Personally I cannot see ever paying for a meal at any of the specialty restaurants since meals are already included elsewhere.

We cruise off season also.. our group of 4 are retired... bags are always packed

Just a note - don't forget to look at public transit options. In Miami, I stayed a few days after my cruise, and taking transit from downtown to the airport was easy - one elevated train for $4.25 - and for getting around the city, they have a whole system of trolley routes are free!

Each person has to decide what’s important to them. Personally I travel solo. I book early and I book an inside cabin. I skip specially dining. I can eat out at home cheaper. Being on the ship is my priority!! All the entertainment I want on the ship!! My home city doesn’t have entertainment.

10:55… but that poor robot bartender has robot kids and a wife back at the factory that he’s supporting!

I love your cute little numerical interludes.

A caveat with respect to gift cards: If you need to get a refund before the cruise, gift card payments come in the form of gift cards, not cash. And you might need to have proof of purchase. So save the record of purchase. And plan to take another cruise in the future to use those gift cards. Now a disclaimer: I use them to help pay for my cruises too.

Have used and am using the AARP discount cards. Best value and so easy to use !

I don’t go to any of the specialty restaurants. I have in the past but they really weren’t any better than the MDR. I already paid for the food in the buffet and MDR so that is where I eat. Since Covid I have only had one bad experience in the MDR where the steak was so tough it was inedible. I let the server know and I got a new steak and the server made sure that the chef knew and gave me a great cut.

I've been using the AARP gift cards to pay for my cruise since last year! Saved a bunch!

I think people (including me) misuse the drink package. It also includes bottled water, fresh OJ, soda package and specialty coffee at ANY BAR, ANYWHERE! No more running to find a soda machine or going up to the Jammer to fill your water bottle you have to carry everywhere. You can just ask any waiter anywhere for water or a coffee or Coke Zero and get it and there is no tip because the cost of the package includes gratuity.

Thanks So Much For The Great Advice Tips And Treats. 😮🎉

I have prided myself on saving money since I started cruising right after Covid, only transatlantic on both Royal and Princess. The only extras I've purchased have been internet on sea days, and some specialty dining. No alcohol onboard, no photos, no cruise line excursions, no on-board shopping. Solo inside cabins. I did buy gift cards for paying the cruise fare on Princess, but I did so at the grocery with a card that gives 4x points; not quite as good as AARP's 8% off (not 10% any more). But I didn't know they also have RCL gift cards, which I don't find at the grocery. But there are rules about RCL cards that need to be followed closely.

Thanks! Love You Videos~ Keep It Up!

Thanks you, the AARP tips is a good one.

I find cruising to be a great deal overall. Accommodations, great food options, entertainment, trivia, game shows, pools. All included. I stay away from drink packages, choosing to bring soda and wine when allowed. Avoiding purchasing internet. Avoiding specialty dining and photos. Sailing off season. All makes for a very affordable and fun vacation. AND, your greatest hit using AARP. I’ve save hundreds thanks to your video. Nice new transitions. Clever.

We went to the BLOW HOLE also about 15 to 20 years ago. It was not a good experience. One thing stood out at the full on shopping was a shop that had "We cheet um less" sign on top of their store. Great video thank you.

For Port Miami and Port Everglades you may be able to use Brightline to stay in Aventura, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Orlando before the cruise and then take the Brightline train to the particular station and then Uber or Lyft to the port. Princess Cruises has a free shuttle from the train station to the port.

I like your channel. 100k is coming

Rakuten gives cash back on cruises, then use your AARP card to get your discount, then be sure to get your military obc.

We just got off a Carnival sailing and we went to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The last time we went to Jamaica was 15 years ago to Ocho Rios and then the vendors were very aggressive. Now, the state department has given Jamaica a level 3 travel warning (reconsider travel) due to crime and sketchy medical facilities. My wife stayed on the ship and i just went to the shops in the secure port area. I found everything we were wanting and we got them at a fair price and no aggression. Going to Alaska soon and i know that sailing will be a much more different vibe.

I always add extra gratuities, but I would love to see transparency as to who and where the money actually goes. My gut tells me that a portion is kept by the cruise line.

Thanks

At Amber cover we were a group of 4 then 2 others from the ship joined us.. we haggle our taxi price and got the city tour for 15$ per person... ship price was way way way more...

Paying for early check in / boarding. I looked into it for our first cruise, and after looking around and then asking the Mrs. She said she would rather go to the ship a bit later, not have to sit and wait after checkin and pretty much just walk on board. WE didnt have to wait in much of a check in line at 1130, and sure, others got on board before us. But it was really nice not having to wait for boarding to start, even if we would have been one of the first on board. If it came with some other perk, MAYBE would be worth it, but nah, not to us.

I have cruise news. Regent Seven Seas is now offering an option for coach plane seats as well as their standard business class option. The prices are on the website as of yesterday.

sorry, on short cruises i have no need to leave suite, we pay for the room, the experience the feet up holiday, the perks. each there own

My wife and I went on the La Bufadora excursion about 10 years ago and the part I remember the most about it was the homemade tacos we got right by the parking lot . Homemade tortillas were amazing!

We did La Bufadora back in Feb 23. We really enjoyed it. The vendors are aggressive, no doubt, but it helps that my daughter speaks Spanish. They warm up to that, and even offer discounts. It's not something we need to do again, but for a 1-time thing, we liked it.

Celebrity's ground transportation saved me and about 18 others on a flight from Florida to board Celebrity in Seattle for an Alaskan cruise. The airline was the issue and this ship knew of it so waited. Had myself and four others NOT been booked through Celebrity the ship would not have delayed departure. Literally a dozen others who were going to take Uber or a cab were allowed to board the bus and they were VERY GRATEFUL, they'll always book transportation with Celebrity henceforth.

You know the old joke: What does Ensenada mean in Spanish? It means "stay on the ship."

I started donating plasma again and use those funds to purchase aarp gift cards. I earn $95 a week donating twice a week. I’m getting 10% off my cruise and Biolife foots the bill for 2 hours a week of my time. Win Win!

Agree with the gratuity gouging. I am a member of AARP but am wishing that they had NCL gift cards since the past few cruises have been with them. Though we will probably be switching to HAL, Celebrity, or Viking for future cruises.

Viking is the worst . They cancelled a major part of cruise 3 weeks prior to departure. We lost a bundle . It was our first ocean cruise and probably our last. Viking don’t care either that they said we should have cancelled. Never cruise Viking.

Regarding ship WiFi. It’s pretty easy to bypass the streaming restrictions with the basic plan, by using a VPN. 6:31

Check out train and bus line prices to get from the cruise port to the airport. I paid less than $18 to make a 2 hour trip from ship to airport. The cruise shuttle was about 5x as expensive.

I actually enjoyed La Bufadora. I had the best greasy fried something or other there (and I bought some, uh, pharmaceuticals that I can't get at home.

Biggest gouge: Gratuities. FFS 🤦‍♂️, just like restaurants, roll gratuities into the overall price of the product (the cruise 🚢)…..like port fees and taxes. I want one price when I click on a cruise, and I don’t want to pull out a calculator. I tip cash for extra or superior service as required while on cruises, and half the time I get them already included in the overall price.

Great information for us cruisers - do you have any tips for trying solo cruising? What ships offer studios besides NCL?

Try inquiring internet with your cell phone provider. I paid $100. For 7 nights cruise instead of paying $350. On the cruise for internet.

I love going to a specialty restaurant a couple of times on a longer cruise. It’s worth it to us.

Note: With most cruise lines there is a corkage fee per bottle of wine/champagne applied - from around 15.00 to 30.00 $. Tip: Check cruise contract.

I don’t think I should have to tip somebody that doesn’t give me service like the maître D

Viking scammed us on air fare on our Dec 2023, Amazon and Caribbean adventure. We chose to do the extra night and airfare with Viking. They cancelled the Brazil portion of the trip but never adjusted the air fare. When checking flights it would have cost us $340 a person round trip instead they scammed us for $999. It was a disaster since no one would help . Any ideas people how to get my money back. Will never recommend Viking a complete rip off . 😮

I'm going on my first cruise with one of my friends. We're doing RC. We got the key because it was only a couple dollars more expensive than the internet package and she needs internet just in case anyone needs to reach her about her kid (he'll be with his dad). We're doing a specialty dining one night because we've started a tradition of getting hibachi when she comes to visit. I have on board credit from playing a cell phone game that will pay for it, though.

I saw the 'blow hole' in Kauai and was much better than the one in Mexico.

4:05…NORWEGIAN DOES NOT allow you to bring on a 12-pack of soda

I had a bad experience using the gift cards. It can only be used for the base cruise and and my TA took forever to get it to go through.

Cruises are worse than a trip to Disney because they are always trying to get into your wallet, but on a cruise there is no escape as you are confined to a floating rip off.

I skip the drinks package. Too many calories. I am happy with water and tea. I am happy that drunks spend hundreds of dollars to subsidize my cruise.

I have been cruising since 1981/82, when alcoholic drinks were included! Apparently, AA members complained about paying for alcohol they couldn’t consume, but the cruise prices never changed, drinks just became additional. However, cruising is still less expenses than going to a single destination for the same amount of time. And if you travel with the same cruise line repeatedly, you earn a variety of upgrades!!!

Who do I contact for discounts on senior citizens and military. I have already booked my cruise on Royal Carribean

I'd say the biggest gouge is not being explicit with what is and is not included in drink packages. For example, that welcome on board drink is likely not included in the package

I never would heft soda cans or wine bottles arround only to save a couple of bucks. It's vacation, and yes I do pay for comfort.

I would like to pose an alternative way of thinking about booking a suite on a short cruise...as this is what my wife and I do 2-3 times per year. We sail on Celebrity..and when you are comparing the cost of a regular balcony cabin to a suite in The Retreat...you have to also take into consideration what that comes with in addition to the actual cabin. We get a premium drink package and get to eat in Luminae for every meal we want to, which is the same as eating specialty dining for every meal in my opinion... If you were already planning to buy a drink package and eat at some specialty restaurants...the total cost for upgrading to a suite is well worth it...and in total is nowhere near the difference in prices you just showed as a comparison....yours was not an apples to apples comparison.

Not to mention summer and holidays are a floating daycare

Internet: expensive but I have no choice. It's either fast expensive internet so I can work on my laptop or else it's no cruise at all.

Nowadays I think specialty dining has become a rip-off, it used to be that when you paid for a restaurant on board the pricing felt like they took into consideration the fact that you had to pay to be on board to begin with. But now all cruise lines have drastically increased the cost per person for specialty dining which now feels to be on par with land Restaurant pricing so you no longer feel like you're getting a special experience at a special price.

Don't buy the welcome aboard cake that they send to your stateroom. Remember they have fresh baked deserts all over the ship.....

Internet on a flight can be way higher for a few hours .

We don't cruise from may to August ..the early we book the better the price

Onboard spa services usually suck and are underequipped, nice lady tore up my face without using any steam. Make a spa appointment ashore where you can read reviews first.

Ensenada exists strictly as a legal stop. It's the closest foreign port to the south west coast. There is NO reason to get off the ship.

Tips for robo bartenders,still need service and refilling supplies.

Carnival I prepaid gratuities. Then I bought the soda package with gratuities. I got part of a can with a slip to add gratuities on. Seriously? Less than a can with several gratuities.

We are cruising in September and I have learned that if I want to drink a Root Beer on RC then I need to bring my own onboard. We had 3 port stops and no one had it in stock. It's not being cheap if the cruise line doesn't carry the product that you want so bring your own.

I'm through. enough is enough. $13 drinks? no more

NCL sold ATV ride excursion to us on line. On day of excursion was turned away because we were too old. Cruise desk no refund, we should have read details on ticket and ask for refund 2 days before day of excursion

On seven or 12 night cruises get the drinks package.

About the taxi ride. We found that out first time ever in Barcelona. Spain. The hotel was 4.1 miles from the airport. The guy kept getting lost by time he got there. He tried to charge me $110 Euros?. I told him to F off and told him I'm giving him $20 or I'm calling the police. He took that 20 listen, be learned. The cabbies are ripped off Artist in barcelona spain.

4:35 why accept this thievery? Cruise lines are so greedy

If you are retired military or affiliated with the military - that is the steepest discount there is, beats AARP by a mile.

didnt help

Everything about a cruise is a gouge.