Cruising can be expensive but it doesn't need to be! I've put together 15 handy tips to help you save whilst you're on a cruise.
Do you have another tip that saves you £££'s? Comment below and let me know!
Get cheap or free drinks
If you do like a drink or two or three when cruising it could be worth getting a drinks package. Work out what you would typically drink and compare that with the daily cost of the drinks package and if the drinks package is less then you'll be quids in.
Attend the art auction. Art auctions will usually give their attendees free champagne for coming along. They also run competitions so it's worth going plus when I attended my first auction (admittedly for the free champers) I found it very interesting.
Attend the parties, some lines will offer you free drinks at captains parties, farewell parties, get-togethers, ect so it's worth checking your daily itineraries to see what's going on!
Look out for happy-hour deals or BOGOF offers and drink when those deals are on. If you're not a big drinker but enjoy a night or two on the liquor this could save you up to 50% off your drinks bill.
Check what you can bring on board, most lines will allow you to bring a bottle or two of wine to be drunk in your cabin so it's worth checking this before you cruise so you can save yourself $$$ and enjoy a tipple or two before you go out for dinner.
Save money on dining
Check for reduced cover charges. It can be cheaper to have your meal in the day time rather than in the evening as a lot of speciality restaurants charge less in the day time.
Have a meal on embarkation day. Some lines will reduce the cover charge on the first evening to try and get passengers to dine with them. Celebrity even offer 2 for 1 dining on these nights and you can bag a free bottle of wine from Carnival if you dine in their steakhouse on the first night.
Save on the spa
Save on the spa by booking a treatment on port days, they are known for being a lot cheaper on port days as they expect most people to be getting off the ship and want to entice you in with attractive pricing.
Booking the spa online before your cruise begins can also save you a lot of money. It's worth checking your online cruise planners before and looking out for any emails alerting you to discounts.
Save on Wi-Fi
Skip the expensive Wi-Fi package if you can manage without it and connect to free Wi-Fi when getting off the ship. Follow the crew when you get off as they always know the best places to get free Wi-Fi.
Added bonus... its quite nice having a break from the internet sometimes!
Look out for giveaways
I'm always on the look out for competitions or participation events and making myself available for those. It can be as easy as filling out a form to enter, playing a team game for free cruise memorabilia or joining in with the pool Olympics. Check your daily planner and highlight these events if you like freebies like me!
Save on excursions
Explore ports yourself instead of booking expensive excursions through the Cruise line. Some of the best days out can be had by just doing what you please and you can save a small fortune whilst you're at it. Why not spend the money you saved on a nice meal in an speciality restaurant or a few extra rounds in the bar!
Take your flask to the buffet before you head out for the day and fill it up with a hot or cold drink to save you buying lots of drinks ashore.
Take a little snack with you from the buffet as a pick-me-up to keep you going till you get back to the ship. This will save you spending a fortune on food which is usually over priced due to the ports being tourist traps.
If you prefer to spend a little money in port and support the local community then walk a few streets out from the popular tourist areas and you'll find the prices are a lot more reasonable. You can save loads this way and still support the local business people.
Thanks for reading! I hope this blog can save you lots of money on your upcoming cruise, hopefully enough to pay for the next one! 😉
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that looks fantastic
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