Welcome to Tightwad Cruising-What do you do Part 2 … after Shutdowns ..

[trinaM]

Hi

With all the cruiselines gearing up and getting back to the Norm.. 

What do you do to save on YOUR CRUISE after the shutdowns of the past few years.

 

Princess cruise lines are you buying Premium package and or plus ? is it worth the extra cost?

[andlep]

I have cut down on eating out at restaurants on land and use the money saved to spend on cruises. 

[moonlitmagik]

BARGAIN SHOP! we're trying MSC this year because their pricing was pretty much unbeatable even with WIFI and Drinks - on a brand new ship, and was LESS than a RCL cruise on one of their old ships. we bargain shop. no any one line gets our loyalty, our loyalty is to our wallet. I think we're at 1800 for 2 people for a week in a balcony which isnt bad, last october for our honeymoon with RCL on a much older ship we paid just that for the cruise fare, not including the ridiculously overpriced beverage package even with one of their sales it still came out to an extra almost 800$ between the 2 of us. We figure we can live with some idiosyncrasies if the ships are as gorgeous as they look and the itinerary couldn't be beat.

[rodndonna]

2 hours ago, moonlitmagik said:

BARGAIN SHOP! we're trying MSC this year because their pricing was pretty much unbeatable even with WIFI and Drinks - on a brand new ship, and was LESS than a RCL cruise on one of their old ships. we bargain shop. no any one line gets our loyalty, our loyalty is to our wallet. I think we're at 1800 for 2 people for a week in a balcony which isnt bad, last october for our honeymoon with RCL on a much older ship we paid just that for the cruise fare, not including the ridiculously overpriced beverage package even with one of their sales it still came out to an extra almost 800$ between the 2 of us. We figure we can live with some idiosyncrasies if the ships are as gorgeous as they look and the itinerary couldn't be beat.

 

I think that is a great approach, find the lowest cost cruise line that meets your needs (within reason). Being inherently frugal I can compromise on pretty much anything as long as my basic requirements are met  and I think what I am getting is good value for what I paid.  I am curious about MSC as well mainly because of their cost, but a lot of folks seem to really like them.

[KKB]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:45 PM, moonlitmagik said:

BARGAIN SHOP! we're trying MSC this year because their pricing was pretty much unbeatable even with WIFI and Drinks - on a brand new ship, and was LESS than a RCL cruise on one of their old ships. we bargain shop. no any one line gets our loyalty, our loyalty is to our wallet. I think we're at 1800 for 2 people for a week in a balcony which isnt bad, last october for our honeymoon with RCL on a much older ship we paid just that for the cruise fare, not including the ridiculously overpriced beverage package even with one of their sales it still came out to an extra almost 800$ between the 2 of us. We figure we can live with some idiosyncrasies if the ships are as gorgeous as they look and the itinerary couldn't be beat.

I sailed MSC Divina in Feb--got a heck of a deal.

Uh...the jury is still out.

Some things I REALLY liked. 

Others...NOT so much.

I am sailing the Preziosa to Europe next week so I wanna see how this one goes to form a firm opinion.

Another insane deal--less than $1500 for 21 days w/ drinks & wifi, solo rate.

I'll get back to you in a month...

 

[trinaM]

I hope you have  a wonderful cruise. on MSC to europe! 

 

will look forward to hearing about your experiences.

[kaymoz]

Hello to KKB -- Just wondering how things went with your MSC cruise to Europe back in late April

?

 

[Dreamer68]

On 7/14/2023 at 11:53 PM, kaymoz said:

Hello to KKB -- Just wondering how things went with your MSC cruise to Europe back in late April

?

 

Yep! "Enquiring minds wish to know" 😂 I am still wary about trying MSC....the deals seem "too good to be true".... How was MSC in April? Thanks!

[Mum2Mercury]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:45 PM, moonlitmagik said:

BARGAIN SHOP!

Agree ... at home: 

- I have a system for keeping groceries down, though nothing will bring the total to pre-pandemic prices right now. 

- Being retired (well, I substitute teach 3 days a week), we don't buy a lot of clothing, and most of what we do buy is second-hand.  We do this for environmental reasons as well as the financial bottom  line. 

- We are a one-car family, which makes a whale of a lot of difference in our finances.  

Agree ... for cruises: 

- We are fall cruisers.  We like the weather, the smaller crowds, and the lower prices.  

- We take advantage of Next-Cruise credits, and VISA OBC.  

- We stick to Royal Caribbean -- not because we think it's better than other lines, but because by sticking to one company, we are working our way up the loyalty points ladder.  

- We always sailed in larger cabins (or multiple cabins) when our children were at home, but we tried an Inside Guarantee and were 100% happy -- when it's just the two of us.   

- We keep an eye on our prices and would call in for a price match, if such things still happened.  Super low prices do still come around:  last December we sailed a 3-night on Indy for $99 each.  Our next cruise -- soon! -- cost us $364/person. 

- We skip most of the extras -- we're happy with standard food, no spa, private shore excursions.  We buy a few drinks, and our OBC covers most of that.  

- We choose a port to which we can drive; of course, that's not an option available to everyone, but it's cheaper than flying -- especially when you add in ground transportation. 

- We usually go out of Port Canaveral, and we stay at Days Inn in Titusville (about 30 minutes away from the port), which is clean and basic -- and usually less than $100/night, which includes breakfast.  

- We don't buy a lot in anticipation of the cruise.  We have clothes a-plenty and aren't trying to impress anyone.  

- We bring plenty of sunscreen, OTC meds, etc.  Those things cost a fortune onboard.  We have a tried-and-true packing template that assures we don't forget socks or something equally silly.  

Edited August 19, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[KKB]

On 7/14/2023 at 10:53 PM, kaymoz said:

Hello to KKB -- Just wondering how things went with your MSC cruise to Europe back in late April

?

 

 

On 8/18/2023 at 6:25 PM, Dreamer68 said:

Yep! "Enquiring minds wish to know" 😂 I am still wary about trying MSC....the deals seem "too good to be true".... How was MSC in April? Thanks!

WELL...I still didn't love it.

I don't know why but on both cruises there were a large number of passengers w/ no concept of common courtesy...saw trays bumped into others' backs, no regard for lines, children physically being pushed aside, etc. REPEATEDLY.

That really put a sour taste in my mouth. 
I travel a lot; I've seen rude people. But not to this extent. On BOTH cruises (I don't know how that is possible...does MSC have a culture that just draws people like this??!!)

 

It was a great price & I got to see the UK (FELL IN LOVE) & Norway (liked, no huge desire to go back).

My 1st room was a large interior.

My 2nd was a little smaller, but I could hear the rotation of the engines & it triggered 2 migraines in 1 day so I asked to be moved...got an even smaller room. Requested the large interior next to my old one as I knew it was open, but no go. Took FOREVER to get that room change request resolved. Same with an extra charge on my account at the end. Seems these things could be handled simply; I get the impression they kind of hope all the hoops you have to go thru to resolve things, that people just give up & forget about it.

 

On board activities were bizarre in Europe--trivia in 4 languages is trying (don't get me wrong--I get why); shows were "meh" as before; food was decent. Met some Canadians I spent time with & the crew was wonderful. 

 

I paid so little for all these MSC cruises...yet, the thought of booking one again isn't appealing.

[KKB]

DH retired at 58 2 yrs ago, me last year at 56. Blessed to have solid pensions that allowed us to retire at that age & a few investments to cover extra traveling expenses these days.

 

As far as day to day, we spend very little on "stuff"

Downsized 5 years ago from 3K sq. ft. to 1800 sq. ft. No mortgage.

2 cars, paid off. One is 12 YO & I really just drive for errands. Worth the $50/mo. to insure.

 

Furniture: either we have had it for years or got it from FB Marketplace. 

We did replace a 20YO LR set last year. Not risking bed bugs with upholstered furniture used.

Less than $3K for sofa, chair, ottoman & recliner was reasonable.

 

 

The bulk of our budget goes to DH's golf habit & my(our) traveling habit.

It was the plan going into retirement & thus why we set our goals on having no car/house payments when we retired. 

 

Luckily even with our amped up travel, our investments have done well enough that we have seen little change in our overall portfolio even with the extra withdrawals.

 

Blessed.

[Dreamer68]

40 minutes ago, KKB said:

I paid so little for all these MSC cruises...yet, the thought of booking one again isn't appealing.

Thanks LOTS @KKB for sharing your thoughts on your MSC cruises. I will keep my mind as open as possible about MSC, probably follow the MSC board for a bit before trying it out, if ever.

A friend of mine tried the Divina 5 years ago. It was her first cruise and she thought it was wonderful. It could be first time rose-tinted glasses which I sometimes have on as well. I did spend half a dozen years as a travel agent for a global travel company and we went on "Fam trips" (familiarization trips) and so my expectations for customer service are quite high because of what I've seen and experienced and my having won an award or two for that area as well. I also know to adjust expectations appropriately for different places in the world. E.g. don't expect North-American-style of spacious rooms in historic centers of European cities... or in Japan, to take my shoes off in a great many places. 🙂 
 

Thanks for sharing your frugal life tips as well. They mirror ours as we live debt free before turning half a century. 🙂 I just haven't been able to convince DH to switch to a points credit card as we are getting good money back from ours. 

I'm glad I found this thread on CC...as often, the reviews and comments elsewhere on the CC board are from lifestyles that are so unlike mine, I do not know how to relate. 

[KKB]

17 minutes ago, Dreamer68 said:

Thanks LOTS @KKB for sharing your thoughts on your MSC cruises. I will keep my mind as open as possible about MSC, probably follow the MSC board for a bit before trying it out, if ever.

A friend of mine tried the Divina 5 years ago. It was her first cruise and she thought it was wonderful. It could be first time rose-tinted glasses which I sometimes have on as well. I did spend half a dozen years as a travel agent for a global travel company and we went on "Fam trips" (familiarization trips) and so my expectations for customer service are quite high because of what I've seen and experienced and my having won an award or two for that area as well. I also know to adjust expectations appropriately for different places in the world. E.g. don't expect North-American-style of spacious rooms in historic centers of European cities... or in Japan, to take my shoes off in a great many places. 🙂 
 

Thanks for sharing your frugal life tips as well. They mirror ours as we live debt free before turning half a century. 🙂 I just haven't been able to convince DH to switch to a points credit card as we are getting good money back from ours. 

I'm glad I found this thread on CC...as often, the reviews and comments elsewhere on the CC board are from lifestyles that are so unlike mine, I do not know how to relate. 

I hear you about expectations. 

Honestly the cruise itself wasn't all the different than others. 

But the passenger issue is odd--and I have seen the same comments in numerous reviews.

 

LOL about your husband & credit cards. 

I'm the $ person...my left brain to DH's right brain.

He has asked if we will ever have just ONE credit card. 

I said absolutely not--but I evaluate each one annually to be sure we are AT least breaking even with benefits. I have a couple no annual fee ones that were really a "hit & run"--the bonus points were nice but they are worthless now. I'll probably cancel just to minimize fraud, and I'm not worried about our credit score.

 

We DID just bite the bullet & get an American Express Platinum. 

$695 is a VERY tough pill to swallow. 

But:

--$20/mo streaming credit ($240)--just switched our billing to this card on things we already were paying for!

--$200/yr airline credit (luggage, upgrades, inflight purchases)

--$155/yr Free Walmart Plus membership--free Walmart deliveries & free Paramount Plus subscription

--$15/mo Uber credit + $20 more in dec. ($200 potential--with traveling almost monthly)

--$189/yr CLEAR credit (not essential...but seeing the line of hundreds we bypassed last month, I think I like this benefit)

--$100/yr Saks credit (a bit of an extra; but already have an eye on some shoes DH wanted)

--Extensive lounge memberships--going to check out the Centurian Lounge this month. (I use Priority Pass but they aren't everywhere; we have learned that lounges can save us quite a bit, especially on drinks)

--5x points on flights

--Nice extra perks for cruises booked thru them (I shop around before booking)

(--Also TSA/Global Entry free but I have that on a number of cards--BUT we have learned our children can simply use our card to pay for it to get it free for themselves)

 

I will re-evaluate annually as I do with all cards, but I think we can justify it.

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by KKB

[trinaM]

8 hours ago, KKB said:

I hear you about expectations. 

Honestly the cruise itself wasn't all the different than others. 

But the passenger issue is odd--and I have seen the same comments in numerous reviews.

 

LOL about your husband & credit cards. 

I'm the $ person...my left brain to DH's right brain.

He has asked if we will ever have just ONE credit card. 

I said absolutely not--but I evaluate each one annually to be sure we are AT least breaking even with benefits. I have a couple no annual fee ones that were really a "hit & run"--the bonus points were nice but they are worthless now. I'll probably cancel just to minimize fraud, and I'm not worried about our credit score.

 

We DID just bite the bullet & get an American Express Platinum. 

$695 is a VERY tough pill to swallow. 

But:

--$20/mo streaming credit ($240)--just switched our billing to this card on things we already were paying for!

--$200/yr airline credit (luggage, upgrades, inflight purchases)

--$155/yr Free Walmart Plus membership--free Walmart deliveries & free Paramount Plus subscription

--$15/mo Uber credit + $20 more in dec. ($200 potential--with traveling almost monthly)

--$189/yr CLEAR credit (not essential...but seeing the line of hundreds we bypassed last month, I think I like this benefit)

--$100/yr Saks credit (a bit of an extra; but already have an eye on some shoes DH wanted)

--Extensive lounge memberships--going to check out the Centurian Lounge this month. (I use Priority Pass but they aren't everywhere; we have learned that lounges can save us quite a bit, especially on drinks)

--5x points on flights

--Nice extra perks for cruises booked thru them (I shop around before booking)

(--Also TSA/Global Entry free but I have that on a number of cards--BUT we have learned our children can simply use our card to pay for it to get it free for themselves)

 

I will re-evaluate annually as I do with all cards, but I think we can justify it.

 

Thanks KKB for elaborating on credit card situation. I like hearing what works for others . 

 

[shipgeeks]

We don't buy "things" for our cruise or our cabin.  I see so many articles here and elsewhere, listing "the 56(!) things you must buy before your next cruise"; sometimes I wonder if it is an Amazon ploy to sell things to naive first-time cruisers.  Door decorations, cabin decorations, power strips, hanging storage bags, magnetic hooks, magnets, fake candles, laundry baskets, special clocks, towel clips, mattress toppers, lanyards, ducks, personalized tags for ducks......

[Harry Lake]

On 9/13/2023 at 11:11 AM, KKB said:

As far as day to day, we spend very little on "stuff"

 

You're our kinda folks. 

[KKB]

On 10/26/2023 at 4:53 PM, shipgeeks said:

We don't buy "things" for our cruise or our cabin.  I see so many articles here and elsewhere, listing "the 56(!) things you must buy before your next cruise"; sometimes I wonder if it is an Amazon ploy to sell things to naive first-time cruisers.  Door decorations, cabin decorations, power strips, hanging storage bags, magnetic hooks, magnets, fake candles, laundry baskets, special clocks, towel clips, mattress toppers, lanyards, ducks, personalized tags for ducks......

Oh, I got LED tea lights & towel clips at the Dollar Tree!!!

And I do have a multi-outlet adapter--dual duty for Europe & cruises where there are never enough outlets on those older ships for 2 people!

As for everything else--we have stayed in a 130 sq. ft. interior to a suite.

NEVER had an issue w/ storage, so no hooks, magnets or over door shoe things needed.

(and we are VERY tidy/organized people).

I don't need decor or ducks.

There is a clock on my phone.

Cruise provides mattress toppers & lanyards (unless it's a card then it slips in my pocket or bag)

 

Now, I traveled solo to Europe for a month in May, including 3 weeks on a ship. 

Carry on only (plus backpack) as I had 2 quick train switches on front & back end in Europe.

I did buy a few things to facilitate that--compression packing cubes, a lightweight but well-made carryon, a well organized backpack (I had been a tote girl...now a backpack convert), theft-proof crossbody bag,

lip gloss-type "tubes" to decant liquid toiletries into, merino wool clothing that deters odors. 

BUT all of these things will serve me well as travel has now amped up now that we are both retired.

I have used them all again & will continue to do so. 

I consider all of these things INVESTMENTS. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by KKB

[Harry Lake]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

I have used them all again & will continue to do so. 

I'll tack this on here. We have a labeled, cardboard "travel box." In that goes only things that we use for ANY kind of travel. Been doing that for probably 20 years. Works great for us.

[KKB]

2 minutes ago, Harry Lake said:

I'll tack this on here. We have a labeled, cardboard "travel box." In that goes only things that we use for ANY kind of travel. Been doing that for probably 20 years. Works great for us.

Similar system.

I have travel toiletries so I don't have to repack each time (especially nice when traveling so often).

I have a bag of items just for overseas travel--easy to grab & go.

[JVes]

On 10/27/2023 at 8:53 AM, shipgeeks said:

We don't buy "things" for our cruise or our cabin.  I see so many articles here and elsewhere, listing "the 56(!) things you must buy before your next cruise"; sometimes I wonder if it is an Amazon ploy to sell things to naive first-time cruisers.  Door decorations, cabin decorations, power strips, hanging storage bags, magnetic hooks, magnets, fake candles, laundry baskets, special clocks, towel clips, mattress toppers, lanyards, ducks, personalized tags for ducks......

I get lost easily, so a door decoration is helpful. But rather than spending money on it, I found a mermaid picture to colour in. I colour in anyway, for mindfulness and getting in 'the zone'.

Cabin decorations I think must depend on who you are. Are you comfortable with minimalist beige, or do you thrive among bright colours and textures?

I perceive the articles as "things I need to consider". I literally made a list of all of those things, and Bestie and I chose the ones we thought would be useful. I understand the concern for first time cruisers, but I went on my first cruise last month so I'm the demographic you're concerned for. We did buy things we didn't end up using, but we only did a four day cruise. Living out of your suitcases is fine for four days.

[Truepeacenik]

On 12/16/2023 at 4:22 PM, JVes said:

I get lost easily, so a door decoration is helpful. But rather than spending money on it, I found a mermaid picture to colour in. I colour in anyway, for mindfulness and getting in 'the zone'.

Cabin decorations I think must depend on who you are. Are you comfortable with minimalist beige, or do you thrive among bright colours and textures?

I perceive the articles as "things I need to consider". I literally made a list of all of those things, and Bestie and I chose the ones we thought would be useful. I understand the concern for first time cruisers, but I went on my first cruise last month so I'm the demographic you're concerned for. We did buy things we didn't end up using, but we only did a four day cruise. Living out of your suitcases is fine for four days.

On door decorations.

 

I’m a newbie, with one whole cruise under my belt, and noticed on our hall only two other doors that had any decor. Big splashy things.

 

I have a Topo Chico bottle top (and in joke with friends) on a rare earth magnet. It is placed at my eye level.  Kept me from wandering too far down the hallway.

 

if every door has decor, mine will stand out. If it’s calm, like my first cruise, it is a dot in my sight line that I’m looking for specifically.

 

I have magnet hooks and a magnet clip, because I hang sun hat, lanyard, paperwork. 
 

I see no need for over door organizers, or a fold flat basket. Or obvious door decor (unless a certain question gets asked on board- I’m advertising my yes, or his yes. I’m modern. Ha)

 

I fly one bag, usually a backpack, and it’s usually under the seat. I can stash in in the airplane overhead bin.

sure, I do some laundry, but so what?