a little over 3 weeks away and really getting nervous

[Twibbs]

Here is a brief breakdown of my charges for a 7-day cruise last year:

 

$70 - tips

$65 - pedicure

$35 - soda/juice card

$35 - dress

$100 - alcohol

$60 - 2 bottles of wine at dinner

~$480 - 4 Excursions, all booked through Carnival, plus the Behind the Fun tour

~$500 - souvenirs/drinks/food in ports

 

As you can see, many of those expenses can be cut out entirely or greatly reduced very easily (just don't tell my fiance that before our next cruise).

 

Figure out how much money you probably need in each port and put that in an envelope labeled for that port. Otherwise, you get to the end of the cruise and cash in your roll of quarters at the purser's desk so you can give your server an extra tip because he rocked...

[Beopthtuh]

first thing you got to do is stop stressing .what your budgeting is more than enough for a weeks cruise.

i know folks who have gone on a weeks cruise with £500 and taken money home the havent spent.

budget a certain amount for every day and what you dont spend put in a envolope for the last day.

then see what you have left and choose take it home or split it between you and your partener .

most of all is go on your cruise and enjoy it.

[SuiteTraveler]

Thanks for the photo. I found that they had clear kayaks at the Money bar in Cozumel for $6 an hour but I could not find out if they were for one person or two. Your photo answered that question.

 

There are only 2 of us going. The girls are staying home for college and helping take care of my mom while I'm gone.

 

I'm feeling better now about the whole money situation. Some were talking about spending $1000+. I'm sure it is easy to spend that much but if you limit yourself to a budget I think it can be done. We are used to going all day without eating as we dont always get a lunch break so eating a big breakfast and waiting for dinner would be fine with us. As long as we got a few drinks (non-alcoholic) we will be good.

 

The $1000 plus comes from people having a bottle of wine or bucket of beer every day, plus mixed drinks, plus buying shore excursions for every port, plus paying for bingo, specialty restaurants, or spa treatments and so forth. If you eliminate most of that, you will have no problem sticking to a $500 budget. And even so, you will still be able to afford one or two of the less expensive (but just as good) shore excursions!

[SeaTeach]

If you take a taxi to a destination be sure to get the cost of the round trip fare prior to getting in. There are numerous taxis available so you can haggle for a lower fare or move on to another. Do not pay in advance. Wait until you are returned to the pier.

 

Enjoy your cruise and I hope it will not be your last.

 

P.S. On your roll call you might be able to fine others that will share your excursion/ride which will make it even cheaper.

[Twibbs]

This thread (and the whole forum it's in) might have some good info for you: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=785229

[weltek]

Of course you'll have fun! And of course it would be more fun to take an excursion that's exciting for every port, but that takes moolah many of us don't have. So, when in doubt:

 

Pick one thing to do that's not outrageous (e.g., NOT a helicopter tour or deep sea fishing), and do it. Book via a private tour operator.

 

For the rest of the ports, go armed with a map and a few suggestions of bars/shops/sites you can walk to. Study the maps ahead of time and realize some ports require a cab to do/see anything, so check those prices out.

 

Wear good walking shoes, as you'll be walking to save money!

 

If you can, eat a big, late breakfast so you only need to have a "snack" or two in the afternoon. You don't need to get off the ship right away when it docks. Wait a few hours. Go for a swim. You'll love not standing in line to get off the ship!

[Fisherlady48]

I loved my trip to Grand Cayman, I spent very little there. The Grand Cayman dollar is linked more to the Euro so its expensive. If you get off the ship early enough, you can rent bicycles and ride over to Hell. If not, skip the cheezy shore excursion and take the local bus. Its easy and lots of fun. You can also take a bus to the beach for a swim. I only bought a diet coke while on Grand Cayman and some postcards from HELL and had a blast.

 

The locals are great there and its worth a visit to their beach.

 

Have fun.

 

ps have you thought about prepaying your tips so its one less thing. And I would definitely buy the soda package.

 

K

[clairentommy]

This thread has been really helpful to me, me & my hubby are going on a cruise in 3 weeks on the Carnival Miracle from NY and then spending 5 days in NYC afterward so we were starting to worry whether we'd under budgeted for the cruise part. We're not heavy drinkers, and although it's our first cruise we're not going to be splashing out doing all the excursions.....it's one of those things, being really excited about the cruise but worrying that you're going to be scrimping toward the end....wish i'd found this forum sooner :)

[wallie5446]

First, never stop asking questions on CC, that is why it was created contrary to the belief of some of the fire breathing dragons that lurk in these waters! LOL :D

 

We have been there a number of times and Hell aint no big thing, but the big thing is swimming with the Sting Rays. If you do one Ship excursion this is the one, hands down.

Another low cost option is to go to the Marriott on 7 mile beach, $15.00 taxi ride, where for $12.00 you can get a day pass to use their pool, beach, ect, here is a link to their property; http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/gcmgc-grand-cayman-marriott-beach-resort/

 

In Coz look into Paradise Beach or Ponchos Back Yard.

But be very careful, take insect spray, because when you get bit, and you will, by the 'CRUISE BUG' well you get my drift! Have a wonderful Cruise.

[Wayfairers]

First, never stop asking questions on CC, that is why it was created contrary to the belief of some of the fire breathing dragons that lurk in these waters! LOL :D

 

I would think that even those who have cruised a 100 times may still have questions. Things change over time so new questions may arise, as time passes things you didn't think about before suddenly become very important, etc. My 6th cruise will be at the end of Oct and I have asked more questions with this cruise than any of the others.

[spazilla1]

Hey Buddybean - you go for it! My husband and I are going on our first cruise and I budgeted down to the bare bones. Least expensive room, least expensive trip, etc etc. Haven't booked any excursion - Yet. We have already booked and paid for the cruise and I will be calling the Line this week to prepay the gratuity (which I should have done when I booked it. ) We do not sail for another 4 months but by then hope to have most of the trip paid off. FYI - We have an overnight bag we used to use when doing the Disney thing, and we have it all packed and ready to go with everything in it except our meds. It saves a LOT of time when we have to pack, that way all we need are our clothes. I am a list maker too - think about what you would need to bring and write it down - I saw a note on the blog about bringing clothes pins cause the shower curtain can get wrapped - really good idea! Hope you have a GREAT cruise - I know we are sure looking forward to ours.

[jschm27]

I know you'll have a blast! :)

 

John