Cruising on a Budget - Free, Discounts & Splurges

[hawaiideb]

Usually on the night of sailing, at least one of the specialty restaurants runs a 1/2 off special. This is nice, because we ALWAYS eat in the dining room for lunch while others are at the buffet. For dinner, most have found the dining rooms, so we go to a specialty restaurant 1/2 off! Way to avoid crowds :)

[2FLGuys]

Thank you everyone. Great comments and insights... Keep them coming.

[dread_pirate]

OP.. that is one thing I really like about NCL. You can literally board a ship, have a blast, and not spend anything extra, unless you want to. Keep in mind of the daily tips that are charged to your account. You are coming across to me as the same kind of drinker I am. You can take or leave it, that it isnt necessary. A lot of people think that buying a bottle of booze on the ship is expensive, but I believe if you compare it to the cost of buying it drink by drink on the ship it isn't that bad. I MAY have two adult beverages per cruise and the same thing for my partner, so for us, it is usually cheaper to just buy per drink. My biggest drink expense is coffee. We always stay in a suite so we have the great coffee machine, but that doesn't do us any good while out and about, so that is where I spend money for beverages. A cup of coffee that you purchase starts at a little over $2.00 and can go up from there, depending on what you order.

 

 

They charge for coffee??? What about things like hot tea, or iced tea? Are there any unlimited type drinks you can get on NCL?

[Crissy699]

They charge for coffee??? What about things like hot tea, or iced tea? Are there any unlimited type drinks you can get on NCL?

 

They charge for espresso, cappuccino, custom/iced coffees in the dining rooms or bars-and most ships have a cafe where you can buy them. You can have hot tea and hot regular/decaf coffee for no charge, there should also be a small coffee machine in your room. They provide free iced tea at all times. During breakfast, they offer various juices (from a mix usually) for free.

[luddite]

They charge for coffee??? What about things like hot tea, or iced tea? Are there any unlimited type drinks you can get on NCL?

 

They charge for foofoo coffee. Regular coffee, no charge.

[LOWTYD]

:)In Belize, the best price on Belikin Beer has been from a vendor on the dock where Carny boats tender in.

 

Just an FYi on the Belkin...It is not a full 12 oz. It maybe 9 and change. The bottle is very thick so you are not getting as much beer as you may think. (But it is good!:) )

[luddite]

Just an FYi on the Belkin...It is not a full 12 oz. It maybe 9 and change. The bottle is very thick so you are not getting as much beer as you may think. (But it is good!:) )

 

They have two sizes of bottles. I have sampled both.:)

[odessy]

What do they charge for the 7 Bottle wine package? Can I get like 2 whites and 5 Reds?

[coffeecat]

What do they charge for the 7 Bottle wine package? Can I get like 2 whites and 5 Reds?

 

On the Jewel, you could pick whatever combination you wanted...you could get all red, 2 of one and 5 of the other, or seven bottles of the same exact thing. The price is not fixed...rather you pay what each bottle costs (which was, as I recall) the same price that they are on the wine lists in the restaurants. I think for the 7 we got it was just over 200$ (maybe 220$ or something). They were in the mid 20 to low 40$ range but my memory isn't perfect. The charges showed up as one fee on my account. The wines were very good (I think we only got one or two reds though) and I actually was pleasantly surprised by how good the sparkling wine was too. Great deal...hoping they have it on the Pearl.

 

House white by the glass is decent and at 6.00$ (roughly which included the tip) I thought this was also a good deal (where I live wine is usually 8-12$ per glass and that is before tax and tip.

 

Have a great cruise,

Coffeecat

[SASA13]

They charge for espresso, cappuccino, custom/iced coffees in the dining rooms or bars-and most ships have a cafe where you can buy them. You can have hot tea and hot regular/decaf coffee for no charge, there should also be a small coffee machine in your room. They provide free iced tea at all times. During breakfast, they offer various juices (from a mix usually) for free.

 

 

Is lemonade also offered at all times ( with the ice tea and coffee ) ? DH is a lemonade drinker, therefore, if it is not offered, I will bring some packs of lemonade mix with me. Thanks.

[dread_pirate]

They charge for espresso, cappuccino, custom/iced coffees in the dining rooms or bars-and most ships have a cafe where you can buy them. You can have hot tea and hot regular/decaf coffee for no charge, there should also be a small coffee machine in your room. They provide free iced tea at all times. During breakfast, they offer various juices (from a mix usually) for free.

 

They charge for foofoo coffee. Regular coffee, no charge.

Great, thanks! I can live with that, but not without my regular coffee! :)

[2FLGuys]

So I am a bit of a Frugal Guy all around and was wondering if anyone had insight into getting the most out of Cruising on a budget.

 

For example, I've read some daily's where certain events/activities offer complimentary services, drinks, raffles for dinners, etc. and I have been on other cruises where if you go to the Spa right off you can become part of the demonstration.

 

Please share your experiences and opinions on getting the most for the least as well what things worth SPLURGING for?

 

 

ps: I'll be traveling on the NCL Pearl Jan 30 to the W. Caribbean, but please share experiences from others ships/sailings as well as it may be helpful to others on the boards.

 

Thanks everyone for your advice. What are some Splurges that I should strongly consider while on the Cruise? Would the week Spa pass be a splurge item? What else?

[raventhebouv]

I save a little before the cruise by getting up early and cooking my breakfast, then I wipe bacon grease on her mouth and when she gets up I tell her she already had breakfast. Every little bit helps !!

OMG...I am so glad I opened this thread...I am LMAO reading your comments SwedishWeave!:D

[OceanDreaming2]

Is lemonade also offered at all times ( with the ice tea and coffee ) ? DH is a lemonade drinker, therefore, if it is not offered, I will bring some packs of lemonade mix with me. Thanks.

 

Lemonade is not one of the freebie beverages, so bring your own mix. Or do it our polish way - water, lemons and sweetner.

[OceanDreaming2]

Thanks everyone for your advice. What are some Splurges that I should strongly consider while on the Cruise? Would the week Spa pass be a splurge item? What else?

 

We have purchased the Spa package a couple of times and love the atmosphere, solitude and relaxation it offers.

[maja651]

Another way to save...instead of buying the wine package, why not bring the wine you want to drink on board, and pay the $15 per bottle cork fee? I have to think it is cheaper to do it that way (plus you are getting the exact wine you like and want) than buying the NCL wine package. We plan to bring on 8 bottles! :) (But hey, I am a frugle shopper, so I get the wine at great deals in the first place, so adding the $15 cork fee still makes it a lot cheaper than the NCL prices)

 

Michelle

[swedish weave]

OMG...I am so glad I opened this thread...I am LMAO reading your comments SwedishWeave!:D

 

Thanks !!!:D But I gotta tell you -- after she saw my posts, I didn't see her for the rest of the day... This morning I pried my swollen left eye open so I could see her !!:p:p

[raventhebouv]

Is lemonade also offered at all times ( with the ice tea and coffee ) ? DH is a lemonade drinker, therefore, if it is not offered, I will bring some packs of lemonade mix with me. Thanks.

I bring the "on-the-go" packets of ice tea and lemonade and just add a packet to a bottle of water and voila...you have ice tea or lemonade when you want it. I pack several bottles of water and just refill the bottles with ship water and store in the refrig so there is always chilled water. I also pack a small duffle bag with diet coke, water and my favorite snacks and just let it go thru with our regular luggage...and it has always made it to our cabin!:D

[raventhebouv]

Another way to save...instead of buying the wine package, why not bring the wine you want to drink on board, and pay the $15 per bottle cork fee? I have to think it is cheaper to do it that way (plus you are getting the exact wine you like and want) than buying the NCL wine package. We plan to bring on 8 bottles! :) (But hey, I am a frugle shopper, so I get the wine at great deals in the first place, so adding the $15 cork fee still makes it a lot cheaper than the NCL prices)

 

Michelle

 

That's what we do too!

[rpclmc]

Great, thanks! I can live with that, but not without my regular coffee! :)

 

But the regular coffee is horrible, the worst is on NCL. If you can tolerate instant, get your favorite instant and bring with - it is better than the regular ships coffee. Starbucks makes a decent instant.

 

I drink the ships regular coffee, but I doctor it up.

[JakesGirl2011]

Not sure if this is the kind of frugal you are talking about, but we bring on a case each of our preferred pop and we use rum runners. If you are not sure what a rum runner is - goggle it! They work great. Refill at each port with desired alcohol. Bring pop on at each port as well. Now saying all that, I am mostly a beer drinker and do purchase beer on board. I use the rum runners for in suite only. Have a great cruise!

 

I went on on googled this and it looks so handy! My DH and I are liquor drinkers and would love to have some in our room at night for a night cap.. ;) Do you just put the rum runner in your handbag? Or is it sneakier than that? :eek:

[flowerchild]

Best splurges for me are the martini clinics, a specialty restaurant or two, a pub crawl and most definitely, a HOT STONE MASSAGE. Counting the days...

[Crissy699]

Is lemonade also offered at all times ( with the ice tea and coffee ) ? DH is a lemonade drinker, therefore, if it is not offered, I will bring some packs of lemonade mix with me. Thanks.

As someone else answered, no, they dont provide free lemonade like other cruise lines do-I first cruised on Carnival and Royal and was used to making the lemonade/iced tea combo but had to change my ways once I converted to NCL ;)

 

As you and a few other posters mentioned, we also bring the little single-serve packets to mix with water. Crystal light now even has one made with Stevia (natural sweetener) for those folks who try to stay away from the chemical sweeteners in most of the drink mixes. They have a lemon-lime one that goes well with the iced tea onboard! :D Stevia does have a slightly bitter taste (to some, including me) but the lemon-lime covers that right up, lol, so I love that flavor.

[4guysatsea]

We have purchased the Spa package a couple of times and love the atmosphere, solitude and relaxation it offers.

 

Well, when you put it that way, the spa package sounds priceless. Plus my $60 in coupon savings at the grocery store today will help justify the splurge. LOL. And I am going to need some relaxation time after the jungle hike, zipline, and all of those climbs up to the top of the waterslide. 19 days and counting!!!

[SASA13]

I bring the "on-the-go" packets of ice tea and lemonade and just add a packet to a bottle of water and voila...you have ice tea or lemonade when you want it. I pack several bottles of water and just refill the bottles with ship water and store in the refrig so there is always chilled water. I also pack a small duffle bag with diet coke, water and my favorite snacks and just let it go thru with our regular luggage...and it has always made it to our cabin!:D

 

 

Great Idea. Thanks. Is the fridge filled with the pay soda, water, etc. Is there room for a few cans and bottles of water.