Cruising on a Budget

Well, after our week away, I am here to share a few tips of how to keep from going broke and still enjoy a little paradise away from home.
Going on a cruise can range from manageable all the way to a year's salary worth of debt. Either way, it involves some saving up and research. I am going to base the prices below on a 4 night cruise (this seemed the perfect amount of time to me, by the way) because that is the cruise we went on. These will also be based on double occupancy. Also, some tips are particular to the Bahamas and these are all based on the Royal Caribbean cruise line. There are lots of other lines out there, this one seemed to fit what we were looking for the best.

1) Book in the OFF-season. A cruise that would cost $299/person during the busy season, you can book for $129/person during the off season. That is a savings of $170 per person! Now, before you think that $260 is great and head off to book your cruise, there is always port fees, taxes and a fuel surcharge.
So, that $129/person cruise, would come to $407.30 total. Still, for 4 nights, that is only $100/night. This includes all your food and is about the price you would pay for a decent hotel. But, that is not it. There are still lots of hidden costs to cruising...

2) Don't eat every dinner in the dining room. You have the choice to eat in the formal dining room, the cafeteria (buffet style) or other restaurants on board. When you choose to eat in the dining room, all your food is still free. But, there is a catch. You still have to leave a hefty tip. For 2 people, you are recommended to leave $12.50 tip every time you eat in the dining room. After comparing the food on board, the dining room was just not worth that extra money to us. We did eat there on the formal night. You can't get all dressed up and head to the cafeteria, but that was it for us. Our ship also had a Johnny Rockets on board. You had to pay a $4 cover charge per person. But, after that, you had all you can eat Johnny Rockets food. It was our favorite meal on board and we were lucky enough to be handed a "free cover charge" coupon from another guest on the ship.

3) Drink the included beverages. Soda and alcohol cost extra. You can have water, tea, lemonade, juice or coffee for free. If you are a big soda drinker, you can buy an unlimited soda cup for $24. The cost of 1 soda is $2. So, if you drink 3 or more sodas a day, it would be worth it. We only ordered 3 the whole week, so it wasn't worth it to us. Also, it was amazing to watch how much money is spent on alcohol while on board. We figured out that a lot of people probably paid more in alcohol than they did for their cruise. If you are looking for some cheap alcohol, wait until the boat is in port and buy some at a local shop. Cory got a couple things for about 1/2 the price as in the states. They will hold it for you on board until the last night of your cruise though.

4) Get cash ahead of time. This is one I meant to do and forgot. After we boarded, I realized we had never stopped at the bank on the way there. Well, here is one more tip for you. If you need cash while at sea, get it from the casino, NOT the ATM. The casino charges a 3% charge. So, if you need $100, you are charged for $103. This is way better than paying the $3.50 ATM fee from the ship AND your bank. Obviously, if you getting out more than $250, the ATM is the way to go.

5) Bring your own snorkel gear. When we went to Coco Cay, the charge is $30/person to rent snorkel gear. If you have your own, they only charge $6 for a life vest. We bought some from a discount sports store for $30. So, it was the same charge, but we left with the equipment to use again one day (or sell on ebay).

6) Barter, barter, barter. If you plan on buying anything at the local straw market, bring your best bartering skills. This is where my husband checked out. I loved it. You just have to know that EVERYONE is having a sale today and that you NEVER pay the asking price. There are also about 200 vendors and you most of them are selling the exact same thing. So, if you widdle down a price at one, check out another and see if you can get it any better there. You can usually get the price down to 50-60% of what the asking price is (especially if you start to walk away). If you make friends and buy in bulk, you can do even better.

7) Check out the frommers guide. I read several great tips here. They also had a typed up walking tour that you normally pay someone to show you.

8) Wait until the last night to buy anything on board. If you do plan to buy any jewelry, clothes, etc..., wait until the last night. They bring everything up to the top deck and give good deals. They are trying to get rid of stuff, so they cut the cost by 50% or offer free bracelet with necklace purchase (that's what I got).

9) If you can, book at the last minute. Sometimes, you can wait until a couple days before a cruise leaves and find those cheap prices for better rooms and better ships. If you have the flexibility, this is the way to do it.

Other hidden costs to remember...
If you drive yourself to the cruise and have to park you car in their garage, it is $12/day. So, there is another $60. If you can find a nice friend or family member to drive you, even better.
You are supposed to tip your stateroom attendant $3.50/day per person. That's a total of $28.
If you get any help with your luggage when you unload and load your car, you should tip about $1/suitcase.

So, there you have it. If you want, it is possible to get a 4 night cruise for 2 people for around $550 (all tips and parking included). This includes all your food and people waiting on you hand and foot. For what it was, it was worth the money to us. I am sure we will do this again in the future sometime. If you have any other great tips, I would love to hear them.

We're Baaaaaack!

What a wonderful 4 days of paradise! We enjoyed every minute, from the time we walked aboard, to the time our color was called for departure.

I am going to write a "how to cruise cheap" post soon. But, for now, I am just going to give you a run down on our fabulous trip.

Day 1 - We boarded the ship early. We had lunch and checked into our room. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the ship and getting to know where everything was.

Day 2 - The boat anchored at Coco Cay (a Royal Caribbean private island) for the day. We spent about 6 hours snorkeling. This is the first time either of us had done that and it was incredible! Now, I was a little freaked out at first. I don't ever go in the water at any of the Florida beaches. The difference here is that I could see all the way to the bottom and I knew what was touching me. Still, it took me a little while to get comfortable. Once I did, I loved it! We bought an under water camera (with CVS bucks) and took some fun pictures of that.
Cory picked it up quick and learned how to dive down and see those fish up close. I never got that good. But, look, I actually got close to those fish.After snorkeling all day, we took a few minutes and relaxed on 1 of the 50 hammocks they had set up on the island. The weather was perfect and we laid there and spent a few minutes thanking the Lord for his beautiful creation and the time he gave us together.
That evening was the formal dinner on the ship. I had a fun time getting all dressed up. I even convinced Cory to slow dance with me in the middle of the ship when no one else was! If you know Cory at all, you know what a big deal that is.

Day 3 - The boat docked at Nassau. We spent the first half of the day exploring the island on foot. We found some cool landmarks and did a little shopping at the straw market. The straw market is an adventure all on it's own. You barter for everything. I loved it. This is where we got all the souvenirs and gifts for the kids. I also got some sweet deals on a cute straw hat, earrings and sunglasses. Cory got some "Cuban" cigars too. We'll see how those turn out.
After that, we headed back to the boat for a quick lunch and then back out to the island. We headed over to Paradise Island to take a look at Atlantis hotel. You could spend all day there if you had the time. But, we headed back to Nassau for some authentic Bahamian dinner. It was very good and not cheap.

Day 4 - At Sea all day. By the time we got to this day, I realized that it was the last official day and I still didn't have any sun to speak of. So, I planned to spend some time at the pool and get a tan (o.k., I guess a burn). We really only stayed out by the pool for about 1 hour. Well, that did it. That's o.k. I would rather come back with a little burn than no sun at all.
They also had a rock climbing wall on the top deck. Cory climbed to the top twice and I barely made it up one time.We also ditched the dining room this night and went to the onboard Johnny Rockets. You pay a $4 cover charge and get all-you-can-eat off the menu. This was our favorite meal on board. It was fun and we took home 4 souvenirs from here. Yes, those are Johnny Rocket cups. Let me just say that when I ordered the burger, I was expecting the size of a double cheeseburger like the Johnny Rockets in Orlando. Apparantly, the burgers on the ship are 1/3 pound per patty. Do you see the size of that thing?! No, I didn't eat it all. I did dance with the servers though. Sorry, no pictures of that.

Day 5 - Departure. We left the boat at about 9 a.m. Vacation over. Welcome home real world. No more unlimited food at my disposal 24 hours a day. No more people waiting on me hand and foot. No more fun towel animals (I really liked those).

I think we are definitely sold as future cruisers. You just can't beat the value for your money.
Thank you for a great trip, baby! BTW, for those of you hoping that we came back with baby #5, you can stop crossing your fingers. I already started :)