that is something we really enjoy and adds to our cruise experience.

 

We have two kids and they really don't cost much extra. We don't get them soda cards, as we find it is cheaper to buy sodas individually, they only drink one or two per day.

 

I think people can have a fantastic time spending very little, but it depends on the person. You will be way ahead of the loop if you don't drink much and don't succumb to the pressure of spending on useless trinkets or souvenirs. Stay out of the photo shop and only take your own photos, I see so many people buying multiples and it can really hike up the bill.

[octagonmike]

We both like a drink, including wine with meals. I occasionally buy souvenirs in the onboard shop. I occasionally charge a few dollars at the casino, we dine some evenings in the alternative restaurants. Heck! we are on vacation.

 

We normally spend about $1000 per week (including tips) between the 2 of us.

 

If you pre-pay your tips, do not drink, do not take excursions, do not buy in the shops, do not go to alternative dining locations your final account could be ZERO.

 

It is up to you how much you want to spend. It depends what is important to you, what you like.

 

It is a bit like the 'how long is a piece of string' question.

 

Sounds about right to me but then us Brits do enjoy a drink ;)

[cruisinfanatic]

I really don't know what people spend so much money on.

(actually I do: drink till you drop, a few $15 or $20 pictures, arcade money for the kids, etc) Really adds up if you do this

 

Been on 22 cruises and have NEVER had a charge at the end of the cruise (not including tips) of more than $200. We do excursions on our own, rarely buy pictures, and do little souvenir shopping on the ship. We (ok, me) do drink whatever and whenever we feel like. My wife likes the frozen drinks and wine and I like beer and whiskey sours. A couple nights we usually drink a little more than others. Some days, not at all.

On the ship, aside from tips, you don't have to spend a dime. It's entirely up to you.

[PattyG12]

We never buy photos and prepay any excursions. We found a TA that gave us prepaid gratuities. So, for our last cruise, our seapass was around $300. I sure wish it was like that every time!! The trinkets I buy are normally in the ports. Oh, part of the $300 was a sweatshirt that DH really wanted.

[octagonmike]

I really don't know what people spend so much money on.

(actually I do: drink till you drop, a few $15 or $20 pictures, arcade money for the kids, etc) Really adds up if you do this

 

Been on 22 cruises and have NEVER had a charge at the end of the cruise (not including tips) of more than $200. We do excursions on our own, rarely buy pictures, and do little souvenir shopping on the ship. We (ok, me) do drink whatever and whenever we feel like. My wife likes the frozen drinks and wine and I like beer and whiskey sours. A couple nights we usually drink a little more than others. Some days, not at all.

On the ship, aside from tips, you don't have to spend a dime. It's entirely up to you.

 

 

 

This is just guesswork but 3 drinks a day each @ $5 per drink is $30 x 7 days is $210.

 

3 drinks a day is nowhere near enough whilst on holiday in the Caribbean. I would expect us to spend around $100 - $150 per day including a few dollars each night in the casino.

[uksimonusa]

This is just guesswork but 3 drinks a day each @ $5 per drink is $30 x 7 days is $210.

 

3 drinks a day is nowhere near enough whilst on holiday in the Caribbean. I would expect us to spend around $100 - $150 per day including a few dollars each night in the casino.

 

We were at $1200 for 2 adults and 2 teens on an 8 day in April, that included $125.00 for a birthday dinner in Chops, and the kids got 5 photos

[PattyG12]

This is just guesswork but 3 drinks a day each @ $5 per drink is $30 x 7 days is $210.

 

3 drinks a day is nowhere near enough whilst on holiday in the Caribbean. I would expect us to spend around $100 - $150 per day including a few dollars each night in the casino.

 

We always take separate cash for the casino and of course, we drink more when we're on shore too. 3 drinks are about right on port days. Sea days can be significantly more. ;)

 

I also forgot to say we had $100 OBC

[retnuh281]

Last 7 day in March 2 adults and a teen:

Bought wine Package, shopped on board, drank every day, virgin foo foo drinks for daughter, tons of pictures, Portofino twice, once for the wine pairing and on the last night.

Grand total approx. $1900.00. Won $1500 in casino the second night and put that cash on sea pass.

$400.00

Honestly, I would never have spent that much if it were not for the casino winnings. Probably would have held it to about $800.00

[mspink98]

$800 or so last time for 2 adults, but that was with about $150-200 in casino money for DH, and no real effort to control costs. We also put tips on the seapass.

 

If we were in a bind financially, we could easily and painlessly cut that to about $300, even with tips. There are plenty of free beverages, we could certainly stand to cut the alcohol consumption if need be, and even the little bit of onboard shopping we did was not necessary.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say the kids will be the wildcard in your situation. You and your spouse are probably acutely aware of your finances, the kids not so much. I'd suggest putting cash on their cards so you have more control.

[Bcshur]

No problem being nosey! In this economy, we need to be savy. I am 22, and my fiance was 24 at the time of this cruise.

 

I hope this helps!

 

My fiance and I did a four day cruise on Royal Caribbean (only cruise line to go!) and I believe our bar bill/sea pass was around 800 or so. However, that included parasailing for two and a 200 or so Citizen watch.

 

On any cruise i've ever done, unless you're going to their own private island where you have no choice....Don't book excursions through the cruiseline! So much more cheaper on the outside.

 

If you're looking to do a massage or something in the spa (highly recommended!) either wait until it's a day in port (give you great discounts!) or try to find someone whom has a coupon for the Spa.

 

We also found that waiting until dinner time to start having a few drinks is better. Not that we are lushes, but we would be starting to drink around noon because we were on vacation! Well, we found it made us much more tired and we could have saved a ton. We typically got a bottle of wine (40'ish) or so at dinner at night, and then had a few more at the shows or what have you. This can save you a lot!

 

Also, beware of the drinks they place in your room. Depending on your cabin attendant you may get charged. We got charged for some bottles of evian, and others not.

 

Also, make sure you always leave the towels in plain sight! Once we took our beach towels to the beach and put them in our bag on our walk back, when we got back to the ship we forgot to take them out of bag. Well, we were charged for them after the cabin attendant came to clean and noticed we didn't have the towels. We made sure to tell our cabin attendant that they were just not visable and were credited to our pass But save yourself the hastle!

 

I'm a penny pincher. Remember, you are on vacation to have a good time. But, you also have a life to life when you go back. Any way you can save! :)

 

Have a great time! Cruises are the way to go!

[megr1125]

Say...under 400 for the 2 of us (me and mom) and that includes a wine package and tips.............we don't do many ship excursions...and the ones we do are generally tours as opposed to dolphin swims or scuba (thus cheaper)....don't buy lots of stuff and don't drink many frozen thinggies.

[cb at sea]

We seldom do ANY excursions, either privately or through the ship. We generally will just take a cab/bus to the beach and hang for the day. Walking through town costs nothing, either!

We do tend to drink a fair amount....not all day long, but more than 2 apiece! We may buy 1 or 2 photos, if my eyes aren't closed in all of them (and they usually are--why??)

We NEVER buy souveniers (it's mostly junk--do you really need/want it???) and only once bought any jewelry.

Try to save up CASH to take, and pay off your account in cash, if you can....that way, it's done and paid for. Never charge your casino expenses to your account....waaay too easy to overspend there! Always bring "gambling" cash that you can afford to lose, and plan on losing it...that's the most likely scenario!

[mspink98]

We seldom do ANY excursions, either privately or through the ship. We generally will just take a cab/bus to the beach and hang for the day. Walking through town costs nothing, either!

We do tend to drink a fair amount....not all day long, but more than 2 apiece! We may buy 1 or 2 photos, if my eyes aren't closed in all of them (and they usually are--why??)

We NEVER buy souveniers (it's mostly junk--do you really need/want it???) and only once bought any jewelry.

Try to save up CASH to take, and pay off your account in cash, if you can....that way, it's done and paid for. Never charge your casino expenses to your account....waaay too easy to overspend there! Always bring "gambling" cash that you can afford to lose, and plan on losing it...that's the most likely scenario!

 

Good points-if we do excursions, they're never ship excursions, and many times we just wander around town. We also have cash to pay saved up beforehand. We put it on a credit card for the miles (we put everything on the card for miles), but that card is always paid off within a week or so, including post-cruise.

[houlacruiser]

DH and I have spent around $1000.00 for a 9 and a 12 day the past two times we cruised. We aren't big drinkers and never gamble. No Bingo or spa treatments etc. What puts us so high is the pictures and we have bought some nice watches on the past two cruises. Without the pic's and watches, we expect to be around half of that for the next 12 day.

Also, I bring cash in envelopes for tips. I pre-sort the cash based on the length of our voyage and always keep extra in another envelope to add for great service. I pre-pay all excursions and specialty restaraunts so that $1000.00 is strictly on board expenses.

[Let'sGo!]

Tips to save money:

Stay out of the spa for sure. If you want a massage to kick off your vacation, get one at home before you go! The only time the spa might be worth the $$$ is if you take advantage of a port special. But still, your bill can really rack up if you do anything in the spa/salon.

 

Watch your alcohol bill. It's so easy to just had your SeaPass card to the waiters while they are walking around! But here's a tip: they charge extra for the fancy, swirly glasses. You can save a buck or two each foo foo drink if you get it in a non-souvenir glass. Also, check the Compass each day to find out what the drink of the day is. It usually is pretty good and will save you a little.

 

We automatically spend about $20 dollars as soon as we board by sending out our wrinkled clothes to get pressed. So, over time, I've learned what's going to wrinkle, so I don't spend the money before hand getting it laundered and pressed at our local dry cleaners. I just launder it myself, then send it out once on board - that way I'm only paying once. FYI - pressing is 1/2 the price of laundry on board.

 

Like others have mentioned, we also take our own sodas on board. Mainly because DH is a big Mountain Dew fan and they don't have it on board. I also take a small pitcher and some of those Crystal Light packets and make some kind of lemonade/punch to keep in our mini-fridge. It saves us from buying a $2 coke.

 

And definitely stay out of the casino. If you do decide to gamble for fun, work that into your daily budget of money spent. The odds are against you getting it back.

 

Our last SeaPass was about $400 (not including shore ex). And we pretty much ordered a bucket of beer each sea day, and I know we bought a couple of souvenirs on board (I forgot my hat, and I know we bought sunscreen - I love the brand they sell on the ships!)

 

 

Ann

[djhuff]

I budget $150 per day for extras above the cruise fare. This would include tips, excursions, drinks, and specialty restaurants (we do all of them). It has been more than enough.

One tip I have for not spending so much on drinks (wife and I both love a good drink) is to leave the actual bar after you buy your drink, don't just sit there. Makes it so you actually have to get up to get another, or if you are sitting in a lounge, wait for someone to come by and take your order. This worked on my last cruise, and I went into it with the mindset that it didn't matter what I spent, I was going to have a good time, I still kept it under 150 per day.

[rpertusio]

My wife and I are in our 20s. We had a balance of 0.00 on our SeaPass. You really *can* enjoy a cruise without spending any extra $ if you really wanted to. Our budget was very low, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely without spending much!

 

• We PrePaid our gratuities.
  
• We paid $4 in tips for 2 small room service visits
  
• We bought 2 Tshirts on CocoCay for family (~$21)
  
• We did a 'Slot Pull' with our Cruise Critic group (~$12 each), but we really could have done without
  

So, our SeaPass was $0, and we spent $37 in cash. That's it!

 

Instead of excursions, we enjoyed the beaches/ship. We took our own pictures.

 

- Ryan

[Tim,n,Sue]

We just came back last Saturday from a 13 day Caribbean cruise on the Explorer OTS. Our Seapass was $48.00. Of that $25 was for the tip to Portofino's and $3 was a Johnny rockets tip. The last $20 was for 2 t-shirts.

 

We pre-paid our tips and Portofino's visit. We don't drink and we brought a few cans of soda on board. We had done the exact same cruise last year so we stayed mainly on the empty ship. We had a great time.

[cruisinfanatic]

This is just guesswork but 3 drinks a day each @ $5 per drink is $30 x 7 days is $210.

 

3 drinks a day is nowhere near enough whilst on holiday in the Caribbean. I would expect us to spend around $100 - $150 per day including a few dollars each night in the casino.

Beer does not cost $5 and I also said we don't drink every day. Your "guessing" that we each have 3 drinks is way off.