"7 things you should never buy on a cruise"

[ontheweb]

Beware: 7 Things You Should Never Buy on a Cruise (msn.com) slide show

 

🤣, I'll bet there is a lot of disagreement, especially on the very first item, alcohol.

[NotADopey1]

Why go on a cruise at all.  That’s a big savings!

[leaveitallbehind]

Yes - I disagree.  I stopped reading after the first one with the suggestion to avoid buying alcohol by smuggling it on instead.  Certainly the cruise lines have never thought of that before and would be caught completely off guard!  And how nice for the media to suggest violating the rules as a way to avoid legitimately paying for something.

Edited May 30 by leaveitallbehind

[kochleffel]

6 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I stopped reading after the first one with the suggestion to avoid buying alcohol by smuggling it on instead.  Certainly the cruise lines have never thought of that before and would be caught completely off guard!  And how nice for the media to suggest violating the rules as a way to avoid legitimately paying for something.

 

Exactly.

 

Some of the other suggestions are not crazy. For example, spa treatments are wildly overpriced compared to where I live, but if it's a luxury you enjoy and can afford, you shouldn't let some online personage tell you not to. I think that an average cost-conscious passenger would be able to figure that out on their own.

 

I think it was altogether wrong to say that there's free wifi at some bars and shops onboard. However, if your needs are flexible and not too extensive, you might be able to manage with free wifi on shore. I'm currently buying not only onboard wifi, but premium wifi, because of having classes on Zoom. (If you must have wifi on board, for work or school, avoid cabins that are all the way forward or all the way aft, because on some ships they have poor connectivity.)

 

 

[crystalspin]

6 minutes ago, kochleffel said:

I think it was altogether wrong to say that there's free wifi at some bars and shops onboard. However, if your needs are flexible and not too extensive, you might be able to manage with free wifi on shore.

I think the "bars and shops onboard" was a misstatement, not caught by proofreading.

[leaveitallbehind]

46 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

I think the "bars and shops onboard" was a misstatement, not caught by proofreading.

I think most of the article was a misstatement!  JMO.

[Mum2Mercury]

First, notice that the article is called "Cheapism" and "Thrifty Travels", so it was never likely to be an article that'll suit the mainstream cruiser.  I, however, am pretty tight with a dollar.  

 

My thoughts: 

- Alcohol ... I don't drink much, and I know a number of ways to keep alcohol costs down.  Buy Buckets of Beer from the Pool Bar.  Buy a pitcher of beer from Playmakers.  Buy the cocktail of the day.  Drink in port.  

- Spa treatments ... These are so incredibly expensive that I can't believe any buys them.  My husband won a $50 off coupon for the spa, and he told me to go splurge.  Even after the $50 off, even a manicure was over $100 + tip.  If you want a massage, look for a beach that offers them.  Get your manicure before you leave home.  

- Toiletries ... Do we really need to be told to bring toiletries?  Of course they're going to be expensive in the middle of the ocean!  

- Manicures and Pedicures ... Repetitive topic.  

- Excursions ... They're totally right when they say skip ship's tours /go with private tours.  The quality is better; that they're cheaper is just a bonus. 

- Wi-Fi ... Okay, we're retired and our children are adults, so we don't have any NEED to stay connected to home.  We check in with our kids when we stop on the islands and have no-cost wifi.  Other people's mileage may vary. 

- Premium foods ... Yeah, I'm onboard with skipping up-charge foods.  We find the MDR and Windjammer to be good-if-not-great, and we never have any problem finding plenty to please us!  We'd rather eat what we've already paid for ... and then go out to dinner at home.  

 

If these people had bothered to research a little more, they could've found plenty of other ways to be thrifty on a cruise.  At a glance: 

- Parking for less 

- Packing lightly to avoid plane fees 

- Booking an inexpensive room 

- Skipping upgrades like The Key 

- Drink coffee from Cafe Promenade (even fancy Iced Coffees) instead of paying for Starbucks 

- Don't buy a bunch of junky souvenirs that you'll just put into next year's yard sale 

[leaveitallbehind]

Cruising is a personal choice vacation from which the industry fortunately provides many options for different cruising styles. For some, the budget is a key concern, for others whatever it costs to satisfy they goals on their vacation is what they spend.  Still others have little budgetary restrictions and cruise only in the highest end accommodations and indulge in expensive on board pleasures. 

 

The key is it is an individual choice and no one should judge how another chooses to enjoy their cruise experience. The only value I derive from articles such as these is for those who are looking for the lowest cost options in cruising. But I don't think they are always very realistic. Where I think it fails is by eliminating a lot of the more common options that most people would expect and enjoy and might include in their cruising.  In other words you can only cheapen the experience so much before it no longer is the experience you are expecting to enjoy,.

[Donald]

Why not borrow your brother-in-law’s canoe and rent a tent?

You can skip the cost of the cruise entirely.

Better yet, buy some cat food to save money on your meals.

[clo]

Cruise on Oceania and probably half of those costs will vanish.

[leaveitallbehind]

32 minutes ago, Donald said:

Why not borrow your brother-in-law’s canoe and rent a tent?

You can skip the cost of the cruise entirely.

Better yet, buy some cat food to save money on your meals.

Point well made!  I guess we would fall somewhere in the middle.  We usually cruise at least twice a year.  We still typically cruise the mass market lines but are looking at options in the premium market as well.  We always book balconies and if it fits well, the occasional suite. We favor the specialty restaurants and typically primarily dine there. 

 

We don't usually find ourselves in the spa but there are occasions where we may treat ourselves.  We never (or extremely rarely) do ship sponsored tours as we are experienced enough to feel comfortable with independent operators and see the value for us in that. We rarely gamble and only with limited funds when we do. 

 

Fortunately our cruise line loyalty status prevents us from having to purchase a beverage package, but we do indulge. And on a line where that status doesn't translate similarly, we will only go the all inclusive fare if the pricing makes sense. We do always get some form of WIFI as it suits us.

 

This is just what our budget allows for and what makes sense for us.  But I wouldn't judge others choices and don't think mine should be judged either.  As I've said, its a personal choice.

Edited May 30 by leaveitallbehind

[Keksie]

1 hour ago, Donald said:

Why not borrow your brother-in-law’s canoe and rent a tent?

You can skip the cost of the cruise entirely.

Better yet, buy some cat food to save money on your meals.

You haven't bought cat food lately have you.  I just spent $300 at chewy to feed my group.  Lol

[kochleffel]

I would rather not post insulting comments about people who need or want to save money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to cruise but also watching the budget. Some tips are be appropriate and helpful, just not necessarily the ones cited in the article.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, kochleffel said:

I would rather not post insulting comments about people who need or want to save money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to cruise but also watching the budget. Some tips are be appropriate and helpful, just not necessarily the ones cited in the article.

 

I think the title should have been something like  "Ways to Save" or "Cruise on a Budget" as opposed to "Things You Should Never Buy".   The latter is kind of off putting to folks who enjoy those things.  

 

I agree with you that how to cruise on a budget would be a worthwhile topic to many.  In fact there is a Cruise Critic forum about saving money on cruises.   

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, clo said:

Cruise on Oceania and probably half of those costs will vanish.

 

I think suggesting Oceania or any luxury all inclusive might have defeated the purpose of the story.  😀

[Reina del Mar]

I would add..take your own ‘home pharmacy’. Costs of cough mixture and painkillers etc are highly inflated.

 

Also, don’t buy watches onboard. My husband buys a watch every year from Fossil..(unnecessary I know and keeping them all in batteries is ridiculous) anyway, he usually buys from outlets and has never had an issue. The only one he bought on a Princess ship, at full price,  died within a few weeks of getting home..it wasn’t just the battery but the watch itself.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I think the title should have been something like  "Ways to Save" or "Cruise on a Budget" as opposed to "Things You Should Never Buy".   The latter is kind of off putting to folks who enjoy those things.  

 

I agree with you that how to cruise on a budget would be a worthwhile topic to many.  In fact there is a Cruise Critic forum about saving money on cruises.   

Just for the record as the OP, my title of the thread was in quotation marks because I was taking it from the article.

[K32682]

If the difference between an okay holiday and a great one is a spa visit or a bottle of premium wine when measured against the entire cost of the trip it's a small price to pay. Spending a cruise fixated on what things cost is a sad way to go on vacation. 

 

[kochleffel]

2 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

I would add..take your own ‘home pharmacy’. Costs of cough mixture and painkillers etc are highly inflated.

 

I always pack the OTC medicines that I keep on hand at home. There have been highly entertaining posts from time to time by people who take an entire suitcase of medical supplies and equipment, but some of them were medical workers who would at least know what to do with the stuff.

 

2 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

Also, don’t buy watches onboard. My husband buys a watch every year from Fossil..(unnecessary I know and keeping them all in batteries is ridiculous) anyway, he usually buys from outlets and has never had an issue. The only one he bought on a Princess ship, at full price,  died within a few weeks of getting home..it wasn’t just the battery but the watch itself.

 

No personal experience with buying watches, jewelry, or electronics on board, but I'll mention that people used to like Caribbean cruises for the opportunity to shop in free ports. Marketing in North America has changed since then and the items in duty-free shops in places like St. Thomas, even if genuine, no longer appear to be especially good values.

 

[Zach1213]

I mean, the entire point of the article isn't to educate or share facts, it's to generate clicks and discussion (or controversy) that generates more clicks. That's why it's in a slideshow...each slide advance is another click to drive ad revenue. 

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Just for the record as the OP, my title of the thread was in quotation marks because I was taking it from the article.

 

Gosh, it never even occurred to me otherwise.  I hope you didn't think it was directed at you.  That was not intended.  

[George C]

The only thing that made sense to me was skipping ship excursions definitely prefer private.

[clo]

7 hours ago, kochleffel said:

always pack the OTC medicines that I keep on hand at home.

I call it our "what if" bag.

[Aquahound]

I stopped reading as soon as I saw it was a click-bait site.  

[ontheweb]

At least they did not come up with the money saving idea of removing that auto-tips.