A question that many people ask is how best to save money when booking a cruise and whilst on board. Here are a few of my top tips for making your hard earned cash stretch a little further whilst you’re on holiday.
Try A Repositioning Cruise
Repositioning cruises take place when cruise ships need to relocate from one region to another and mainly take place in the spring or autumn when ships move from one continent to another. They usually tend to sail from one port directly to another with very few, or no ports of call at all.
This is the reason why they tend to be very cheap and can offer great value for money for people who are more looking to relax and enjoy the cruise experience. As repositioning cruises have many more sea days than regular cruises there tends to be a whole host of extra activities and themed events on board that can keep passengers occupied throughout the duration of their journey.
Consider Booking a Drinks Package
One of the most costly things you spend money on whilst you’re on board a cruise ship is drinks, especially if you’re a fan of a tipple or two to accompany your holiday experience. Most cruise lines offer drinks packages which allow you to buy soda, wine or other drinks all together and save on the total price.
Most cruise lines offer soda packages which can be useful if you’re travelling with children. Wine packages can be great value for money if you enjoy a fine wine with dinner. If you opt for a wine package and open a bottle of wine with dinner that you don’t want to finish that evening, the waiters will be happy to cork it for you to keep for the following evening, or you can take it with you to enjoy in one of the ship’s bars after dinner.
Are Shore Excursions Necessary?
Another thing many people spend large amounts of money on during their cruise holiday is shore excursions booked through their cruise line. Whilst these can be exciting, interesting and are easy as all of the research is done for you, they can be very expensive. Often it’s far cheaper and more rewarding to plan your own itineraries for a day in port. Doing your own thing in port allows you to spend time seeing the things you’d like to see and they are far more flexible than organised tours where you must adhere to set times and set routes.
They allow you to linger over lunch if you desire, spend an extra half hour seeing that attraction you’ve been dying to see, or skip over the things you aren’t too interested in. After all, it’s your holiday so you should spend your time doing the things you want to do instead of simply following the crowd.
Images courtesy of MSC Cruises
Thanks Emma
