Based on the messages I get every week I know one of my favourite “secret weapons” is already saving
passengers I have told it about it hundreds of dollars, pounds, or Euros. And even if you
know that one, I’m positive the five others will make your cruise dollars go further and
should transform every cruise you go on. Just as they did this one I am on now! As I will explain.
Welcome aboard Holland America Oosterdam, if you don’t know me, I am Gary Bembridge
My first set of “secret weapons” are all things I use to save or use money better.
Starting with a quick word about the one I have told some about.
All smart cruisers track their fares using an easy-to-use method. You can save big money this
way, I got back $1,800 off an Azamara cruise last year when they cut fares below what I had paid.
After you book, fares change based on demand. If the ship is filling up, fares go up. If it isn’t,
fares go down. If the price falls, I always ask the line for the lower fare,
extra on-board credit, or an upgrade. Most times I get it.
My secret – and simple - weapon to track my fares is using Cruisewatch.com,
Cruiseline.com or CruiseCritic.com. I have an article on how to set these up on my website,
so check that out. It could be return hundreds of dollars, pounds, or Euros to you.
I did that for this cruise and saw fares went up versus what I paid so nothing back this time.
But another secret weapon helped me tackle another big cost on this cruise,
and not only make savings but have a way better time and experience.
I am on a 14-night Holland America Oosterdam cruise around South America.
I saw before coming the excursions would easily have added up to $1,500 to the trip per person,
as they range from $100 to $200 each. Here’s what I did instead.
First, I looked at CruiseTimetables.com. Like for every trip, I inputted this
cruise to see how many ships would be in each port at the same time.
Knowing helps me decide the best thing to do in every port. Stay
on the ship because it's going to be manically busy? Self-explore because
it’s not going to be that crowded? Or find an excursion that helps me avoid the crowds?
On my last cruise, Regent Seven Seas Caribbean,
it made a huge difference knowing. For example, I saw in Barbados there would be six mega ships in,
and it estimated there would be between 15,000 and 20,000 cruise passengers. I knew that many
would head to Harbour Lights beach area. So, I choose an excursion which avoided that.
On this trip, I could see only one small Viking or Saga ship would be in ports at the same time,
so self-exploring or any excursions would be fine.
So then knowing this, I then used probably one of my favourite weapons of all. It’s also the
least attractive looking of all these secret weapons of mine, but boy is it brilliant.
It’s called WhatsInPort.com and it covers every port of every size. It
tells you about where the ship docks, the facilities, watch outs, what to see and do,
how to get to the best sights, and even has a map of the port area to download.
I found it a goldmine for this trip as other than Ushuaia,
I have not been to any of the ports. And from this I discovered what I wanted to
see, and what I needed an excursion for and what I could do myself.
For example, based on their suggestions for Montevideo, I wanted to go to the Carnival Museum
and Plaza de la Independencia. They showed one was right by the port and the other walking distance,
and so I could do it on my own, avoiding the costly excursion the line offered.
WhatsInPort.com is absolutely one of the best weapons I use to help me get the most from a port.
Once I looked at that site, I checked the cruise line excursions, seeing what they're offering.
On my this Oosterdam South America trip,
WhatsinPort.com made it clear some of the best sights were some distance away.
So, in those ports I looked at what the line offered, but before booking as some were pricey,
like the $350 trip I wanted to do in Punta Arenas Chile to Magdalena
Island and Penguin Reserve, I turned to another of my cost saving weapons.
And that is checking what two independent providers I have found reliable over the
years offered. One is VentureAshore.com and the other is ShoreExcursionsGroup.com.
I just put in Holland America, selected Oosterdam,
and my departure date, and it gave me all the excursions that they offer in each port.
I found more diverse and niche excursions than through Holland America,
ranging from an Argentinean cooking class run by a famous local chef in Buenos Aires
to a heritage tour in Montevideo targeted at the Jewish community.
As an aside, here’s other secret weapon I use in warmer climates,
like that Regent Caribbean trip I mentioned earlier. I love beach and
resorts days on warm cruises, and while cruise lines sell these excursions,
ResortPass.com has a choice of resorts, and better and fancier ones, at much less cost.
Before more money saving secret weapons of mine, I want to talk about something most
cruisers know about but don’t know it’s power. I see smart cruisers use it in a very specific way
And that is Cruise Critic. I don't use Cruise Critic for the reviews. I use it
for three other things, and again for this trip.
First, it is an incredible way for getting
answers to very specific questions about your cruise, ship, or cabin.
I'm often asked questions that are so
specific or time-sensitive it’s impossible to know the answer to.
For example, Lynn, who's going on a P&O cruise and is deaf,
wanted to know about what they do in terms of entertainment and what
adjustments they have in the daily program activities for deaf people.
She turned to me as even P&O customer service line didn't know. I suggested she post that
question in the Cruise Critic P&O forum, she got amazing information from recent deaf travellers.
Another follower, Dave, wanted to know if some specific aft cabins on Carnival Mardi Gras were
any good, or suffered from noise and vibration. Following my suggestion, he got the answer from
people just back from recent trips in those cabins by posting it in the Carnival Cruise Critic forum.
I even saw others asking people on board to post
daily programs to see what the activities and entertainment is like on Holland America.
The second thing I use it for is the roll calls. I joined the roll call for this trip,
and it’s been packed with tips and more.
For example, people were clubbing together to arrange and share mini-bus transfers to
the ship and saving a fortune. This trip required flying to Santiago,
but the ship departs from Valparaiso (an hour and a half away). The Holland America transfer
was almost over $200 each, I was quoted over $300 by a private transfer company.
Others found some unusual excursions via the Roll Call for specific interests like birdwatching,
and they've found tours and a guide to go on together.
I’ve saw solo travellers in there connecting and get to know other solos before the trip.
The third way that I use it, which at the time of recording is on pause due to a hangover
from Covid restrictions but could be back by time you watch this, is the Meet and Mingles.
On Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle page, I would sign up for the meet
up on my cruise which is run in conjunction with the line at the start of a cruise.
I have had some great ones in the past where I’ve met people, and hear others
making plans, and getting tips and ideas for ports from people who have been to them before.
Are you ready for another fantastic secret weapon for spending money better on a cruise?
This one will cut that big on-board cost: drinks.
I see many passengers buying the drinks packages, as they assume they will save
money versus buying drinks on the go. You can be paying up to $60 plus per day per person,
and every adult in your cabin must also buy the same drinks package on most lines.
So, on this 14-night Holland America cruise,
the Elite Drinks package would add a staggering $1,680 to the bill per couple.
So, I always use another easy-to-use nifty tool to
see whether buying a drinks package on my cruise is a good idea or not.
There are two drinks package calculators that I use, either the one on Cruzely.com
or CruiseMummy.co.uk. I input the cruise line, what I think I will drink on average per day,
and they tell me whether it's worth buying a drinks package, which type or not at all.
Even as a non-alcohol drinker, I use these clever secret weapons
to check whether it's worth buying the soft drink or non-alcoholic package.
If you found these weapons and tools interesting, watch this video of the
top best tips and tricks I learned in my two decades of cruising to date, starting with the
biggest mistake I see most cruisers make when choosing a cruise line. See you over there.