cruising on a budget

[cruiserkelly]

My DH and I are cruising in May on the Elation. We have been on several cruises before, but this will be our 1st in over 2 years. We are on a really, really tight budget with this cruise. I'm looking for any tips and tricks any of you have on ways to "cruise on a budget". I know we won't be spending any money on excursions, we will bring our own "allotted soda and wine" onboard, etc. But any other tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

[pnjkeith]

My DH and I are cruising in May on the Elation. We have been on several cruises before, but this will be our 1st in over 2 years. We are on a really, really tight budget with this cruise. I'm looking for any tips and tricks any of you have on ways to "cruise on a budget". I know we won't be spending any money on excursions, we will bring our own "allotted soda and wine" onboard, etc. But any other tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

 

Rum runners for your booze.

[LHP]

If you enjoy speciality coffees that Carnival charges for on the Promenade...remember that you can get expresso and cappicinos for free in the Main Dining Room at any meal they are open.

[h_blond2]

Stay away from the casino, stores and don't buy the pictures that the photographers take. Take advantage of the free entertainment and go see all the shows and take the towel folding class if it is offered! I loved it!

[chasinraynbowz]

Once your cruise and tips are paid for, you can virtually cruise for free!

 

You will have a GREAT time!!!!

[serene56]

PrePay now before you go as much as you can.

 

Prepay the tips with final payment. (our last sign and sail account was for under 5.50 for one drink I got during the week)

 

Past guest parties. drink iced tea, lemonade instead of buying sodas.

get no photographs taken- avoid the cafe with the special cakes.. argghh

[slybear]

You can make iced coffee too & add ice cream, yummy!

[dustyroad]

i am in the same financial boat. they have cut our hours at work and the paycheck is smaller than i can remember. we sail in may and i am trying too save every extra nickle i can find too have for money in my wallet for the cruise. i dont buy the pictures, play the bingo or go to the casino. i do the walking tours in the ports and visit things that are free. i quit buying souveniers for friends and family ( i used too spend a small bundle on things for other people untill they started telling me what they wanted :eek: for free ). and i dont eat off the ship. the food is already paid for with the cost of the cruise so eating in the ports is a luxury i dont spend money on anymore. i still have a great time doing free things offered on the ship and enjoy every minute of the trip. im sure you will too.

 

have a great time.

[mama_2_boys]

Find free stuff to do while in port so you don't have to spend any extra money on excursions.

[Bmaintz]

We book 10 to 12 mths in advance on Early Saver (sometimes on Military).... Try to sail in Nov., Dec., Jan. & Feb. for the low fares... We also get the Certificate aboard the ship to get the $100 OBC on our next cruise... No casino or mixed drinks, I can have fun without them... I bring my own camera so save on the pictures... Hope this helps... Just remember, every time they ask fo your Sail & Sign card it will cost you...

[richstowe]

Don't know where you are but most people can save alot before they get to the cruise.

 

Are you flying in ? If so are you taking taxis and eating out. What about your hotel costs?

 

If you are driving, are you parking at the port or getting a lift? If arriving the day before, are

you taking advantage of stay n park rates at hotels?

 

Are you buying alot of cruise clothes?

 

I think many people (and CC really helps) do a good job of controlling on board costs.

Perhaps thinking about preboarding costs would in total result in even bigger savings.:)

[xplor97]

Socialize...nothing better than finding fellow cruise mates or employees that talk about interests that you have. Take time and ask the right questions and engage people and the hours will fly by with FREE fun conversation.

[norcal2]

You will not need to buy food except by choice so that is free as well as the Lido drinks etc. I think if you stick with everything you probably already know then you will be fine. Someone above said to pre-purchase before the trip and that is what we do. We buy a bottle Vodka from Bon Voyage and have it waiting for us. It is about $40 which is not that expensive if you price the cost of drinks in the clubs. We also bring the allowable drinks onboard. Anywhere that you can prepay and afford it, do so.

 

Check the stops and if there is no tour you can afford then consider a shuttle to one of the sites you read about or sharing a taxi with others. Also some tours are cheaper if you book them in the area you are going to so for the shorter tours you can look up online tour guides and reviews and compare the costs. That can be pre-paid too.

 

If you cannot afford a tour at all then just enjoy the area you are docked in as there are usually places of interest around. In any case being on a budget is just as fun as not being on a budget so just enjoy the planning and the fun trip you will be on.

[enveno1]

PrePay now before you go as much as you can.

 

Prepay the tips with final payment. (our last sign and sail account was for under 5.50 for one drink I got during the week)

 

Past guest parties. drink iced tea, lemonade instead of buying sodas.

get no photographs taken- avoid the cafe with the special cakes.. argghh

 

Wow! I'm impressed! This cruise DH and I have planed to cut way back on our sail and sign spending. It's always been at least $900 for 7 days (family of 4) but thanks to these boards we have learned a lot of cost saving tips. We no longer book excursions through Carnival. (I know, our risk-which we are happy to take.) I research long before we go and book directly with excursion company. Last March we parasailed in Key West through Carnival for $99. Afterward, we walked around shopping and found company we just parasailed with-cost $33. We bring our our wine and sodas/water. Everyone takes plenty of pictures so we don't miss out on the $21 per pic Carnival charges. We set a limit for the casino and once that limit has been met-no more casino. Better yet, stay out of the casino. Oh, and get free postcards from the purser's desk.

[cruiserkelly]

Don't know where you are but most people can save alot before they get to the cruise.

 

Are you flying in ? If so are you taking taxis and eating out. What about your hotel costs?

 

If you are driving, are you parking at the port or getting a lift? If arriving the day before, are

you taking advantage of stay n park rates at hotels?

 

Are you buying alot of cruise clothes?

 

I think many people (and CC really helps) do a good job of controlling on board costs.

Perhaps thinking about preboarding costs would in total result in even bigger savings.:)

 

We are driving to mobile from Atlanta, and possibly staying with a friend, and possibly getting that friend to drop us off and pick us up from port. However, if that doesn't happen, does anyone know of any tips to not have to pay the 75 bucks to park at the port? Any place we could park cheaper and the car would be safe all week? I already have plenty of cruise clothes from previous cruises, that thankfully still fit. :-) Does anyone know of anything fun and free to do in Cozumel and Calica?

[elcuchio24]

Don't drink heavily, stay away from the casino, don't buy their overpriced pictures. The big 3.

[enveno1]

We are driving to mobile from Atlanta, and possibly staying with a friend, and possibly getting that friend to drop us off and pick us up from port. However, if that doesn't happen, does anyone know of any tips to not have to pay the 75 bucks to park at the port? Any place we could park cheaper and the car would be safe all week? I already have plenty of cruise clothes from previous cruises, that thankfully still fit. :-) Does anyone know of anything fun and free to do in Cozumel and Calica?

 

Check area hotels. Many may have parking rates without you having to have stayed overnight. Last March we went ATVing in Cozumel, it was one of the best excursion we have ever went on, but you get very dirty. We booked locally, not through Carnival and saved $50. There were many other people from other cruise ships and those staying on land. The company was reputable had new automatic and manual atvs. If you do this excursion bring your own scarf to cover your face so you don't have to buy theirs.

[okgirl]

Take advantage of the free drinks at the past guest party and fond farewell, neither of which are advertised very well.

 

Also, take advantage of the morning drink specials if you are so inclined.

 

I just sold some unwanted gold jewelry and got $700 for it.

 

If you can afford it in Cozumel go to Nachi Cocum for a beach day. It's $49 per adult, I'm not sure what the kid price is. Well worth it. All inclusive, all you can drink, huge pool and hot tub, beautiful beach and not crowded at all, they only allow 100 cruise passengers per day in the resort. You do have to make reservations in advance, here is the link.

 

http://www.cozumelcruiseexcursions.com/CozumelBeachBreak.htm

 

If you can afford to play a little in the casino, take any credits that you win back and pay against your S&S card just to keep it payed down.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Each year prior to our vacation, we have a big yard sale. Not only does it wipe out any clutter it also gives us our spending money. We start months in advance by pricing the item and then putting it in a centralized location. In our case it was the guest room. We did a lot of planning, made signs and took out an inexpensive ad in the newpaper. We ended up doing very,very well. In addition, we also put all of our spare change into a jar and do not cash it in until just before vacation. By doing this we ended up with several hundred dollars. We also booked our last cruise 10 months out to give us the opportunity to pre pay as much as possible. ( tips, excursions, insurance) The only thing we had to pay while on the ship were the things that we put on our S&S acct. We did however bring some singles and 5's to use for extra tips for room service, bar waiters that we came to know, our excellent MDR wait team and porters etc...but that part is totally up to you and certainly an individual decision.

 

When you actually get on the ship, do take advantage of the activities and entertainment listed on the Fun Times. There is always something going on that doesn't cost money. Bring a good book and lay out in the sun and enjoy the sea air, play putt-putt golf or basketball. Take advantage of looking at the art that is displayed on the ship. There are so many things to do besides bingo and the casino. Join your Roll Call too. This was such a great way to meet other folks.

 

When you pull into the ports, just get off the ship and walk around. Go back to the ship for your meals and take advantage of some low cost things to do in the ports. Take lots of pictures and make an album. For our cruise this coming Oct, we plan on taking our Santa Hats to take pictures of ourselves in a tropical setting. We will then turn them into our Holiday cards for Christmas. Also, Google your ports and see if they have a local museum. We did this with our Grand Cayman stop and found out that they had a nice museum within walking distance that only cost $5. That's not only a bargain price but a great way to learn about the island itself. Just concentrate on the great company that you are with and enjoy the ship and all it has to offer.

 

Wishing you a great cruise. Cari :)

[elcuchio24]

Take advantage of the free drinks at the past guest party and fond farewell, neither of which are advertised very well.

 

Also, take advantage of the morning drink specials if you are so inclined.

 

I just sold some unwanted gold jewelry and got $700 for it.

 

If you can afford it in Cozumel go to Nachi Cocum for a beach day. It's $49 per adult, I'm not sure what the kid price is. Well worth it. All inclusive, all you can drink, huge pool and hot tub, beautiful beach and not crowded at all, they only allow 100 cruise passengers per day in the resort. You do have to make reservations in advance, here is the link.

 

http://www.cozumelcruiseexcursions.com/CozumelBeachBreak.htm

 

If you can afford to play a little in the casino, take any credits that you win back and pay against your S&S card just to keep it payed down.

 

You got $700 for your unwanted jewelry? I think I saw you on a TV commercial!

[jetskier]

Park at the City Garage located next to the Admiral Semmes hotel. It is $7 per day and about a 6-block walk to the port. I drop everyone off first and then drive over, park, and walk back. Upon your return, reverse the order. Just make sure you keep a copy of your boarding pass with you in order to get back in the terminal when you walk back.

Dave

[hellokitty4me]

i am in the same financial boat. they have cut our hours at work and the paycheck is smaller than i can remember. we sail in may and i am trying too save every extra nickle i can find too have for money in my wallet for the cruise. i dont buy the pictures, play the bingo or go to the casino. i do the walking tours in the ports and visit things that are free. i quit buying souveniers for friends and family ( i used too spend a small bundle on things for other people untill they started telling me what they wanted :eek: for free ). and i dont eat off the ship. the food is already paid for with the cost of the cruise so eating in the ports is a luxury i dont spend money on anymore. i still have a great time doing free things offered on the ship and enjoy every minute of the trip. im sure you will too.

 

have a great time.

 

Can you get on and off the ship more than once in the ports?

[kristy29]

One tip I read about on here that seems so smart to me is to take room service food with you into port. If you are getting into port early, order it the night before and put it in the fridge or in your ice bucket and it will be ready to go the next day.

[gargoyle999]

Book a PT cabin! Decent cabin, get some natural light and a good price. I'm doing two weeks in a PT next month instead of one balcony cruise! :)

[cathyoo]

One tip I read about on here that seems so smart to me is to take room service food with you into port. If you are getting into port early, order it the night before and put it in the fridge or in your ice bucket and it will be ready to go the next day.

 

I'm pretty sure you are not allowed to take food off the ship. Only pre-pagacked items like boxes of cereal.