nrgMike Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 Hello. Going on my first cruise in October. #Navigatoroftheseas What is your best tip for not overspending? Let me know Thank You, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Laker Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 Prepay gratuities and cruise planner items (speciality dining, internet, drink packages, and excursions) prior to your cruise. It will allow you to budget for the most common additional expenses. WAAAYTOOO and KristiZ 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 11 hours ago, nrgMike said: Hello. Going on my first cruise in October. #Navigatoroftheseas What is your best tip for not overspending? Let me know Thank You, Michael Agree with @Clear Laker to make purchases you want online, hopefully when there is a promotion. Just buy what you need/enjoy. We avoid the specialty restaurants because the Main Dining Room is fancy enough for us. On a 7 night cruise we will have lamb, lobster tail, pork shank, nice fish, etc. You can order a steak from Chops for an upcharge. We also avoid drink packages because we aren't going to spend $40 or more per day on drinks. The coffee card or an occasional drink a la carte works for us. One can always find cheap mimosas in the Casino... We prefer to spend $$ on excursions for things we can't really do or see in the US. Have fun, whatever you choose to do, but the complimentary choices that RCI provides are pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 Know your budget and stick to it. Same as any other vacation (and everyday life in the non-vacation world). ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt From Canada Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 Sorry this is not a "Spending Control" tip. Still, it is a great Navigator of the Seas tip: The Deck 11 Aft Men's Washroom is the best public washroom on any Royal Caribbean Ship. It has a fantastic view, when you are doing what you do. Tell your male friends, tell people you meet on the ship, tell random people on the way to and from the ship. You will become instantly popular. There are lots of pictures on the Internet, but there still is nothing like being there. Skid, Baked Alaska and Fuzzywuzzy 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeS Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 Take a good stock of medicine and a basic first aid kit for things like plasters should you need them. You can buy over the counter medicine in the shop on the ship however it is really expensive and you don't want to have to go to the ship doctor to patch up a small scrape should you have one as that can get really expensive. Mush better to take a small stock of things and sort it out yourself if possible. SweetHomeLady, Fuzzywuzzy and Baked Alaska 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbjunkie Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 Prepay your gratuities. If you do that, there won’t we anything extra you “have” to buy. If you eat in the included restaurants (Main Dining, Windjammer, Cafe Promenade, and El Loco Fresh), drink lemonade, iced tea, water or coffee, you don’t need to spend a dime. Instead of giving them a credit card for your onboard account, go to Guest services as soon as you board with cash. Then, your Sea Oass card acts like a debit account from your bank. Only spend the cash you left. On the last night of your cruise before 11:00 pm, just go back to guest services and cash out. They will give you anything you haven’t spent back. It’s a very quick and easy process. Also, (I’m assuming you’re on a 4- night Nassau, Coco Cay?) There is no need to spend any money on Coco Cay. There is a buffet, there are a couple of snack shack restaurants that are included. They have lemonade/fruit drink-type machines also included. As always, chilled water. The pool, the beaches, one of the big splashpads, chairs and umbrellas are free to use. Have a great day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRLPP Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 I agree with pick a budget and stick to it. Our "budget" has been super low, inside cabin, without spending an extra dime other than gratuities which we prepaid all the way to a suite for a special occasion but still with limits. Personally I do not see the need for specialty restaurants as the included food is just fine. Also prepay any thing you can before the cruise. Watch for the discounted planner deals. Last thing, I never skip when it comes to tipping the staff. They work way too hard to make me a happy cruiser. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzywuzzy Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 3 hours ago, MikeS said: Take a good stock of medicine and a basic first aid kit for things like plasters should you need them. You can buy over the counter medicine in the shop on the ship however it is really expensive and you don't want to have to go to the ship doctor to patch up a small scrape should you have one as that can get really expensive. Mush better to take a small stock of things and sort it out yourself if possible. Smart advice. This is something many of us have overlooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted July 6, 2019 Report Share Posted July 6, 2019 Tipping the room steward and bartender on the first day has always paid off handsomely for us. We have done this on every cruise. At first the kids and wife thought I was crazy to do that. They are so underpaid and work hours longer than most farmers. Bring 2 bottles of wine on board if you like wine. The daily drink specials are also good. Don`t buy merchandise on the ship. All purchases go on your sea pass. You can run up a huge tab in no time. Use your camera and have someone take your picture. We do that a lot and take other peoples pictures all the time. We do a lot of non ship excursions and find them to be smaller in group size and cheaper. But if you miss the ship its your dime. Or no excursion and do our own wandering. Bob_KY and PatO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wnuk Posted July 6, 2019 Report Share Posted July 6, 2019 If you haven’t paid in full yet,watch for sales on cabins. You can always re book at the lower price. Same for excursions. As an example, we booked our next cruise on Oasis for June 2020 just one month ago while on our last cruise. I have rebooked it TWICE since then, saving a total of $515 thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtread Posted July 6, 2019 Report Share Posted July 6, 2019 On 7/4/2019 at 9:44 PM, nrgMike said: Hello. Going on my first cruise in October. #Navigatoroftheseas What is your best tip for not overspending? Let me know Thank You, Michael If you enjoy the casino, the odds will be against you. The slots and roulette are poor odds, blackjack odds are better IF you play the game right. If you can't afford to lose, stay out! If you get ahead, WALK! The cruise companies are a business. Sure, they want you to enjoy yourself so that you will book more cruises. But they exist to MAKE MONEY, and they are good at it. Many things on the ship have inflated prices. My opinion is the beverage deals top the list. If you are not going to drink much, buy drinks individually. Our first cruise (Rhapsody) we were on a limited budget. I did play a lot of blackjack and got lucky and paid for my cruise but could easily have been the opposite. We didn't do excursions other than self-guided stuff, souvenir buying, etc. That's one way to prevent overspending. Enjoy your cruise! They are all unforgettable! ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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