What do you guys do to cut back on $$$?

[CTMak]

Leave DW at home??

 

Just kidding!!!

[PHILHOWER005]

with a family of 5 we enjoy the time away from work and school and our family time together is limited with teenagers. so the only time we have together uninterupted is on vacation and the only vacation we do is cruises...the only way we go is on a budget...i pre order a few drink coupons as we are not big drinkers and pre order photo coupons bc the only time we can get everyone together dressed up is on the ship so the pics are a must. we do the beach at all the ports so we only pay for a taxi and some are in walking distance always a little trinket from an island on the first visit...we also collect sand from every island we visit n put it in a labeled jar and have it displayed next to vaca pics...oh yea thats free. we always try to have under $100 bill at the end of the cruise but my kids never no the difference.

[samsmaisy08]

I'm a natural born penny pincher.

We don't drink alcohol. I take my own sodas. I take my own pictures. My DH goes in the casino, but knows his limits. We rarely do the ship excursions...mostly walk around the local shops. I NEVER go to the spa, I get my glamour fixes before I leave home. I would never pay extra for food. The food in the DR is good enough for us. We did pay to do a "Behind the Fun" tour of Carnival Inspiration last week. Very enjoyable.

[gman0119]

- divorce a free spending, debt inducing wife

- get a new girlfriend who is paying for the next cruise

- :D :D :D

 

Life can be good sometimes!!! LOL

 

Seriously though, my main money saver is through excursions. Book on your own, not through the ship.

[maldenmusic]

1. Book your own excursions instead of going through Carnival if you are going to do that sort of thing-with a little research you can save big $$.

2. Stay out of casino or just spent a very small set amount-the odds on the ship's casino seem to be lousy.

3. Bring your legal amount of wine on board and your own soft drinks. I always sneak my own liquor, also, and save on the costs of drinks. You will have lemonade and fruit juices that you can use for mixers or bring your own.

4. No Spa or gift shops. If you just have to buy something on board wait until the last night of the cruise-many things are marked down then.

5. Take advantage of all the activities that are free-shows, towel folding class, newlywed game, ice carving, etc. etc if you need things to keep you busy. I enjoy just laying around on a chair at the back of the ship and enjoying the awesome view-no extra charge for that! Enjoy!!

[pcrum]

I don't know your itinerary, but for a cheap day out in Grand Cayman walk 2 blocks from the ship's port to the Central Bus terminal right by the library. For $2.50 a person each way, you can ride to all of the major tourist attractions, 7 Mile Beach, Hell, etc. The buses are actually large vans, kind of like airport shuttles and stop very frequently at all the stops. We have taken the bus to 7 Mile Beach and to Hell and it is a very economical way to travel. So, a trip to 7-Mile Beach and back would be $5 a person, half the cost of most of the taxis!

 

If you research your ports, you can find economical ways to have a good time in most all of the ports. We did our own walking tour in Key West, took a cab to Paradise Beach in Cozumel where the beach chair rental was $2 a person, and walked around and shopped in St. Martin and St. Kitts.

 

We also find Carnival's photos very expensive and only buy one if it is exceptionally good. Ask a passerby to snap photos of your family and offer to do the same for them...much cheaper!

 

I will say the duty free liquor prices in the Carnival gift shops represent a significant savings over prices in the USA! If you need gifts for people back home, buy the booze onboard and save it for Christmas, birthdays, etc, thus you've saved a lot of money on a future gift!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[cls624]

Going in January would be tough.

Maybe next time book the Cruise for a different time of year if you can.

 

We generally Cruise in Spring. We save spending money all year round.:o

[firefly333]

Go during hurricane season, miss a couple of ports .. Carnival will give you extra OBC. Instead of complaining, say thank you. .. We wound up with $320 to spend on our hurricane cruise. .. some was from price drops.

 

Got $260ish to spend already in OBC for my January cruise .. solo. Its all mine to spend.

 

Im planning one nice Carnival excursion to some ruins .. still deciding.

[QTPieRye]

Go during hurricane season, miss a couple of ports .. Carnival will give you extra OBC. Instead of complaining, say thank you. QUOTE]

 

I couldn't agree with you more..... back on the Conquest in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan I could not believe the number of people complaining about not making Grand Cayman..... considering it was wiped out by the hurricane, I am not sure why they would have wanted to go see the damage?

 

Either way, we were very appreciative that Cranival gave us an OBC. To say the least it was very unexpected, given that the particular sailing we were on was about 1/2 capacity.... we embarked the day after they re-opened New Orleans

[Bugsy1]

I've told some of my younger cousins (students = broke) the following:

1)Save up a few bucks and go BV for a bottle, saves in the long run.

2)Plan on working out everyother day around midday. This makes you refrain from partaking of the adult beverages right after breakfast (mind you I am giving this advice to college students).

3)Dont be shy, If there is an opprotunity to mingle/befreind a lonely passenger at any of the bars...do so, the result could be a few pro bono drinks and who knows, maybe a decsent convo!

4)Book all inclusives when in-ports

[viaggi_per_mare]

Most of what everyone suggested is good ideas. Here is a couple more:

 

Pre pay as much as you can (we do buy Carnival excursions before we sail), pay gratuities before you go. We buy drink coupons (which used to be taken at full values for a drink, but now give you 3/4 off so only 1/4 shows on the S & S card)

We do not drink that much (I use 4 coupons + our wine in 7 days) and do take on our 2 bottles of wine, and soda when we board. We bring some packaged snacks to take out on port and we use them to eat at the hotels pre or post cruise and on the plane.

We use the budget envelope system as some people mentioned.

 

shhh...now for the cheapo suggestion:

We travel a lot and we have many friends and family "expecting" something from our travels. You will find that many "souvenirs" in ports and on the ship are made in Hong Kong. Many of these people sell these direct right from Hong Kong and shipping is cheap. Yes, we go on Ebay when we have a few dollars extra and buy "souvenirs" on Ebay. We save then in a box and when we return from our trips, we have souvenirs, (from pens, to refrigerator magnets, mouse pads) to hand out to the people who always expect that you bring them something. This way we do not have to shop for overpriced souvenirs while in port (many times, it is the same things at triple the price) and we don't have to add to our luggage the weight of bring back stuff we can pre buy on Ebay........

[tak81288]

.

 

Shhh...now for the cheapo suggestion:

We travel a lot and we have many friends and family "expecting" something from our travels. You will find that many "souvenirs" in ports and on the ship are made in hong kong. Many of these people sell these direct right from hong kong and shipping is cheap. Yes, we go on ebay when we have a few dollars extra and buy "souvenirs" on ebay. We save then in a box and when we return from our trips, we have souvenirs, (from pens, to refrigerator magnets, mouse pads) to hand out to the people who always expect that you bring them something. This way we do not have to shop for overpriced souvenirs while in port (many times, it is the same things at triple the price) and we don't have to add to our luggage the weight of bring back stuff we can pre buy on ebay........

 

lol...:)

[richstowe]

shhh...now for the cheapo suggestion:

We travel a lot and we have many friends and family "expecting" something from our travels. You will find that many "souvenirs" in ports and on the ship are made in Hong Kong. Many of these people sell these direct right from Hong Kong and shipping is cheap. Yes, we go on Ebay when we have a few dollars extra and buy "souvenirs" on Ebay. We save then in a box and when we return from our trips, we have souvenirs, (from pens, to refrigerator magnets, mouse pads) to hand out to the people who always expect that you bring them something. This way we do not have to shop for overpriced souvenirs while in port (many times, it is the same things at triple the price) and we don't have to add to our luggage the weight of bring back stuff we can pre buy on Ebay........

 

I really truly love this suggestion. I wouldn't do it because I already have a bad reputation

but still....

Perhaps E Bay for Carnival branded products?:D

[SeaScout]

If you should decide to purchase a DOD, ask for it in a regular plastic cup rather than the fancy glass. You get the same amount of "drink" but it's about 2 bucks cheaper. Wish I had saved my reciepts from our 11/27 Miracle cruise so I could give exact numbers but alas, I threw them away yesterday..

[CTMak]

I'm a natural born penny pincher.

We don't drink alcohol. I take my own sodas. I take my own pictures. My DH goes in the casino, but knows his limits. We rarely do the ship excursions...mostly walk around the local shops. I NEVER go to the spa, I get my glamour fixes before I leave home. I would never pay extra for food. The food in the DR is good enough for us. We did pay to do a "Behind the Fun" tour of Carnival Inspiration last week. Very enjoyable.

 

 

 

Really????

[kiraryker]

If you should decide to purchase a DOD, ask for it in a regular plastic cup rather than the fancy glass. You get the same amount of "drink" but it's about 2 bucks cheaper. Wish I had saved my reciepts from our 11/27 Miracle cruise so I could give exact numbers but alas, I threw them away yesterday..

 

Did not know that!!! Thanks

 

You guys have awesome ideas - I was feeling the panic but now I'm thinking we can do it without coming home and regretting our family vacation - I tend to be the one that hates $$$ issues - want to have a good time without coming home and saying I wish we wouldn't have spent..........

[imnance]

I'm not a big spender in real life, but when I go on vacation I'm not going to worry about every little penny. I use a cc to set up my acct and pay it off in cash the last night.

 

 

I don't spend with wild abandon on a vacation, but if I couldn't go on vacation without worrying about every cent I spend, I'd stay home. Having to watch every penny would be stressful to me and that defeats the purpose of the vacation.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Did not know that!!! Thanks

 

You guys have awesome ideas - I was feeling the panic but now I'm thinking we can do it without coming home and regretting our family vacation - I tend to be the one that hates $$$ issues - want to have a good time without coming home and saying I wish we wouldn't have spent..........

 

The other side of that coin is being so careful that you pass by experiences you wish you had gone ahead & done. I had a great time on the transatlantic cruise I took, first time in Europe. We took good tours but I could have spent longer in port, done more, had a nice meal instead of grabbing a snack or coffee. So glad I booked a balcony cabin, that added to the enjoyment of the cruise immensely & was worth every penny.

[cantwait4cruise]

I have heard of super organized people who put a certain amount of cash in an envelope for each day. When it is gone, no more spending. I don't think DH would go for that system!

 

 

That is a great idea thanks for posting it. I was worried about possibly spending too much. I will think we will try this again thanks and have a great cruise.

[kiraryker]

That is what I need to do - decide on our daily spending and put that cash in an envelope and stick with it. We tend to go over board (ha ha) especially with drinks - large bar bills - but we are generous and when we cruise with others we will always buy a round or 2 or 3........

 

Thanks for all the great ideas:

 

Book private excursions

decide on a daily budget and only bring cash for that

do not get the little souvenirs

do not purchase the carnival pictures

bring own pop/water/wine on board

 

 

Great ideas!

[waldocruiser1]

Of course Christmas is almost here and we cruise the first part of January so I'm in panic mode - what do you guys do to conserve your $$ while on a cruise - do you cut back on your excursions? Do you not get adult beverages on board??

 

I want to do everything because I always think well we don't have big family vacations very often but then again I don't want to break the bank either.

 

Any money saving ideas that you have used?

 

Thanks

 

I find the easyest way to cut back on what you spend, is to put cash down on your sign and sail card, rather than a credit card.

 

With cash you will keep track, because you don't want to be "declined" when making a purchase. If you run low, you have to go to the pursers desk and deposit more, which means you might have to go to the ATM and pay the fee, so you are a little more thrifty.

 

It works for us

[raymond673]

Once you know your sailing date is bought and paid for start purchasing drink coupons on the Carnival site. Also slowly pre-pay your excursions. Example, We went on the Rose Hall Tour in Jamacia, it is $40.00 Per Person. We purchased one ticket, then later purchase another at a later time. They are not going to sell out. You can also slowly pre-pay your tips and also slowly purchase ship dollars or ship credit. When you throw $20.00 here..$40.00 there, you build a nice on ship "nest egg" to play with and pretty much have everything pre-paid.

 

Also, avoid the casino, not worth it, you lose the house odds are hugely stacked against the passenger.

 

Take baby steps and pay things forward.

[elcuchio24]

Alcohol, Casino/Bingo, pictures. Those items are what really rack up. No one has a gun to your head though, spend as much or as little as you want. Just a little self control/awareness and you'll be fine.

[chachi]

I buy my excursions before I even get on the ship. I buy one a month to help spread out the cost. I try to cut expenses and save moneybefore the cruise. Once on the cruise I buy whatever I want. It is a vacation. I'm there to have fun. I don't want to stress about money.

[Starsantana]

can you buy wine in the gift shop and drink it on your cruise and not have to wait till it's over to get it back ?