5 Ways to Save on Your Next Cruise

If you are like most then I’m fairly certain you yearn to travel way more than you do already. I’m guessing you may be in the same boat as many who travel approximately 2-3 times a year with one being a vacation and the others perhaps to visit relatives? My husband laughs at me because I don’t think of ‘family’ gatherings necessarily as vacation. It definitely depends where we are and what we are doing.

We strive to cruise 2-3 times per year and while it doesn’t always happen for the past four years by following these tips we’ve been able to go as a family twice a year.

So how to make it happen more often?

Time and Money. Those seem to be the two things to hold us back every time. We hear our friends say “we don’t have enough time to take a long trip due to school, work or our kids activities.” And it’s too expensive…especially to cruise! That last one…it’s a myth not a fact. So, here are my top 5 tips to save money on your next cruise vacation.

Tip #1

Book early and on a promotion. When you book early you simply put down a deposit. This allows you to pay off the trip overtime until final payment is due typically three months before you set sail. It’s like layaway for your vacation only no extra fees or interest.

When booking find a promotion that will save you money. We never cruise Royal Caribbean without booking during a kids sail free promo as an example. Plus on promo you have the chance to get free money in onboard credits, free airfare and so much more. Don’t leave money on the table!

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Tip #2

Avoid peak seasons. Peak seasons are those times when the majority will travel. Think spring break, holidays and summer break from school.

Look to book in the months of January, early February, May, August, September, October and the first part of November. These times are off-peak. Do keep in mind that August through November is technically Hurricane season for the cruise industry–make sure to purchase travel insurance.

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Tip #3

Cut out the Extras. Just like the excursions the extras can really add up. We are talking about drink packages, gambling (including BINGO), speciality dining and the most controversial of all gratuities.

Drinks

We have never purchased a drink package. EVER. Our kids don’t drink a lot of soda to begin with and the ships offer complimentary juices and milk which is all we do for them on a normal basis. They aren’t missing out and neither are we. We will buy a few drinks when we cruise and also bring on our own. Did you know that you can bring your own on some lines? I’m always going to tell you to double confirm however, on several lines you are allowed one bottle (per/person) of wine/champagne when you board and that lasts us quite a while.

Speciality Dining & Gambling

We haven’t done speciality dining unless it’s a special occasion or for a rare date night when we travel with the grandparents. If you wait to book onboard you may see a savings of up to 50% discount. We budget for gambling and on some trips don’t do it at all. And BINGO holy cow that’s pricey so save up or cut it out.

Gratuities

Let me start by saying this is one of the most controversial areas of cruising. We always pay gratuities for the adults. We NEVER prepay gratuities. Children under a certain age are not expected to pay gratuities. We have in the past removed the gratuities for our children and used the cash to tip various staff. This is a controversial topic as many believe when you don’t pay gratuity you are hurting the worker’s lives. Literally taking money out of their pockets. That’s not entirely true. The workers are on a contract and get paid a salary. They also earn extra from the lines for various reasons, but those gratuities, the cruise line gets to decide where they go and you will never know.

Read more about gratuities and how to save in this area! BONUS….we were featured in the article published on September 23, 2019. Cruise Fees go Overboard. Here’s what to watch for, from automatic gratuities to service fees by Christopher Elliott, special to USA Today.

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Tip #4

Hold off on excursions. These can be a high ticket cost on your cruise. Some popular excursions can run $75 (and many more much higher) per person. For a family of four that’s $300 alone for a 3-5 hour experience. Is it worth it? We rarely go on excursions, we prefer to DIY (do-it-yourself). We save a ton of money this way and still get to see and do activities that the cruise line is charging for.

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Tip #5

Choose your location wisely. We often overlook that which is right under our nose. Look at the ports closest to you. It may not have the newest and prettiest ship but I’ll challenge you….what do you really need out of a vacation?

Our closest port is Baltimore, MD and she happens to have two amazing smaller ships. One from Royal Caribbean and one from Carnival. They both happen to be favorites of mine. We are also within a five hour drive of New Jersey and New York which opens up the possibilities then to NCL and other lines and some of the newer classes of ships.

We prefer the smaller ship out of the closer port. The overall cost is worth not having the latest and greatest and when we sit down to talk about what we all want out of a vacation: pool, entertainment, dancing, kids club….well any size ship has what we want!

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If you skipped to the bottom that’s ok! Here’s what you missed. The top 5 ways to save. 1. book early and on promo. 2. travel off peak 3. cut out the extras 4. hold off on excursions and 5. choose your location wisely.