On a budget, tips for saving money on a cruise

[skaterfan]

To all you fellow cruisers just looking at staying on a budget for my cruise.

Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica.

Free stuff ideas.

I am taking my two children

[JrMafia90]

Don't buy pictures unless you really want too. They are pretty expensive I think for an 8 x 10 it's like $20. We buy a lot of pictures, they do a good job with them. But we also bring our own camera but we don't like to carry it around when we go to the pool, this time we will! Also, don't go in the Casino and if your kids like soda buy the foutain card. And don't get carried away in the gift shop.

[cali-croozer]

Take advantage of the free drinks and don't buy a soda card: juice, lemonade, punch, milk, chocolate milk, ice tea, coffee. Children, under 12, can get a free soda at dinner, but you must ask.

 

What do you want to do in the ports.......beach, sightsee? What are your interests? Grand Cayman is very safe and easy to explore on your own. There are some "free" beaches in Cozumel that would only require a taxi ride and minimal purchase (research this as sometimes "free" ends up being more expensive than a place that charges to use the facilities, but then doesn't bother you to buy food/drinks). Jamaica is harder to do on your own......be sure to really plan for this port, don't just get off the ship and walk around. Check the ports of a call message boards for ideas.

[Cotton]

Are you flying or driving to the port? If driving, bring soft drinks to keep in your cabin (can take them on deck in plastic cups). Whereas soft drinks can be purchased from a grocery store @ $2.50/6 pkg., the ones that will be in your cabin are a whopping $2.50 EACH. Don't know about the 'soda cards'.

 

Things you don't have to pay for:

You can usually get a deck of playing cards from the purser's desk, as well as postcards of the ship. Also, the casino will give you lanyards. Comp champagne at the art auctions. Remember that there's no charge for anything (except alcohol) from room service, BUT do tip the delivery person $1 of $2. SHOULD you need seasick meds, the purser's desk will give them to you at no charge.

[serene56]

Lets see- when I first took my 3 kids on our first cruise we had to do cheap. I mean if they wanted to cruise there were things that were not to be. Soverneirs...soda cards...etc.etc food onboard is yours...pizza, burgers, etc

in ports--grand cayman ==swimming with the stingrays was our biggest excursion...and do it with a private vendor not the cruise lines excursion. we saw thesame stingrays in the same water for almost more then 50% savings.

 

In Cozumel we were all over the internet looking for what stores are there. And for coupons...kids had fun looking for the coupons and we were able to score a lot of freebies just for walking in the stores.

 

Remember that when planning a cruise please allow 10pp per day for tipping.

[Rowan555]

My Sail and Sign card for our trip on the Holiday was under $9 not including tips. The $9 was one photo and one cheap happy hour drink. In Playa del Carmen I spent $2 to buy the kids a Coke at McDonald's, and we spent the day at the beach, which we walked to from the tender. In Cozumel we spent $24 on transportation, $5 on souvenirs, and $6 at the beach. The cruise itself was booked last minute and cost under $500 for the 3 of us. Cheapest vacation EVER, and we had a phenomenal time :)

[LegalCat]

The only thing you have to account for is going to be the charge for the tips...

 

Other than that you can technically get away spending NO extra money...

 

Instead of a soda card, bring on some soda or stick with free drinks as outlined above... or, if you need to buy soda, instead of a soda card just buy a few sodas... you need to drink quite a few sodas to add up to the cost of a soda card..

 

Take your own pictures and don't buy the ships pictures.. this is usually our biggest expense.. to me, its a bargain, a professional photographer, your already all dolled up for the formal nights etc, some times there are really great props etc.. for only $20 per pic thats a bargain compared to what you would spend hiring a photographer personally etc... we have always gotten some really beautiful family pictures which we have on the walls all over our home...

 

Casino.. we arent gamblers at all but I get a real kick out of playing the slots, stick to the nickle machines, its the same thing as playing any of the other slots, but your only playing with nickles..

 

Alcohol.. if you want to have a few drinks, instead of buying drinks on board bring a bottle on with you.. we usually bring a bottle of vodka to mix with the free juice and a bottle of rum to mix with soda..

 

Excursions.. take taxies to a local beach etc instead of taking Carnival excursion or look on the ports of call board and find independent ones, we can usually save 50% doing that...

[lucyjohnz]

Bring a box of ziplock bags and order sandwiches from room service the night before a port call or during the day of - put your food in ziplocks (put the chips in also) and carry them onshore for your day at the beach. Do the same with your own bottled water (25 cents a bottle here - $3.50/bottle on the ship).

 

Also, realize that if you buy a $20 8X10 picture on board, you can bring it home and scan it at home and make reprints or go to Wal-Mart and get GOOD copies for $6-$8 - 2 5x7s, 1 8x10, multiple wallets, etc.

 

We also save money on drinks by bringing some liquor in our checked bags and carrying on soda in plastic bottles - with cans, we don't always finish the can and can't reseal it. I've even brought on 2-liter bottles which can get flat by the end of the cruise but are fairly cheap and easy. I typically bring on a 6-pack of the 16-oz bottles.

 

In ports, do a taxi or local excursion - on one cruise in Aruba, we had thought we'd rent a car for our family of 4 and tour the island. We got off the ship and started looking for a car rental place and had a local ask us if we wanted a tour of the island. We asked how much and how long and they said, "$10/pp for a 2 1/2 hour tour" - we took it and for a total of $40 got a fairly personalized tour (in an open-air large van), good overview of the island and for a quarter of the cost of a ship's tour.

[born2crooz]

We also bring ziploc bags to bring food onto the islands. We usually order the sandwiches (PB & J) the MORNING of your island trip, along with cookies, fruit etc. If that doesn't work (they won't deliver via room service), grab some bagels, PB & J from the buffet area at breakfast and make our own sandwiches!!. We grab some cereal boxes for snacks and some fruit, of course.

 

We buy our liquor (in plastic bottles) in Miami so they won't break when checked at the airport. You can slip it into your carry on then. Plastic goes throught the xrays, no problem. Glass will be confiscated.

 

Bring some 24 oz (or more) plastic bottles on board. Fill them with ice and water for your excursions or just to have water in your cabin. We also fill with punch, lemonade and iced tea so we ALWAYS have beverages in our cabin.

 

If you run out of alcohol, buy on the island and simply pour into your plastic bottles. We wrap the bottle with our towels and beach gear, and we're all set until the next stop. We get right back on the ship, again, no problems.

 

We always buy a drink of the day upon boarding. That way you now have a glass to make your own drinks and carry throughout the ship, to a show, the casino, etc.

 

Some islands are very safe to do on your own. Simply take a taxi/ferry to a beach:

St. Thomas/St. John

Grand Cayman

St. Maarten

Cozumel

 

If you're looking for bargain tips for clothing, you may still find LOTS of woman's dresses left over from the holidays, perfect for formal nights. Same for little girls. Men, unfortunately, are out of luck!

 

 

Hope this helps!!

[Cotton]

About those sandwiches --- Be aware that at a lot of ports, you are NOT allowed to take anything with meat, veggies, or any fruit off the ship due to the regulations of that port-of-call, not Carnival. BUT, you could order cookies, Brownies, etc. from room service the night before you port.

 

Also --- about those WalMart machines. The one at our WalMart now has a beeper that goes off if it detects a 'professional' photo being copied. I saw that happen last week, and the girl there said they're implementing that now due to copyright infringement. BUT, yes, you can scan and print them at home.

[Tamhugh]

Even if the ship's photos have a copyright stamped on the back, you can make copies of them. Do a Google search, but I know there is a website where you can get a release from most of the cruiselines to copy the pictures. We have used it twice, but I didn't bookmark the site. My in-laws have been on 2 cruises. They picked the best formal portrait each time and bought a 5 X 7 for about $9. They brought it home and made copies at Walmart for all the kids and grandkids for Christmas. So, it makes a cheap souvenir and a gift for later.

The biggest money saver we have found is booking our excursions privately. Research the ports of call boards here for reputable tour operators and make sure you leave enough time to be back to your ship on time. In Jamiaca we used Ionie McBean and we got a longer, better tour than friends who booked through the cruiseline. We paid about half the price.

Tammy

[jcrandle]

Also, realize that if you buy a $20 8X10 picture on board, you can bring it home and scan it at home and make reprints or go to Wal-Mart and get GOOD copies for $6-$8 - 2 5x7s, 1 8x10, multiple wallets, etc.

One caution about this suggestion. All of the ship's photos that I have seen are copyrighted, and if so, reputable photo shops SHOULD refuse to make copies (because of their legal exposure). Note to flamers, this is not a moral judgement on whether making copies is immoral, unethical, etc. It is simply a statement of the facts.

[jcrandle]

Even if the ship's photos have a copyright stamped on the back, you can make copies of them. Do a Google search, but I know there is a website where you can get a release from most of the cruiselines to copy the pictures. We have used it twice, but I didn't bookmark the site. My in-laws have been on 2 cruises. They picked the best formal portrait each time and bought a 5 X 7 for about $9. They brought it home and made copies at Walmart for all the kids and grandkids for Christmas. So, it makes a cheap souvenir and a gift for later.

The biggest money saver we have found is booking our excursions privately. Research the ports of call boards here for reputable tour operators and make sure you leave enough time to be back to your ship on time. In Jamiaca we used Ionie McBean and we got a longer, better tour than friends who booked through the cruiseline. We paid about half the price.

Tammy

Thanks for the suggestion. I did the google search and came up with http://www.image.com/guest-photoRequestForm.cfm

One comment - they ask for credit card on the form, so the release is obviously not free. Tammy, since you received the release, do you remember how much they charged for it?

[NoNoNanette]

I don't know how old your children are, but there's great FREE snorkeling in Grand Cayman.

 

Run to Walmart and pick up a couple of sets of cheapo snorkels and masks. You and the kids can walk over to Eden Rock, and snorkel in very shallow water. The fish are amazing, as the restaurant on the premises, The Paradise Bar and Grill, feed 'em!

 

For a "free" day in Ochos Rios, you can walk right next door to Jimmy Buffet's place. Decent free beach, swimming pool, waterslide.

[kjunea]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did the google search and came up with http://www.image.com/guest-photoRequestForm.cfm

One comment - they ask for credit card on the form, so the release is obviously not free. Tammy, since you received the release, do you remember how much they charged for it?

 

This release form is for NCL and RCL ships only, I think. They didn't have any Carnival listed. Maybe there is another release form for the company that takes care of Carnival's photos? Anyone know?

 

June

[judyf]

I agree with all of the above.

 

Magaritavilla has a really nice beach and you get to listen to the music too! We had a great day there after climbing the falls.

 

Take advantage of the free drinks for the kids the soda cards can add up. My S&S card is never too bad and if it is it's cause I decided to go for it, drinks and stopping gift shops add up!

 

Have fun!

[Tamhugh]

I did get my release from Images.com and I did not have to pay for it or give a credit card number. However, I was on Royal Caribbean. Sorry if I misled anyone and there isn't a release form for Carnival. I would ask in the photo shop though.

 

Tammy

[Rowan555]

I just made copies of our cruise portraits at Winkflash.com - $1.99 each for the 8x10s and 99 cents for shipping.

[Marge M]

I had bought over $250 worth of pictures on our last cruise, but was shorted one 8 X 10 and didn't notice it until I got home. I called Carnival and they sent out a photo release letter so I could have another copy made (I am still waiting for a refund of my $20, not real hopeful I will get it).

 

I scanned the photo at home and put it on a CD. Then took that to Sam's Club to make a copy. I showed the letter to the employee but he could have cared less. When I went back to make more copies of it later, I didn't even bother showing the letter to them, and no one questioned or cared that I had made copies of a professional portrait. No beeps went off either ;) but I was using a CD, not scanning the picture right there.

 

My hint is to pack some prepackaged snacks to take off the ship at ports. Something your kids enjoy that doesn't melt. If you have a long day in port (we were in Cozumel from morning til about 11:00 pm), go back to the ship for dinner. Also bring your own water bottles and fill them when leaving the ship. We brought 32-oz bottles and filled them with ice water before leaving on port days, and used them around the ship on sea days.

[WyleECoyote]

The way i got around the photo thing was to scan the photo put it on a cdrom or a digietal camera memory and they dont ask a thing. Also the room service and zip lock baggies work great, "souviners" for the kids" shells from the beadh and the kids finding them on their on makes it a special thing for them , My daughter was sooooo proud when she had the shells she and I found to take to school made them the best souviners ever plus they are free!!!