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Save Money on Your Next Cruise by Following Simple Tips

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A family enjoying an outdoor lunch at the Carnival cruise line.
A family enjoying an outdoor lunch at the Carnival cruise line.
Summer’s finally here, and cruise season is just around the corner.

But while most cruise lines famously promise to be “all-inclusive,” they can also be notoriously expensive: tempting travelers with their ships’ expansive spas, unique dining options and concept bars and clubs.

At the end of the day, if you dine or get a massage outside the main areas, you’ll be paying extra.

Well, the good folks at CruiseCritic.com have come up with a meticulous list to help first-time-cruisers save on those tricky extra purchases, which can quickly run up a bill.

“Be sure to make a vacation budget, and stick to it,” writes the site’s Editor in Chief, Carolyn Spencer Brown.

Here is the travel maven’s advice on how to stay on budget during your trip at sea:

Alternative Dining

While meals in the ship’s main dining room (in most cases a buffet venue) are often included in the cost, cruise lines are infamous for adding various for-fee venues to their ships. And it’s not uncommon to pay $35 per person for a meal in a specialty dining venue, or a whopping $75 at Disney Cruise Line’s Michelin-chef-helmed French restaurant, Remy. Naturally, these prices are typically left out of the brochure.

Savings Tip: Don’t go! Stick with the main dining rooms, and if you’re tempted by the specialty options, “be sure to budget the price of dinner into your onboard spending (or skip those afternoon cocktails or wine with dinner to mitigate the cost),” writes Brown. Also, there are some lines, including NCL, that will occasionally offer early-bird two-for-one dining specials at their for-fee restaurants for passengers who are willing to eat at 5 p.m. Or, look into cruise deals that offer onboard credit or free meals in specialty venues as part of a packaged deal.

The Booze

Except for some ultra-deluxe lines, alcoholic beverages are typically not included in most cruise fares. Also, many lines charge an unreasonable fee for bottled water, specialty coffee, soda and various fruit juices. By the end of your journey, you may find your drink tab to be high above your expected budget.

Savings Tip: “Look for events with free booze, such as Champagne art auctions or Captain’s cocktail parties,” writes Brown. “At meals, iced tea, milk, coffee and juices are complimentary.” Some lines have beer and wine packages, but you need to make sure you drink enough to actually save. Also, if you’re a soda junkie, make sure to find out if your ship offers unlimited soda packages. Another solution is to bring your own beverages, but this is tricky when it comes to booze, as some cruise line policies on bringing alcohol onboard are highly restricted.

Tipping

Tipping policies vary by line. The average recommended tip is between $10 to $12 per person, per day. Also, keep in mind that bar tabs are automatically charged a 15 percent gratuity. According to Cruise Critic, U.K. travelers will find that tips are typically built into the cruise fares, though, of course, you can give tips for exceptional service.

Savings Tip: Tipping is not an area where you can save money. “The ship’s crewmembers — particularly the waiters, assistant waiters and cabin stewards — work hard and depend on tips to round out their salaries,” writes Brown. In other words, unless the service has been extremely poor, tip the recommended amount. Naturally, for added attention, tip extra.

Laundry

Laundry and dry-cleaning charges on a cruise can be expensive, stemming from around $2.50 to $3.50 to wash a T-shirt, for example.

Savings Tip: Since most cruises last about a week, the best option here to is pack enough clothes to last you seven days. Another option is to bring a personal, travel-sized detergent. Perhaps even hang-dry wet clothes in the shower.

Take Your Own Photos

It’s a tale as old as time, cruise travelers being lured to drop big bucks at the ship’s on board photo gallery. According to Cruise Critic, an 8×10 photo can easily cost $20 or more, and tourists are suckered into purchasing these photos because in the heat of the moment, you forget that you have your own camera, and you don’t want to lose that memory.

Savings Tip: In order to avoid the temptation, just say no thanks when the ship’s photographer asks to take your picture. Also, don’t check out your photo in the gallery — because once you see the printed version, you’re more likely to want it.

Internet

There’s no getting around it: be prepared to pay extremely high rates for notoriously slow Internet connections. On average, most lines charge 75 cents a minute for pay-as-you-go plans. Some will also offer packages that reduce the cost to around 55 cents a minute, so be sure to ask.

Savings Tip: Check out Cruise Critic’s port profiles for Internet cafes close to your ship. Also, if you bring your own laptop, look for cafes and other establishments with free Wi-Fi.

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