TIPS For Saving money on board....

[cruisinqt]

Since you have kids, so do we, you might find this helpful. At breakfast they usually have those small individual boxes of cereal. We always grab a few to take along with us as a snack while at the beach. The kids love to munch on the fruit loops and we don't have to buy them something to snack on.:D

 

Another way to save is to keep using your souvenir drink glass instead of getting a new one. Refills in souvenir drink glasses are usually discounted.

 

We also usually look for beaches that let you use their snorkel equipment for free. In Cozumel, Paradise Beach has free use of snorkel equipment, free entrance to the beach, free use of lounge chairs, umbrellas, and lots of other stuff for free. So if you do your research, you can sometimes find beaches where just about everything is free except the food and drinks. And you can bring your own food and drinks. So your excursion is virtually free with the exception of any shopping you want to do.:)

 

You can even pick up a few free souviners on some ships. Go to the pursers desk and ask if they have any postcards with the ships picture on the front. Most of the time they do, and they're free. Some of the ships even have a free deck of cards with the ships logo on it at the purser's desk. And some of the casino's that have players cards gives out free lanyard's to hang the casino cards from. Getting the casino players card is free and you don't have to gamble. Just get the card, ask for the lanyard, and then leave. ;)

[HOSKI]

Just a quick note, some of the free beaches do not let you bring in food or drink as they expect you to buy from them as payment for using the beach. I know this is the case for Paradise Beach but it's still cheap to buy a couple of drinks and a nachos.

[eyern]

Wait until the last day to buy souvenirs in the gift shop. They are usually a lot cheaper/on sale.

[Frequent Floater]

Hoski, Which company did you use for the sace of beer and was it reasonable?

Thanks

[HOSKI]

"Just because of you" was who I got the beer thru and it was very reasonable.

[Donnask8pro]

I would love to know what company you use to have beer delivered with a gift basket for Carnival. That would rock....We go on Miracle in Jan out of Tampa...:confused:

[Tarheelbelle]

So if I order from one of these companies, I don't have to pay the corkage fees?

But I guess I do have to pay sales tax?

But no tip?

Is there a 15% tip fee on a corkage fee?

Take your own corkscrew, ask room service to bring wine or champagne glasses and an ice bucket to your room. We do this all the time and take our wine on board ourselves.

[pescado!]

Hello

 

Most cruises have guessing games like Name that Tune, and they give out prizes to the winners.

 

On our last cruise with NCL, I won several prizes that were really nice: a canvas tote, key rings, and a water bottle. The Activity Director was just very generous.

 

The year before we were on the Princess Star and I didn't win anything. It just depends.

 

Also, the T shirts were marked down pretty cheap on day 6.

 

Have fun!

janet

[laurie1534]

How did you find coupons for the ports???

[betsyrossapk]

There are coupons for Cozumel on the Cozumel Insider website. Check out the Cozumel port of call forum.

[laurie1534]

We are going on the Eastern!!

 

 

Bahamas, St. Maarten, St. Thomas

[pantherkat]

Just returned from the oosterdam yesterday and they charged $15 corking for a 1.5 L bottle - still worth it if the bottle is $10!

[Saylor]

My DH and I went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise last December for a holiday cruise. There were a lot of nice photos that I wanted but the DH said they were too expensive. The last day we were getting ready to get off of the ship and we made one last trip to the Gallery, we asked what they did with the unsold photos, they said they recycle the paper but they sold us the remaining photos (about 9 or 10) for the price of 2. So we snatched them up!!! It pays to ask!!

[cruizinrican]

Don't buy anything from the gift shop until the last night of the cruise. They mark everything down that night. T-shirts, jewelry, gifts and clothing.

 

If you enjoy massages, and who doesn't? The last two days of the cruise, especially at sea days, they will discount massages and spa treatments. But note that some massages are done in the watchful eye of the pool bathers, right on deck! But we don't mind for the price.

 

Bring bottle water, the ships water is expensive at $3.50 a bottle times two, it gets pricey when you buy it on a daily basis.

 

And do take advantage of the free drinks available but I'd stay away from the ship's water. Drink only bottled to be sure.

 

I think it is funny that someone actually admitted, that they went to the art auctions to drink the free champange! I do that alot too!

 

Book excursion off the ship, to get a cheaper rate. We save hundreds every cruise this way.

 

If you drink beer, do the bucket of beer for $10 for 5. And it looks cute too.

But stay away from the frozen drinks poolside if your trying to watch what you spend, there $7!

 

Like to drink but are looking for a bargain, look in the daily newsletter for the drink special of the day. And order that all day long. It saves a few dollars a drink.

Also, at night on RCI serves a different shoot (6 total) in a cute little glass every night that you can keep the glass. And they will even provide a little box with dividers to hold them all in. I had a set of 2 of them, gave one to my brother for Christmas! He loved it.

[ger_77]

I beg to differ with you on your comment regarding the ship's water. All of the water served onboard is very safe and drinkable - it has gone through the desalination plant and is treated just as your local water supply is. We have always brought our good quality water bottles onboard and filled them from the water pitchers at the buffet, or had our waiter fill them with water, ice and lemon for shore excursions. We certainly don't pay for water and can't imagine bringing drinking water onboard.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[KKB]

The water was just fine! Princess does allow beer, wine, soda and water to be brought on board--something we may take further advantage of on next trip. We did bring Mountain Dew on since it is a Coke ship.
We found that the gift shops were no cheaper at the end of the cruise. They had daily specials--but you usually had to buy multiples or spend a large amount.
If you both drink soda, buy ONE soda sticker, and just order 2 sodas each time! (never a problem)
I like to get the most for my $--so found a great cruise deal on expedia (7 days $524, $50 each ship credit, free bottle of wine, 2 free 6x8 pics, 2 free coupon books which we used for internet and casino match play), hotwired hotels (all free shuttle, too), and dirt cheap airfare.
BUT once on the ship, we did what we wanted. We enjoy our cocktails, gambling, bingo, excursions. We did buy photos--everyone gripes, but where can I get a nice formal sitting and 8x10 for $20??!! We each bought ourselves a goody on the ship. We were very lucky on this cruise and won bingo early, won blackjack tournament and were lucky at the table games, so we funded our gambling for the week w/ our winnings.
If you gamble at all, the tournaments are a good deal. For $20 you get at least 7 hands of the game (you couldn't do that at a regular table for $20 all the time!), plus you could go to the finals for more play, and maybe even win. Everyone in the finals got a tee, and final 3 got a bag of goodies, plus $500 for the winner!! YAHOO!
I used to have to watch every penny I spent---but I still spent on what was important to me. Now I don't have to watch so closely, but did spend on what I wanted, while always trying to get the best deals.
Happy cruising!
Kristin
PS Paradise Beach is a great deal! Free chair/umbrella. $5 band gets you snorkeling gear, kayak. We got 25 min. massages for $10!!!!! Great food, great service, great beach!
(San Fran next door charges for everything)

[Bookish Angel]

1. I always bring a squirt bottle with laundry detergent so that I can do some laundry in the sink every morning before we leave the cabin for the day. T-shirts, undies and socks will usually be dry when you return in the evening. I have even done short dresses, capris, etc. - things that are not real heavy generally dry in a day. Sure beats the on-board laundry service which is ridiculously evpensive or sitting in the self-serve laundry.

2. Bring on your own bottled water and a can or two of Crystal Lite or other powdered drink mixes to add some variety to the beverage selections.

3. Try out the port restaurants at lunch if possible as the lunch menu is almost always less expensive than dinner menu items.

4. I make sure I have enough toothpaste, shamppo, etc. as purchasing these items on-board or in port is quite pricey. Buy the "No-Ad" brand of sunblock - considerably cheaper than other brands and just as effective. Do make sure you check the expiration date, though. Sunblock has a shelf life of about a year. If in doubt, toss it and buy new product. Saving a couple bucks on sunblock will seem foolish when the skin cancer hits!

5. Before leaving home, I decide how much money I will spend on shopping, if any. I stay on budget and therefore don't have any surprises when the credit card bill comes.

6. I never buy those expensive floral arrangements offered by the cruise line. I "decorate" the cabin with towel animals! (My husband actually has quite a knack for fashioning them so we always have a few "animals" around.)

7. Hubby and I always carry a deck of cards. We play blackjack with each other and stay out of the casino. All the fun with no risk!

8. Many port stores give away postcards - I got beautiful free postcards in Alaska from a couple of jewelry stores and and the First Nations village we visited.

9. Skip the ship's photography packages. We take our own photos and save a ton of money.

All of these little tips add up for me. I spend my pre-determined shopping budget on indigenous art and since I have quite a lot of it, I think my tips work for me.

Happy Cheaper Cruising, all!

[lastminutecruiser]

I was just reading the reply from Saylor about the deal on photos on royal. Did you get all of the proofs for $2.00. Was it only because you had purchased other photos at the same time? Last cruise we bought alot because it was our 30th wedding anniv. This year we planned to skip them altoghether. I'll probably be wearing the same formal dresses and DH only owns one really good suit! Had you gone each day and put them all in one area? Otherwise would it not take forever to find them on the last day as you leave the ship???? Has anyone else ever done this or was Saylor just really lucky. Maybe the clerk was pocketing the $$$$

[Tess2mommies]

Bookish,

Great tips, I will pack liquid detergent in a squirt container and do laundry if I have too. I'll also pack some powdered drink stuff, great idea!

[walcherw]

I have noticed that items in the gift shops get cheaper near the end of the cruise. They put sale tables out on the last day or two. Also there might be discounted items from there last area they were in. (Maybe Alaska stuff in the Caribbean) Good luck Woody;) Vicki:p

[carbour]

We usually bring wine with us, and have never been questioned about it. When we first get to our room we tip our room steward then ask him for wine glasses for the room. They will bring clean ones each day. You can also just order them from room service. On the way to dinner we pour ourselves a generous glass of wine and carry it to dinner. You could be carrying your drink from the bar.

[Deb in Cali]

I disagree with the comment of staying out of the gift shop.

If you are a bargain shopper you can do well. I bought a Jones of New York coat for cheap in the gift shop. When I checked with my husband he was so impressed with the price, he wanted to know if I wanted two of them.

So check for bargains and them go on and do something else. I do refuse to pay 24 dollars for a T-shirt.

[queen_kathy1]

[quote name='KKB']
PS Paradise Beach is a great deal! Free chair/umbrella. $5 band gets you snorkeling gear, kayak. We got 25 min. massages for $10!!!!! Great food, great service, great beach!
(San Fran next door charges for everything)[/QUOTE]

Hi Kristin,
By Paradise Beach - are you referring to Paradise Island in the Bahamas? If yes, where specifically did you go to get 25 min massages for $10. I could certainly use that!!

[queen_kathy1]

[quote name='Bookish Angel']
4. I make sure I have enough toothpaste, shamppo, etc. as purchasing these items on-board or in port is quite pricey. Buy the "No-Ad" brand of sunblock - considerably cheaper than other brands and just as effective. Do make sure you check the expiration date, though. Sunblock has a shelf life of about a year. If in doubt, toss it and buy new product. Saving a couple bucks on sunblock will seem foolish when the skin cancer hits![/QUOTE]

Thanks Bookish Angel! We are leaving this Saturday for our Sun Princess voyage. I took for granted that our sunblock lotion was still good. Your posting just triggered me to go check. In fact, it expired July 2004. Now I still have time to buy a new bottle before we leave. Thank you so much!!!!

[dustyroad]

my biggest money saver on my cruise was not dropping any coins into the one armed bandits. i have 3 casino boats withing 30 miles of my home. i had made up my mind to spend my hard earned money on things i could only do in the ports i was visiting and for buying things i saw with cultural and native value. i was such a good girl and did not gamble at all. it sure helped give me a few more tours and shopping trips :D