Favorite money saving/thrifty tip?

I'm curious as to everyone's favorite money saving tips! How do you enjoy a cruise while also on a tight budget?

Note: I know some people do not care how much they spend on a cruise, and go with the "Its a vacation, I'm not going to worry about the cost!" line of thinking, and that's fine, but this probably isn't the thread for you. A lot of us are on a tight budget and I'd love this thread to be about ways to save and I hope those of you who aren't frugal or on a budget can respect that without the "Its a vacation, I don't worry about what we spend!" responses.

We plan ti save by bringing our own soda (since the ones on the ship aren't kept cold, and go flat when you put them on ice) and we plan to only buy gifts in ports. We also won't be buying pictures since we will be taking plenty of our own and my Mother in Law can take any family ones we want.

We are also staying at a hotel that includes a shuttle and parking - the room AND shuttle will cost us less than parking at port would cost us. Saving $60 is well worth the wait for a shuttle!

I will be cruising in a few weeks so am looking forward to responses to this post. The only thing I can contribute is that most excursions are less expensive if you book them yourself instead of through the ship.

Take advantage of the 2 free drinking opportunities: the past guest and fun farewell parties. Last cruise, hardly anyone showed up for the fun farewell and there were bunch of bored waiters walking around with full trays of drinks. They were dropping off 2 at a time. If the party is crowded, get a table right by the bar where they are bringing out the drinks. Slip a waiter a five and you'll get all the drinks you want.

Bring on wine and your own corkscrew. Have your room steward chill your wine and open it yourself when you get to the dining room to avoid the corkage fee.

Park off port with one of the $5-$10/day lots with free shuttle.

Don't eat lunch in the ports. Have a big breakfast before you go onshore and have a snack when you return if it's not too close to dinner time.

Take a bottle of alcohol onboard. You are allowed 1/adult.

Book excursions directly if possible.

No specialty restaurants....you have already paid for the food in the main dining areas. Also no desserts/food at bars...go to the Lido deck it's free...not free but you have already paid for it. We also eat on the ship and not in port..maybe just a light snack in port of if there is something special to be tasted.

Some ways well be saving money are not drinking soda. We aren't soda drinkers anyway so it really doesn't bother us. Another way is not drinking Alcohol. Again we are not drinkers , so it doesn't really matter. And no speciality resturants for us either. If we had extra $ maybe we would , but I don't see the need with all the free food on board. Buying gifts only in ports is a good idea!

We dont need to scrimp on spendings as we always factor into a holiday the total cost But:D

Being a frequent traveller from a young age has taught me to economize from a young age so its hard to get out of it now:)

I have to smuggle on board booze even though I only drink beer,my partner drinks the vodka though and it saves a small fortune,if she had to pay the on board price she wouldnt drink but I would,so no loss to the cruise line,in actual fact they gain the price of the soda because she only drinks plain water if not drinking alcohol.

We bring our own Lanyards from a $1 shop.

We always go back to the ship to eat,why pay more for what you have already paid for?

Take a bottle of water on board and re fill from the dispenser

Take large thermal mugs so I can carry 2 hot drinks to the cabin and save on room service.

Buy cheap snorkelling gear from (in Australia Target or K mart) and leave on board and its still cheaper than hiring on board.

Take smuggled Vodka everywhere on the ship in a small water bottle and only order soda (even if it means a trip to the rest room to be able to mix it)

We usually cruise with other couples so have combo shots of on board photos, then buy one set and have then copied at home (big saving and better than not getting them)

I do however draw the line at taking photos of the on board photos but have seen many doing it.:D

Den

Frugal is my maiden name, glad to know I am in good company! :) So I park at a hotel for cheaper and get a free shuttle ride to the port, make sure hotel has free breakfast. Bring on my own sodas, water and wine. Also bring on my own snacks. Take a water bottle to fill up on port days and carry with me off the ship. Bring sealed snacks with me also on port days. Downy wrinkle release saves a lot compared to the ship pressing our clothes. That and steaming them in the bathroom.

I got this tip from this board, but we "budget" each day and divide the money in envelopes. We then move the money we don't use to the next day and etc. We never use all the alloted money.

We also book limit ourselves to 1 big excursion that we book privately to save money. The other days are beach days.

We only buy 1 thing, this past cruise it was a hammock from Roatan. We travel from AZ and don't have the space to carry a lot of stuff.

We never eat at the specialty restaurants and also take advantage of the free drink parties. We also don't eat in port unless it is included in the price of the excursion of course. For us we always feel extremely well fed, and honestly after a few days we always end up skipping meals

You can bring a bottle of wine per adult on the boat and pop of course. We never do this, but maybe we would if we were more local.

I long for the day we don't have to budget, but we still had a blast and enjoyed every minute of our cruise. It was worth every penny spent and saved:)

Enjoy...

The only thing I can contribute is that most excursions are less expensive if you book them yourself instead of through the ship.

The biggest saving I look for is the initial price of the booking. Book off season and during special promotions. And for us an inside cabin is ideal. We love the cool, dark cabin for sleeping. We don't stay in the cabin during the day so that works for us. When you get a week cruise for less than five hund. you have more money for other things...

They say not to do it but we have done it every cruise for 21 years. Take some plastic baggies and pack yourself a lunch so you don't have to buy lunches off the ship. Many people on this board are apparently outraged by this but it saves tons of money especially for families. The one thing I never forget to pack is zip lock baggies.

Only take carry-on if you're flying a line that charges for baggage.

You can't carry any wine on Rccl l always bring a water bottle to take of ship.

Ice tea and lemonade are free, even in the dining room. Lemonade is sweetened, ice tea is not, so if you are watching calories, you have a non calorie choice.

Bring a waterbottle and fill it on the Lido, it is free and even though I have a "sensitive system" where tap water is concerned when we travel, I have no problem with Carnival's water.

Bring those crystal light, one bottle pouches to flavor the water if you choose. Pre pay your gratuities so even that is paid off pre-cruise.

REMEMBER: whenever you sign your name to a piece of paper after showing your card, it is not free.

We take snacks and soda for the room, so we don't have to pay extra for them. We also take a bottle of good wine for drinking and use the glasses in the room. We keep the drinks cool in a collaspable cooler. The room steward keeps fresh ice in the cooler each day. Like some of the others, we don't buy the photos from the ship.

Take a bottle of alcohol onboard. You are allowed 1/adult.

That's a bottle of wine only, not a bottle of alcohol. It would be great though if it were true ;)

Take a bottle of alcohol onboard. You are allowed 1/adult.

 

Book excursions directly if possible.

 

No specialty restaurants....you have already paid for the food in the main dining areas. Also no desserts/food at bars...go to the Lido deck it's free...not free but you have already paid for it. We also eat on the ship and not in port..maybe just a light snack in port of if there is something special to be tasted.

Slight correction. You are allowed one bottle of wine, 750ml per bottle per adult. I also bring my own soda as they do not serve Pepsi products on board. I don't do excursions in ports I've already been to and the only alcohol I drink is what I'm allowed to bring on board.

Oh, and eat enough on board so that I don't eat for a week after returning home! :D

I save a bunch of money pre cruise by shopping carefully for clothes. For a 5 day cruise I will take 1 long skirt, wrinkle free that dries fast so I can wear it more than once. Same thing with 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of black pants. I buy tops that will dress up the bottoms from elegant to casual and take jewelry and scarfs to enhance the look. All takes up little space in my suitcase and leaves me with clothes I can wear them when I return and not hang in the closet forever. I shop resale shops also.

We plan ti save by bringing our own soda (since the ones on the ship aren't kept cold, and go flat when you put them on ice) and we plan to only buy gifts in ports. We also won't be buying pictures since we will be taking plenty of our own and my Mother in Law can take any family ones we want.

We are also staying at a hotel that includes a shuttle and parking - the room AND shuttle will cost us less than parking at port would cost us. Saving $60 is well worth the wait for a shuttle!

Where are you staying - we are on the same ship at the same time and since we are driving down from Ontario, would love to save on parking and shuttle costs :)

Only take carry-on if you're flying a line that charges for baggage.

Twibbs, I am sorry, you are the type traveler I hate. Bin Hog! I only carry on my camera case and a "stuff for the flight" / "Oh Sheet, they lost my luggage" bag.

Although it won't matter soon. The airlines are starting to charge for carry-ons now... Two airlines do now, the rest will shortly follow.

The biggest saving I look for is the initial price of the booking. Book off season and during special promotions. And for us an inside cabin is ideal. We love the cool, dark cabin for sleeping. We don't stay in the cabin during the day so that works for us. When you get a week cruise for less than five hund. you have more money for other things...

...This quote above is the best way to control your cruising budget. If it's the "game" of "Let's see how cheaply we can cruise" and try to spend the least amount of money, that's one thing. But, while you're spending 2/3/4 thousand dollars on your family vacation, and spending $3 for a Coke, $4 for a latte or even $23 for a photo is going to keep you tossing and turning all night long, maybe their might be other vacations options for you beside cruising.

...It's obvious that certain people need to book their cruises at certain times of the year. Teachers are the most obvious, but really anyone with older students (IMHO, middle and high school) need to cruise when school is not in session. Cruise rates during Spring Break, Summer, and of course, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are basically at full price. Once the kiddies are older, or time allows, try to book your cruise in the "low season" of January, October or the 2-3 weeks right after Thanksgiving.

...Is that Balcony REALLY necessary? Yup, we've sailed in them, and they are great to have, but again, IMHO, you're only renting the room for 3/4/5/7 days. If you're from the desert regions of the country, or perhaps you're flying to FLL/MIA from the frozen tundra of the North, a balcony might be something to splurge on. At a cost of 300-400 dollars extra, that's a lot of excursions, photos and soda that can be purchased onboard. Again, balconies are fantastic to have morning coffee, a mid-afternoon nap or an evening cocktail on, but if your trying to stay within a budget, I suggest a lower catagory.

...Outside/Window and Inside cabins are really where your savings may be. We tend to do either one, according to our our budget. Outside cabins let the Caribbean sunlight and warmth in to the cabin. It lets you watch the ocean going by, to me one of the most peaceful things in the world. But some may not want that sun. An Inside cabin is dark, cool and peaceful. Close the window shades to the balcony or outside cabin, and the cabin is the same, but a whole lot less expensive.

...High up, midship is overrated. Those are where the most expensive cabins are located. We like to be lower in the ship. To us, it is a more comfortable ride and much less expensive. If you can get the thoughts of "We're sailing in the dungeon" ideas out of your head, and book a cabin on the Riviera (lowest) deck. the savings get better. As far as bow or aft located cabins go, be careful with either that are too far forward or rear. Forward has crashing waves and rear has the vibrations of the engines. If neither of these bother you, then you have just found your least expensive cabins. But, for just a few dollars more, we tend to try to move about 15-20 cabins toward midship, as these cabins are also inexpensive, but with as I said, a smoother ride.

...It was always been our policy to save on cabins so our on board spending is usually not a factor. A DOD, a family photo or a couple of tee shirts are not going to worry us. Because of our children (our oldest graduating college this month and the other starting college in two months) we've had to cruise during the high season. We're now in the position to cruise at a less expensive time of year (c'mon Jan 2013 Breeze!) but still just an inside Riviera deck cabin. Good luck all and Happy Cruising!

I wish I could contribute my ideas, but this will be my first cruise!! I will summarize what I'm doing to save $$.

• We are smuggling booze.
  
• We will bring 1 bottle of wine (per person) and a 12 pack of mixers (per person).
  
• When we port we will get another 12 pack of mixers (per person).
  
• We hired a driver for Cozumel to take us to the great sites.
  
• We are parking at the hotel and taking a shuttle to the ship.
  
• We have an interior room, and I check almost daily for the cost to go down (Early Savers). So far, we have $120 on board credit!
  
• I'm bringing a fabric shoe rack for the back of the bathroom door (toiletry storage), and a sign for our door (for recognition).
  
• I will pack an alarm clock, a GPS (to name islands we pass), a sharpie and highlighter, zip locks, a multiple outlet plug-in, ipod and speaker.
  
• I will email copies of passports to myself in case they're misplaced.
  
• I will write our odometer reading on a large piece of paper and post it, so others see I'm taking note.
  
• We will order room service immediately and get some cookies to place in zip locks for snacks for the cruise.
  

I think that's about it!! Keep the other advice coming!! :)

For those booking excursions directly, keep in mind the time difference. When booking through CCL the excursion time is ship time, and when booking direct it's local time. This got us the one time we booked direct.

I booked through CCL because I feel better with the guarantee that the ship won't leave without me! I'm the type that worries a lot

When you get a week cruise for less than five hund. you have more money for other things...

Yes, but some of us want to save on the cabin AND extras :) I can't imagine spending more than I have to on something for no other reason than "I paid less for the room!"

I mean no offense, but the thing with thrifty people isn't that we don't have the money to spend. It's that we don't WANT to spend it unless we have to. We can manage to spend 1 or 2 hundred dollars on a cruise (after tips) for a whole family without feeling like we've skipped everything!

To me, it's almost like a game, and I am willing to bet most people on this thread will agree :D