Oooer bit scared

Hi everyone,

I have been reading these forums on this website for a while and you seem like a friendly bunch! So here goes!

We are off in next few days, a ten night cruise and it is our first time!!

But I'm a bit scared by the potential for us to completely overspend, rack up enormous charges, when although we know this is going to be a very special holiday and trip of a lifetime (hubby been v v poorly) it may feel sour when we return and tot up what we have spent.

We aren't mean, we are normal professional people. But we don't have endless holiday funds.

Any tips and reassurance??

Grateful thanks xxx:):):)

My best advice is to research the boards for any tips from seasoned cruisers, know yourself well enough to know where you will overspend, keep all receipts and keep a running tally of what you spent. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

Hi everyone,

I have been reading these forums on this website for a while and you seem like a friendly bunch! So here goes!

We are off in next few days, a ten night cruise and it is our first time!!

But I'm a bit scared by the potential for us to completely overspend, rack up enormous charges, when although we know this is going to be a very special holiday and trip of a lifetime (hubby been v v poorly) it may feel sour when we return and tot up what we have spent.

We aren't mean, we are normal professional people. But we don't have endless holiday funds.

Any tips and reassurance??

Grateful thanks xxx:):):)

Best thing to do is set a budget and stick to it. Before every trip I set down how much we will spend on souveniers, drinks, photos, etc. in a little notebook that I bring with me. Each day I put the day's expenditures into the book and keep a running tally of how much as been spent on each item. It only takes a few minutes each day and has worked to keep us on track.

The only thing that is charged to your account without you approving it is the Hotel Service Charge (autotip). So you should be able to keep track of your spending. Check the balance on your on board account every day or two.

Also, be sure to turn off your cell phone to avoid a surprise on your next bill

I don't know what line that you are sailing on, but for our last cruise (with Carnival) I went ahead and bought onboard credit online before our cruise. All of my onboard spending (drinks, giftshop, specialized dining, etc...) was limited to what I had already put on my account. That way I stayed within a very reasonable budget! I also wasn't surprised by a huge bill on my account at the end of my cruise because I had essentially "prepaid" for everything.

Aside from the "service charge" - $10 -$12 per person per day - you can have a great time on the ship without paying anything extra except for an occasional drink. Most ports can be handled very reasonably if you are happy to wander around on your own or perhaps take a taxi or bus to a nearby beach . Where most people go overboard is buying a lot of drinks, spending too much time in the casino (if you limit yourself to the amount you will be willing to lose, and walk out when you hit that mark, you should Bo OK there), ask yourself if you really need to buy those overpriced photos - when you can do as well with your own camera.

You should join your cruise's roll call here on CC and get tips from your fellow passengers about the ship and your ports -- you will get lots of helpful input.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

You should get a receipt when you purchase items onboard. Hold on to those and keep track of the amount. Have a daily budget in mind before you sail that you are comfortable with. If you go over one day, cut back the next. Some cruise lines allow you to see your account on the TV in your cabin. If the line you are on does not, just go to guest services periodically (they are used to this) and see what your total is.

Have a great cruise!

Simple - do not buy stuff that you can not afford. How hard can that be?

DON

Exactly....willpower is all it takes! You know how much you can afford....simply spend NO MORE than that amount! It's not what you buy that makes a good vacation, it's the fun you'll have and sights you'll see!

You will have a wonderful time. Enjoy each day and don't worry about the cruise. It will be great.

Keith

I don't know what line that you are sailing on, but for our last cruise (with Carnival) I went ahead and bought onboard credit online before our cruise. All of my onboard spending (drinks, giftshop, specialized dining, etc...) was limited to what I had already put on my account. That way I stayed within a very reasonable budget! I also wasn't surprised by a huge bill on my account at the end of my cruise because I had essentially "prepaid" for everything.

This is what I do as well. I think on my Panama Canal cruise, my final bill was $9.50. No "sticker shock there".

Just remember if they ask for your card for a drink, food etc. then that will be charged. Just have fun and you can do it and not spend a lot.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Has your TA told you about the automatic tips for the crew? Has he/she told you about the 15% gratuity added onto all cocktails, wines, etc.?

If your ship doesn't have a program on the TV where you can keep track of your on board spending, you can always go to the front office every couple of days and ask for a copy of your bill.

Think about joining your Roll Call and see what others are doing. You can scroll down until you find your ship -- open that up and then scroll down until you find the date of your cruise.

Here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34

I don't know what line that you are sailing on, but for our last cruise (with Carnival) I went ahead and bought onboard credit online before our cruise. All of my onboard spending (drinks, giftshop, specialized dining, etc...) was limited to what I had already put on my account. That way I stayed within a very reasonable budget! I also wasn't surprised by a huge bill on my account at the end of my cruise because I had essentially "prepaid" for everything.

We do this as well. But we start in the year/months leading up to the cruise so it may be too late in this instance. I'm sure you will love your cruise and be ready for another one soon, so this may come in handy for your second cruise. Here's what we do in the months prior to the cruise:

1. Book and pay for cruise in full

2. Book and pay for air fare in full

3. Book pre-night hotel using TA site (so it's paid for instead of just 'reserved').

4. Prepay all gratuities

5. Prepay for any drink packages

6. Prepay for any shore excursions

And then I start saving for our spending money. While on board we have one cocktail at sail away, steer clear of the casino, limit Bingo to one or two plays, purchase one formal night photo, buy small souvenirs, and leave with an overall bill of less than $200.

oh, and another thing I do is start collecting one dollar bills a month or so before the cruise and then I use these to tip shuttle driver, porter at pier, and room service attendant.

Best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

Just remember if they ask for your card for a drink, food etc. then that will be charged....

This is it exactly. You will know when you are being charged for something. I don't know that any of us has endless holiday funds; we all want to be somewhat careful about spending. :)

Advice is to come back and read, read, read! I've been here a long time and I think every question has been asked and answered hundreds of times over. Once you decide on your line and ship, then go to that specific (not this general board) board and read some more.

Have fun planning.

Gracious what a great response! Thank you all very much.

You have been really helpful.

Of course we will budget and keep a regular eye on the tab.

I assume there is no way of lifting the daily levy? And tipping who and where we personally choose to?

Anyhow thanks everyone so much.

No, it's not right to stiff the workers by not paying the service charge/gratuities. Nearly everyone realizes that those charges are part and parcel of cruising, and in the grand scheme of things, the daily charge isn't really all that much.

Gracious what a great response! Thank you all very much.

You have been really helpful.

Of course we will budget and keep a regular eye on the tab.

I assume there is no way of lifting the daily levy? And tipping who and where we personally choose to?

Anyhow thanks everyone so much.

PLEASE no. Since you are new to the forums, maybe you have not read the tipping threads and fully understand how things work. Even though you may not be used to this system, it is the one that is in place on cruise ships, it's the norm on most lines and one that is fairest to all the crew.

Gracious what a great response! Thank you all very much.

You have been really helpful.

Of course we will budget and keep a regular eye on the tab.

I assume there is no way of lifting the daily levy? And tipping who and where we personally choose to?

Anyhow thanks everyone so much.

Feel free to tip however you wish. The ship has created an auto-gratuity to make it easier to collect and distribute to the crew but they are not set in stone. You are free to tip more or less as you see fit. Depending on the line the tips go to your cabin steward and their assistants who keeps up your room (kind of like a hotel maid), your server and assistant server in the dining room (and who also sometimes work on the buffet line) and lastly some cruise lines (carnival for one) include tips for the salaried entertainment, child care etc.

If someone either exceeds or does not meet your expectations of service you can certainly change your gratuity.

Beware of the sales on board for jewelry and things. If you are not in the market for the item at home.. steer clear on your cruise as well. On our first few cruises I was mesmerized by the silly "gold by the inch" sales. I felt that we had to have the photos and the trinkets from each port. Now I ask myself if I would buy that item at home, and if I wouldn't then I don't on the cruise! If I do buy an item I try to make it something that is useful. My favorite item I purchased last year is a set of glass mugs from the "Cheers" bar in Boston. We use them everyday and it is a nice reminder of our trip.

Avoid purchasing photos on the ship unless you budget for them. They are always a bit expensive. Best to ask someone to take pictures of you and later have prints made.

We usually avoid the drinks on the ship, especially with the extra gratuity cost. All I ever buy in the shop are a magnet (if I don't already have it as it's something I collect) and a few t-shirts when they are on special sale. As someone said, be careful about the so-called "deals" for stuff you really don't want or need. Best prices for souvenirs are always at ports. Often toward end of cruise, they will have tables filled with items from different ports, usually costing more than you'd pay at the port itself.

Most important is to ENJOY yourself both on the ship and at ports. Plenty of free food on the ship so unless it's a special occasion don't have to pay to go to a specialty restaurant.

Make sure you have a camera so you can have memories of the cruise. That's one of the best parts of being back home...looking at those pictures and thinking about what a good time you had.

Of course, all comments I've made reflect my own experiences and preferences.

Have fun!!

Feel free to tip however you wish. The ship has created an auto-gratuity to make it easier to collect and distribute to the crew but they are not set in stone. You are free to tip more or less as you see fit. Depending on the line the tips go to your cabin steward and their assistants who keeps up your room (kind of like a hotel maid), your server and assistant server in the dining room (and who also sometimes work on the buffet line) and lastly some cruise lines (carnival for one) include tips for the salaried entertainment, child care etc.

 

If someone either exceeds or does not meet your expectations of service you can certainly change your gratuity.

Sure, but when you give any of the crew cash rather than just using the auto gratuity, they must turn in the cash to be pooled and then divided so you accomplish nothing. The only way a crew member can keep money given directly to them is if you leep the autio gratuity in place and feel you want to give extra in cash above what you paid for the auto gratuities. It is by no means mandatory since your tipping obligation is fullfilled with the auto gratuity. Some feel their steward or waiter went above and beyond in some way, so they choose to give some extra.

One more thing, if you feel you have been short changed in some way, the cruise line would like you to talk to the appropriate prople, hotel director for stewards, food and beverage director for waiters and give them a chance to correct any problem. Bring any problems to their attention right away and do not wait til the end of the cruise as it coud be something that could be easily and immdiiately corrected..

You bring up a good point OP, many people forget that the cost of the cruise is only part of the cost of the vacation. When looking at cruises you need to figure out how much excursions, travel expenses, drinks and service charges will cost before booking. I would love to go on another family European cruise, this time visiting Rome and Florence but the cost of the excursions and flights are keeping me from booking one at the time being.

Gracious what a great response! Thank you all very much.

You have been really helpful.

Of course we will budget and keep a regular eye on the tab.

I assume there is no way of lifting the daily levy? And tipping who and where we personally choose to?

Anyhow thanks everyone so much.

Kittymitty, you haven't said which line you're sailing with. Some ships are run in the American way, where passengers are used to paying tips, so the auto grats are a big help; some are run the Brit way, where the tips are minimal or included, and there's no tipping at all on bar sales. All lines we've travelled with allow you to remove auto tips. We prefer the auto way, rather than taking wads of cash on board to be kept in the safe.

If you're with RCI or Celebrity sailing from the UK, there will be no 15% on bar sales.

Have a wonderful time. :)