What to consider not skimping on?

[Gunner22aa]

We sail in suites. It doesn't get anymore expensive than that on any ship. We love the perks that come with it and the enormous balcony that I spend countless hours reading on. Others who only use their cabin as a place to flop will certainly disagree and for them rightfully so.

[Troy McClure]

I book my own excursions. I got great tips from this and other boards.

I do not drink more than a few drinks the whole cruise.

I gamble penny slots.

I do not feel obligated to bring home a trinket from each port. Earlier in my cruising career I got pulled into the shopping frenzy like a lemming. No More

I DO buy a soda card.

I always book an inside room. (We spend very little time there)

My last 7 day cruise my DW and I spent less than $300 on our sign and sail.

I did splurge on 1 meal in the steakhouse and it was well worth it.

 

I cruise because it is affordable and convenient. I actually have a reason to turn off my cell phone and not use a computer for a week.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I'm thrifty and always try to save money. That said, I've booked everything from bunkbed insides to grand suites. Having a balcony makes so much difference in the enjoyment of my cruise. Just being able to step outside the cabin at a moments notice or get fresh air.

[5326jan]

We don't skimp on transportation to hotel after long hours of travel. We pre-arrange a car service to meet us (our name on placard) at the international airport and take us to the hotel. Trying to find the right subway, train, bus or deal with an unscrupulous taxi driver is not fun when you've been awake for 20 some hours, especially if you've got more than one bag.

[bitsey66]

Honeymoon cruise on Crown Princess last month was my 2nd cruise & my husbands 1st.

We decided we were going to do what we wanted and not skimp but also, not put ourselves in debt! My 1st cruise was a bit disappointing due to my friend, who had cruised before and insisted everything was a "waste of money or time" and all she wanted to do was barter/shop & go to the casino! Personally, throwing money in the "trashcan" is not my idea of fun. MY opinion, and bartering for knock off handbags is just not fun for me either. Sure, some people would've gone off solo on excursions etc, but I'm not the solo type girl & having no experience in this type of vacation, going solo was stressful & daunting.

 

All that being said, the things I DID learn & experience, I wanted my hubby to try it all & I wanted to enjoy it all with him. We crammed as much as we could into our trip, scheduled dining, formal nights, formal photos, specialty dining, excursions booked thru ship, with no experience I wasn't ready to risk it on our own & miss the ship leaving port), casino (HE threw $5 into a slot, won $50, cashed out and we left!) We bought 8 professional photos as well as I am a photo snob and feel if they are great pics, it's worth it to me. We shopped a bit on board and in each port, buying unique or cool things. My parents and I have a tradition that we buy each other Christmas ornaments when we travel, but only if its someplace new. hubby and i aren't interested in diamonds/gemstones, name brands, watches, art or wine so that's not even considered. We prefer things unique to that locale and while I DO love jewelry, we just can't afford thousands to pay for it. I bought a gorgeous ring and necklace, CZ for less than $100 & get tons of compliments! Also, we made amazing new friends we keep in touch with as this was not only our honeymoon but the Marine Corp Veterans birthday cruise. Hubby is a Marine and meeting brother vets while having a traditional cake cutting ceremony was truly meaningful! We are joining them next November again on the Ruby for the annual trip.

 

Since we experienced most everything we wanted, we have decided this next cruise will be much more laid back and less expensive ;)

"Skimping" by not going to casinos, no specialty dining, will choose anytime dining, will do exploring or excursions on our own or with the group IF its something we really want to do. We are leaning towards renting a Harley and sightseeing/beaching on either St Thomas or St Maarten, Ive been to St T twice & St M once. Won't buy anything from the ports unless REALLY different. I've already bought parents ornaments from the ports except Grand Turk. I don't drink soda but hubby does & we brought a 12pk of sprite, we are more than fine with regular coffee, tea and water. We don't drink wine or champagne, no interest in art, bingo, spa treatments and I only used a few minutes on Internet minutes when they were half off, just to check for email from my attorney & to check on his daughter in Chicago during the tornado. We do want the balcony again but would go OV if we HAD to. We will buy a few drinks each per day to try the DOD but brought our own bottled "wine" and will again.

 

We did and will drive to FLL. We stopped at the state lines for hotel coupons and spent $100 round trip, except for in Ft Lauderdale. We did a pkg for $130 w/room, breakfast, parking for the week & shuttle service. We will do that again but possibly stay with new friends and/or hubby's friend we met up with in FLL also from the Marines. They hadn't seen each other for 28years! He and his girl took us out on the town!

 

When all is said and done we had the most amazing vacation of ours lives and will again. No matter if you spend $5000 or less or more... It comes down to who you are making memories with! And what you each feel is meaningful:D:)

 

Sorry this was soooo long! I'm in the hospital and can't sleep! Pain meds make me chatter a lot :rolleyes::o

Edited December 8, 2013 by bitsey66

[avgsuperheroine]

This is a fun read!

 

DH and I are gearing up for only our second cruise, this time with our boys. Neither of us drink and we both really aren't out-doorsy and love a dark room--those interior rooms work great for us and will save us lots of money over a lifetime.

 

We both love food. When we get to a port we like to try new foods. For me, cruising more will be an opportunity to see places I've never seen and/or make memories with my boys and husband. When we can afford to do more we'll splurge on dream destinations or excursions.

 

A year after our first cruise, my DH had a massive heart attack (I was only 33 at the time). He's doing great now, but it put things in perspective. I have a demanding job that takes 45-90 hours a week depending on the time of year. I don't feel the need to splurge on anything now except the opportunity to spend more time away from work and stress and "real life" with him and my boys while we have the opportunity to do so.

[BLD1202]

Don't buy insurance from Allianz or any company for that matter! It never pays without a hassle and never pays why you expect. It makes you feel good thinking you are covered, but when you have an issue such as the ship breaking down, Celebrity Millennium Ketchikan, Alaska Aug 2013, you don't get your refund. Insurance is a waste of money! We cruise often and have stopped taking out insurance. I'm sure there will be others who disagree. If they would like to pay me what Allianz owes me, I might change my mind. Otherwise forget it.

[Jocecruise]

 

We cruise primarily out of FL, and live in Va. It is always my goal to not spend more than $850 on airfare- for all 5 of us. And 95% of the time I can do this .

 

Wow ! It would be a dream for me ! I hate paying a lot for airfare ! For our next cruise in March it will be $2200 for the three of us...and we travel 3h00 to get to Halifax to take the plane to San Juan... If I took tickets from Moncton it was $900 more!!!!!!!

[fendbass]

I treat every port as a 'once in a lifetime' event, and will pay to go where we want, and see what we want

 

However, I very seldom do ship's excursions, I am careful to plan something that will get me back to the ship at least an hour early

 

Several years ago, just before Windstar pulled out of Tahiti, we splurged, and consider the $6k well-spent. Same with Rio de Janerio, but, I researched, and found a private guide for 2 days at a reasonable price. St Thomas, St Martin, St Lucia, San Juan all had tour operators at the pier

 

I always buy a soda card, because I don't drink much alcohol, but my wife enjoys her chocolate Martinis, and Happy Wife=Happy Life

 

Specialty dining is a waste of money. We don't do much port shopping, except in St Thomas where we always have to stop at the Belgian chocolate store (see 'Happy Wife' reference above). We don't use the spa, don't go to art auctions, or, for the most part, the shops on board. Gambling bores me, and, besides, I can't stand the smoke

 

However, we are balcony snobs, and won't do without one

[AuroraMeansDawn]

My skimps and splurges mirror many.

 

I've cruised in a balcony room and I really like that particularly when we only had one child left at home so there were three of us. It made it less embarrassing and more pleasant for him to step on the balcony while mom dressed but it's not a necessity. It was also a godsend because I was on the tail end of bronchitis on that trip and I spent the first day at sea pretty much in the room and napping before I kicked it.

 

I don't mind an inside. I've enjoyed an OV and I have had a porthole and been just fine. I get up and go so my cabin is not that big of an issue.

 

I do like the soda card. It's my indulgence and I don't spend tons of money on drinks on deck but I do like a nice wine at dinner and I like to spend on the wine package. I'll never buy a drink in a cocoanut or souvenir glass. I do bring home a Christmas Ornament and never regret it. My kids still enjoy talking about the ,memories spawned by a wooden Pinnochio from Pisa or the Sand Dollar from Key West as we decorate the tree

 

Excursions depend on the port. I will never forget kissing stingrays Grand Cayman and I love snorkling I love beach days at Coco Cay and Nachi Cocom. I've had a wonderful time booze crusing on the catamarans and really enjoyed Snuba. I do a lot of research at home so I can enjoy where I am but sometimes it's a return port and nothing strikes me and I still have a great time. Once our port was Falmouth Jamaica the year after we had vacationed for a week at an all inclusive in Jamaica so we'd already seen the falls and been to Scotchys etc. What a wonderful time we had though. We got off the ship a bit, bought our Blue Mountain coffee and grabbed some jerk chicken and had a nice leisurely conversation with some off duty crew who were also grabbing a bite. Just sat in the sun and it was rather wonderful. I heard all about a girl from the Manilla's life at home, her family, what she liked about her job etc and it was delightful. She was charming and relaxed. We liked some of the same music. We perused my iTouch together. Serendipity!

 

I work in a Spa so I cringe at the Spa prices and at the number of services the therapists do in a day so I'll pass on that. I do carry ones with me and tip my bartenders though. I guess working in service I have a tendency to overtip a bit but there are far worse habits aren't there?

 

We ate at Johnny Rockets once. It wasn't really worth it food wise but I had agreed on that trip to give my boys a night off from the MDR so they chose JR and to visit the movie theater on board and watch Harry Potter. It was worth it because of the memory and how happy they were to be in shorts and tshirts at night.

 

Apparently my other indulgence is words. I've certainly not been pithy here but maybe I've answered the question or something I've rambled about will be of value to someone. Happy Cruising, Everyone!

[beingatraveler]

We usually book whatever cabin offers the best value at the time. Our last cruise we did a balcony because it was the same price as an inside, and on our upcoming cruise we did an ocean view because it was the best value - a balcony on this one would have been considerably more expensive.

 

As for what we do on board, we don't do the soda card as we don't drink it at home, so why would when we're away? We'll have a drink before dinner if we want to, and maybe a bottle of wine with dinner that lasts us a few nights. We don't go crazy, because we wouldn't at home either. We don't like being hungover (who does?!) and definitely don't want to get up early and do an excursion feeling crappy.

 

Which leads me to the excursions, we book what we want to. We usually book the city tours to actually see where we are and they're generally very reasonably priced anyways. I used to work for Princess and have spent many hours wandering around ports and seeing nothing the city has to offer. Some ports have more to see close by than others. In Alaska for example, I just wandered around most of the ports which all kind of look the same, now when I look back at the excursions that I had the opportunity to do, and didn't do them, I kick myself. Now we just book what we want to do so we have no regrets. We've booked dune buggy excursion in Grand Turk for our upcoming cruise and we can't wait!

 

We're very fortunate to be able to travel multiple times a year, but this year we've got our one "big" 9-day cruise as we're getting married next year and the rest of our money is going to that!

[SmileyMcMit]

1) Nicer cabin. We always opt for balcony or above for every cruise now. It is nice to have your own outdoor view and ability to get fresh air without having to go into the public areas or walk up the stairs to a deck.

 

2) Laundry/dry cleaning. I like to take a trip away from *all* chores. Yes, you can wash your own undies in the sink - but unless you need them ASAP - throw them in the laundry bags and they'll come back clean in a day or two. It's not cheap but really - it's nice to have freshly laundered clothing delivered to your cabin. Sometimes I even have them do a "last load" before everything needs to be packed away so I don't need to wash it all when I get home :D

 

3) Tours. If there is something you want to see, make sure you see it at the port. Sometimes the "cheap" tour will do fine but don't be afraid to spend more for private cars or experiences that will bring fond memories.

[simplelife]

We really don't do a lot of splurging, the cruise itself is a splurge. We spring for at least an Oceanview cabin. Otherwise we don't do a lot of extras-we've tried most of them and just do not find them worth the money.

 

 

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[Sun4Me2Please]

Regardless of cruise or land vacation it is all what you make it to be. For me if I had the extra money I would splurge on something in the "Spa", or a specialty restaurant, possibly a more expensive excursion. I don't think I consider the room a splurge. For us we only do OV, but next month we will try our first Balcony. I could never do inside, need to be in touch with a window;)

I hope that having the balcony does not spoil us to thinking that we would need this for future cruises :) but, if it does then we would have to be a bit more savvy in picking out our future cruises... regardless I am a firm believer in that you can always save money here for something you want to do over there, what we skimp on is fine by us, because we will make sure to spend the money where it is most enjoyable for us :)

[mousey]

If the DH and I didn't skimp on things, we'd never have gone on as many cruises as we have. By sailing in inside cabins, not always going to the specialty restaurants, not flying first-class, etc., we have been able to make some beautiful, unbelievably unforgettable, lifelong memories.

 

I'll always remember my first cruise with the DH (I had cruised twice before, he had never cruised; he was 19, I was 25, he was in college, I had a fun job). We had won some money gambling at Jai Alai (in Miami), and at my suggestion, we decided to take a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. What I remember, is that by the time we had paid for the cruise, parking the car, setting aside money for tips, etc., we got on the ship...and this is the absolute truth...with just a couple of dollars...$2 to be exact. Down to his last quarter, the DH put it into a slot machine and pulled the handle...he hit a $300 jackpot!!! We thought we were so rich and we were so freak'n excited! This was back in the early 70s and $300 to a college student back then was a small fortune. We spent most of it on excursions, however, being young and foolish, on the second to the last night of our cruise, we went to a casino and let what we had left of the money "ride" on the the number "6" (how many months we'd been together), and "red" (because it's my favorite color) at the roulette wheel. You guessed it, we lost every cent we had! We had put aside just enough money to get the car out of the parking lot. LOL! We weren't the least bit bummed out. We had had some crazy fun! And yes, we did pay our tips.

 

The DH, same as I had before him, got the cruising bug and over the years we have sailed all over the world together and eventually with our DS who also got the cruising bug on his first cruise. We never had a lot of money but we always had a great time.

 

We have never been on a cruise that we didn't have awesome time. We still (even though we can afford to upgrade) sail in interior cabins. We concluded long ago that we're not in it all that much so why spend the money to upgrade when we can use the money to upgrade our excursions instead. And, we have been on some spine-thrill-chilling ones and some mellow, laid-back ones; but never on ones we didn't really enjoy on some level.

 

So yeah, we skimp, but not on excursions.

Edited February 19, 2014 by mousey