Your Number One Money Saving Tip

[traveler/]

If you had to pick 1 money-saving tip, what would it be?

How much do you think you have saved using that tip?

[SueSea]

The number one thing that has saved me the most is using a cruise rewards credit card. There is no annual fee and I almost never carry a balance, so I've paid very little interest over the years. I'd have to guess that I've saved over $2000 so far on cruises and in a month or so, I'll have enough points for another $1500.

[serene56]

When we booked our cruise in Nov 2005 for Feb 2007 we paid 1300 pp for our cabin. A few months ago I called for the heck of it asking if there is any discounts. the agent so no not at this time. I asked him to run a resident sale check for our cruise.. Yep- there was one. total price pp was now 703pp. WOW did I save a lot or what/

[jwmcq]

Sue - what credit card are you using that works so well? Several years ago I had a Carnival card and got $1000 off of my best quote - it was GREAT. But now that card is no more and I am using a SeaMiles card. 25000 points did not get me as much of a discount as the ***** agent found. So, I have been very disappointed in my SeaMiles card. I booked through ***** and still have the unused points. Also, you cannot use the points for shipboard credit or gift items sent to the cabin like you could the old card. :mad:

[Jane110]

When we booked our cruise in Nov 2005 for Feb 2007 we paid 1300 pp for our cabin. A few months ago I called for the heck of it asking if there is any discounts. the agent so no not at this time. I asked him to run a resident sale check for our cruise.. Yep- there was one. total price pp was now 703pp. WOW did I save a lot or what/

 

What is a resident sale check?

[serene56]

What is a resident sale check?

 

Sometimes a sale depends on where we live. Princess is having a sale for people who live in Penna for the week we were cruising. Lots of people I was cruising with lived in Mass and the resident sale did not apply to them.

This is a reason why its good to have a good agent. the agent will know exactly what discounts to look for. Iknew about the resident rate-- the agent did not so I asked and he found it for me. We have to show proof of residence with our drivers license when we check in

[Jade13]

all miles are from a Bank of America Credit Card. I used miles for three coach roundtrips US to Europe next year and saved $4,200.

 

I don't mind the annual fee because the flights I use them on really outweigh the fee (The free cards only give you $150 back on $15,000 miles where I received a $1,600.00 roundtrip ticket for 50,000 miles). I have checked everywhere and Holland America charges about $1,600 US to Rome during high season and so does mutiple carriers that I contacted.

 

I pay the card off on a monthly basis so there is no interest. Early this year Bank of America sent me checks where there was no transaction fee and you got points up to $20,000. So, I could use them for mortgage payments and a condo assessment...

[SueSea]

I, too, had the old Carnival card and loved it. Then they changed to Sea Miles with its far inferior rewards. I searched around and found the best cruise line rewards card was Norwegian Cruise Lines. I've had it for a number of years now. It pays 3% of purchases or 4% of NCL purchases. When you accrue 500 points, you can get a certificate for $500, and it's used as cash after you find your best deal with any TA. You can use up to $1500 in certificates for one cruise (some have posted that they could use more). While NCL is not my favorite line, I like them just fine for the price! You can get more information about it and an application on NCL's website. I travel a lot on business, and I charge everything to that card which I pay off when I'm reimbursed. I very rarely carry a balance, and there is no annual fee, so it costs me next to nothing.

[chasetf]

If you had to pick 1 money-saving tip, what would it be?

How much do you think you have saved using that tip?

Book an inside cabin.....

 

Cheapest way to get on the ship. We all get there at the same time, eat the same food, and watch the same entertainment. :D

 

It is (usually) not worth it to us to pay $200+ a week to look out of a window or $400+ a week to step out on a balconey. We have splurged in the past, and will probably will in the future, but generally we always book an inside.

[hammsz]

Dont go to the casino, drink the special of the day. Get some friends to rideshare on a tour of islands on your own. Book the inside cabin. Go to multiple websites, dont use an agent just as long as you know what you are doing. Got a cab for 8 hours in St. Maarten took 8 of us wherever we wanted and went to 2 beaches toured the entire island and stoped at a dozen scenic overlooks. All that for 35 bucks a head with about an extra 5 per person tip. Carnival tour for 2 hours to the butterfly farm 35 bucks. Wheel and deal at the cab stand. Find some buddies to hang with. All 8 of us wanted to do different things, but then we all got to do everything. What a freakin way to save money right there. Cant beat that. Dont buy every photo. Get many taken. Buy the best few. Go to Office Depot and make copies for family for a buck a piece.

[winewanderer]

Skip ship's excursion's. Opt to use land based tour guides or use public transit, much cheaper.

[monakayk]

Don't run up a huge bill at the bar. Take your own wine (if allowed) and enjoy your drink in your cabin. Order bottles of wine or liquor from outside 'gift' companies to be delivered to your cabin. They are cheaper than buying on ship.

 

Look for outside companies for tours/excursions. The ship's are way overpriced.

 

Do research on your port of calls before you go...just a little time trying to find out online the best places to eat at port can help you save major $$$ when you get there.

 

Look online for coupons for tours/restaurants at ports of calls. They can save you $$$ too!

 

Set aside a certain amount to gamble with...when it is gone...no more gambling. Stick to this policy!!!

 

Do your spa/messages before you go or after you return--in your home town. It will be cheaper and most likely better. I have heard many pax say on the ship they are not that good and all the masseuse does is try to sell you products!

 

Keep a written record of what you spend WHILE you spend it. If you know exactly how much you paid for each drink/food item...then you are less likely to run up a huge bill on your card.

[monakayk]

Ohhhhh and one more suggestion....take your own formal photo. Get someone to take the photo of you with a nice background..there are plenty of beautiful areas on a ship you can stand at. Then you can make as many copies of them as you want at home.

 

If you HAVE to have a ship's photo...then wait till the last day they are sold to buy it...you will most likely get it cheaper than the day it was taken. Make copies of it at home to give to family.

[traveler/]

Ohhhhh and one more suggestion....take your own formal photo. Get someone to take the photo of you with a nice background..there are plenty of beautiful areas on a ship you can stand at. Then you can make as many copies of them as you want at home.

 

If you HAVE to have a ship's photo...then wait till the last day they are sold to buy it...you will most likely get it cheaper than the day it was taken. Make copies of it at home to give to family.

I have read here at CC that you can get a photo release form and then get copies made. On RCI, I don't think they drop the price of photos but they offer discounts in C & A coupon books onboard. I learned to not buy any photos in the beginning, but wait to the end so I can select from all of them. We usually buy at least 1 formal picture.

[Terre]

Our best tips have come from reading these boards! We research tour excursions to find the best recommended tour guides/companies at the best prices (we never use the ship's -- too expensive), we've gotten tips on cheapest rental cars in ports, etc. As someone else said we always get the drink of the day (we're not big drinkers anyway and save lots there) and sometimes we get an inside cabin to save money, especially if we are going to ports we've been to before. If you can book last minute you can save a lot doing that. We also don't buy a lot of souveniers. I get something from every port, just not a lot.

 

DH doesn't book until he can get the best price and we always book our own air so we can get thetime we wantto fly at the price we want to fly. We've found that it's cheaper to book air on line, too. For the formal pictures we do as someone else mentioned...we stand in front of the ship's backdrops and have someone take our picture with our camera, then we do the same for them! Other suggestions from the boards that we've used are printing coupons for free drinks at Jimmy Buffet's in Ocho Rios, and from a bar in Cozumel that's at the end of the island (can't remember the name of it now).

 

There's so much info on CC and most of it's very useful!

[TravelerThom]

I agree with all of the previously posted suggestions. Also go for On Board Credits (OBCs) - credits posted to your shipboard account which can be used for anything charged on board (tips, drinks, photos, spa, tours [although as previosuly pointed out, many of these can be done cheaper if you use something other than cruise line offerings]). I admit OBCs may not work/make sense for first time or infrequent cruisers, and may work differently on different cruise lines.

 

One way to get OBCs is to book on-board one cruise for a future cruise. We have done this a number of times on Celebrity/Royal Caribbean, and get a $100 per cabin [not pp] credit on the future cruise for a week cruise, $200 per cabin for 9-10 days or longer cruise. You do have to put down a deposit [$500 per cabin for a week, $900 for longer cruises], but it is fully refundable up until final payment [generally 60-70 days before the cruise][and yes I have actually gotten a full refund]. As long as you specify that you want to keep the same booking nmber, you can transfer [up until final payment] the deposit and OBC to any other cruise that the line offers, so you can go this way if you are pretty sure that you want to cruise with the company again, but are not totally sure of when/where.

 

A second way is to be a stockholder. I know that Royal Caribbean/Celebrity and Carnival [not sure about all of their associated line] give this OBC to holders of 100 shares of stock. Both companies sell for about $40/share, so we are talking about a $4000 investment. RCL/X offers $100/cabin for a week cruise, $200/cabin for 9 days, $250/cabin for 2 week or longer. I have 5 cruises scheduled this year on RCL/X, with a total of $1100 stockholder OBCs, so not a bad return on investment.

 

Also some travel agent will give OBCs as an incentive to book with them, but you really have to scout around to find those.

 

I can attest that these different types of OBCs are combinable - counting an engine problem/ missed port compensation credit of $400/cabin we had $1000 OBC on a November X cruise. Way more than covered our tips. While the OBCs are use-or-lose on that particular cruise, generally you can launder out the money, by charging casino chips to your ship board account, and then cashing the chips. Note that on-board booking OBCs can NOT be transferred to a group fare offering [but other OBCs do apply to group fares].

 

Finally, as previously pointed out, keep checking those fares [including resident and over-55s if applicable]. We have gotten refunds even after final payment, when WE have spotted a lower fare on the same or higher category cabin (a few agents are good at keeping up with these, but most won't bother [extra effort for a lower commission], and the cruise line will not inform you), and REQUESTED the NEW FARE [note that agents may charge a fee to process to the new fare, especially after final payment, but the processing fee will probably be less than the money saved on the fare]. We leave in 2 weeks on our fifth fare on the cruise, going from an inside to obstructed window to unobstructed porthole to unobstructed window and each time at a lower fare. Believe it or not there are times that an outside is cheaper than an inside.

[westernmom]

#1 Money Saving Tip............

 

Read and listen to the advice on Cruise Critic!

 

I know I probably saved at least $1000 on our cruise by doing this. Everything from shore excursions, car rentals, etc.

[lotsago]

A second way is to be a stockholder. I know that Royal Caribbean/Celebrity and Carnival [not sure about all of their associated line] give this OBC to holders of 100 shares of stock. Both companies sell for about $40/share, so we are talking about a $4000 investment. RCL/X offers $100/cabin for a week cruise, $200/cabin for 9 days, $250/cabin for 2 week or longer. I have 5 cruises scheduled this year on RCL/X, with a total of $1100 stockholder OBCs, so not a bad return on investment.

 

 

If you buy shares of stock after you've booked your cruise but before you cruise, would you receive the OBCs in time and can you still use them, or do you have to have them in hand before you book a cruise? Does RCL give OBCs for 5 night cruises?

[hshowalter]

Lotsago You do not have to own RCCL stock before you book cruise just contact them before you sail. For a five night cruise I believe they just give you $50.00 per cabon OBC

[sandradeen]

I would definitely say to watch your alcohol consumption. That bar tab runs up very quickly!

Stick to iced tea, which you can request in the dining room (it is complimentary) or get at the buffet drink station for free! Same goes for espresso/coffee. You can also get juice for free at the buffet, but may be only in the AM. Stick to tap water vs bottled; they have their own purfication system on the ship.

[Momof2kids]

I have a few money-saving tips I like to use:

 

Like a previous poster, I book an interior cabin. Savings: avg. $500 vs. a large window/balcony cabin.

 

I book cruises sailing at lower-priced times of year and/or book early and watch for price drops. For a summer cruise out of NJ, I booked about 1+ year in advance and the prices have skyrocketed since then. For a winter cruise out of NYC, I can usually find a cheapish rate two-to-three months before a sailing. Being flexible with regard to cruiseline and time helps. Savings: $250+ per cruise.

 

When possible, we sail out of ports that are within driving distance, eliminating the cost and hassle of airline flights. Savings: $500 per cruise.

 

I have any necessary salon services (hair cut and colored, skin fake-tanned, and nails done, teeth whitened) prior to going on the cruise. Savings: $100+ per cruise.

 

I do my research on port activities at home and then we arrange most shore excursions on our own, instead of going through the cruiseline (with it's markup). Savings: $200+ per cruise.

 

We limit our alcohol and soda consumption (usually 2 drinks per night for DH and 1 for myself). Likewise, we limit the amount of money we spend on shopping (a t-shirt for each member of the family at most). Savings: $100+ per cruise.

 

Over our 4 past cruises, we've probably "saved" enough to pay for our next cruise.

[Sea Hag]

We don't drink (big savings), don't gamble (more big savings), usually don't mind an inside cabin since we're never in it, and we don't buy souvenirs. And we don't go near the art auctions for sure! I realize those won't work for everybody, since those are some things people like best. We take a lot of pictures, which is what we like best.

[copnlpn2]

My money-saving tip works for folks who get paid every two weeks or 26 times a year. Whe you get paid 26 times a year, there are always two months a year when you will get three paychecks.. I get paid every other Thursday and this year May and November each have five Thursdays, therefore I will get paid on the first, third and fifth Thursdays in May and November.

 

I've always divided my bills into the "first pay" and the "last pay" of the month. So when there is a three-pay month (such as May and Novemeber of this year), I owe nothing out of the "extra/middle of the month" paycheck except perhaps a tank of gas or a few groceries. This year, the "extra/third" paycheck I receive in May will pay for my fall cruise aboard the Jewel of the Seas, and the "extra/third" paycheck I receive in November will take care of all my Christmas shopping.

 

If you followed all this, you'll see that the key to making this work is to pay your bills two times a month, rather than paying them every two weeks. Make sense? BTW, the first thing I do when I get a a new calendar is circle my paydays and highlight the two months that I'll be receiving three paychecks. I love looking ahead and knowing when I'll have "extra" money to spend!

 

I've been doing this for as long as I can remember and it's worked wonderfully for me! But yet, friends of mine get paid the same as I do - every two weeks - but they simply cannot grasp the concept of having a "extra" check two months out of every year, no matter how much explaining I do...

 

 

Cindy

[Barbarella60]

Ways to save? Let me count the ways of my recent Bahamas cruise... How about using a free roundtrip plane ticket (saved $300+). Cruise during cheap January & February before prices go up (saved $100s). Had friends drop us off at terminal (saved $75 in pier parking). Smuggled in own soda and water bottles (saving $2-3 a pop). Booked cheapie bunkbed inside cabin and was upgraded to 2 twin beds (saved $40). Chose just one ship excursion (snorkeled along world's 3rd largest barrier reef in Grand Turk), then did tours on our own (saving another $40 on backwards tour of Atlantis -- from the beach inwards). Buy cameras/film/batteries before boarding (saving $20-$50 or more on jacked up ship store pricing). Buy just one onboard picture; take the rest youself (saved $20 a pop). Eat all your meals onboard (spending more time in port).

 

The money saved from this last trip alone could pay for another entire trip!

[klct39lg]

I've always divided my bills into the "first pay" and the "last pay" of the month. So when there is a three-pay month (such as May and Novemeber of this year), I owe nothing out of the "extra/middle of the month" paycheck except perhaps a tank of gas or a few groceries. This year, the "extra/third" paycheck I receive in May will pay for my fall cruise aboard the Jewel of the Seas, and the "extra/third" paycheck I receive in November will take care of all my Christmas shopping.

We try to do this, too. But it never fails when the "extra" check rolls around we always have something unexpected come up. Last spring it was removal of storm damaged fully grown trees in our yard. In the fall, it was a leaking toilet that ruined downstairs ceiling overnight.:rolleyes:

 

Tip: take a 12 pack of soft drinks.