Transcripts
1. Introduction: Hi, this is Michelle West with FLSA for travel by cruise ship. What I wish I had
known about cruising. If you're new to the
idea of cruising or a vacation on a
cruise ship a while ago and want a refresher on what it's all about
this video series, we'll walk you through what I wish I had known about cruising. That would have made
my cruises even more enjoyable after a cruises on
five different cruise lines. Some of the things I've
learned and talk about are how to overcome
fears about cruising. Why I found cruises so much
better than road trips. How the five cruise lines
stack up to each other, ways to purchase a
cruise vacation. And then I have a series of
tips on a variety of topics like how to cruise while budgeting and saving
money along the way. Transportation,
luggage, dining, drip, drink packages, and excursions. By the end of all this, you'll have a greater
understanding of what cruising entails and how you can be better prepared to have the
time of your life. Before we begin, there are
two notes I'd like to cover. One is that each video
is a standalone topic, not part of a sequential series. This means that you can view one video and come
back to another later and not need to remember all the details of other videos. The last note is a
very important one that applies to all
of this video series. All of the things I've
learned from cruising r, from my experiences
before COVID, my last Cruz in 2020
was actually one of the last ones before the cruise industry
started getting hit. Since things always change,
especially post-COVID, it's best to check with the
cruise line directly if you want to put any of these
tips into actions. Yes, some of these
topics are timeless, like so the first
ones I'll cover. So let's get started.
2. If You’re Afraid To Cruise: I love to travel, sampling
different smells, sights, flavors, experiences, but I've always been
deathly afraid of cruising. Sure, it sounds fun to sample different countries and one
vacation on top of having all the food and
entertainment and activities at my fingertips
in one location. But there's the water, the water all
around the ship and little me sitting on that
ship, I've seen Titanic. I know it can happen. So how did I come to
not only love cruises, but to adore them? Dm. I just didn't think
about the force of nature surrounding the ship. I focused on the adventure, on the experiences to be had, on being served and not having having to
serve anyone else, which is My Life with
five kids and hobby. I just took the plunge. But there was another obstacle. I get motion
sickness, really bad. What if I couldn't take it? What if I had spent all
that money just to get nauseous to the point of
wanting to put my eyes out. That sounds like fun. But to overcome this fear, I learned that the whole
arsenal of things to combat motion sickness
or at my fingertips. And I pack them all. The patch that acupressure
bands, drama mean, bow nine, ginger root chewable, everything that I
thought might help. Having developed a plan
to overcome my fears, I planned our first Cruz, just me and the hubs would
go because I figured we adults could
weather the storm and motion sickness if need be. And I chose a short and
sweet crews that would ensure I'd be on land
as much as on the sea. So if I got C6, I'd get a break from
it for a long time. And it was super
cheap in January, it sounded like a
great trial run. We booked the Royal Caribbean enchantment of the seas cruise. We'd sell overnight
to the Bahamas. Then we'd go be in
mast cell for a day. Then we'd still overnight to a private island to
spend the whole day. They're truly roughly
the last night we sealed overnight to
the port in Florida. And did I mentioned
that I made sure I chose a month that was
not in hurricane season. This doesn't
guarantee calm seas, but at least I wouldn't
be stuck in a hurricane. I went, I saw, I had the time of my life and this is how
my addiction to cruising started fast forward from that first Cruz
in 2016 to today. And do I have any regrets? Only one that I didn't
know at the time. Experiences taught me due to my motion sickness to not go on a ship that's less than
about 100,000 tons. The smaller ships, like the enchantment of
the seas we went on, can go back and forth
with the rolling of the ways in my tummy
does not like that. So take the plunge
and book a cruise. Now, here's a summary of some
of the tips that helped me. I chose a two or three-day Cruz. I made sure that I
was on land as much, if not more than c I booked in a month that was outside
the hurricane season. And I eventually learned
to choose the largest ship possible since I experienced
seasickness very easily. If you planned your cruise and are still nervous about it. Here's some things you
can do while onboard to not let your fears
ruin any of your fine. First addressed your fears. You can do this by clearly identifying what your fears are. Then come up with a plan to manage those fears
while onboard. E.g. you can recruit your
travel companions to distract you with conversation
about what you enjoy. If you start freaking out. When you go to dinner at the seated dining
versus the buffet, you'll find some
people taught to the strangers around them and sometimes become friends if you'll sit next to each
other night after night, this is a great
distraction as well. Another thing you can do is take at least three slow
and deep belly breath. This trickles, triggers your parasympathetic
nervous system to tell the anxious part of
your brain that you're safe, then engage your body to
do something enjoyable. Personally, I found I
wasn't overwhelmed by my fears once I stepped
foot on that ship. There's so much engaging
all your senses. And it feels like a
home away from home. That's melded with a resort. The fun overrode any
fear I ever had. Secondly, focus on the fun experiences
you're looking to have. E.g. you can look at
all the excursions, choose sum and buy them. Or you could look at the daily agenda that you'll
get on board and take time to plan out your days by having a plan and specific things
to look forward to. I found this feed distracting
in and of itself. I found it was well worth
it to work past my fears. And in return, I had more
fun than I ever imagined.
3. Cruises Versus Road Trips: My whole life, I swore I
would never go on a cruise. I didn't care much
about positive things about cruising because
all I could see with scenes from Titanic
with me in the place of Kate Winslet clinging onto a
floating door for dear life. But the fear of drowning
didn't seem so bad after my hubby and two of our kids took a road
trip for the first time. Oh, it sounded like
fun driving from our home in Colorado
with our baby in teen, travel Along the
beautiful coast of California and ending
with a family reunion. The dry with a baby wasn't what made me want
to pull my hair out. Even hopping hotels from night to night along
the coast was bearable. Even camping with
the in-laws and then insinuating our state wasn't
long enough, was tolerable. It was the conflicting
travel philosophies between me and my hubby. You see, I plan in advance. I have an idea of the
things we could do, but wait until that day to
see how we're all feeling. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't really care what we do. He just wants a decision
without deliberation. Conflict. Enter stage, right? Take restaurants for instance, if I'm going to eventually
wear my meal Ahmad, but I want it to taste
good going down. I also want an experience, not just food for energy. I'm a foodie. So I look at tripadvisor.com for the reviews of where
we might wind up at. My hubby hates that. He gets angry at
the drop of a hat. So he just wants to go
to the first place we fall upon while I'm
pulling out my phone, searching for the ratings on every restaurant we could
afford and want to go to. And remember how I liked
to decide on activities. The day of the same
thing happened in there. Then there's the traffic
cutting our agenda is short. Daily packing and
unpacking at each hotel, deciphering Google's course
corrections and finding and timing bathrooms in gas
stations along the way. By the end of the trip, we both vowed to never take
that kind of trip. Again. That's when cruises
started to look good. Thanks to a cruise aficionado at work telling me about
her love for cruising. Katie has been on every
main cruise line. There is an America and
she hasn't drowned yet. So I asked her to fill me in on what it's
like and cruising sounded like the fixed to all our problems with
the road and land trips. There are activities galore
with no planning required, were already there,
and choose from a varied and plentiful schedule of activities and navigation. Once we stepped foot
on the cruise ship, we don't have to think
once about that. The captain of the ship, ship and the tour guide on
excursions at the port, take care of all that for us
and packing and unpacking. Know, we're in the same room but get to go to see
different countries. It gets better. No cooking, no cleaning, no gas. Phillips? No, Oh my God, we can't find a bathroom and
I'm going to pee on myself. Emergencies. And
the all you can eat all the time was a
big benefit as well. There's free childcare available if we wanted to bring the kids. I thought I'll get up and give
it a try and hobby was all in our virgin voyage
was a short one, and that was on land as
much as it was on the ship. So that have seasickness
was a problem for us. It wouldn't be that long. This little taste of
paradise had us put. Cruising is all. It's cracked up to be no more
conflict while traveling. We just sit back, relax, get weighted on
literally handed foot. And we don't have to think or do anything but enjoy ourselves. So in the case of
cruises versus road, road trips, cruises
win for us every time.
4. How The Cruise Lines Stack Up: So out of the five cruise
lines I've been on, which are carnival, princess, real, Caribbean, Holland
America, and Norwegian. How did each rank,
in my opinion? Well, there's not one. I wish I hadn't gone on, but I do have my favorites. Let's start with the
one I liked the least, and that would be
Holland America. Holland America has
a lot going for it. The shift was the sweeter
dam and was quiet, clean, had good food
and great service. So why did I like it the least? I'm in a different demographic
fan who they cater to. Their daily activity is considered consisted
of things like shuffleboard and the music that was played a lot was
big band or the 50s. That's just not where
my interests lie. I booked on my own and no one advise me
of the difference, nor did I know to ask. So when we got on
board and everyone in the elevators kept commenting
on how young we were. I started to get the hint. Then when I saw the activities, I knew this was going to be a different kind
of cruise for us. My husband, who is
30 at the time, was thrilled because
he just wanted a break from our
nonstop lives back home and just wanted to
Cruz where he could peacefully asleep without
having kids wake him up. And he shook off that. I, on the other hand, wanted adventure
contests, dancing, late night activities,
obstacle courses, waterslides, and the like. Well, I didn't get pretty
much any of those things. I still loved the crews. First of all, the Rave
for our ten day crews including the Panama Canal
and the cherished ABC, Aruba, bone air and
cross out Islands. I've always wanted to
see Costa Rica and a private island was
only less than $600. One person, and that
was a balcony room. That alone made it worth it. But what I didn't expect
but enjoyed was that we must have been some of the only passengers
who used that pool. Now because of that, the crew members shut down the pools pretty
early in my opinion, at 08:00 P.M. and believe me, they were waiting for us at
07:45 P.M. to get out because we had the hot tubs all to
ourselves almost every night. When we went to the ports, the other passengers
were filling up the beaches like other ships
with younger passengers. All in all, I would have
bought that cruise again be because of the
price and itinerary. But now that I've been
to those locations, I would never go
on Holland America unless that's what I
want in retirement or they change the
onboard activities to fit my interests more. The second least
favorite was Norwegian. We went on the escape, one of their largest
ships at the time. I've recorded this video. The ship was nice, but since we do all the
free activities and dining, it felt so crowded all the time. Everywhere we went was Pat. This is not what
I've experienced on all our other cruises at all. If feels spacious
and spread out, unless it's some popular
contest or activity. But that's not often. But on the Norwegian escape, the only theory I
could come up with is that they're slew of
specialty dining and paid venues seemed
to be spread across the ship versus the
free stuff was not. They also seem to
charge for things that other cruise lines don't like when I looked at going with them to Alaska on their newer ship, the bliss, they charged for their race track and laser tag. Other lines I've gone on don't charge for their big
activities like that. So I think all of us who take advantage of the free
offerings are packed in like cattle because the paint activities
aren't as frequented. Maybe that theory is incorrect, but I don't want to
go on a cruise line that charges for their
two big activities. When I can go on another
cruise line that doesn't. And I don't feel
like cattle in a pin because things are more spread
out on the other shifts. This is why I don't care if I ever go on another
Norwegian Cruise, though I'm not opposed to it. If the price was right in the
lineup of ports was great, like was the case
with Holland America. Other than that,
everything else was good. The food service
and cleanliness. Now, between the last
three cruise lines, to tie as my second favorite,
carnival and princess. But if princesses
fares were cheaper, I would prefer princess
over carnival hands down because they have a
more relaxed vibe than carnivals party feel. And the other passengers
were just chill, happy and polite all around. And when I toured the kids area, the kids had their
own little pool, an outdoor play area, and a very cool
indoor play area. The vibe seem the same
and the kids area chill, clean and not chaotic at all. They're assumed to
be way less kids on board then I'll carnival. And my guess is that's why
I felt this difference. Now, while I also want a
classy feel, advanced, adventure and fun, our top priorities and the princess
delivered more in classe. They didn't have as many
adventurous and fun activities on board like Carnival did. So comparing the two definitely
isn't apples to apples. I'm just frugal and have five to seven people
to buy a cruise force. So the larger price tag for princess isn't
totally affordable, affordable for us unfortunately. But carnival is, and it's fun. And they have some
state rooms that can accommodate more than four, which a lot of ships don't. And when they don't, that requires us to buy two
rooms for just our family. Though carnival is known by
many as the cruise line. That would be the parties
just I've never run across any stereotypical drunk
and behavior or loud talking that you might imagine would go with
that stereotype. But I also don't cruise
in hurricane seasons, so I don't go on summer cruises where it probably skews to a much younger population on carnival and all cruise
lines for that matter. I'm glad to say, I've only run into
one rude person, one person at a cruises. I think that's impressive. Carnival does have good food, good service, and good
maintenance for the most part. I went on some older
and smaller ships that could have used some TLC, but they weren't dirty
or in disrepair. So that leaves one cruise
line as my top choice. Royal Caribbean. My first cruise was on the
enchantment of the seas, which I'd say is a smaller
ish and older ship. I later went on to of their biggest ships at the time of this
video is recording, which were the allure of the seas and the
oasis of the seas. These are actually some of the biggest shifts of any
cruise line right now. They're monstrous, beautiful
and something I think everyone should try
to go on unless they want a more
intimate experience. While the smaller enchantment of the seas was a good
first-time experience. There is no comparison
to the alert or Oasis from the activities, which by the way,
are mostly all free, to the almost all
free entertainment. You can do two
back-to-back cruises, which I did and still want more. Also, if you get motion
sickness easily like I do. One of our cruises was during a tropical storm and I
felt nothing, nothing. It was wonderful. The only bad thing I
ever experienced on Royal Caribbean was on the chairman of the
Cs in early 2016, the food was
absolutely horrible. 50% of the time I would not
eat what was in front of me. And that's a rare thing for me. That's why I vowed to never gone Royal Caribbean
ever again until I got a scream and rate and saw how absolutely
breathtaking and fun they're humongous ships were. I thought at least I
won't gain weight, but we'll have a ton of fun. So let's go. And the food on the alert in
late 2016 was just as bad. But the shifts, activities and entertainment far
exceeded my expectations. Since I'm a foodie, I again vowed to never gone
Royal Caribbean again, Fast-forward to early 2020. And I got stuff done again by some amazing rates and book two, back-to-back cruises
on the oasis. Whatever the issue was with the food before was corrected. The food was good at
any other cruise. With this improvement,
There's no way I could rank any other
cruise line as my favorite because the activities
and entertainment that their largest ships have can't be matched by any
other cruise line. And while we didn't
bring our kids, I always keep an eye out for this situation for
kids went on ships, so I know where I want to go once they all get old enough, their babies area looks safe, well staffed, nice, clean, and somewhat reasonably priced. This over protective. Mama would bring her babies there if I had brought
them at that time. Now some ships even have
glass instead of railings, metal railings on
almost every deck, so little ones can't
fall to their doom. And yes, I'm one of those
moms who worries about that. And unfortunately,
it's happened inside and outside ships that children have fallen
through those railings. I haven't been on any
other ships with as much glass instead of railing
as Royal Caribbean has. So I've searched and that's
a hard fact to find. So there could be others. When I was considering bringing
our little bitty babies, the Royal Caribbean
customer service rep on the phone could actually advise me on which
shifts in classes or ships had the glass
instead of railings. I found it impressive that
they knew their ships so well. While this is how the five cruise lines
I've been on rank, someone else would
likely rank them differently depending on what they want to get
out of a cruise. Do you want a quiet
environment that doesn't have all those waterslides
and belly flop contest, then carnival wouldn't
probably be your best choice. But if you want fun and
don't care about a budget, then you might like
Norwegian more than I did. The important thing is
that you get a feel for what each Cruise
Lines vibe is, what demographic they appeal to, and things like that to see if that matches
what you're wanting. And if you get it
terribly wrong, like I did with Holland America, chances are you will still
have an amazing time.
5. Ways To Buy A Cruise: When I finally decided to take the plunge and go on a cruise, I wasn't sure where to buy one, but as I was leaving
Costco pushing my ridiculously large packages of toilet paper and paper
towels out the door. I spotted a travel
booklet since I had booked a Hawaiian vacation
with them years before, and it went very well. I figured Costco would be a
safe place to go to choose them as people to buy our first
cruise through was wrong. Given I didn't know
anything about cruises. I now think I should have
gone with a travel agent who had actually gone
on cruises before. Instead, when I called
Costco's toll free number, I was speaking to an agent who had never gone on
a cruise herself, but I still didn't
have any red flags. I thought this is
a package deal, so I'm sure Costco has
this down like they did for our Hawaiian land package. There are some crucial things to know before going on
your first cruise. And Costco didn't have any follow-up e-mails guiding
me through those things. I was also at a
loss in some ways when I got on the cruise
ship because of it. So these things were what is anytime dining versus being slotted at a certain
time to eat? Do I need a drink package? Should I buy excursions through the cruise line or is outside
the cruise line. Okay. And is it necessary to
buy those in advance? Some shifts allow you to
schedule this shows you want to see before the
crews even leaves the port? I had no idea about
this, no forewarning. So I was last on the list. Now those luggage tags to
what are those all about? Oh, I didn't know I could
carry my luggage off the ship on the last day instead of waiting until
later in the morning. That would've helped with
the air travel plans. Then there's the
shuttle that they push. Why wouldn't I
take Uber or Lyft? Even though now I booked directly through
the cruise lines. If I had to do it over again, I would have booked
my first one with a travel agent who has gone
on numerous cruises for self and can communicate
the unique differences that this type of new to
me travel would present. It is a different
kind of travel. There are variations by
cruise line is as well. So having someone to tell me the answers to the questions
I didn't even know to ask would have made my virgin cruise even
better than it was to boot. There was no extra cost for me to book through
a travel agent. Why I eventually started booking through the cruise
lines directly is because once I
mastered the art of cruising and knew
the ins and outs, I already knew all the
basic information that my travel agents knew when I had questions related to
specific cruise lines and even specific shifts, like the instance of booking
shows before the crews. The travel agents didn't
know any of the details. I needed to know because they
hadn't been on those ships. So I could ask the travel agents to call
the cruise line to get the details or I could just do it myself and I'd
rather just call myself. And if I want to add
anything to my purchase, I'd rather pop online,
login to my account, steal the options myself, and get it done right
then and there, I feel booking through
the cruise line directly. Once I had gone on a handful of cruises with different
cruise lines, streamlined pretty
much all the things I had to do to prepare
for my vacation. And so far, I've never
found a better deal with a travel agent that I
couldn't get on my own. There is one last way I've purchased a cruise
and that's through a website that's an aggregate of all cruise line offerings. I used kruse.com, but I've heard cruises.com and travel sites not specific to cruises
like expedia.com are similar and the availability
to purchase a cruise. I just personally like kruse.com search options and still use that site to narrow
down my search. But I don't purchase
through them in a longer, even though once in
awhile I might get a 50 to 100 dollar
onboard credit that I couldn't with the
cruise line directly. The only reason I
moved from sites like kruse.com to buying
from the cruise lines directly is because
when I had to make certain changes after my
purchase from kruse.com, the cruise line would tell
me I had to go through kruse.com and sometimes that was a pain in the you know what? But when I've purchased cruises through the cruise line directly and make changes, it's just been so
easy and seamless. They also have known their
ships well and can give recommendations on things
I didn't even know to ask. It's been great going through the cruise line directly
for all my purchases. Then there are some
discounts that are offered on the cruise
line websites only, like loyalty program discounts or upgrades and
military discounts. Some other sources than
the cruise lines of cells have been able to offer these discounts
or upgrades to me, but it's not
entirely consistent. I've found the cruise lines themselves have
consistently offered me the bestest counts and
upgrades available. And some of these upgrades
are at the time of purchase, like Carnival have has
offered me these a lot. But smooth upgrades are when the cruise is about to embark, like the onetime with
Holland America, when I got an offer from them
to directly upgrade from an interior cabin to a balcony for only
$100 more per person. While I have found military discounts on
sites like kruse.com, cruise lines have required
that I understandably call in anyways to send proof. But once we're on
file with that proof, if I buy from them directly, I don't have to do
that extra step. So getting discounts and
upgrades have been easier for me and provide a one-stop shop when I buy from the
cruise line directly. I've bought cruises
from Costco, kruse.com, travel agents and through the cruise lines directly
in the landslide, winner for me is buying through the
cruise lines directly. The only caveat to this is for my first time
buying a cruise, I would have bought through a travel agent who's been
on a ton of cruises with different cruise lines
themselves and is willing to share what they've
learned with me.
6. Money Saving Tips: I might be in the minority, but when I go on vacation, I set a budget and
I stick to it. That's why cruising is a great fit for me
because I have literally, literally gone on cruises
before and have only had as little as a 50 dollar
bill to pay at the end. And that was between
me and my husband. That's only because we decided
to splurge on bingo and two drinks on the
last day since we haven't spent anything
else on the whole crews. Cruises literally had
everything included. If you want to do
it on the cheap. Here are the things
you have to pay for. First, your cruise rate, which includes all
free food activities and entertainment, as well as lodging. The lodging or cabin category you choose will dictate
how high your rate is. We start out looking to
buy only interior rooms, which are usually the cheapest. But on a few cruises, an ocean view was
practically the same as the interior
room weekly rate. So I paid the tiny difference
to get an ocean view. It's worth comparing
the cost before you purchase in case this happens on the cruise
you're buying. And I look out and even call for any upgrades available like
with R Holland America crews. They offered us an upgrade from an interior room to a balcony
for a minimal charge. I jumped at it, especially given it was
a Panama Canal Cruz. I've heard you can
ask for this when you first get on board
and I've done this, but I've never been lucky enough to score a cheap upgrade. Next, there are government fees, which can be things like taxes, import fees, you can't
really save on this. Then there are crew
member gratuities. These are tips for the staff and can be paid
when you purchase your cruise rate and fees or can be paid at the
end of your cruise. And yes, I've heard people trying to get
out of paying this, but I can't imagine
why there are so many crew members who wait on you almost hand and foot. And in my opinion, it's horrible to not
give them what they deserve because the
cruise industry factors this into their pay, whether that's fair or not. You'll also have to pay all associated cost to get
to the port and back home. These costs are airport
parking, flights, transportation to a hotel
a night at the hotel, meals while in route and
transportation to the port, then back to the airport. Regarding transportation, you
can use off-site parking at the airport instead
of parking at the terminal and
save money that way. You can also save money on transportation to
the hotel and port. If you choose a hotel
that has free shuttles, or you use a ride-sharing
service like Uber instead of the cruise lines
shuttle if it's cheaper. And for flights, I don't pay the airline for extra luggage
fees or seat upgrades. Just pack what fits
in the luggage allotted with a little room to spare if you
budget for shopping. The people I know who have to pack more than what
the airline allows without charging are the ones
who do the dress-up nights. They bring a tuxedo gown, all the special shoes
and things like that. What do my husband and I do? We eat it the buffet that night and we hit
that empty pool. We love it. It's quiet and empty and we usually have the pool and hot tubs
all to ourselves. So I have a lot less
luggage to lug around. Regarding meals in route, you can save money by
packing snacks and your overhead bag for the flights instead of
buying meals at the airport. Trust me, you'll have more food during your cruise
than you'll ever want. This is also a good idea
in case you're stuck on a tarmac for hours or get
redirected to another city. I've had both happened and
I was so glad I didn't have to eat tiny little
pretzels for hours on end. Then for the day
your cruise embarks, sleep at a hotel that
has free breakfast and get to the port
the earliest you can and have lunch on the ship. Regarding hotels, I by
one close to the port. So my Uber charges less and don't forget about
loyalty account, military and AAA discounts. After you've searched
online travel sites to find the cheapest hotel room that meets your requirements. Those costs add up to a lot. And maybe that's why
some people just covers her eyes and charge
away without thinking. But if you want to spend
a total of, let's say, $3,000 for a week's
vacation versus blindly charging five or 6,000. Here are some tips I've used to limit spending on the
optional charges. The first thing is
travel insurance. While this is something that's on this optional expenses list. For me, it's only required list. That's because I've
lost a lot of money before when childcare
was canceled on me, when we're going
to take a cruise. Since then I buy insurance every cruise and it's
a good thing because we had two other
times we couldn't go on a cruise for things
outside our control. You can buy insurance
through a couple of ways. One time my travel agent used his insurance carrier
to get me insurance. All other times I I purchased it directly
through the cruise line. There have been
different levels of coverage I've bought as well. I started out buying
insurance that returned 80% of expenses if the reason was from a
list of approved reasons. This is one of the two IOUs. I lost 20%, but I got
80 per cent back. Then I started buying the
100% return for any reasons. If they were available. If not, I just got
the highest coverage. I had to use the
100% refunded for any reason insurance one time and I did get
all my money back. Thankfully, make sure to read the conditions
of the insurance. And they can vary a lot. So that's a really
important thing to do. One other way to
get insurance on some things is through
some credit cards. I have a credit
card that provides travel insurance
for certain things. I never had to use this, but I buy my cruise purchases
only on this credit card. So I have that
built-in coverage. Should I ever need it? The next big expense
is excursions. These can really add up, but I feel like
they're worth it, especially if the area is less developed and less
safe than others. As opposed to somewhere
like Grand Cayman. Activities at Grand Cayman
like snorkeling with big fish can be done right
there where the port is, shopping and eating are
right there as well. And it's pretty dang, say, the first time we went there we paid for a tour of the island. After that, we knew
where we wanted to go and what we want to do
and did it on our own. But transportation was
readily available. It was saved and we got the lay of the land before
we went on our own. So when we go there now we
don't pay for excursions. We even know where
to snorkel for free, so we bring our own gear. But when we're going to an area that's not
as developed and, or is new to us and
or isn't very safe. We usually by excursions. So there is a line item in our budget for excursions
with every cruise, the nice thing is, the tours are all
inclusiveness so you don't have to worry about
added transportation costs. And as soon as I buy my cruise, I look at my online
account and see if there if there are any
discounts on excursions. If I buy within a
certain timeframe, I've used this kind
of discount before, but makes sure the
cancellation policy was acceptable to me in case something prevented
me from going on the cruise or the excursion. For more tips on excursions, there's a video in this series specifically about them
that you can look at. Another big ticket item
is food and drink. You could eat and drink until your heart's content
and pain, nothing. Or you could rack up a
huge bill when people use specialty dining night after night and by the
top drink package. And maybe even by all
a cart drinks above the drink package limits the bill can rise
more than expected. There are videos in this series specifically about these two
topics that you can look at, that it gives you my rationale
for why specialty dining really isn't needed and how you can limit your
spending on drinks. If you want to splurge
on specialty dining, you might be able to
score a discount. On some cruises I've been on the specialty
restaurants seemed to have some loopholes at times. I'll see crew members
walking around offering specials if you reserve a time
with them for that night, it's something you can
keep an eye out for during the week and then go to that restaurant on
the last night. If a special doesn't pop up. Another food expense could
be buying meals at ports. If you're a foodie like me, experiencing other
culture's cuisine might be worth it to
put it into the budget. That's fair. It just becomes a line item in your budget to expect to pay. Now, on-board expenses
like shopping is one of the easiest ways to go
way over budget and no time, one-by-one, each person each
purchase seems reasonable. But over a week's cruise, it can sink any budget. To curb impulse
buying and trust me, you'll get hit up a lot to purchase things throughout
the entire cruise. Say knowing the moment, then go eat and have some fun. If the next day you're
still feeling like you want that item and
it's in your budget. Goodbye. It most times when I do this, I've realized I don't care
if I have that item or not. Also, I make sure I don't
go crazy buying a lot of stuff that will wind up in a garage sale the next year. I'll look at a t-shirt
that's specific to the location I visited
N1, It's so badly. But no one ever
where's that stuff? Long-term in their hometown. It's things like that, but I prohibit myself or buying. Yet, if you do want to buy something from a retail
shop on the ship, some ships have seals
on certain days for things like watches,
t-shirts, and jewelry. Just ask one of the shop attendance what
day their sale is for, what you're looking for, and they should be able to tell you. But there are things
you might genuinely need during your cruise that's
way cheaper to buy a home. So you can pack it in your
luggage before you leave. Things like
waterproof sunscreen, a charging chord with plug
adapter for your phone. Walkie-talkies to
communicate with the others. You're traveling with. A first aid kit and a bag of basic cold medicines are the things I've
found was helpful. For my first aid kit. I've actually had to use things. I put in it like band-aids
and an ace bandage. And the same thing goes for
the cold medicines bag. I get a gallon size Ziploc
bag and put ibuprofen, allergy tablets, decongestants,
fiber supplements. Yes, I need that because of the higher fat and
quantity of food. That does a number on me. Eventually, seasickness,
medicines and many other things. I've had to use many things
from this cold meds bag. While they do have
a medical clinic on board and some ports
have medicines, it's going to be really
expensive versus having it at your fingertips
for a much cheaper price. And one other item that seems to be going away
compared to yours before our photo sheets or packages that the cruise
line tries to sell you? I don't buy these because I
probably every other adult on a cruise ship have a phone
with an acceptable camera. I just take pics by myself for free or I ask
someone else to take a picture of me and my husband if we can't get everything in the frame ourselves of all
the cruises I've taken. I did get one photo they took and it's because I had a
credit to purchase a photo. Activities like
gambling is a big one. Bingo and art auctions
can also be sinkholes. We did purchase PINKO cars, but we set a limit
and stuck to it. We do the same if we
go to the casino, we've only done that if we
get a free credit and we play the slot machines with it and
stop when the credits out. When we go to art auctions. I've ever purchased art, but I'm not opposed
to that investment. I look online and do some research on the artists
and whether the works, on considering how the
factors that would make them likely to be an
investment in the future. Since there's no crystal
ball that can tell this, I have to really, really love a piece
and get a reasonable, reasonable deal on it. And I need to know
where I'm going to hang it and how off frame it. Since framing it can cost
more than the piece itself. In some instances, if these
things don't add up for me, I don't buy anything. There's only one time I did pass on an artist's work
that I truly regret. So being in love with something like a work of art
that can give you daily joy for the rest of
your life is now a factor. I also consider a
gazillion bingo cards or pulls on a slot machine. Wouldn't do that for me. A work of art could. Now, onto wi-fi or
Internet packages. Unplugging is a great thing
for the mind and the soul. The TV's on cruise
ships usually don't have a whole lot of
programming on them for free. And that's been great for us. It's also been great when
our phones don't tether us to the world were escaping
from while on a cruise. But when we travel
without our kids, we have to be available to touch bases daily to make
sure all as well. When we cruise with our kids, I'm not going to
be buying Wi-Fi, but because so far we
haven't cruised with them. I do the following. I check with my
cell phone provider to make sure I know how much calls will cost and how
much availability all have. I had one young child go to urgent care one night and
grandma was watching them. I could only get a hold
of them on a phone line. So it was good. I knew whether or not I
needed to keep it short. Another thing is Wi Fi packages on cruise ships
can vary greatly. But on some cruises, I just bought a
certain amount of minutes so I could touch face daily and case we weren't in a port that had
cell reception. Most of our ports did, so we only needed to
make a few calls. Other cruise lines
had a Social only packaged for social media
and that was the cheapest. So we said Grandma up with the two social media platforms
to communicate through, and it worked wonderfully. We also were able to give
the kids a tour of the ship. I just assess which option is the most
dependable and viable for our needs and don't get
a package to entertain me. There's enough on
board to do that. Those are the most of the
obvious ways are reasonably priced vacation can turn into a vacation
that causes dead. I think sometimes we'd
go on vacation and throw caution to the wind and an effort to just
let go and relax. We don't want any constraints. We don't want to
tell ourselves know, and have the short time we're on the cruise to be intelligent, maybe even if feels
like it's one of the only times we
can treat ourselves. Others just have a
habit of not worrying about debt and their
vacation is no exception. If the cause for overspending to the
point of going into debt is because someone
doesn't want to have any constraints and
or treat themselves. I personally get
over this temptation by reframing the situation. When it comes to
feeling constrained, I get a high from saving. So I let that be my joy. Instead of spending on things that will only last
in the form of debt. And as far as treating myself, I tried to spread
that over the year. So I don't feel like I have
to go all out on a vacation. I see the cruise with all
the free offerings as my tree and exhaust all those offerings instead
of racking up debt. And I leave the crews happy with no consequences like dead.
7. Transportation Tips: After having cruised
on carnival, Princess Royal, Caribbean,
Holland America, and Norwegian, here are some transportation
tip I learned that seem to be common
among all of them. Yet, since things can vary,
especially post-COVID, it's best to check with
the cruise line or any transportation
provider directly if you want to put any of
these tips into action. All talk mostly about getting
to and from the airport, but touch on flying as well. Regarding flying
into a cruise port, I unfortunately don't
live by a cruise port, so I have to fly into the
city where the port is. I used to fly in the morning of trusting that the airlines
would all be on time. And while it luckily
always worked out, I don't do this anymore. In recent years
that airlines seem to have more and more
delayed flights. So I stay in a hotel
the night before. If you're lucky enough
to live by the port, This of course, is not
a concern for you. But if you don't, I'd
always recommend flying in the night before and
getting a hotel near the port. I also go to the port
as soon as it opens. And surprisingly, it's usually a lot earlier than I expect. That way if they will
allow me to get an earlier and so far they
always have led me. I can have lunch on the ship. If not, then I know I won't
miss my ship and barking, I just get a hotel with a free breakfast load up in case I don't get an earlier than my board time and
take an Uber to the port if the hotel doesn't
offer a free shuttle. Let's talk a bit more about getting to and from
the cruise port. There are several options. First, cruise lines will usually have their own shuttles
to and from the airport. These are large vehicles or buses that can transport
a lot of people. The ship will wait for you
if it's running late is the only option that will ensure you'll get
on the cruise ship. If say there's a huge gridlock
on the roads leading to the port and you can't
get there in time yet. These always cost more than an Uber or Lyft when
I've compared prices, I'm guessing the
luggage processes streamlined when
using their shuttle, meaning you don't have
to give your luggage to the baggage handlers
once you're at the dock. But you'd have to ask the
cruise line if this is true. If it is, That's a nice perk. Secondly, taxes are taxes. The prices can
vary city by city. What I don't like about taxis is that depending on the city, they may have a long wait
time to even get to me. And if the driver wants
to take a longer route to boost up his fair and I'm
unfamiliar with the city. I wouldn't be the wiser. Third, I always use Uber. I wasn't too happy with Lyft in a couple
of cities I used. I know there's no
guaranteed to get to the port or back to
the airport in time, but I usually have plenty of time padded in for
any surprises. The port cities I've been in, there are a ton of uber drivers, but they usually aren't well-versed on where
to drop me off. So I look at advanced at the specifics of
the cruise port. I'll be arriving
at like witch doc, I'll be loading it and
tell my driver of this. I also really like how
quick Uber is from doorstep to doorstep and the pricing is not
unpredictable. Like a taxi can be. If I don't like the driver, I can mention that on
the app or in the tip. And since I budget for my
cruises, I liked that. I can also go on their site
to look up the fair range. If you've never
used them before, you can sometimes get
a discount code from anyone you know who's
used them before. Now onto baggage. We usually don't
carry much luggage. So streamlining the
baggage process isn't a big deal for us. We just put on our luggage tags that I printed out at home. And they usually
have staplers at the cruise ports luggage area to attach them onto our luggage. Lastly, there's one more option. Some pre and post hotel stays include a shuttle or have a
shuttle you can purchase. I've always seen fixed
time that they leave and the ones I've been on our
shared by several hotels, which means you'll wait
in the van as a stop from hotel to hotel unless
you're the last leg. But in that case
you'll be crammed into the last spots on the van. I'm not a big fan of this. But one time the hotel shuttle was free and the port was close, so I opted for it and it was fine with any
transportation provider. There can be implications that luggage might have on your
transportation choice. So make sure you check with the provider if you
have a lot of luggage. I travel light. All these options work well. But I've seen some
amazing amounts of luggage per person at the
port, amazing amounts. The part of this video series that mentioned is luggage tips. We'll touch on this briefly. So before you cruise
login to your account, see what options like discounts the cruise
line has for a shuttle. And think about which
option you want to take. Just make sure you have
some padding in for traffic and flight
delays or cancellations. Unless you're taking a
cruise shuttle owned by the cruise line and they say they guarantee
arrival to the ship. And I'd want that
guarantee and writing on their website and
screenshot that bad boy.
8. Luggage Tips: Having cruised on five of
the major cruise lines, here are some luggage tips I've used that usually worked
with all of them. Yet because things can change,
especially pre post-COVID. Please check with
the cruise line or any other provider if you plan
to use any of these tips, I'll share now about things
like luggage allowances, luggage tags, and implications that luggage has on and
off the cruise ship. When I think about luggage, I consider good-sized purses, backpacks, handbags, boxes of stuff, and
traditional suitcases. Basically any container
that I'll be bringing on an airline transportation
provider and cruise line. Let's look at a couple of things I do before I
leave for my vacation. First, let's talk about the
luggage will be bringing. I've never experienced a
cruise ship having limitations on how much I can bring or
extra charges for them, but I don't bring more than what the airline allows for free. So I'd check with
the cruise line if I were to ever
go beyond that. We all know airlines have very precise specifications
and weight allowances. So make sure you're abiding
by those or you'll have to shell out some money to
get those on the plane. You will probably come home
with some new purchases. So also make sure you have
room for those things. Also, when I'm traveling
with my low kids, there are things like car seats and strollers to factor in. And can I carry a tired kid, a ton of luggage, a car seat, a stroller, even
small distances. The answer would
be no, not sanely. So this is why I've never
brought my kids on a cruise. Not until they get
old enough to drag a wheeled suitcase
on their own and without whining,
we're not there yet. But if you are, I check with the airline and any other
transportation you'll be going on to make
sure you're aware of any charges or size
limitations they have. Secondly, there's the
topic of luggage tags. To get your luggage
tags login to your cruise line account and print off the luggage
tags you'll need. They have the location of
your stateroom on them. So if you have a
guaranteed room rate where your stateroom has
not been assigned yet, then I wait to print them off until a day or so
before I travel. If you choose your
room when you bought your cruise and you don't
have to worry about this. Cruise lines use
luggage tags for everybody because when you're
chopped off at the port, there are porters or baggage handlers all along
the curb of baggage area. They will take your
bags and then later, those bags will show up
outside your state room door, sometimes inside depending
on the cruise line. The porters usually have
staplers available to a fix your printed luggage tags to the handle of your bags. If you don't have
anything to do that with, then they toss your bag to the large wheeled still carriers that you've seen at airports. So people do give these
luggage handlers a tip, have cash if that's your thing. I'd recommend carrying with you what you really can't
afford to lose because you will not have access
to your stateroom right after you board
unless you arrive closer to the embarkation time and the staff has had
time to clean the rooms, the passengers who just got off the ship right
before you came on. And that's usually
why there's a delay. Someone just left your room. Now, if you decide to carry
the luggage onboard yourself, keep in mind that you won't be able to get into
your room right away. So no matter where you go, you'll be tugging those
monstrosities with you. And the passages aren't
wide in generous. We've learned to carry our
backpack with the centrals, maybe even a bathing
suit and a cover up on with us while we're
waiting for our baggage. Because then we can take a
less crowded dip in the pool. You won't need a luggage tag for anything you're carrying
on board yourself. Thirdly, it's a good thing to keep in mind that your amount
of luggage and the ability to carry it will have a bearing on your transportation decisions to and from the port and on
and off the cruise ship. Let's look at the
implications luggage can have on transportation. If you have a ton of luggage and have limitations on your
ability to manage all that, like small children or
physical restraints, then you probably
would be better off opting for the
shuttle bus that the cruise line offers
if they guarantee the ship will wait for you
if they're running late. Another reason to
choose this would be if your cruise line takes your luggage off the shuttle and make sure
it gets to your state room, then you may not have to touch it once they get
their hands on it. And what about getting on
and off the cruise ship? If you are rushed to get to the airport after the crews ends and you have
a ton of luggage. Luggage, just know that
the two combined are are risky endeavor and I'd recommend changing
one or the other. The cruise line will give you
recommendations if asked, on when the latest is that you should schedule your
flight to get to the ship and then to the airport
on the return back home. I'd stick with these guidelines. I haven't found them to be
padded too heavily at all. Then when the very sad day
comes and you have to leave the cruise ship the night before you'll get directions
in your state room. All the cruises and I've been
on have windows a time when you can leave the ship
and you get to choose. I've seen it where
you get where you select a couple of nights
before the cruises over and they bring you the luggage tags
colored for your time. Or you go down to the
guest services area and pick up the
color tied yourself. Since we don't carry
a lot of luggage, I opt for the earliest
time available, which has been the
option to carry your luggage off
the ship yourself. I like this because there are a ton of people on these ships. You feel it painfully
if you have to wait in line at the time when everyone else wants
to get off the ship. But in my experience, the earliest time is
pretty smooth sailing. We just catch a very
early breakfast and the lines aren't bad. But being mindful,
if you opt for the earliest time and
have a lot of luggage, the line winds for a long distance and goes quickly since no one
is in front of you. So you really need to be able to move your luggage quickly. If not, you'll have
people like me, Hayden you and breathing by you while you're
huffing and puffing, you can tell I've had
this happen before. We also one time were so bad that we left first
off the ship because the TSA agents were on strike and they only had half the agents
they usually did. So I can see all these other people piling
up behind us more and more. And my guess is a lot of
people miss their flights, but we were one of the
first in line, so we did. So before you cruise, login to your account, print off all your luggage
tags that you'll need. Fold them as directed and put them with your passport and
other items for the trip. Then plan ahead,
making sure you have enough time to get you and
your luggage to the ship and back home with the amount of effort that will
keep you sane and keep this wonderful experience
pleasant before and after.
9. Dining Tips: After having cruised
on carnival, Princess Royal, Caribbean, Holland America, and Norwegian. Here are some tips
related to dining that I learned and seemed to
work for all of them. But since things can
change from time to time, especially post-COVID, it's best to check
with the cruise line. If you want to put any of
these tips into action, we'll go over dining options, dietary concerns,
and room service. On cruise ships, there are two big categories
of ways to get food. The free dining options
and specialty dining, which are restaurants where
you pay extra to eat there. Regarding the specialty dining, I haven't been impressed
enough to do it again. One time we had dinner at a
specialty dining restaurant. Then we had a fourth meal late at night at
the free buffet. Don't, judge. I found my same entree from the specialty restaurant
at the free buffet. I guess they had leftovers, but I wasn't too happy that I had paid for it
earlier that at night. Nevertheless, I'm sure there are unique offerings at some
specialty restaurants that you'll never find in
the free dining options is specialty dining
is your thing, then go for it. But we now stick to the free dining options
only because one, I can get the specialty
dining experiences in my hometown and to the free dining
options literally have more food than I
could ever imagine. Even trying. And three, I stick to a
budget when I cruise, so free is within my budget. Across all Cruise
Lines I've been on. There are two free options, a buffet and the
seated dining area. Larger ships have had even more like cafes or pizza parlors. The schedule that's
placed in your room by your housekeeper
the night before will tell you all the places you can eat the next day
and their hours. At the buffet, you just sit wherever you want and go
up and search yourself. Most ships have crew members
walking around to bring you drinks that you can usually
get those yourself as well. Getting drinks at the phase can vary cruise line
to cruise line, and even ship to ship
within a cruise line. And there are even
some ships that have crew members walking around with desserts on trays
and the buffet area. But if you want seeded dining where you're served up a
menu than most ships will have you sign up for either anytime dining or
a certain time to eat. I prefer anytime dining
because we don't know what the schedule of
activities will be on the ship. And an assigned time might conflict with what I want to do. In the seated dining areas. You can usually eat
breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Menu might be on your
TV in your room, but we'll definitely be outside the seated dining area
the morning of Yeah. I've found that a good amount of the food that was plated at the seeded dining hall
was also at the buffet? Yes. Fourth meals are
customary when we travel. Keep in mind with seated
dining at and assign time. You'll likely be seated
at the same table every night next to the same people with
the same servers. Like the familiarity
and community, this could bring people at neighboring tables
sometimes tend to talk to each
other in the seat, a dining area, but not
at the buffet seeding. My experience with
anytime dining in this regard has been mixed. Sometimes they try to seed us at the same table with
the same servers. Sometimes not, but we usually
never see the same people. I liked the same servers, but I want to chat with
my hubby, not strangers. So that's another reason
I prefer anytime dining. Now onto dietary concerns, if you are vegan or need
a gluten-free diet, for instance, seeded dining
might be best for you. My friend who cruise
with me on carnival has celiac disease and some very severe allergies
to things like chicken. So she ordered her dinner
meals at lunchtime every day, and she said it was
so freeing to have an allergy allergy free
meal with no worries. For me, I have a wheat allergy. The buffet staff really
tried to accommodate, but I've found ordering meals in advance that the ceded area is much more predictable
on what I can safely eat. Some cruise lines
have placed us with the same servers and
they actually Remember to bring me gluten-free
bread every time if you have
severe allergies, my experiences have been that the seated dining area is better equipped and trained on
accommodating needs. The service is amazing
on cruises and they bend over backwards
to please the customer. So please express your
gratitude to them. I've seen some customers
act entitled in rude and it's just
downright disgusting. You can tip certain crew members
for exceptional service. And from my experience, the servers who have paid particular attention to
my allergy deserve it. Now to room service. This has changed since I
started cruising in 2016. At that time, the
cruise lines I went on provided room
service for free, but that started
changing over time. So if you heard from
someone who cruised a while ago that you can get room
service for free at any time. Please don't count on it. Check with your cruise
line on any charges, what options they may have, and what times they offer
it before you can on using room service because you might miss your assigned
dining time e.g. and not have any food available. So before you cruise
login to your account and choose anytime dining or
a specific time to eat. If you want to use
the seat of dining. If not, then usually
there aren't any reservations
you need to make, but keep in mind, some
specialty restaurants may work on reservations. So you'll want to check on
that once you get on board. If you have a particular one, you want to go to.
10. Drink Package Tips: Having cruised on five of
the major cruise lines, here are some tips on buying a drink package or not that I've used that have usually
worked on all of them yet because
things can change, especially post-COVID,
please check with the cruise line before you
plan to use any of these tips. Let's start with what drinks are generally free on cruise ships. Milk and orange juice are usually always
available at breakfast, maybe even some more juices. Then after breakfast,
you can usually get tea, coffee, water, and lemonade. If you go this route to only how the free offerings,
don't forget, you can also make your
own Arnold Palmer's by mixing eliminate and T
giving you one more option. There are some shifts that offer flavored waters or juices
during the day as well. You can get these from
dining places or even order them from any
bar, all for free. At the free offerings
won't do it for you. You can buy drinks all a cart. Most cruise lines have
alcoholic drink specials of the day where you can get a lower-cost on some
drink they've chosen. Also, if you're
frugal and enjoy art, our oxygens can be fun. And at least once
during your cruise and oxygen might have
free champagne. Just sign up on the first
day of the cruise with the art auction people and
they'll put their notices in your state rooms so
you know when they are or there are different
levels of drink packages. We've bought the
soft drink package before that doesn't include
any alcoholic drinks, so it's usually the
cheapest package. But when my husband used
the soft drink package, we got the final bill. I add it up with the
cost of each drink was separately and what
it would have cost had we done it that way, and we usually just broke even. So we stopped buying
the drink package for future cruises. And he not only limited his
soft drink consumption, which was an overall
goal he had, but he got to treat
himself when he wanted to be aware of any
drink package limit. Read the fine print are asked to cruise line agent
before you cruise, what any limits
are before buying. You can often get a discount on a drink package if you buy it before you cruise,
but not always. That also means you
could likely not get refunded if you change your
mind once you get on board. These are good questions to ask a cruise line or travel agent. Sometimes there are
even specialists as you're going from the cruise
terminal to the boarding, to boarding on the ship. Then there's another option to getting drinks
on your cruise. Some cruise lines
will let you bring a certain amount of bottled or canned drink
items, alcoholic and non. But most will charge you a fee for things
like wine bottles. You can find these details
on their website or by calling an agent
before you cruise, log into your account. See what options like discounts the cruise line
has for drink packages. And think about what you
might want and if there's an advantage to buying a
package beforehand or not, or if they allow you to bring your drinks of your
choice on the ship. A trip to Walmart or a
pharmacy the morning before your trip might be an order to buy those and
bring them on board with you.
11. Excursion Tips: After having cruise on carnival, Princess Royal, Caribbean, Holland America, and Norwegian. Here are some excursion
tips I've used that seem to be common
among all of them. Since things can vary,
especially post-COVID, it's best to check with
the cruise line if you want to put any of
these tips into action. What's an excursion anyway? It's just an activity, a guided tour or the like that you do in the short time
you'll be in the port. It could be anything
from a snorkeling or scuba diving trip to a
guided tour around the city. Usually you'll have less
than a day in a port. So people pay to have
all the planning and transportation and required a kit equipment done for them. You have options on how to purchase the excursions
you want to go on. I've done all of
these options below, but the first I'll talk
about is what has become my preference buying through the cruise lines
choice of excursions. When you buy excursions from
the cruise line directly, you're limited to some degree on what options are available. But I've found the cruise line covers the majority of
the most popular options. It's really in their
best interests to do so because they get a cut
from your purchase. Keep in mind that
it's best to book before the crews leaves
because I've found the most popular
excursions have sold out on me when I
haven't done this. Some cruise lines offer a
discount if you buy early, but read the fine print on
the cancellation policy. Your online account with
the cruise line will show you what excursions
are available for your ceiling and you can sign
up right there if you get sick or unable to
go on the excursion once you're outside the
cancellation window, you probably won't
get your money back. I would ask for an
onboard credit if it was truly outside of your
control, like you've got sick. But there's usually
a window where you can cancel and get
your money back. This is something
I'd ask about before buying buying the cruise lines excursions
is the only option I choose now because
they guarantee that the ship won't leave
without me if they're late. I've personally seen
the ship not leave for hours due to one excursion
of theirs being late. And I was on that excursion. If you take a tour with some independent
vendor or you are just gala Banting
across the city on your own and didn't
get back in time. I've been on cruises where
they left people at the port. It happens and it's
costly and price scary, like with any tip. Make sure this is still their policy
before you count on it. Secondly, you can buy excursions
through a travel agent. One cruise I went on
was booked through a very experienced
travel agent who had been on a ton
of cruises himself. He sent a nice e-mail letting me know of a partnering
organization that sells excursions cheaper and we're more varied than the
cruise lines offerings. This organization guaranteed in writing that they would pay for me to get back to the ship if the
unexpected occurred. It sent a great right. He's with American
Express Travel. So they definitely have their
stuff together, I thought. But note the difference. They pay for me to get back to the ship if they
cause me to miss it, that's still means I miss it. They can't control traffic, broken down vehicles, crime, or any other reason
that could prevent me from getting back to
the ship on time. I usually go to the
Caribbean where Uber isn't acceptable to
pick me up as a backup. The same luxuries you might be used to where you
live likely don't exist in some countries and flights aren't as varied
and regular as the US. So I'll be paid to get back
to the ship at the next port. But that's not the type of vacation I want if I can
prevent it and buying through the cruise
line prevented that bad possibility
from happening. So I didn't purchase through my travel agent who by the way, encouraged me to buy through partnering organization because the better
choices at costless. But he never once pointed out this distinction that I just did all that to say it's
good to think through any risks you'll be taking in a country that's not your own. People are driven by profit and sometimes they just
don't think through things like you
might if you were stuck in some
country on your own. Thirdly, in addition
to your travel agent, tripadvisor.com or
local folks have excursions that are guaranteed to get you back to the ship. And you can find them online. Many times they're cheaper. Just be careful the vendors who are locally owned and operated. On some of my first cruises. I went on some excursions
through tripadvisor.com, but I made sure they were four-and-a-half or more stars and that they had a
ton of reviewers. I've actually done some
with just local folks. And these are things
that I found out from the port visitors booth,
and those were fine. But I'd make sure the source has something to lose or
is very credible. This isn't Kansas Toto, and if you buy outside
the cruise line, I'm making sure there's
a guarantee and writing via an e-mail sent
from the guarantors email account because people
can change their website at anytime and that might be
your only documentation. Lastly, in ports I've
been to multiple times. I have chosen to
go it on our own. But it's places like Grand
Cayman where it's safe. The tourist area is right
off the ports doc and I learned where to go and how to get there from
being there before. I also don't worry so much about ports that are
part of my country. Or maybe I know
locals who live there and or have an embassy
right by the port. But I have a degree in
international relations, have lived on
multiple continents, have friends and or business contexts and some
countries that I visited, I speak some of the languages
of the places I visit. And my husband
grew up in Europe, speaks another
language on top of mine and does not a week
looking man to say the least. So I feel okay due to those
things adventuring on my own when I've been there before
to get the lay of the land and the US State Department
says the port is pretty safe, but I know it's always a
risk to travel on our own, so I gauge that risk accordingly and recommend
others to do the same. Now, let's talk
about how to choose an excursion that will
be a good fit for you. And those you're going with with one cruise lines,
Holland America line. I had never gone on this
cruise line before, but was going to buy my
excursions through them. I looked at their
website and they had how many seats were remaining
for each excursion. I loved that. I figured again, you a view into what are good shore excursions. So this was one of the factors I use to select what I wanted. Until I got on board. Fellow passengers kept
mentioning how young we were. Daily activities were
shuffleboard and the like. I was bored out of my
mind because I was expecting carnival enroll
Caribbean level fun. I then looked at the
excursion choices from another point of view. Saw those were more
sedentary choices. So I wound up picking the unpopular ones that
were much more active. All that to say, keep in mind
that the demographics of your fellow passengers will dictate some of the excursion
choices and don't do it. I didn't choose the excursions
that are the most popular unless there's an interest
in demographic match to you. Last, we'll talk
about things you might want to bring
on your excursion. The first thing is food. If you're frugal, the food
on board is all you can eat. So you can bring some Ziploc
bags with you from home and pick up some
sandwiches and fruit to eat while you're
on your excursion, or just looking
around at the port. Not only can save money on food, but if you have diet
restrictions like I do, or even kids who are
really picky eaters. You can choose food that
fits your needs since the local cuisine might not fit your restrictions or
your kid's interests. Secondly, I bring some water with me because it can get hot. And so countries and clean
water might not be purified well or even limited
in some areas, I bring a disposable
and empty water bottle from home with a
water bottle holder that has a cross body strap. I fill it on the ship before
I leave for the excursion. Another thing, if I'm going on a beach or water excursion, I bring a gallon size Ziploc
bag for my wet clothes. The rest of my items
don't get wet. But for towels, you usually don't need to
bring one of your own from home because the ship
will usually let you bring a towel of their own
for your excursion. Just check with your, your ship first to make sure they do this and make sure you don't lose it because you'll
pay a hefty fee. Though all the cruise
lines lines I've been on allow the towel rental thing. I bring a microfiber towel of
my own because it's so much more compact and dries quickly compared to
their fluffy towels. There are so many other things
to bring when you're on these excursion buses and the seating is not really large, the more comfortable
I can be, the better. The last thing you might want to bring is money for
your tour guides. Though it's never been
required on any of the tours. I've gone on. Sometimes you might get that stellar tour guide who you want to thank
in the form of a tip. The cruise members who are
at the excursions desk can advise on what's appropriate if you want to be
prepared to do this. They can also tell you if
you need more cash or if credit cards are usually accepted at the places you'll
be going to at the port. When I travel in the Caribbean, there are usually a lot
of artists and markets, and I like to get
art made by locals, so cash is usually more
appropriate for that. But the ports like Grand Cayman will take credit cards
all over the place. So bringing a good
amount of cash and credit cards on board
is usually what I do. There are safe in the cabins, so I keep my valuables in there at all times
and bring only in the amount of
cash I think I'll need to bring to the ports. So before you cruise
login to your account, see what options like discounts the cruise line has
for excursions. And think about what you might want and if there's any
advantage to bind one beforehand or not noticing
the cancellation policy, then plan what you need for each excursion and
be prepared for fun.
12. Conclusion: Now that you have a
better idea about the ins and outs of cruising,
What's next? Well, you have a
couple of options. First, I hope you share either
what you've learned from these videos about any cruises
you're planning to go on, or even tips you've
learned yourself. Secondly, I'd love to answer
any questions you have, so please let me
know if you have any and I'll get back to you. And lastly, we will have
more videos coming out, so please follow us so you'll
know when they're out. No matter what
cruise you choose. Hopefully, you'll be
able to go on one soon, and that will be a memorable time that you can cherish for the
rest of your life. Bone by ij.
Aprosae - Michelle West, Training / Consulting / Speaking
