Tuesday Travels – Cruisin’ Away Part III

 

You can read all about our Cruise Part I where I talk about the excursions we took and Part II where you can find out all about the things to do on board while at sea.

When it comes to vacations money seems to be a key factor that determines where you can go, what you can do and so on. I know quite a few people who believe that Mexico is the only affordable vacation, since you can get an all-inclusive hotel and a flight for under a $1000 a person for 7 days. However, I’m here to tell you that cruises are quite affordable as well, especially if you keep your eye’s peeled for a great deal.

This are some of the current deals on Royal Caribbean

On our last cruise we decided to splurge a little, since it was our first anniversary, however we could have done the whole thing for half of what we paid.

Here are a few tips…

Don’t be hesitate about inside cabins – while they are dark with no windows, these cabins are very, very affordable. You can find deals for as low as $350 a person for a 7 night cruise. My brother shared an inside cabin with my brother-in-law this past trip, and they barely spent any time there, other then to sleep. There are so many things to do on the ship, that you spend maybe 8 hours in the room, and all 8 hours are devoted to getting your beautify sleep. Aside from the lack of windows, these rooms were the same size our our balcony room and had the same exact shower, couch and dresser. hence you really aren’t loosing out on anything by getting an inside cabin, but saving a TON of money.

Our balcony room cost us about $1250 each, so a total of $2500, but the brothers’ room was $600 each, which was a grand total of $1200. Also, keep in mind that our cruise was during Thanksgiving, which is one of the most popular cruise times, add in the holiday and the prices double.

Here is the basic layout of an inside cabin. The bed’s can be pushed apart, and the couch usually opens up into a sleeper.

The more people in one room, the cheaper the cruise!!! – Cruises are an awful deal if you are going by yourself, unless you’re working on the ship. The cabins are almost always priced for double occupancy, hence if you are alone, you have to pick up the coast of that second person. Hence, if you are going with some girlfriends try to get 4 of you to share a cabin. The 4th person will be practically free, and the 3rd is at half cost (usually).

This was a picture from our last trip to Cancun with a couple that we met there. After we met them our trip was much more entertaining, and full of funny stories that we laugh about now.

So if you have a room that will cost $700 for the first two people, the third person will pay $350, and the fourth less then that. And BOOM, you have a trip with all meals included for 4 people at the cost of under $2000. Split this 4 ways and it is $500 a person.

Preorder your alcohol – it’s very true that drinks aren’t cheap, however they are also not ridiculous like some people think. On average a cocktail cost us anywhere from $4.00 to $7.00, which is a pretty rational price. However, if you want to drink wine at dinner, it is a better deal to order one of the wine packages which are anywhere from $50 to a $200. This way you can have a bottle to enjoy at a bit of a discount, rather then paying per glass or bottle while at dinner.

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Make sure to plan your excursions a head of time – when you book the excursions before you live on your cruise, you can insure that you have a spot as well as paying up front. The costs of excursions varies, but they range anywhere from $20 to $100 (on average). When you book these ahead, you pay them and can keep it within a budget, unlike when you are on the cruise and book a last minute excursion. The price may be the same as booking it ahead of time, but it really is an unexpected expense that added to your sea card.

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Finally, bring cash with you – bring a bit of cash is a great idea, because you don’t have to pay the “set” tip, and can simply put the appropriate amount of cash in the envelope and hand it to your waiter, your room Stuart and so on.

    

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Do you have any other tips for taking a cruise? Do you have questions? Please feel free to leave them in the comments section.