Welcome to Tightwad Cruising - What Do You Do?

[donaldsc]

 

do: Buy a soda card. And use it extensively

don't: buy a soda card - drink water

 

 

do: Give a small gift to my steward upon arrival

don't: tip of gift the steward in advance. Tips come after, not before service

 

 

don

[lbullard]

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

 

Hello we are headed to New England Canada...have you done any excursions there or hear of any good to do??

[lbullard]

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.

 

 

Are cruise is 9 days.....I think for 3 of us it will cost close to 100. I think

[bjdamascus]

KTCruiser, you sound like me! I hem and haw, research until the wee hours of the morning sometimes, etc. etc. In the end, I usually get so tired of planning, that I just "give up". For example, we'll be doing a Mediterranean cruise in a few weeks. Still haven't decided what to do in Greece. Due to the latest political unrest, and to calm my dh fears, we're going to 'settle" on booking an excursion through the ship. With only three weeks prior to departure from home, and so many other things to do, I figure that it's worth it. Knowing when to "stop looking" is an art that I haven't mastered yet - and I probably never will! You would think I learned that twenty years ago in grad school. LOL!

 

As you said - some of us need to learn when to just let go!

[LarryTex]

....and most other cruises:

 

I sailed on the Sapphire Princess, July 17, 2011

 

 

If anyone is planning an Alaska cruise from Seattle, here are some costs cutting tricks I have done so far:

A. I stayed at the Best Western Airport Executel near SEA-TAC. They have a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel. They also have very nice free Continental Buffet breakfast.

B. Use Seattle Express for transport to the cruise ship. $12 per person. The hotel will make the reservation for you. I am also using Seattle Express from the ship to SEA-TAC. Only $12 per person. Phone: 206-793-8430

C. Remember the cruise ships charge 20-30% more for excursions. Find independent companies if possible.

D. If you cruise to Juneau, buy the $3 bus shuttle. It is not an easy walk to downtown.

E. The cruise line was charging $49 per person for the bus trip to Mendenhall Glacier. I paid $16 round trip ticket (it is an old school bus) from one of the small tour companies located at the bus drop off area. Every 30 minutes they pick-up and drop-off. You can stay as long as you want. There were less than 8 people on the bus each way when I rode today.

F. If you need to buy souvenirs, I think Alaska Shirt Company has the least expensive items. There is a store in every port.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We don't..............................

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We just cruise a lot

[Swells1]

Anytime I shop online, I try to go through the skymiles shopping site to earn miles. I just discovered that you can earn miles for buying gift cards for some shops. So, last week, I found what I wanted to buy, bought myself an e-certificate for close to that amount, and then bought the item using the e-certificate. Sure enough, double miles!!

[Fighting34th]

Anytime I shop online, I try to go through the skymiles shopping site to earn miles. I just discovered that you can earn miles for buying gift cards for some shops. So, last week, I found what I wanted to buy, bought myself an e-certificate for close to that amount, and then bought the item using the e-certificate. Sure enough, double miles!!

 

Do you have to use the e-certificate on the skymiles shopping site. If so, I've found that their prices are considerably higher than I can get using a shopping bot (robot) program. The miles are worth, at most 2.5 cents. So if you're paying 2.5% more through the skymiles shopping site that you would using a shopping bot, it's a no win situation. BUT, if you can use the e-certificate like PayPal, and buy from any internet retailer, THAT's a Win-Win!

[cknic]

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

Have you had any trouble with your wine being taken and kept until end of cruise? I've read a few posts about HAL (we will be on the Noordam next week) that cruisers take wine on board at the beginning and during the cruise with no problems. Friends tried it in Feb and their wine was taken; also, HAL's policy says wine is allowed but you have to pay for decorking..We want to take some bottles on in Rome at embarkation and drink the wine in our cabin. Input please. Thanks, Carolyn

[CanWeGoYet?]

Have you had any trouble with your wine being taken and kept until end of cruise? I've read a few posts about HAL (we will be on the Noordam next week) that cruisers take wine on board at the beginning and during the cruise with no problems. Friends tried it in Feb and their wine was taken; also, HAL's policy says wine is allowed but you have to pay for decorking..We want to take some bottles on in Rome at embarkation and drink the wine in our cabin. Input please. Thanks, Carolyn

 

If you only want to drink the wine in your cabin you won't pay a fee. Corkage fee is only in a public venue like the MDR or the lounges. Even there I have read it's variable & not consistently applied. I would imagine if the server feels comfortable he will get an especially good tip it's more likely he'll forget about the fee.

 

I don't know if they have tightened up on allowing alcohol on to the ship from a port. I haven't tried bringing it on from ports. But I have read that HAL has one of the more liberal policies on bringing alcohol on to the ship.

[Fighting34th]

If you only want to drink the wine in your cabin you won't pay a fee. Corkage fee is only in a public venue like the MDR or the lounges. Even there I have read it's variable & not consistently applied. I would imagine if the server feels comfortable he will get an especially good tip it's more likely he'll forget about the fee.

 

I don't know if they have tightened up on allowing alcohol on to the ship from a port. I haven't tried bringing it on from ports. But I have read that HAL has one of the more liberal policies on bringing alcohol on to the ship.

 

With tip, the corking fee (which is charged up front at the table) is almost $20. If you're going to bring a $15-20 bottle of wine on board to take to the table, it's not a winning situation. There are plenty of bottles priced from $24 to $35 available from the wine list. So why bother. BUT, if you're going to drink it in your cabin, it's a winning situation. OR, if you're bringing a relatively expensive wine on board, it's a winner.

 

We recently finished a Barcelona to Venice cruise of 12 days on HAL. It's our 5th cruise on HAL in the last 3 or so years. Some observations: the ship was new and our cabin steward was great. The food has become close to cafeteria (better presentation) quality in taste. The ice cream is unbelievably poor -- as were most of the deserts. The Tamarind --- oriental (extra charge) restaurant food was excellent - service was superior -- WELL worth the extra $$$. The Pinnacle was NOT worth the extra $$$.

 

MORE: The entertainment on this cruise was the best ever in the theater/showroom. BUT, one would think that over a 3-4 year period, they would swap the cooking and Microsoft lessons to something else -- change it up a bit. That part (daytime entertainment) was NOT worth the $$$.

 

SO, overall, I think we'll be trying other lines to get more for our $$$. When I spend $6,000+ for a cruise for two for 12 days (balcony cabin), I want food that matches the price.

 

ONE MORE THING: Don't fall for the line "If you buy your next cruise while on the ship, you'll never get a better price!" BULL! We paid $3,000 each for a balcony stateroom. Once they had our full payment, they lowered the suites (which had been $3,500+ to $3,000). When I called to inquire, they said they could upgrade us for $150 each. It wasn't the $300 that kept me from upgrading. It was the fact that we were simply lied to....something I can't abide. It's probably the major reason we'll not cruise HAL again, if ever. I need to deal with people/companies I can trust. (And yes, I know "Mickey" owns most of the lines, but each has a different way of handling customers.)

[Seattitude]

We brought our own wine and soda on board in San Diego for our Sea of Cortez cruise in April. We drank it in our room. We restocked again when we came back to San Diego before going up the coast to Vancouver. There was no issue taking it on board. I wonder if you are in a foreign country that the rules could be different?

[cknic]

We brought our own wine and soda on board in San Diego for our Sea of Cortez cruise in April. We drank it in our room. We restocked again when we came back to San Diego before going up the coast to Vancouver. There was no issue taking it on board. I wonder if you are in a foreign country that the rules could be different?

Thanks for the information..We know we can buy some pretty good wine in Rome for a good price. I just wanted to make sure we would have not problem taking it on board in our carryon. We did so on a Celebrity cruise 2 yrs ago but they limited it to 2 bottles. Do you think if it was in your luggage, HAL would confiscate it? Carryon is better?

[ARcruisin2]

 

Do: Research Ports in Advance

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

 

Do: Research Transport from Airport to Port

Don't: Buy Ship Transports

 

'Beach Break" tip - totally true - my teens played volleyball at the beach we walked to... for free in Progresso with people that spent $30 to get a shuttle to the beach & 2 rum punches.

"Ship Transports" - I'd like to add a caveat to that - if you are running late or cutting it close with your flight, grab that shuttle. Our friends missed a flight connection and we ended up picking up their luggage at Houston Hobby before they landed at the other airport. As it happened there was a Carnival shuttle outside when they ran to get a cab. There was a wreck that closed off the highway to Galveston island and the shuttle driver was able to radio the ship to wait. They literally stepped on board as the boat was leaving and checked in at the pursers desk. If they had taken a cab...they would have missed the ship.

Of course the lesson they learned was, as tons of people on this board tell us, fly in the day before....but if you can't... I would concider that shuttle. (plus it helps to have nice friends that drove down to get your luggage :rolleyes:)

[Fiftiesareus]

We cut costs on cruises by:

1) We bring 2 bottles of wine on board, at least a 6 pack of water and a 6 pack of our favorite sodas in a rolling carry on. We buy it at the departure port like San Juan, Ft Lauderdale etc. Bring bubble wrap to protect the wine bottles & a roll of scotch tape. We pack it and buy it all at our departure for the cruise,. This saves about $100 and we get the wine that we like. We even purchased a cheap rolling carry on in Ft Lauderdale at a Big Lots store. That way, we didn't have to pay the airlines to transport it or risk the wine bottles breaking.

 

2) We purchase tours from the cruise lines only in places where it could be dangerous like in Jamaica or anywhere which is subject to mudslides. Otherwise, we use good judgement and take cabs to tourist spots & purchase tours at the ports. This works very well in St. Thomas, St. Martin, Barbados, Dominca, San Juan, Nassau, Freeport. We took cabs to the latter ports and even took the public bus in San Juan. When we landed in Nassau, we took what we thought was going to be a $4.00 cab ride to the Atlantis and it wound up to be a limousine!!! When in doubt, go to a 4 star hotel and ask for a cab. The cabs are numbered and there is a record of your departure. You can ask the bell men outside, how much should the ride cost then have the Bellman tell the cab driver where to go and confirm the price for you. In Cozimel, you can take a shared taxi ride in an SUV to San Francisco Beach for a couple of bucks each way. Just never wait until the last minute to get your cab ride back to the ship. Be conservative and allow yourself plenty of time just in case there is traffic to get back to the ship. If you don't make it back to the ship on time, you are stuck paying airfare to the next port and maybe a hotel bill as well.

 

3) We eat all of our food on the cruise. We have cheap snacks like soups, chips & guacamole at a local bar or restaurant and take those individual cookie packages like peanut butter cracker sandwiches to ward off hunger until we get back on the ship or keep us from starving during a no meals flight. We usually get back to the ship in time for the tail end of lunch on the buffet deck.

 

4. We do not purchase the $8.00 per drink cocktails of the day. They're usually very sweet. I'd rather drink the free iced tea lemonade, or take the coffee and make yourself iced coffee. If you bring some cinammon along, you'll think you're at Starbucks. There's free coffee on the decks during all mealtimes. You can toss some ice cream in there and have iced coffee with a hint of chocolate or vanialla.

 

5. We don't sweat the small stuff. We use their laundry even if we have to pay $1.50 for clean socks. Why wash anything but a bathing suit on your vacation?

 

6. We don't do the massages, however I would spring $10/day to get into one of the solitary all adult pools without kids screaming or almost toilet trained.

Beware, some folks go topless there.

 

7. We bring a canvas lunch pail and take snacks breakfast time that are non-perishable for the tours. We bring along one of those ice paks & keep it in the fridge in your stateroom to keep it cool.

 

8. We bring all of our toiletries on board to avoid paying a premium in the gift shop. Bring your own mouthwash, toothpaste, camera film, batteries, deoderant.

 

9. We do order a custom cake which costs about $10 even for sugar free.

They bring it to your dining table if you booked for one of the specific

dinner times. We celebrate our special days with the others at the

table.

 

10. We do pop for one night at the upscale restaurant on the ship. Plan on 3 hours there and eating until you are suffed. Where else could you get 7 people to wait on you at one meal.

 

11. Bring a variety of clothing weights so that you don't get stuck buying clothing in the stores. A jogging suit always works out because it's fairly cool on the ships. It gets cool even in Cozimel & Cancun during January & February. The sweatshirts on the ships are $40 and $50.

 

12. You can ask the front desk to delete the tips they automatically add on if you so desire. We like to put the tips right into the hands of the people who served us the best....Your steward, waiter, assistant waiter, bread/coffee person, the Maitre D (if he accomadated you in any way), the gals who seated you breakfast time or lunch time in the diniong rooms. Perhaps she made sure that you had a nice table each morning with particularly nice people. Refer to the tipping guides for how much to give them. Give it to them on the last day because the day you dock, they all have different responsibilities and you won't be able to find them.

 

13. Cool it in the casino. Limit yourself and realize that the slot machines all look like they pay well but if you win $100 on a machine: Take it!!!!

All those bells & whistles are there to hypnotize you into throwing money away.

 

14. The art auctions sell things that are way, way, way overpriced. Drink your free glass of cheap champagne, take your "free" airprint & say thanks.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Fiftiesareus

[CrznonRmynd]

Wow....great idea about making your own iced coffee! :D

I already do that at home, and even add a dash of

ground cinnamon to it since I drink it without creamers

or sugar. I will pack a small container of cinnamon for

my upcoming cruise. I never thought of adding ice cream

to coffee, so I'll give it a try.

I don't drink soda, but was wondering what I was going

to drink other than water during the course of our

7 day cruise. I also like iced tea, and I imagine that's

free too. :rolleyes:

 

All your other ideas were great too.

Thank you for sharing. :)

[KLcruiser]

I don't drink soda, but was wondering what I was going

to drink other than water during the course of our

7 day cruise. I also like iced tea, and I imagine that's

free too. :rolleyes:

 

:)

I don't particulary care for the ice tea on board so in addition to bringing bottled water for the room, I will bring on the Crystal Light packs that you can put in your bottled water. I plan on using them in the dining room for my meals. I think this will work better than lugging can drinks on board and having to carry them to the dinning room if you are wanting to enjoy them with your meal. ;)

[arhillbilly]

I don't particulary care for the ice tea on board so in addition to bringing bottled water for the room, I will bring on the Crystal Light packs that you can put in your bottled water. I plan on using them in the dining room for my meals. I think this will work better than lugging can drinks on board and having to carry them to the dinning room if you are wanting to enjoy them with your meal. ;)

 

I did this same thing the last cruise I took. Even at the "bars" during activities I would order water (free) and pour my mix in it :)

[ericstacie]

We have always packed lanyards for each person. Then, on board, take your cruise card to the casino to punch a hole in them and it is 10x easier keeping up/accounting for your card, especially for the kids.

 

We take that 1 step further. Throughout the year, keep your eye open for special events at the mall, school, etc where they happen to be giving them away. Yesterday we got 2 at a GMC promotion. Military recruiters also love giving them away also, and we get a ton from NASCAR races and the state fair. Then, when you get on the boat, everyone has a different lanyard to prevent a mix-up. We will have a party of 6 on our next cruise, and will easily have 6 that are unique enough the there should not be any confusion.

 

My .02

[jgr8fulbear]

I dont go on vacation to be a tight wad, if I had to conserve, I probably would just wait. DH and I work very hard so if we want to do/have something we can, and we plan accordingly. We do however save money just being who we are; we are not shoppers, I may splurge at the spa, if the price is right,however, I refuse to pay more then what I can get it for at home, we don't care for steak, so no specialty restaurant is needed, we don't drink soda, after one regretable day of DOD's we don't get too crazy with the drinks, don't care for gambeling, I consider myself a coffee snob, so at least one good coffee from the shop each day is required, I do enjoy excursions, but book through a private company, as we tend to visit the same places, I am familiar enough to feel comfortable with that. We usually will buy one picture, as our souvenier of the trip. Our must is a nice room, after many long hours working, and three kids at home, we like to kick back in our quiet room and enjoy each others company.

[SailingGrace]

First, when I book I compare sites including GVR. I book with the least expensive/or best OBC.

I then keep an eye out for price drops if the cruise line will allow OBC.

Also, I pay with credit or debit card and pay in full at statement close to avoid finance charges.

 

Next, I research transportation to/from the departure port. Those $300 sailings can add up to a thousand bucks if the airfare isn't good. Once I get a going price, I watch for anyone lower and grab it when it dips.

 

The day of or the day before my flight I get a mani/pedi; facial; and hair done.

 

I also look for pre-cruise hotel that provides complimentary shuttle from airport to cruiseport.

 

When checking in, I place cash on my account...and just enough to cover gratuities. Anything else that I want...I have to want it bad enough and long enough to walk to my stateroom, get cash, and take it to the desk to add it. Still want it? I get it. (and I put a little extra on there)

 

No casinos/bingo/alcohol/coffee/soda pop/specialty dining/etc.

 

Before the cruise I research shore excursions and usually book with local vendors....doing the EXACT same thing the cruise line folks are doing who paid twice as much.

 

I do splurge for laundry.

 

And I have a wonderful time on my cruises. And the last night...when the refund check is slid under my door....Wow! What a way to end a cruise- them paying me.

Edited October 13, 2011 by SailingGrace

[elainmir]

This will be our third cruise coming up on 11-6-11..I'm usually a thrifty gal but splurge on some things.

 

We always bring our own water/soda

 

I bring my own non alcoholic beer ( Becks or St. Pauli) I HATE O'Douhls and thats all Carnival serves :(

 

We bring a few bottles of asti spumante...it's sweeter than champagne

 

we book excursions with private providers

 

I go in with a certain amount of money expecting to lose it mind you but I do take a certain amount to the casino. It's my grownup fun :D

 

No spa,art,etc..here

 

I do buy a few photos because I love them ,..budget them in

 

We just go to enjoy our time together and never do anything we don't want to! ;)

[mistymoon]

I don't see the point of spending all that money on a cruise and then trying to save money when I'm there. I want to enjoy my holiday and not worry about what I'm spending.

[iancal]

We no longer book months in advance. We buy typically book our cruises within the 90 or 75 day cancellation window. The price of our Greece/Turkey cruise dropped by fifty percent after final payment date.

 

We have two or three preferred cruise lines. We pick the itineraries and then watch pricing and occupancy rates on various cruise lines.

 

Once on board we just use common sense. We typically do private tours-not so much for the savings but because we find them much better and much less crowded.

Edited October 23, 2011 by iancal