Suggestions for first time cruisers

[hawkopd025]

First of all let me say I am no expert! I have been on several cruises and my suggestions are for those who want to cruise on a budget. If you are wealthy and money is no problem always go suite class, much larger cabins and balconies, plus perks. All cruise lines are different and some have better perks than others. If you can afford a balcony room, go with this you will not regret it. However if you are looking for a budget go with an inside cabin most inside cabins are not really much smaller than other cabins, besides you will not spend alot of time in your cabin. Also if you really want to save money and you don't mind not having alcoholic drinks, don't purchase alcoholic drinks , as they are expensive on cruise ships. As far as excursions, you will have to decide on this also. Most excursions on cruise ships can be expensive. You can always leave the ship when you port up and shop for cheap souvenirs at port shops and honestly if you have been to one Caribbean island you have basically been to all of them. Don't get me wrong by not taking an excursion you can miss alot, but this will save you money, besides staying on the ship while everybody else is off the ship means less crowds at the pool, buffets, ect. If you are really needing a tight budget, once you pay for your fare you will not really need much money for anything else. There are pictures taken of you all over the ship and they can get very expensive. So now with everybody having a cell phone with a camera, just take your own pictures or find someone to take a picture for you. If you don't drink alcohol, don't go on excursions, be careful about buying too many souvenirs , you can easily take a cruise for alot less money. As far as tips, some cruise lines will take out tips on the first day, you almost always have to  have a credit or debit card for your on board account and the tips will come out on your ship board account, so be prepared for this expense, also I think you can still cruise without a debit or credit card by putting cash in your shipboard account at the pursers office on the first day this will cover your tips and any on board purchases , some cruise lines may include tips in your initial fare but most do not. You can always go to customer services the first day you board and ask to not have tips taken out and pay what you want for service you got from your room steward, dining room staff , ect on the last day, but you should never refuse to tip, these people work hard for you to have an enjoyable cruise. So if you are really in need of a low budget cruise, get an inside room, don't drink alcohol, don't go on excursions, and don't spend too much on souvenirs you can go on a cruise and after you pay your cruise fare you will not really need much money, as the fare takes care of your room , board, food and entertainment for your entire cruise. Once again I am no expert on cruising, but on the cruises I have been on these are suggestions that will get you a cruise for alot less money. I hope this may help someone planning their first cruise.

,  

[donaldsc]

Might I suggest that you divide long posts into paragraphs.  It makes them much easier to read.

 

DON

[denmarks]

Too many subjects in one paragraph. Break it down.

[Sancho_proudfoot]

Inside cabin.

 

No alcohol.

 

No excursions.

 

No souvenirs.

 

.....and this is the suggestion for a great time for a first timer????????

[navybankerteacher]

35 minutes ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

Inside cabin.

 

No alcohol.

 

No excursions.

 

No souvenirs.

 

.....and this is the suggestion for a great time for a first timer????????

A good, almost complete, summary of an incredibly long, difficult to read text.  I would only add: 

 

“If you are willing to spend more, you can have a luxury balcony suite, have a few drinks, take a few excursions, bring back some mementos”.

 

[wikoffclan]

18 hours ago, hawkopd025 said:

First of all let me say I am no expert! I have been on several cruises and my suggestions are for those who want to cruise on a budget. If you are wealthy and money is no problem always go suite class, much larger cabins and balconies, plus perks. All cruise lines are different and some have better perks than others. If you can afford a balcony room, go with this you will not regret it.

 

However if you are looking for a budget go with an inside cabin most inside cabins are not really much smaller than other cabins, besides you will not spend alot of time in your cabin. Also if you really want to save money and you don't mind not having alcoholic drinks, don't purchase alcoholic drinks , as they are expensive on cruise ships.

 

As far as excursions, you will have to decide on this also. Most excursions on cruise ships can be expensive. You can always leave the ship when you port up and shop for cheap souvenirs at port shops and honestly if you have been to one Caribbean island you have basically been to all of them. Don't get me wrong by not taking an excursion you can miss alot, but this will save you money, besides staying on the ship while everybody else is off the ship means less crowds at the pool, buffets, ect.

 

If you are really needing a tight budget, once you pay for your fare you will not really need much money for anything else. There are pictures taken of you all over the ship and they can get very expensive. So now with everybody having a cell phone with a camera, just take your own pictures or find someone to take a picture for you. If you don't drink alcohol, don't go on excursions, be careful about buying too many souvenirs , you can easily take a cruise for alot less money. 

 

As far as tips, some cruise lines will take out tips on the first day, you almost always have to  have a credit or debit card for your on board account and the tips will come out on your ship board account, so be prepared for this expense, also I think you can still cruise without a debit or credit card by putting cash in your shipboard account at the pursers office on the first day this will cover your tips and any on board purchases , some cruise lines may include tips in your initial fare but most do not. You can always go to customer services the first day you board and ask to not have tips taken out and pay what you want for service you got from your room steward, dining room staff , etc on the last day, but you should never refuse to tip, these people work hard for you to have an enjoyable cruise.

 

So if you are really in need of a low budget cruise, get an inside room, don't drink alcohol, don't go on excursions, and don't spend too much on souvenirs you can go on a cruise and after you pay your cruise fare you will not really need much money, as the fare takes care of your room , board, food and entertainment for your entire cruise.

 

Once again I am no expert on cruising, but on the cruises I have been on these are suggestions that will get you a cruise for alot less money. I hope this may help someone planning their first cruise.

,  

 

Hope this helps.... but I don't recommend removing tips. Many behind-the-scenes folks benefit from the gratuities added to your account. I do suggest tipping extra for exceptional service.

[SRF]

I always laugh at the advice that you will not spend much time in your cabin.

 

Yes, if you have an inside, you likely will not.  But with a suite, you may find you spend more time there.  Or even just a balcony, to sit and watch the water go by.

 

And I agree with NOT removing tips, and tippng extra for exceptional service.

[leaveitallbehind]

I sure hope first time cruisers don't follow these guidelines. If the cost of a cruise is outside of one's budget then rather than trying to eliminate activities associated with that experience in order to cut costs, perhaps one should consider other vacation alternatives. Everyone should choose for themselves what stateroom they want to best fit their budget, but scaling back on everything else suggested only limits the opportunity to enjoy the full cruising experience. 

 

And please do not remove or adjust the gratuities downward as a way to save money - you are only taking money out the pocket of those who work very hard to provide a good experience for you.  Please leave the recommended amounts in place unless you wish to offer more to those who you feel may deserve it.

Edited June 25, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[Sauer-kraut]

Please stop calling them tips..... I wish that Service Charge be universally used.Think of it as a "resort fee" that so many hotels add to their bills nowadays.

[LynnTTT]

If you are wealthy you probably have cruised already. We did inside rooms for years and sometimes a balcony would cost twice as much.  If I can cruise for two weeks rather than one, I'll stay in the inside room.

Alcohol- If you look forward to tropical drinks, wine with dinners, try to find a cruise that is giving the drinks package free as part of the ticket.  We've had that on NCL, MSC and Celebrity-usually on specific weeks.  I just looked at a very good cruise consolidator/discounter and see several NCL cruises offering a "free beverage
 package.  You have to do your homework.  If you have to pay $ 55 per day, I wouldn't buy it.  You're usually on shore most days anyway.

And for Pete's sake, don't take off the tip. It's a service charge.  Consider it part of the cruise. You tip at restaurants, don't you?

Excursions- an many Caribbean islands, you don't need one.  Just look up a good beach and have a taxi take you there.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, LynnTTT said:

If you are wealthy you probably have cruised already. We did inside rooms for years and sometimes a balcony would cost twice as much.  If I can cruise for two weeks rather than one, I'll stay in the inside room.

Alcohol- If you look forward to tropical drinks, wine with dinners, try to find a cruise that is giving the drinks package free as part of the ticket.  We've had that on NCL, MSC and Celebrity-usually on specific weeks.  I just looked at a very good cruise consolidator/discounter and see several NCL cruises offering a "free beverage
 package.  You have to do your homework.  If you have to pay $ 55 per day, I wouldn't buy it.  You're usually on shore most days anyway.

And for Pete's sake, don't take off the tip. It's a service charge.  Consider it part of the cruise. You tip at restaurants, don't you?

Excursions- an many Caribbean islands, you don't need one.  Just look up a good beach and have a taxi take you there.

Stating that the cruise lines will give the drinks package free as part of the ticket is a bit misleading.  The charge for the drinks are built into the price which hardly makes them free, and with most cruise lines you can get the pricing with and without the drink package included to be able to see the actual cost of the "free" drinks.  That way you can measure the value of paying for them to be included versus paying for them separately.

 

And I don't think being wealthy is a baseline criteria for cruising. Cruising by comparison is a very cost effective form of vacation that is hardly reserved just for the wealthy.  (But I guess that depends on what you would define as wealthy.....)

Edited June 26, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[cb at sea]

The OP specifically stated NOT TO REMOVE TIPS.  There are some good hints on the post, if you're a budget cruiser.

[leaveitallbehind]

13 hours ago, cb at sea said:

The OP specifically stated NOT TO REMOVE TIPS.  There are some good hints on the post, if you're a budget cruiser.

 

While they did not say to not remove them, they do say to take them off auto charge and pay directly in an amount desired - which certainly would likely be a lower amount than recommended.  If the thought was to not have the outcome be a reduced amount, why else suggest this as a budget control option?  Think about it - that is the point of the OP's thread!

 

Please just leave the gratuities alone - unless you plan to pay more!

 

 

[ger_77]

On 6/23/2019 at 7:10 PM, hawkopd025 said:

 You can always go to customer services the first day you board and ask to not have tips taken out and pay what you want for service you got from your room steward, dining room staff , ect on the last day, but you should never refuse to tip, these people work hard for you to have an enjoyable cruise.

 

You realize if you remove the tips / Hotel Service Charge from your account and tip directly to the cabin steward, dining room servers, etc., they have to turn the money into the pool and it gets divided up between everyone. 

 

Smooth Sailing!   🙂🙂🙂

[leaveitallbehind]

5 hours ago, ger_77 said:

You realize if you remove the tips / Hotel Service Charge from your account and tip directly to the cabin steward, dining room servers, etc., they have to turn the money into the pool and it gets divided up between everyone. 

 

Smooth Sailing!   🙂🙂🙂

 

...which is the same distribution if they are prepaid or direct billed each day.  The bigger concern is with reduced or skipped gratuity payments altogether if they are removed and paid directly.  (Which is what initiated the prepay and auto charge method in the first place!)

Edited June 29, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[clo]

On 6/25/2019 at 10:40 AM, leaveitallbehind said:

And please do not remove or adjust the gratuities downward as a way to save money

I'm on a food site and when it comes to tipping at a restaurant the go-to reply is if you can't afford to tip the proper amount then you shouldn't go to that restaurant.