Welcome to Tightwad Cruising - What Do You Do?

[turning40withMickey]

I just signed up for the credit card, and even though I have already booked, it will earn me $100 OBC right away!

 

:D

[mheusser]

re: credit card.

 

You'll have to make a purchase then wait for your first statement.

 

Then you call the number; they'll send you a certificate that will take ? 6 weeks to arrive.

 

If you are in a hurry they can read you the certificate numbers; you can call RCL and give them the numbers to get the OnBoardCredit.

 

have fun!

 

--heusser

Edited January 24, 2011 by mheusser

[turning40withMickey]

re: credit card.

 

You'll have to make a purchase then wait for your first statement.

 

Then you call the number; they'll send you a certificate that will take ? 6 weeks to arrive.

 

If you are in a hurry they can read you the certificate numbers; you can call RCL and give them the numbers to get the OnBoardCredit.

 

have fun!

 

--heusser

 

Yep, a great deal! I am not in a hurry, but thanks for the tip!

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

Rip off the locals. eat their stuff and then complain till they give you the two bucks back.

 

:)

 

Just kidding.

Dan

no you're not!!;) lol..

luckily, i'm not extremely high maintenance. occassionally i may gamble a little, dont need massages, or cruise ship art (i'd rather support a local artist in NJ or NYC) . .. i will take a ship excursion if it involves many things i'd like to see in such a short period of time, this way there's no waiting in long lines for 2 hours either, like at the forum in Rome or Vatican/Sistine Chapel.....for that convenience & safety sometimes it's worth plurging...

what i do enjoy: the strong specailty coffee sold,, it's not very expensive & a good treat if you love coffee...... as far as the gift shops go, waiting towards the end of the cruise many things go on sale,,, i did purchase the pic when you first board the ship, it was my first cruise,& a great souvenir photo..

i will enjoy things since i'm on vacation, maybe i'll even get my hair done once if there's something extra special going on, but it doesn't take a whole lotta money on a cruise to have a great time.:)

[lucyintheskywithdiamonds]

I just signed up for the credit card, and even though I have already booked, it will earn me $100 OBC right away!

 

:D[/quote

 

were you referring to carnival credit card? thanks:confused:

[turning40withMickey]

I just signed up for the credit card, and even though I have already booked, it will earn me $100 OBC right away!

 

:D[/quote

 

were you referring to carnival credit card? thanks:confused:

 

I am sailing on Norwegian, I signed up for their card (link thru their website) for 100 OBC right away!

[Fibber2]

This was only our second cruise, so we are still novices at dealing with all of the on-board choices. We've taken a wide variety of vacations over the years including extensive international travel (Japan, China, etc), so for us cruising is just another choice of 'what to do this year'.

 

One of the great features on board is the professional photo opportunities. We always talk about going to a studio for family photos, yet somehow it never seems to happen. On a large ship like RCCL "Freedom" there are a dozen venues on board (formal, semi or casual) plus some on shore to get great shots. Granted, we overspent 4 years ago, but have some great framed shots on the wall to show for it.

 

This time around, we passed on the overpriced prints and instead bought the CD. For $249 (posted price is $299, but there was a special running last week), we walked away with over 120 high quality images. And as we were traveling with friends and some of there shots got included, they helped defray the cost of the purchase.

 

We already posted a gallery of the best to our Facebook pages. Hey, my daughter and I look great on that jet ski in Labadee!! Maybe we'll eventually print off a dozen or so to hang in the house or the office, but you cannot beat it for the money. I know when the kids are older, we'll be glad we did.

[cruisingadoptionworker]

How I save money

1. Book my own excursions (which are usually personal, tailor made, and half the price- In Belize my family of four stood deep in the jungle hand feeding howler monkeys. Doesn't get cooler than that!)

2. Smuggle my own booze on. Use my magic bullet, ice and fruit and make my own free froo froo drinks.

3. Use the free sauna rooms, free luxurious sauna showers, and sign up for the free tester sauna treatments.

4. Drink free at captains party, welcome back party, and auction.

5. Make a snack bag from the buffet bar when I go out on the island. My 9 year old would rather eat dry cereal than rice and beans anyways! lol

6. Research everything through and through. If I can take public transporation, its usually 10% the price, and 100% more authentic and enjoyable.

7. Bingo really is a rip off...but I still sometimes get suckered into it.

8. Spend only 20 at a time in the casino. And always try to play to get even, not to win LOL.

9. Take advantage of all the great things like the shows, the movies, the minature golf, working out, the little shows, tour of the kitchen, ect.

10. Spend money on the things I really love such as the supper club (and yes it's worth every single penny!

[Kriegoff]

What is the least amount on your card and after how many days. 129 after 5 days is our best. :D

[wismom]

My husband and I have adequate money but both tend to monitor every penny even on vacation - so this year for Christmas, I asked my parents for onboard credit to spend on our upcoming NCL cruise. In the past, when they gave us money for Christmas, it goes toward groceries and gas and we don't particularly enjoy (or notice) spending it. This way, we can treat ourselves to a few indulgences, a drink now and then, dinner at the specialty restaurant, all with money that we HAVE to spend, and my parents are thrilled that we'll be enjoying ourselves and their generous gift. Made for a happy Christmas and will let us enjoy a few things we might have passed on otherwise. :) I also gave a friend an onboard credit for her honeymoon cruise as a wedding present, and she loved it!

[paul554]

First cruise for me was on the Pride on March 6th 3rd cruise for my wife. I was in charge of monitoring all money and spending. Total cost (minus tips) was $240. We had no OBC this time but will have $100 prebooked OBC and $100 share holder OBC next time! Basically the only things we bought were one night at the steak house (62 bucks, she got a diet soda also), 6 dollars on water bottles for the gym cause we forgot ours!, one game of Bingo simply to say we tried it, a few slices of cakes/deserts from the coffee bar (and BTW these original deserts that were not ever served anywhere else on the ship for free, were HUGE and only 2 bucks a pop! Coffee was overprices at the coffee bar but everything else was a steal!) and finally our biggest expenditure a $120 spa treatment microderm facial for myself. I really was hesitant about this but my wife insisted since we had coupouns for 45% off.

 

Now we managed to not spend more by first brining our own diet sodas on board, not gambling at all besides the one game of bingo (which we will not do again) and NOT DRINKING! I swear the prices for alcohol are crazy, carnival makes a killing off drunks!

[Marian Paroo]

Now we managed to not spend more by first brining our own diet sodas on board, not gambling at all besides the one game of bingo (which we will not do again) and NOT DRINKING! I swear the prices for alcohol are crazy, carnival makes a killing off drunks!

 

A glass of wine with dinner and/or a nightly alcoholic drink does not a drunk make. Especially when on holiday.

[CanWeGoYet?]

 

Now we managed to not spend more by first brining our own diet sodas on board, not gambling at all besides the one game of bingo (which we will not do again) and NOT DRINKING! I swear the prices for alcohol are crazy, carnival makes a killing off drunks!

 

Carnival alcohol prices really aren't bad. I payed around $13 for one drink (it was half price because of happy hour) in Iceland. It was not even made right, watery and thin like no pina colada I ever had before. Would have loved to pay carnival prices & have one done right.

[paul554]

A glass of wine with dinner and/or a nightly alcoholic drink does not a drunk make. Especially when on holiday.

 

And a much of a profit it does not make either! I was refering to our mainly spring break aged cruise companions who had a drinking contest one night at the adjacent table to us in the MDR. The look on their face when they got the bill was priceless :D

[paul554]

Carnival alcohol prices really aren't bad. I payed around $13 for one drink (it was half price because of happy hour) in Iceland. It was not even made right, watery and thin like no pina colada I ever had before. Would have loved to pay carnival prices & have one done right.

 

I'll have to take your word for it i guess. Since me and the wife drink maybe one glass of wine every six months and we do it home my only reference for prices is that our bottle wine cost 10 bucks and a similar one on carnival cost 60! Other then that i cant speak much for prices other then they looked expensive to my untrained eye.

[curcurt]

We will use our RCCL Visa card points.:D

[Fighting34th]

I think $13 for ANY drink is too much. To think that that is allegedly 1/2 price blows my mind. We cruise with a line that delivers one litre bottles of liquor to your room or your table for about the same price as you'd pay at the local liquor store. So I can have my whiskey before (and after dinner) and we can have Bailey's with our after dinner coffee & on the rocks after that! I suspect our bar tab would be $500 for the amount of driniking I do for around $120. Oh, we can also take sodas and wine on board. But we don't take too much wine as there's a $15 corkage fee which sort of defeats the savings unless it's an expensive bottle. This isn't the ONLY reason we cruise with this line, but it's one of the considerations.

[CanWeGoYet?]

I think $13 for ANY drink is too much. To think that that is allegedly 1/2 price blows my mind.

 

It was a happy hour drink for $13 in the hotel bar in Iceland, everything there was pricey except for the hotel & air package getting us there. So the prices for drinks on Carnival seemed great, i.e. "not too bad."

[cruisin'tex]

Not because the economy is "weak" or gas prices have "skyrocketed" - most of which has been conjured up by the left-wing media - but we tend to cruise on the cheap. We search for off-season or repositioning cruises and then set our sights on a balcony stateroom with the cruise fare saved. We book the next cruise while on-board the current cruise for an OBC, use our C&A benefits for a discount, and use our RCCL stockholder benefits for an additonal OBC. When we have enough RCCL Visa card points accumulated, we cash them in for another OBC. Then, while on-board:

 

We don't buy the over-priced weak drinks in the smokey bars - but once in a while we'll order the drink of the day - or two - before the show.

 

We do not buy the art at the auctions - but do sign up and drink the free champaigne.

 

We don't buy a soda card - but do drink coffee, tea, and juices for free and even make our own "Cafe' Diablo" using their hot cocoa mix, coffee, and creamer.

 

We don't buy a wine package - but do use our C&A coupon for a free wine tasting.

 

We don't use any spa "treatments" but do occasionally sign up for a free lecture/sales pitch.

 

We don't use the laundry service - but do wash out our own quick-dry travel clothing in our cabin.

 

We don't use the high priced/low speed internet service on-board - but do use our own mobile web service when in port and cell phone service is available.

 

We seldom use specialty dining - but do order room service dinners or breakfasts and eat on our balcony where it is much quieter.

 

We DO try to book an excursion or two on-board so that it'll be charged to our sea pass - the one already front loaded with a bunch of OBCs.

 

The result? Most cruises we have a very small balance on our sea pass at the end of the cruise, and sometimes even have a credit.

 

Are you a tightwad cruiser too? If so, what do you do

 

Not tight-wads but don't over spend either. I don't drink alcohol but husband has the occasional cocktail. Guess that's one way we save.

[harleyquinn228]

4. Don't "dine" in the specialty restaurants.. Most of the ships I've been on have had fine food in the regular dining room.

 

While I agree that the food in the dining room is generally good and you can find something you like' date=' I have to say that Chops Grille on the Liberty of the Seas was the [b']best meal I have ever eaten.[/b] Our excursion was canceled due to rough water, so we took the money we saved on that and spent the $25 a person for the meal and ordered a bottle of wine. I can't speak for other specialty restaurants, but that one is a must, with beautiful atmosphere.

******

-If you are going to book an excursion not through the ship, research the area and what other cruisers have said. I have done some independently and some through ships- even though it's all tourist areas, some places I felt safer not going on my own.

 

-On the first day, see if they are having a shopping seminar. It might be long, and you might not care about where the best places to buy jewelry is, but we missed it on the last cruise and also missed the free Del Sol bags, key chains and drink discounts for the entire trip because we didn't go.

 

-Go to the gym/spa on the first day. They will try and sell you on the many treatments and detox options they have, but most cruises also do a raffle for discounts/free treatments. Put your name in, and if you don't get called don't worry-I got a call 3 days later in residual drawing for 20% off a treatment.

 

-If you have sailed on the line before, remember to go to the "Welcome back" party. They usually have some finger foods and drinks for the duration of the event, and it could be a nice to time mingle with other cruisers and get pro tips!

 

-If on a Carnival ship, take a few cans of Soda onboard. We are absolutely fine with iced tea and lemonade all week, but sometimes you just want something carbonated. Unless you NEED soda, or have kids, the soda package is not necessary.

 

-Also on Carnival, take advantage of bringing a bottle of wine per person on the ship. Keep it in the ice bucket when you open it. For two people, those bottles can give you each a glass before dinner the whole cruise. It costs extra to drink it at the table, but have some before heading to the dining room. *Unless you bring a cork screw, you will need to call room service for one, so have a dollar or 2 to tip =)*

[jclinard]

Do: Look for Bargain Cruises in Advance or Last Minute

Don't: EVER pay brochure price

 

Do: Buy a soda card. And use it extensively

Don't: Buy Alcohol

 

Do: Use Coin Laundry

Don't: Use Ship Laundry

 

Do: Go to Trivia / Game Show / Shows / Movies

Don't: Go to the Spa / Art Auctions / Extra $ Yoga or Pilates

 

Do: Research Ports in Advance

Don't: Ever Buy a "Beach Break" Shore Excursion

 

Do: Give a Small Gift to My Steward Upon Arrival

Don't: Stiff on Tips. Ever.

 

Do: Bring My Own Camera, Extra Memory Chips, Extra Batteries

Don't: Buy Ship Photos

 

Do: Send Lots of Postcards

Don't: Buy Lots of Souvenirs

 

Do: Pack a Suit, Dress Shirt, and Tie

Don't: Rent Formal Wear

 

Do: Bring Lots of Books, DVDs, and my Notebook Computer

Don't: Play Extra-Cost Golf Simulators

 

Do: Go to the Main Dining Room

Don't: Go to an Extra-Cost Dining Room

 

Do: Drink Ship Coffee

Don't: Buy Specialty Coffee

 

Do: Research Transport from Airport to Port

Don't: Buy Ship Transports

 

Do: Eat a Hearty Breakfast Before Dismerbarkation

Don't: Eat Airport Food

 

Not because the economy is "weak" or gas prices have "skyrocketed" - most of which has been conjured up by the left-wing media - but we tend to cruise on the cheap. We search for off-season or repositioning cruises and then set our sights on a balcony stateroom with the cruise fare saved. We book the next cruise while on-board the current cruise for an OBC, use our C&A benefits for a discount, and use our RCCL stockholder benefits for an additonal OBC. When we have enough RCCL Visa card points accumulated, we cash them in for another OBC. Then, while on-board:

 

We don't buy the over-priced weak drinks in the smokey bars - but once in a while we'll order the drink of the day - or two - before the show.

 

We do not buy the art at the auctions - but do sign up and drink the free champaigne.

 

We don't buy a soda card - but do drink coffee, tea, and juices for free and even make our own "Cafe' Diablo" using their hot cocoa mix, coffee, and creamer.

 

We don't buy a wine package - but do use our C&A coupon for a free wine tasting.

 

We don't use any spa "treatments" but do occasionally sign up for a free lecture/sales pitch.

 

We don't use the laundry service - but do wash out our own quick-dry travel clothing in our cabin.

 

We don't use the high priced/low speed internet service on-board - but do use our own mobile web service when in port and cell phone service is available.

 

We seldom use specialty dining - but do order room service dinners or breakfasts and eat on our balcony where it is much quieter.

 

We DO try to book an excursion or two on-board so that it'll be charged to our sea pass - the one already front loaded with a bunch of OBCs.

 

The result? Most cruises we have a very small balance on our sea pass at the end of the cruise, and sometimes even have a credit.

 

Are you a tightwad cruiser too? If so, what do you do

[donaldsc]

1. No drinks at bars.

 

2. We cruise HAL and Princess so we bring our own wine on board - usually a case per week.

 

3. No pictures - they are all lousy and overpriced.

 

4. No gambling - I live in Las Vegas where the games are honest and the odds better and I don't gamble here.

 

5. No souvenirs bought on board - they are all junk

 

6. No spas - I look great without one.

 

7. Almost no ship tours - I do private tours

 

8. Minimal but some extra cost dining

 

The last trip I did, my bill exclusive of tips and a few tours that I had to take through the ship was about $60.

 

DON

[lbullard]

What is the way to get around spending almost 80.00 for a soda card for 3 people. Even if I bring my own on I can't take it to dinner...any suggestions???

 

Thanks

[CanWeGoYet?]

What is the way to get around spending almost 80.00 for a soda card for 3 people. Even if I bring my own on I can't take it to dinner...any suggestions???

 

Thanks

 

How many days is your cruise? How about bring on a few 6 packs of the soda you like, and figure on buying a soda at dinner each night. If you just have to have soda with your meals. I think a can of soda is only a couple dollars. If you buy a soda at dinner every night on 7 day cruise = $14 or so, then get by the rest of the day with the soda you carried on board the ship. Lots cheaper than $80.

And I'm not certain on the exact price of the soda, & they will tack on %15 gratuity. The point is whether 2 or 3 bucks a can, it's still going to be way cheaper than buying the soda card if you can keep to purchasing just a can a day.

[rmvst]

What is the way to get around spending almost 80.00 for a soda card for 3 people. Even if I bring my own on I can't take it to dinner...any suggestions???

 

Thanks

 

I don't know what cruise line you are going on, so I'll just speak from my own experience on Carnival.

 

I do not drink "coke" products, so I carry on my "pepsi" and yes I do take it to the dining room. Some people say it's tacky, but I don't really care. The first night I ask for a glass of ice, and the rest of the cruise they bring it without me asking.

 

If you are not comfortable taking a can/bottle of soda to the dining room, drink water with dinner, then have your "soda" back in the room.

 

Rita