Going on a cruise is actually a very reasonable way to take a fun vacation! Just think, you can eat anything and everything you want, any time you want, including room service! You get to travel to several beautiful locations and only unpack one time. You can enjoy almost every kind of nightlife you want; theater-style shows, musicians, comedy clubs, karaoke, dancing, movies, and so much more and it's all included in the price!
There are a few things that will cost extra but you can save money on these if you plan ahead.
Alcohol and soda are not free. Bring your own wine and soda onboard! You are allowed a 750 ml bottle of wine and a 12 pack of canned soda per person. You can pre-order liquor and beer and save a little money or you can buy unlimited drink packages. I like my diet Dr Pepper so always take it on with me!
Take your own pictures! Even though the ship will have photographers everywhere you can save money and snap those pics yourself. And you can always ask a fellow passenger to help out and take one of you.
Don’t always book your excursions through the ship. Especially if you just want a nice beach day. All ports have safe taxi's and plenty of beach options. Do some research for other options for the same great excursions. There are many reputable excursion companies that offer safe, fun excursions at half the cost of the ones offered by the ship.
Don’t eat in the specialty restaurants. Yes, they are good but not a necessity as you will find amazing food and service in the dining room. You have many, many other options for great food without spending extra for it!
Consider a lower priced cabin to save big bucks! There is a considerable price difference in choosing an interior over a balcony cabin. Many long-time cruisers choose an interior cabin as it allows them to cruise more often.
Stay away from the jewelry shops and casino! There are several shops onboard that offer fine jewelry to costume jewelry. They have "sales" on high-end watches and jewelry throughout the cruise and it's easy to get lured into buying "gold by the inch" or five great items for the price of four! I will leave the casino action up to you. But, you can play slot machines to table games while we are away from the ports.
