Cruising - Bargain Hunting

 

One might be amazed by this, but many cruise line price their cruises below the costs incurred to provide many cruisers with the services they’ll get while on cruising.  Food, Housekeeping, Entertainment, and Security are some of the expenses incurred by the cruise line on every sailing.  To find bargains, one must first answer the following question:

How does a sailing make money for the cruise line?

First, one must look at the goods and services sold on the ship, as well as how the finances of a cruise line are structured.  However, one should focus on the pricing of a cruise and its goods and services to figure out where bargains can be found.

Many products on cruise ships are either “overpriced” or supplied via “underpaid” labor.  For example, one can get a “free” beverage package with NCL’s “Free at Sea” promotion.  All a cruiser must do is pay the gratuities for the package.  But how much alcohol can a non-alcoholic drink?  When I priced the beverage package option for “Free at Sea”, I found that I would need to consume 3 alcoholic drinks per fay to cover what NCL was charging me for the gratuities.  It would be cheaper for me (in most cases) to buy a separate soft drink package, and buy an occasional alcoholic beverage outside of this deal.  Another product that is often overpriced is the photography package.  Most of the time, people will not look at the novelty pictures taken on the cruise.  Yet, I found that for the one or two times I wanted a nice picture of myself, the $25/picture was a tolerable price to pay.

Alcohol and photography are among the many things that can take money out of a cruiser’s pocket.  But the big money makers (based on sales floor area) are Jewelry, Watches, Alcohol (bottled spirits and liquors), and Cigarettes.  A smart cruiser will compare prices on the ship with those on land (both at home and in foreign cruise ports) to determine whether the on-ship store has a better value than that found on land.  On one cruise, I was in St. Thomas and found that I could buy a larger bottle of Grand Marnier at a lower price than I could buy it on the ship.  Since I do not buy cigarettes, jewelry or expensive watches, I cannot say much about cruise line prices from personal experience.  But I can say that if it did not have a high markup, it would not be sold on the ship unless it was absolutely necessary.  So, I avoid buying anything from the ship’s stores unless I need those items and can not wait to get them at the next port.

Another area where one can spend a lot of money is in the ship’s spa.  Although some of the prices may be reasonable, the spa is staffed with low priced labor.  This allows the cruise line to maximize its profits selling services to people who want to be pampered.

Lastly, we come to the casino.  Almost all the standard land based games can be found in a ship’s casino, as well as a few more games not found on land.  Since I do not gamble much, I walk through this area on the way to somewhere else.  When I do gamble, I always remember that the odds are often not as good as would be found in a land based casino.  The slots are often very tight, and some of the table games may have different payouts than found on land.

So, how do we find bargains before booking the cruise and while on the cruise?

First, one can use sites such as vacationstogo.com and cruiseplum.com to track cruise prices and hunt for discounts.  Recently, I did a search for cruises which had pre-paid gratuities included in the price.  When I booked such a cruise, I saved $140 on the net total price of the cruise.  Next, I check to see whether the services I want from “premium” fare options (such as NCL’s “Free at Sea” or Princess’s “Premier” upgrade options) are priced low enough to make them worth buying instead of the basic cruise fare.  Recently, I booked a cruise where the basic fare and the “premium” fare option was being sold at the same price.

Then, I would look at selecting a “Guaranteed” cabin in a selected category.  This is usually cheaper than selecting a specific cabin.  However, this may preclude one from getting any of the goodies associated with a “premium” fare option.  Yet, I have seen some fare options where one will get a guaranteed cabin with the benefits of a premium fare. 

If one wants a selected cabin type, but is willing to make sacrifices, consider an “Obstructed View” cabin.  On one cruise out of Brooklyn, my partner got a balcony with an obstructed view.  We could see the New York City skyline, but couldn’t see Governor’s Island due to the lifeboat in front of us.  Most of these cabins are not created equal, and some are better than others.  One of my favorites, and one I hope to book one day is found on some Royal Caribbean ships, is the Ben and Jerry’s Sweet. Since the Ben and Jerry’s display blocks this cabin’s view of the promenade, Royal Caribbean compensates the cruiser with one free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream treat each day.   Not bad compensation, indeed!

Instead of cruising in peak seasons, I would look for cruises in shoulder seasons.  For example, peak season for Alaskan cruising is in June, July, and August.  I would consider an Alaskan cruise in April, May, September and October. Not only does one avoid the headaches of peak season, but one can cruise at a much lower price.  Each region has peak and shoulder seasons, so a bargain hunter will continually track fares for both peak and shoulder seasons and choose a cruise that meets the selected price point.

If sea days on a cruise are more important than port days, one can consider repositioning cruises to save money.  However, one must ask whether the money saved on the cruise is lost in airfare.  In many cases, the price for a one-way flight can be more than a round trip ticket.  So, this may not be a cost saving option for all cruisers.