Your Number One Money Saving Tip

[realtreebar]

thanks all for the great tips!!

[waiting4acruise]

My best money saving tip:

 

HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PAY FOR YOUR CRUISE!!!!!

[RIcruiser5]

My best money saving tip:

 

HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PAY FOR YOUR CRUISE!!!!!

 

It's wonderful when some people give legit tips and others just love to hear themselves type... tap tap tap. Thanks - would you like to pay for my cruise?

[mueller74us]

It's wonderful when some people give legit tips and others just love to hear themselves type... tap tap tap. Thanks - would you like to pay for my cruise?

 

 

You are message board about the in's and out's of letting loose and sailing away! Lighten up!

[gtalum]

Every week, try to find some money in your budget, even if it's just $5 or $10, and put it into an ING Direct or similar savings account. You'll be amazed at how quickly a significant amount of cash builds up.

[RIcruiser5]

You are message board about the in's and out's of letting loose and sailing away! Lighten up!

 

How's School?

[sterling36]

You do need proof. My brother had to fax a copy of his DD214 ( I think that his what the discharge papers are called) before they would give give him the lower rate.

 

It was simple to do, simply tell them you are a vet and they will give you a special fax number. The only catch is that you have either 48 or 72 hours to fax them the DD214.

[cruisinchuckeee]

If you buy shares of stock after you've booked your cruise but before you cruise, would you receive the OBCs in time and can you still use them, or do you have to have them in hand before you book a cruise? Does RCL give OBCs for 5 night cruises?

 

 

 

Call me crazy...and I mean no disrespect...but don't you think spending $4,000 on shares of the cruiseline to get a $100 or $200 OBC is kinda.....um...pointless??? Why not just use that $4000.00 for the cruise?? Just a thought.

[gtalum]

Call me crazy...and I mean no disrespect...but don't you think spending $4,000 on shares of the cruiseline to get a $100 or $200 OBC is kinda.....um...pointless??? Why not just use that $4000.00 for the cruise?? Just a thought.

 

It also happens to be a pretty darn good investment.

 

If you bought the shares 6 years ago when they were ~$10 per share, it's a much better deal.

[firefly333]

Call me crazy...and I mean no disrespect...but don't you think spending $4,000 on shares of the cruiseline to get a $100 or $200 OBC is kinda.....um...pointless??? Why not just use that $4000.00 for the cruise?? Just a thought.

 

It costs $10 for a limit order with most online brokerages. To many people 100 shares of stock is nothing to hold in their account. Iv been thinking of buying stock in RCI and Carnival to get the OBC, Iv cruised 4 times since last October so that would have been an extra $400 of money for something instead of using my own money.

 

Of course you have to know stocks enough to try and figure out when to buy, check earnings and so on. Im not sure Id buy today with stocks at a all time high, so Im holding off, but I wil buy more than 100 shares I guarantee you, otherwise its true, its not worth the investment. I buy stocks to make money, not just for the $100 in OBC. I will probably try and buy mid August which historically is a slow time for stocks, but who knows, this year may not be the norm, so far its not.

[Gonzo70]

The record prices of fuel and sharp increase in food and other commodity prices (all major expenses for cruise lines) are likely to have a significant impact on their profits for '07. With stocks it is often not how much money a company earns, but how much their profits are growing. With Carnival and Royal Carribean's stocks not too far from their highs, IMHO (and I certainly am no expert in stocks/finances) this is not a good time to be purchasing their stocks, especially if a factor in making the purchase is to save $100 per cruise. I'd be far more inclined to be selling their stock than buying!

[luvs_2_b_spoiled]

....

[patrice1]

We approach things differently. With our jobs, and the fact that we LIVE in Key West, we only cruise once a year to "get off the rock".;) We want that cruise to be the best and without worry about money. I go to Expedia or Travelocity & pick a date in Sept./Oct. (cheapest time of year to cruise) and see what comes up. The last one was Carnival & so is this next one. Reading these boards, I found out about Carnival's military discount, which we qualified for (saved $120pp) & about rooms that have bigger balconies but are priced at the lowest balcony level. The balcony is important to us, as we sit out on it alot and love the peace & quiet. We have booked balcony a few cruises and have always paid less than $100pp/pd. We found, also through these boards, that on Carnival, you can order liquor for your room. More convienent than trying to sneak it on and much less complicated. We order a $50 gift certificate every other week from Carnival & pre-pay our S&S when we board with it. We save coin, pre-book & pay our excursions ahead of time, drive to the port & stay in a "park & sail" hotel the night before and pre-pay as much as we can. All in all, I believe the best tip is to be on these boards!:D

[Jeanhousto]

It costs $10 for a limit order with most online brokerages. To many people 100 shares of stock is nothing to hold in their account. Iv been thinking of buying stock in RCI and Carnival to get the OBC, Iv cruised 4 times since last October so that would have been an extra $400 of money for something instead of using my own money.

 

Of course you have to know stocks enough to try and figure out when to buy, check earnings and so on. Im not sure Id buy today with stocks at a all time high, so Im holding off, but I wil buy more than 100 shares I guarantee you, otherwise its true, its not worth the investment. I buy stocks to make money, not just for the $100 in OBC. I will probably try and buy mid August which historically is a slow time for stocks, but who knows, this year may not be the norm, so far its not.

 

Don't know a whole lot about the verbage on the savings, but would you think the OBC could be applied to each of the 3 cabins we booked on a single Carnival cruise? We're taking a big family, and $300 might be worth it for us.

[Mekamax]

I used the OBC for stockholders for a number of years and sold the stock for a hefty profit last year. (both RCL and CCL) BUT one thing that is not mentioned and maybe it isn't so anymore BUT I would deffinately check is that it is only for the shareholder (not put to friends cabins) and it can only be used ONCE in a year's time. Before I could only have it applied to one cruise I took that year and that was it. Now maybe that has changed but it would be worth checking if you are buying only for the onboard credit which I would not recommend. Anything happening will drop the stock - 9/11 dropped the RCL stock to below $19 a share. So only buy the stock as an investment and take the perks as they come - if they come. I had to fax in a brokerage statement or a proxy satement showing that I owned the shares - and you had to own 100 shares or more.

 

NCL does have the best credit card at this point but they have for a couple years now and as these things go they usually change after a few years. Also MBNA was taken over by Bank America so it is anyone's guess as to how long they will offer the card. I finally decided I did not like being trapped into one cruiseline (had the Carnival card before the NCL card) and have opted out for the cash back so I can cruise anytime anywhere on anyone with my cashback - or buy something else...

 

I used to nickel and dime everything on a cruise but can now say I leave more of a buffer to be able to have fun - one bloodymary before noon at $3 at the centrum bar one morning will not kill my budget anymore. Also the balconies can be well worth every penny. I almost booked an inside this last cruise but caved and bought the outside ($300 total more) and we would have missed the PERFECT sunset if we had the inside - hubby caught it fromt eh window and we were able to watch it melt all the way into the ocean and for those that cruise a lot you will know that does not happen ofter - only twice now in 21 cruises. Usually there is always clouds destroying the drop into the ocean.

 

If on NCL take the UPSELLS! Worth the money to cruise in a higher cabin and a lot cheaper than buying it - maybe - watch the prices all the time - daily when you book - sometimes the price goes down for a day only. Always book what you want to travel in as a cabin and look to move up - if the price drops and they will not give you the drop in price (after final payment) ask to be moved up on the ship.

 

HAVE FUN - you don't ever know when you will cruise again so always enjoy it. Saving money is great but be careful it doesn't ruin the fun.. Debbie

[Steamboatin]

Use Carnival's Military Discount!!!!

 

Recently booked a 15 day transatlantic cruise on Carnival for an aft extended deck at a little over $62.50 per day.

[phish tales]

mekamax--i have rccl stocks and my wife & i take 4 to 6 cruises each year. for all 4 to 6 cruises we get obc as share holders. so i know as a fact, you get sharesholders obc for each cruise you take per year no matter how many... Phish Tales:) :) :)

[routonc]

You do need proof. My brother had to fax a copy of his DD214 ( I think that his what the discharge papers are called) before they would give give him the lower rate.

 

It was simple to do, simply tell them you are a vet and they will give you a special fax number. The only catch is that you have either 48 or 72 hours to fax them the DD214.

 

I didn't know veterans could get the military rate. That's something to remember for next year. Thanks for this tip!

 

Christina in GA

[Ashkins]

We faxed DH DD214 a month or so after we paid and they just said to do it quickly because the rate could change unexpectedly.

 

I was also told on the Carnival ships the Military discount (that is not available on all sailings) is the best discount Carnival offers even above some of the special sales they have. We have a 6A guarantee on Conquest for $530 PP. I feel for my friends who are cruisnig with us because they have to pay so much more. :(

[I2BZ2W8]

I have read here at CC that you can get a photo release form and then get copies made. On RCI, I don't think they drop the price of photos but they offer discounts in C & A coupon books onboard. I learned to not buy any photos in the beginning, but wait to the end so I can select from all of them. We usually buy at least 1 formal picture.

 

Here is the photo release for a few places except Carnival! The only problem I had with coping photos is that they are so glossy it sometimes distorts the picture! I used it for RCI

 

https://www.image.com/html/guest-postcruiseCopyrightReleaseForm.cfm

[YoPhilly]

I find that the best souvenirs are food gifts and they're so much cheaper than anything else. Buy in local grocery stores when you can - coffee in Costa Rica, Jamaica, etc., spices in Grenada, $6.95 for a bottle of Cruzan rum, smoked salmon in Alaska/Seattle.....beats a T-shirt every time.

[slotl]

stay away from the art auctions!!

[romy]

Thanks, I just filled out the form on their website. Maybe I'll get lucky. I'll let you know if they can beat what I've got.

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Thanks LilDutchGirl, you're my hero! They saved me $1400:eek: :D . Not to mention my new TA is amazing, completely professional and I get the feeling we'll be doing a lot more cruising from now on.

 

I just don't know what I'd do without these boards!

 

Thanks again!!!

 

Happy Saving, er I mean Sailing!!!:D

[American-in-Belgium]

I just booked a 12 night NCL cruise for essentially $900/person, including taxes, port fees and cancelation insurance. After the break down, NCL got $500 per person, from which I assume the TA gets $25 to $50. It was short notice, sailing about 6 weeks after booking. Clearly the cruise line cannot be profitting off a rate like that... and they rely on all the high priced drinks, services, excursions and so forth, and would rather get the cabin booked vs. sail an empty cabin with no occupant to spend on all these other items.

[rearadmiral]

People have mentioned free cocktails. When would those occasions be on Carnival? Do they water them down to save $?

 

TIA

Free cocktails are offered to all guests on the first formal night and returning guest get a second cocktail party usually on the second formal night (on cruises of 7+ days). The drinks are watered down but they are free and plentiful.