Cruising is one of the most inexpensive
ways to holiday. Transport between
destinations, all meals and most
entertainment options are paid for in the
voyage fare. However, for the thrifty
traveller there are a few ways that you
can cut down your onboard spending
and ensure that you are not bowled over
by your onboard account bill.
• Whilst almost every cruiser agrees that
the food included in their fare, which is
often served in a ‘main dining restaurant’,
is excellent, most do like to branch out
and eat at one of the extra-fee restaurants
at least once during their voyage. If you
are planning on doing this, your best bet is
to have a look into pre-purchase
restaurant packages which can save you
anything from 10-30% off the price of the
fee you would pay for walk-in meals once
onboard. Check with your travel agent, or
with the cruise line directly, if they offer
these packages, and then spend some
time comparing the price of the package
to the fee onboard. You may be surprised
by how much you could save.
• If you have a large family who like to gulp
soft drinks then you may want to consider
a beverage package, as you can save a few
extra pennies by paying an upfront fee for
drinks. If you don’t plan on having a lot of
extra drinks, and instead may only have
one or two a day, then you will probabally
be best served financially by steering clear
of the pre-pay packages and just buying
individual drinks.
• Some cruise lines will let you BYO a few
bottles of wine onboard, however they
will usually charge a nominal corkage fee
for the privilege. Not all cruise lines allow
this and CW advises that you check first
the rules of BYO to avoid a rude shock
when you try to board laden with five or
six bottles from your pantry or the local
store.
• If you are wanting to do shore excursions
but are concerned about the cost, look for
cruises that include excursions in their
upfront cost. Another option is to look at
cruises which pull into ports that are
within walking distance or have easy
transport access to key sites.
