Questions for FREQUENT cruisers.

[TravelinGrandma]

WoW! Starbucks versus Pinnacle? Never considered that. The kicker was trading in a car or getting a pool - since we never did get the pool, seems like I am 'owed' a cruise!

[JYGresham]

My mother was an adult during the Depression, and learned how to save; she taught me. The rules were "If you can't afford to pay cash for something, you don't need it", and "Use it up; wear it out. Make it due, or do without".

I was fortunate to have a good job, and squirreled it away for my old age. Now, I'm old! :D So, I'm spending it so the family won't have anything to fight over when I'm gone. (My little contribution to world peace. ;))

 

After being widowed my grandmother lived with us the remainder of her life, which included the Depression years so I too heard the same admonitions you did, also "waste not, want not" and "willful waste makes woeful want"! Recently our 16 year old grandson was assigned to write a term paper on The Depression and interviewed us at length about those times. When he was shaking his head asnd expressing sympathyI simply told him the truth--we didn't know we were poor.

[Koshlong]

I live in Canada and have to play the "book in CDN or US dollar" game. The CDN prices come out about 20% higher. We book in US$ and have a separate US$ account into which we deposit money every time the CDN$ rises. This provides a nice way to pay for cruises.

[woody73]

Its just a matter of priorities. My car is 11 years old. But earlier this year, we were able to go on a 70-night cruise on the Volendam.

 

Woody

[Sir PMP]

I'm disabled, on a low income, don't drink or smoke, so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hey, isn't it time to start living it up? Have a drink and start dancing..You were lucky that you had Peter Bos on board, one of the best.

[MYMOTHERSCHILD]

RUTH C:

"Use it up; wear it out. Make it due, or do without".

 

I printed this up on my computer and "posted" it on my refrigerator for years.

 

I call it my "New England-Great Depression frugality," but it has sure paid off. If I don't need it, I don't buy it. Need: House, car, education, travel.

MMC

[zoncom]

I recently (Sept 12), received a 7 day $399. Caribbean sale brochure notice, 5 different ships from FLL and Tampa. Book by Nov. 1,09. Looks like its on their website also. I dont think you will find better pricing!

[Lindabs]

Needless to say I am now completely hooked!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated;);)

 

Thank you.

 

You must have skipped the warning on your edocs that stated "Crusing May Be Addicting".:rolleyes:

 

Google "frugal living". The ways to save are endless. Just find the ones that suit you.

 

Check out the businesses you use frequently. I found I can rack up tons of frequent flyer miles just by shopping where I normally shop online and buying groceries and gas. You do not need a special credit card to do this. Air fare to a cruise was always painful. I can generally squeeze out one or two "free" fares this way a year.

 

I just booked a 21 day Panama trip that gave me less than two weeks to pack (I leave Sunday). Takes out all the planning, but hey, I have my list and a suitcase devoted to cruising so its doable. (I actually have two, one is dedicated to Disney cruises but I can't say that here on a HAL board.:cool:)The rates were excellent! If you live by a cruise port that's a plus. If you are in a port city you might check out cruises to no where. They are generally just a few days in length but they are fun and tide you over until a major cruise is affordable.

 

If you work you should start softening up your backup person and boss now. Where I worked this was a given. :D Saving vacation days is harder than saving money.:eek:

 

Repositioning cruises "sometimes" are a great deal. Not always but do check them out. Two one way airfares can make them expensive.

 

Linda

[RMLincoln]

We find the best prices of the year are for cruises between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes their cheapest rates are in the summer for the winter cruises, but sometimes they fill up; if not then there will be deep discounts in the last 2-3 months before sail dates.

[janiceah]

This is such a great thread. I certainly don't mind cutting back if it would let us go on a cruise so I think that will be my new mantra. Do I really need this or can it go to a cruise fund. I know everytime I have some extra money right now I will be getting drink cards, a retreat cabana, excursions, etc so basically we won't have alot of expenses for our cruise in February. What's great is I already know I'm going to love this cruise and HAL.

[Milaandra]

We're new to crusing but are booked on our third within 12 months. We're not weathy. In fact, we're not even all that comfortable!

 

My tips:

 

Every cruise line has sales a few time a year, usually for one to three days only. Sign up on a variety of on-line TA sites, and you'll know in advance through email notifications. Some are last minute, but not all.

 

Stick to an inside cabin.

 

Pick a port that you can get to easily and stick to it. Consider alternate transportation. We are 8 hours from NYC. We have flown once, but have also taken a discount bus and Amtrak. Since public transportation comes in to Penn Station, we save not only on the plane fare, but on ground transportation, parking and overnight accommodation. (Buses and trains tend to have less variation in their schedules than air travel) We particularly enjoyed the train. We will likely end up cruising out of Florida at some point, but I will do all my research ahead of time to determine the most cost effective way of travelling. We're not so fond of flying anyway, and a little inconvenience is worth it if we can vacation more often. My philosophy is that the vacation starts when we get there. Even when travelling for land vacations, I choose cheapo chain hotels and a cooler of sandwiches until we are at the desination.

 

Avoid the photographers. We get portraits taken on one formal night and choose one. We avoid all the embarkation, port and dinner photographers. If you don't get one taken, you won't end up wanting it!

 

Avoid shopping on the ship or in port. We buy one souvenir for our cat-sitter. Maybe a cheap fridge magnet for ourselves. All those digital photos we take remind us of our trip better than an overpriced resin dust-collector does. And I don't see any point of bring back souvenirs for other people unless they are collectors...do they really want a piece of resin from a place they have never seen? We also end up with more sightseeing time because we're not wasting it shopping.

 

Do research and choose your port activities carefully. We've only taken one ship excursion and that was because it was a great value and highly convenient. The computer is an excellent resource for finding out what is worth the bucks, from tours to museums and attractions.

 

Be moderate. We don't gamble, aren't big drinkers and rarely drink soda. We don't pay much.

 

We go through the budget. Adding salaries, removing bills and come up with a dollar amount that is "extra." I know for a fact that if we aren't planning or paying for a cruise, that extra money goes on upgraded groceries, lazy moments of fast food temptation, clothing and shoes I don't really need, DVD's, etc. I, personally, can't deny myself for something in the nebulous future....I have to have a foreseeable goal or a financial obligation. Then it's pretty easy!

 

Since I started cruising, I've brought a go-mug of coffee to work with me. It's only $2 a day, but it helps! And if I don't bring lunch, I go without.

 

Other than bargain hunting throughout the year and avoiding expensive salon appointments, that's it for my frugal tips! :D

[velvet007]

Nice! Such great ideas on this post! We decided to go on shorter cruises to break up the time and finances. It feels good to have a small one paid off, and then budget for the next one.

[NMLady]

Our problem is always the airfare. There are no bargain flights from the southwest desert. We have even been known to make the 6-hour drive to Phoenix for a cheaper airfare but then have to figure in gas, and usually dinner and hotel. Even if hotel has free park ' fly parking the expenses make the air discount not so great.

I don't know how many times we've found a wonderful cruise bargain but then when we price air through all the discount and airline sites, the cruise is no longer a bargain.

It takes forever to save frequent flier miles, especially when changing airlines depending on fares. We aren't going to change credit cards since the one we use pays enough cashback to pay our car insurance for both the car and the truck.

[DaveOKC]

Linda - we were on the same cruise and I agree it was a great one! We were very lucky with the weather IMO - some rain, but not when it really mattered. The ship and crew were both wonderful.

 

I see you booked with the on-board cruise consultant David. I thought he was a joke - the other ones I have dealt with were much more informed than he was IMO. He make a comment during his presentation "the deluxe veranda suites are really great, you should take the time to go up to the deck they are on and peek in the rooms as the stewards are making them up in the mornings." I was shocked that someone would even suggest that to everyone on-board (it was even on the TV replay). One day as we were leaving our suite, a couple was trying to push around us to get in and look around! Needless to say I put a stop to it, but the very idea of it really ticked me off. Our poor room steward did not know what was going on and it put him in a difficult situation.

 

I sure hope they straighten this guy out (I did report the situation to the office).

 

Anyway, I am glad you had a great first trip. You are very lucky you picked HAL as I feel they are the best cruise line overall for the money.

 

DaveOKC

[the_dylaness]

I think that all of the previous posters have contributed excellent ideas. I am not sure what your definition of frequent cruiser is or if I fit--- Between October 2008 and January 2010 (15 months?) I will have had the joy of experiencing 5 cruises, 4 week-long and one 13-night. This has not previously been the case but as the opportunity presents itself we've been cruising more frequently. These were/are all in balconies/mini suites/suites.

 

Three of these five cruises were taken when I was still a student--- DH finished his formal education a year before myself. We watched $ carefully, didn't spend on things we didn't need (no cable, no fancy cell phones) and I bargain shop for everything, including ordering bulk foods online when they're cheaper than the stores. I feel fortunate we were able to take so many vacations while I was still in school but I think much of it is from watching where the "little money" goes (this is what my mother always taught me.) Cruising is a great value in vacation and the fact that most of the cost is known upfront (as opposed to a land based trip with its many surprises) makes it easier to budget for.

 

Good luck with planning more cruises and may you enjoy them all!

[StartrainDD]

Hi Laffnvegas!

 

You wrote "Years ago I purchased 100 shares of CCL stock so that every time we cruise we get ship board credit a 7 day cruise gets you $100 ship board credit and 14 day or more gets you $250."

 

I'd like to know more about this. Is there a website or anything you can point to with these details?

 

We are not yet "Frequent cruisers," but took our first cruise in +2- years this last August to Alaska on the Amsterdam. What a wonderful time! We were looking at going to the Caribbean in February, but when HAL had a sale on November cruises we couldn't pass up the deal. We have to fly to the port, but we book the air on our own (and go the day before sailing) and just LOVE Southwest. It's true we can't be "Last minute" as in a week or two before sailing, but it seems two months or so before sailing we have gotten good prices on both the cruise and the airfare.

 

Looking at a possible Bermuda cruise next spring on HAL from NYC. We're going to look into this with the FCC on the Caribbean trip. NYC is only 2 hours or so but not sure about parking or other options - I would think parking in NY would be very costly, and the taxes are "Higher" on this cruise, likely both NY and Bermuda have high taxes.

 

Have also thought about a repositioning cruise and/or Panama Canal cruise. Again, Canal cruises have high taxes (+$300/person) so that adds another big expense.

 

Other great suggestions are on this board - make sure everything is paid for before you buy. We use a card for everything that earns Hilton points and went to Hawaii for "Free" last year. Pay in full every month, etc.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Storylady]

Hi Laffnvegas!

 

You wrote "Years ago I purchased 100 shares of CCL stock so that every time we cruise we get ship board credit a 7 day cruise gets you $100 ship board credit and 14 day or more gets you $250."

 

I'd like to know more about this. Is there a website or anything you can point to with these details?

 

Check out this thread. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=941419&highlight=stock Someone added a post on it sometime in August when I finally registered for CC. I started asking questions. Hemmed and hawed until Ruth just said buy it. We did. They recommend faxing your brokerage statement showing the purchase. But someone gave the e-mail address that you could use. I verified the address with HAL and sent the e-mail of our purchase of Carnival stock with our booking numbers. The beauty of sending the e-mail is that they will e-mail you back if you request an e-mail. I just received my HAL e-mail yesterday that my onboard account will be credited with $250 for our upcoming Statendam cruise (28 days) and $250 for our April 2010 Westerdam cruise (32 days). Here's the email address: World_Cruise_Reservations@HollandAmerica.com

The stock has even gone up since I purchased. If you have any more question, I would love to help since so many other CC'ers helped me.

[Boatdrill]

For me, the shore exursions are too expensive and so I don't book them.

That saves alot of money.

 

If you book your cruise through American Express Mariner Club, they offer a complimentary shore exursion with other Mariner Club passengers. You have a guide and a host, and usually a complimenatry lunch in a local restaurant.

 

I don't buy speciality coffees or teas in the Explorations Cafe. It was a bit of a surprise when I learned there was cost for them, as another cruiseline I often travel on does not charge for them. So, I go to the Lido and get hot tea or coffee for free. But this is no secret, almost everyone does it.

 

The first night at dinner, I order a bottle of nice wine to last me for a few nights at dinner. Saves on ordering by-the-glass each night.

 

For the internet, I pay as I go. I don't buy the packages. There are often delays in the uploading and downloading and if I buy a package of minutes, the meter is running on money the ship has already taken from me, and I'm not getting anything for it except a sit and wait.

 

I pay for what I use, when I use it, on the internet and it has really helped to cut down my onboard charges.

 

Really none of these are secrets to anyone, but each one helps to keep down the cost.

[Milaandra]

Looking at a possible Bermuda cruise next spring on HAL from NYC. We're going to look into this with the FCC on the Caribbean trip. NYC is only 2 hours or so but not sure about parking or other options - I would think parking in NY would be very costly, and the taxes are "Higher" on this cruise, likely both NY and Bermuda have high taxes.

 

You should seriously think about Amtrak. It would probably work out really well for you because you are so close. Check out the lines coming out of NYC to see the best place to catch it and check out the stations to make sure of the parking situation. A cab from Penn Station to the pier is $6-$7 on the meter, so don't forget to add that in when you are comparing. There are also websites that offer information about promotional codes for Amtrak discounts. Just do a web search.

 

I have heard the parking at the NYC pier will cost $220 for the week.