RCCL Money Saving Tips?

[tmann4]

It's new for RCI...from midnight to around 5:30 a.m. you have to pay for room service.

 

I believe it is a $3.95 fee for room service between 12 and 5am.

[ilionite65]

Get the Royal Caribbean credit card from Bank of America. Use it for every purchase you can, just be sure to pay it off each month. You will get points for various uses, one of which is on-board credits. We have $400 in on-board credit for our next cruise, free money!

[Novembermommy]

pre-paid gratuities?? I have only been on Carnival and we put the gratuities on our account the 2nd to last day. How is RCI different?

 

Thanks,

TAra

[KandMGIn]

You have the option to pay gratuities when ever you want. You can pay before you get to the pier, at the pier, and any day on the ship. You can pay in cash directly to the people or you can charge them to your sea pass account.

[travelling fools]

We always take along one or 2 of those boxes with packages or straws filled with juice mix.

They come with sugar or sugar-free.

We add them to water if we want a refreshing drink with or without booze.They have some great flavours now.

Saves on the beverage bill !

Also take a water bottle if you want to take it onshore or by pool.

[Mydnite]

If you know you are going to buy some of the photographs there are often packages offered at the begining of the longer crusies. If you end up not using it you can get a refund.

[Guest maddycat]

From time to time I will read comments from people who tip up front and think they are receiving better service for the week. When they list the extras they got .... it's always the same exact service we always receive without a pre-tip.

 

If you feel like you got exemplary service from your cabin attendant or servers, wait until the last night to thank them with extra cash.

 

I couldn't agree more. We never pre-tip, yet always get excellent service. If our cabin attendant or waiter go out of their way to provide requested services then we add an extra cash tip on the last night.

[Teeara]

2) Take a chair hog's towel if you really want a logo item.

 

Do you think this might be the solution to the chair hog problem? ;) :D Have your towel stolen and your onboard account charged a couple of times and maybe they'll learn NOT to do it!

[bonniecharlie]

just back (19th sept ) from brilliance of the sea, my advice would be to take your own paracetamaol with you, I had a head ache and had forgotton mine so went to shop, went to get some Advil, but at $9-99 / £7-50 came away empty handed, walked around deck and hey presto headache gone and $10 saved. How can they justified a price like that

But had a wonderful time anyway

[hazeleyez3]

Only spend money on what is of value to you, that is different for all of us. We don't mind spending money on a nice bottle of wine, but refuse to purchase what we think are silly T-shirts, the next person will find value in that T-shirt but think $50 is a waste of money on a decent bottle of wine. (we don't spend $50 on land on a bottle of wine :eek:)

 

Avoid being caught up in the purchase of trinkets or souvenirs. The "sales" onboard are not really sales at all they bring out the boxes of junk every week, it's not the same merchandise from the stores onboard. You really don't need to spend money on people from work for souvenirs...if you do feel you have to, find something really cheap in a port town or a box of candy for all to share.

 

Review your seapass account every day or so, it can be a reminder of curbing your spending.

 

We wait until the end of the week and buy one professional photo per cruise, they will keep them up all week long. It's really pretty cheap in comparison to buying from a professional photographer on land.

 

We set an amount to spend in the casino, usually $10 each. Anything more than that spent for us is a waste, the next person may think $1000 is fine to spend.

 

I think this is one of the best answers. I would say you might want to find out what the prices are for some things and go from there.

 

For us...

-We rarely drink soda, so we bring Crystal Light packets or something similar for drinks...also keep with the lemonade and iced tea.

-We don't do the specialty restaurants (we find the main dining room food to be good)

-We don't use the spa

-We have only used the Internet once and that was to keep in touch with my mother who had just fallen ill

-We may have a glass or 2 of wine and maybe a cocktail here and there but not many

-We don't do the pictures

-We'll pre-pay the tips

-If we do any excursions we will book them ahead. That way we can decide when the money comes out of our account.

 

but like Happy said, what you save money on will depend on your own situation

[atlrefs]

Alcohol, excursions and spa treatments are the main things that will increase your spending.

We don't generally do ANY excursions, as we like beaches, and you can do that on your own, cheaply, in most ports!

Alcohol is something that we WILL spend on...we drink at home, and it wouldn't be much of a vacation if we "tea-totalled" at sea!

We don't do spas at home...why start on a ship where it costs more than double?

We don't buy souveniers---I figure, if I can't remember the trip without some "trinket" to remind me, it must not have been much of a trip!

Gambling--we ONLY gamble what we can afford to lose---and that varies from trip to trip....and the odds are that your WILL lose!

Amen and ditto!!:)

[Kellie Poodle]

I couldn't agree more. We never pre-tip, yet always get excellent service. If our cabin attendant or waiter go out of their way to provide requested services then we add an extra cash tip on the last night.

 

That is exactly what we do. If I was a cabin steward, I think I'd be a little insulted that my passengers didn't believe that I would do my best job with out greasing my palm in advance.

 

I do let them know that I am thinking of them but always greeting them with a smile and a thank you when I see them in the hall, by leaving my room at the appropriate time so that I won't interfere with their normal schedule and by always saying please and thank you.

 

I also buy them some local candy when we are in port just because I want to mother everything under 50 years old. ;)

[Me76]

The steward will introduce himself to you on the first day. On my last cruise I was in the cabin for literally five minutes before coming back to get ready for dinner and the steward told me I was the only one he didn't get a chance to meet up with that day. But he still got me that evening! So he (she?) will find you. When you meet him, hand him the $20.

 

Thanks!

[Poohb]

Don't play Bingo unless you like giving your money away. Last time I played...was last year. The 'package' was ~$36, there were 4 games. There were over 100 people in the room. If each bought the basic package...some bought more; that's $3600. The first game paid $50. I don't remember what the next 2 paid but the last one was less than $100. So....who got all the $$$ ? Please don't suggest it's being all saved for the final jackpot or 'win a cruise'. It still doesn't add up. I've switched to roulette. Have tried it on 2 cruises and both times came out ahead. I planned on spending $20 on one night. If I lost it all I would have stopped. On both cruises I walked away with my original $20 +$70 the 1st time and $30, the 2nd time. The play lasted longer than Bingo and I spent less money (even if I had lost). DH says I'm lucky.

[lovemylab]

Only spend money on what is of value to you, that is different for all of us. We don't mind spending money on a nice bottle of wine, but refuse to purchase what we think are silly T-shirts, the next person will find value in that T-shirt but think $50 is a waste of money on a decent bottle of wine. (we don't spend $50 on land on a bottle of wine :eek:)

 

Avoid being caught up in the purchase of trinkets or souvenirs. The "sales" onboard are not really sales at all they bring out the boxes of junk every week, it's not the same merchandise from the stores onboard. You really don't need to spend money on people from work for souvenirs...if you do feel you have to, find something really cheap in a port town or a box of candy for all to share.

 

Review your seapass account every day or so, it can be a reminder of curbing your spending.

 

We wait until the end of the week and buy one professional photo per cruise, they will keep them up all week long. It's really pretty cheap in comparison to buying from a professional photographer on land.

 

We set an amount to spend in the casino, usually $10 each. Anything more than that spent for us is a waste, the next person may think $1000 is fine to spend.

 

I agree with this.

 

The casino and spa are not important to us so we don't spend mooney on those things. However, we do enjoy the specialty restaurants and being able to enjoy a cocktail during sailaway and after dinner...so we allow for that in our budget.

 

IMO, one of the biggest savings is to research/book your own excursions. The Ports of Call board is full of excellent suggestions to meet every budget. I would also recommend joining your roll call as you may find others that you can share a private tour with.

[korky1]

We are going on our first cruise with RCI and only our second cruise ever. We have had to pay our gratuities upfront or else we would not have been able to book My Time Dining. We don't really mind though as at least we know all our tipping is taken care of before we even get onboard. Hope the MTD works out well on Rhapsody of the Seas in February to New Zealand- our first cruise only had MTD (no traditional dining at all) and we loved it .

[themaxydog]

I am sorry but personally I dont care what they charge or what the bill might be. To me a holiday, especially a cruise holiday, is a rare opportunity to forget about work and responsibility and I am not going to worry about saving a dollar here and a dollar there. There is nothing worse that getting home after spending a small fortune on a holiday and saying I wish I had not penny pinched on that part of the holiday and regreting it. If money is a problem on holidays can I suggest you save for an extra month or two before going so you enjoy yourself.

 

Spend smart, dont penny pinch.

[whirlybird3]

stay away from souviner glasses unless you cant live without them (they cost a bundle and are a pain to pack)

 

and try not to go nuts on photos...that one cute photo can get expensive the 5th time you buy one

 

Attached is the website to get a copy right release form for the photos taken onboard the ship:

 

https://www.image.com/html/guest-postcruiseCopyrightReleaseForm.cfm

[Tucker in Texas]

When I meet my room steward for the first time, I usually have three requests for him: 1) keep my canvas six-pack cooler full of ice, 2) leave two copies of the daily newsletter and 3) empty out the refrigerator. I do not tip him up front.

 

However, throughout the cruise I will leave a couple of bucks and a piece of snack size candy in the morning with a note thanking him for something he has done. Could be keeping my ice tote full, remembering the extra newsletters, the cute towel animal, keeping the cabin so neat and clean, whatever.

 

I, also, have some dollar bills in my pocket when I go to the grill. If a server comes up and gets me my drink (this is particularly helpful as many of the lines have done away with trays), I will thank them with a dollar. From then on a lot of times they are my newbestfriend. They see me coming and will bus a table, guard it while I get my food, get me a drink, and drop by and ask if they can get me a refill or dessert. Particularly good on Alaskan cruises where people tend to occupy tables with a view all day long playing cards or watching the scenery go by in warmth. On RCI, the servers rotate to the WJ once a month and they call it "free week" because no tips so they really appreciate a dollar or two.

 

Some people have said flipping a buck to a bartender will bring forth better drinks but I'm not a drinker so I haven't tried that.

 

One thing they really appreciate is free! When you fill out your exit survey, mention them by name and how good they are (waiters, bartenders, grill servers, anyone). This is how they get promotions and extra time off.

 

 

Tucker in Texas

[Kellie Poodle]

We are going on our first cruise with RCI and only our second cruise ever. We have had to pay our gratuities upfront or else we would not have been able to book My Time Dining. We don't really mind though as at least we know all our tipping is taken care of before we even get onboard. Hope the MTD works out well on Rhapsody of the Seas in February to New Zealand- our first cruise only had MTD (no traditional dining at all) and we loved it .

 

Give the traditional dining a try. If you were on NCL, their dining experience is like Denny's on a Saturday night compared to the gracious experience of the main dining room on a well-crewed cruise ship.

 

I have sailed Rhapsody on the Australia/New Zealand cruise and the dining room staff is among the best in the fleet. Give it a chance. You don't know what you are missing.