Here is a list of ten minimal effort ways to save money on board a cruise ship. Most of them are common sense and none are groundbreaking but they are all pretty useful and will save you money. These are all low effort and most of them are no effort; they actually require that you DON’T take any action.
1. Don’t buy a soda card. – Although you may think buying a soda card is a great deal its not nearly as great a deal as drinking all the tea, punch, lemonade and water that was included in the price of your cruise. If you are someone who absolutely has to have soda, carry it onboard. Most cruise line will allow you to bring your favorite non-alcoholic beverage on board.
2. Don’t dine in the specialty restaurants. – Honestly, I love eating in the specialty restaurants but if I were planning to cruise on a budget, they would be among the first things to go. Cruise ships have so many eating options available that it doesn’t make a lot of sense to pay extra for another. While it is a nice experience to have a special evening out in the specialty restaurant it isn’t a requirement for having a great cruise. My most memorable dining experiences tend to be the in port local restaurants. You can almost always find an affordable hidden gem by asking a life guard, taxi driver or shop keeper for a recommendation.
3. Stay away from the Casino. – If you are trying to make your cruise as economical as possible the Casino is probably the last place you should visit. However, if you do decide to gamble on board a cruise ship make sure to set and stick to a limit on how much you can lose. While casino’s can be a lot of fun they are amongst the worst at providing bang for your buck. Since I have yet to find a system for consistently winning in a casino I tend to leave gambling to the experts and those with money to burn; saves me a fortune.
4. Don’t use the ship phones. – Do yourself a favor and avoid using the 10 dollar per minute ship phones at all costs but of you must use it be sure to dial the wrong number. A few years ago, I needed to make a call via the ships phone. On the first attempt, I accidentally dialed the wrong number, which ended up being a 10-dollar mistake. Even though international roaming charges will apply, if you wait until you are in port to make calls it will be much cheaper.
5. Stay away from the Art Auctions. – Well, you can go to the auctions for the free champagne, just don’t buy anything. In all honesty, do you know if that piece of art is actually worth 600 dollars? If the answer is no, you should probably leave the art auctions to people with actual knowledge. However, if do fall in love with a certain piece, see if you can find a cheap print of it. When you get home have it framed and matted and use the money you saved as a payment on your next cruise.
6. Stay away from the Spa. – While many will say spas and cruises go together like peanut butter and chocolate, just say no. Truthfully, compared to many land based spas the services are merely so-so but the costs are not. However, if you want to get a massage while on vacation I would never want to stand in your way, but I will tell you not to pay full price. Over the course of your cruise, there will be many opportunities to enjoy these services at a discounted price. Take advantage of these opportunities.
7. BYOM – Bring your own meds. If you find yourself in need of some Excedrin or Benedryl, you can find them in the ships gift shops. Just be prepared to pay about five times as much as you would at your local drug store. Do yourself a favor and put together a small “medical kit” before you leave home. Not only will this come in handy should you get sick but you will be a hero to your tablemates who aren’t smart enough to read this blog.
8. Don’t buy the premium coffee, ice cream or pastries. – The price of the cruise includes many things, food and drink are among them. On most cruise ships food and drink are so readily available that it really makes no sense to pay additional for the specialty coffee, pastries and ice cream. While some people are programmed to thinking cost is an indicator of quality, often times this isn’t true. In fact, unless you are a real foodie oftentimes you can’t tell much of a difference in the free and premium ice cream.
9. Don’t buy ship photos. – When I return home from a seven day cruise I usually have somewhere between three and five hundred photos on my camera. Therefore, my belief is, if I didn’t shoot it, than it wasn’t worth shooting. The only time I break this rule is if a formal night picture turns out especially well. That being said I do pose for every picture I get the opportunity to take, just in case one turns out so unbelievably well that it warrants the cost.
10. Don’t book ship sponsored shore excursions. – Excursions are the fastest way to (unless you are addicted to gambling) run up a huge shipboard account. While I don’t expect everyone to resist the urge to book an excursion through the ship, be selective in which ones you choose as some are better values than others are. In fact, if you do your homework you can find all of the excursions offered by the ships for a much lower cost by going straight to the excursion provider. Personally I like to just walk of the ship and find a little adventure on my own, especially if it is a port I am familiar with.
Related posts:
