BEFORE YOU BOOK THAT CRUISE - PART 2

RESEARCH IS STILL THE KEY

This session will deal with what other expenses you MIGHT incur while on your trip.

First let’s look at what IS included in the price of your cruise:

-  Accommodations

-  Dining

-  Entertainment

-  Supervised Youth Programs

Accommodations simply mean the cabin (room and bath) you are assigned for the duration of the cruise.  Both will be small …. with the bathroom being very small….bigger than 20 years ago, but still small by American standards.  However, both the room and the bath are serviceable.  In the room you will have closet space for hanging clothes, some shelves and a safe as well as a combination dressing table/storage cabinet/television stand/dresser – also relatively small. 

Dining are your meals while on board, but only in the Main dining room or at the indoor/outdoor buffet.  This does not include ANY of the alternative dining areas or the coffee/dessert bars scattered around the ship.  A good rule of thumb is if they ask for your ship card, it isn’t included.

Entertainment is nearly non-stop … and the majority of it is included.  There are a few things considered entertainment that do have a fee … like wine tasting.  All the shows in the theater are free as well as the lounges, BUT be prepared to be asked over and over if you care to have a drink.  Don’t get angry; just politely say, “no, thank you.”  The cocktail servers are assigned to an area and are required to ask continually.

Supervised Youth Programs are included and are usually very good; however, I would ask a lot of questions before booking.  Some lines don’t accept children still in diapers and some lines only have one group – mixing all ages together.  Also check on evening babysitting services.  Some ships offer this service ... but it's for an extra charge.  Learn the rules before you book so you’re not disappointed.

Now let’s look at what IS NOT included in the cost of the cruise:

-  NOT INCLUDED - The items in the stocked refrigerator in your combination dressing table, etc.  Your cabin steward/stewardess is required to check it daily.  If anything is missing, your cabin number will be charged … and all items are overpriced.

-  NOT INCLUDED - The bottles of water conveniently left in the dressing area … very pricy.  Again, the cabin steward has to keep count and bill accordingly.  If items are missing from inventory and not charged to a room, the cost is charged to the steward. 

Note:  I bring a bottle of water on-board and then refill it as needed from the buffet area (free).  I also bring a Koozie with a harbinger so I can hook it on my belt loop.  This keeps me from having to spend $3.50 for a bottle of water when leaving the ship for my day excursions in port.

-  NOT INCLUDED - The alternative dining areas – ALL of them are extra … $15 - $30 EACH - plus tip!  I don’t go on a cruise to get a steakhouse meal so I totally avoid the alternatives.  Are the meals in the dining room as extravagant as they used to be?  No!  However, they still serve a generous amount of good quality food. 

-  NOT INCLUDED - The coffee and dessert bars look and smell heavenly; however, they are also over-priced.  Check the menu posted daily outside the dining room and the buffet.  You will find a choice of 5 or 6 desserts on the dining room menu every day in addition to always being able to get ice cream.  Plus the buffet always has more desserts than any one person could possible eat.

NOTE:  I have a suggestion for saving some money if you are a snacker.  In the morning go to the buffet – have your breakfast and then pick up some fruit, milk, boxed cereal, yoghurt or whatever you like and bring it back to your cabin.  I have been known to bring back a donut or two and so they don’t go stale I put them in a zip-lock bag – stashing them out of sight so the cabin steward doesn’t throw them out while cleaning up.  Yes, I carry zip-lock bags – in a couple of sizes (sandwich and quart) – just for such emergencies.

-  NOT INCLUDED - Items of a personal nature …. such as deodorant, panty hose, hair spray, etc.  All ships have a “sundry” shop but items are limited and (sorry for repeating myself) expensive. 

-  NOT INCLUDED - Beauty shop, spa sessions, manicures, pedicures, etc. are VERY EXPENSIVE and NEVER included.  Ships offer top of the line services that you might want to make use of, but be prepared to have a large charge on your card.

- NOT INCLUDED – Sports, gambling, video gaming, Internet use – even with your own PC.

-  NOT INCLUDED – Alcohol and Soft Drinks.  I’ll offer more on this subject the next time.

Also not included .... Gratuities (tips).  This is a big issue - and can be costly - so I'll cover this is a session by itself.

Remember, the rule for knowing if there is an extra charge is – “If they ask for the Ship Card, its extra!”

http://www.redgage.com/rene

Here is my featured flower for the day ..... Thank you Redgage!

http://www.redgage.com/rene#rf:/photos/rene/purple-flower-for-26-june.html

BEFORE YOU BOOK THAT CRUISE - PART 1

RESEARCH IS THE KEY

So let’s look at some things you need to know before you invest any of your hard-earned cash.

Cruises are “cashless”.  This means you will be issued a ship card that is nearly limitless.

This card will open your cabin door, allow you on and off the ship and CHARGE any purchase you make to your account.

These cards aren’t just handed out as you check in; you have to prove you can afford to pay your bill at the end of the cruise.  In order to receive one of these cards (and to board the ship) you will have to fork over some cash or provide the cruise line with a credit card that has a high enough limit.  In the past this meant a minimum of $300 per couple.

If you laid down cash, once the $300 has been used, you will be cut off and/or you will receive a nice letter from the Pursers Office asking you to bring more money to them to be added to your account so you can keep spending.  If you don’t add money to your account, you will spend the rest of your cruise living without the luxuries. (You won’t suffer.  You just won’t be able to indulge.)

If you gave them a credit card, well, if you’re not keeping track of your spending you might be in for a big surprise after you get home and the bill arrives.  The cruise line makes it easy to keep track off your spending by making it accessible 24/7 via the television in your cabin.  

Another reason for checking your account is to be sure no incorrect charges are made.  I’ve sailed numerous times … and only had a couple of incorrect charges, but it does happen.  It’s easier to correct an incorrect charge soon after it happens, rather than at the end of the cruise (or after you get home) when your final statement is slipped under your door.  By the way, once the cruise is done NO ONE can leave the ship until ALL accounts are settled.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now let’s look at the first thing that is not included in the price of the cruise – PARKING.  Parking can be very expensive, is not included and cannot be charged to your ship card.

Departing from a port near home saves the cost of airfare; however, you can spend a lot of money if you use the parking garage provided by the port.  It is convenient but the daily parking fees are high – some extremely high.  Here are a few examples:

      -     Port Everglades, Florida                                   $15

      -     Tampa, Florida                                                 $15

      -     Miami, Florida                                                  $20

      -     Manhattan, New York                                      $30-$40

However, with a little research (on-line, of course) you can usually cut that cost almost in half and sometimes eliminate it all together.

If you are planning to drive to the port city the day before, check the hotels in the area for a “stay, park and cruise” special.  Many hotels near airports and cruise ports allow you to park your vehicle for the length of your cruise with just a one-night stay. 

 

An example of this is when we were sailing on a 10 night cruise out of Miami.  Parking at the terminal would have been $200 - $220.  Yikes!!  Checking on-line I found a big-name hotel that not only allowed us to park our car for the 10 days we’d be gone, it also gave us transfers to the port and a good breakfast the morning we left the hotel.

The hotel cost was $140, which we probably would have spent anyway – because hotels in Miami are not cheap.  The transfers to the port for the two of us were worth $24.  Breakfast was probably worth another $16 for both of us.

If I hadn’t done my research the total for just the hotel, breakfast and parking would have been around $376 – and we spent $140 – saving $236.  Plus we didn’t have to deal with the traffic in an unfamiliar city.

Okay, so you’re not driving down the day before – no problem, you can still save.

Go to your favorite search engine and search on “parking at the Port of (name of your port)”.  Not only will you get the port parking you will get hits on “off-site” parking.  Check a few of these for rates, specials, free transportation to and from the cruise terminal, security and hours of operation.  I’ve found the rates are always cheaper – usually by half – and you will be dropped off and picked up.  This means you won’t have to deal with the traffic at the port.

In addition to the cheaper daily “drive up” rates, I’ve discovered that many off-site parking facilities offer an even cheaper daily rate if you book in advance. Plus I’ve found they sometimes have a weekly rate.  These are normally only offered on-line.  If you just drive in without a reservation, it will be cheaper than at the port, but not as cheap as having a reservation.

So, are you ready to start on the next leg of your research adventure?

Terrific!  Off you go – and while you’re having fun researching, I’ll work on information for the next part of this project. 

Never fear – have fun researching, as it will make your final goal – a good, but less expensive vacation – more enjoyable.

http://www.redgage.com/rene

IS TAKING A CRUISE IN YOUR FUTURE?

Taking a cruise in just like anything else – it takes planning.  And just like any vacation you can spend everything you have (and more) OR you can cut corners a little here and there.

First of all I think everyone needs to know that the “FORMAL” nights are slipping away.  So the need for carrying “gown” and “tuxedo” is no longer necessary.  (Okay, if you’re sailing on one of the small, exclusive ships you will need them and probably more than one set of finery.  I won’t be discussing those types of cruises here.)

My intent is to give you some hints into how to save a little money while seeing some fabulous places.

Cruising is cheapest IF you are within driving distance of a cruise port.  The costs and hassle of air travel can drive vacation costs out of reach of a lot of people so why not set your sights on what’s available near your point of departure (your home).

Of course, this may limit your choice of destinations but if you’re cruising for the first time you won’t have too much invested if you really don’t care for being on a ship.   

I am only listing the major cruise ports.  I know there are other ports … like the Intercoastal waterway on the East coast, The Columbia River on the West Coast and the Great Lakes, just to name a few, but I don't have enough information on them to share.

Just some examples in the US and Canada, to get your mind thinking:

      -     The Northeast has Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Bayonne, Baltimore and Norfolk.

      -     The Southeast has Charleston, Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Miami. 

      -     The Gulf area has New Orleans, Mobile, Galveston and Houston.

      -     The West Coast has San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

      -     Alaska has Seward (Anchorage), Whittier and Juneau.

      -     Hawaii has departures mainly from Honolulu.

      -     Canada has Montreal and Vancouver.

Now that you’re armed with this information you can pick the port closest to you and start your research.  

 I bet you’re wondering where to start.  I can’t do your planning, but I can give you some good leads.

First, go to the internet and type in the name of the port you want to research – for example, “Cruise port San Diego”.  You should get at least one hit that is the real/official website for the port.  This port website is the place where you’ll find all the cruise lines that use that port for embarkation.

Next, go to each of the websites for those cruise lines (some port sites provide links).  At these sites you’ll be able to find out the itinerary available from your port.

This sounds like a lot of work, but just like RedGage, a Blog or your day job, you have to put in a little work in order to have a good payday.  The payday for doing all the research on a cruise is 1) learning something new, 2) having some fun doing it 3) saving some money on a vacation.

I think this is enough for you to absorb – but there is a lot more I will be sharing, so stay tuned!

Happy Sailing!

http://rene-cruising.blogspot.com/2011/06/is-taking-cruise-in-your-future.html