Book your cruise within a group booking. I'm a travel agent and I recently organized a group booking just for women... it's called Girls Gone Solo. Because it's a group booking, you'll not only enjoy discounted rates, but added perks as well. It's a great way to have an amazing cruise vacation without breaking the bank.
If you are going to book some of the on-board activities or packages like internet, drinks, specialty dining, excursions, etc., keep watching the website/app for sales, especially during the holidays. We have a couple of cruises coming up for next year and got 40% off the drink packages, 30% off wifi and 10-30% off some excursions for a Black Friday sale. These discounts change over time; for example, the drink package you want might be 15% off one day, and then three weeks later, it might be 25% off. In most cases, you can cancel your initial purchase and the buy the same thing again at the lower price. It pays to be vigilant and persistent.
I definitely park at the terminal. It's so much more convenient and parking off site is a pain in the butt. You have to wait for the shuttle to pick you up, you have to load and unload your luggage on and off the shuttle, You have to wait in line for the shuttle to come, some of the lots that are available are super crammed and sometimes in a grassy field without security. I've heard some nightmares about leaving your car off site at these parking lots which are less but to me it's not even worth it. I'll pay the extra overpriced spot for the lot next to the terminal. But I understand why some people want to save a few bucks but for me it's worth it
Yes, we actually came to the same conclusion and have been using the regular parking lots more over the last couple of years. It’s still a way to save money so many people love it but I agree that it’s not nearly as convenient.
I am looking forward to your travel insurance information. I usually purchase the cruise lines insurance, not realizing there were other better options. Thanks!
Find people who have had to actually make a claim to find out who is best. All companies write nice things about their insurance coverage and are experts at taking your money. It's the ones who pay without hassle that are the diamonds in the sh.... HEY HEY!
I've been on Royal Caribbean well over a dozen times and have achieved diamond level. However, Royal Caribbean is just getting so overpriced for the new ships. The icon, star of the Seas, and Utopia are just super overpriced when you break it down per day. It used to be reasonable where you could go on a seven night cruise for around $1,000 or less for an interior cabin on a decent ship. Now it's at least 50% more. Therefore, I have recently booked MSC World America for December 2025 and November 2026. I got a very reasonable balcony ocean view cabin for $1,300 per person during those holiday weeks. I've never been on MSC but I heard it's getting better and hopefully it's a new ship so there shouldn't be too many issues with it. I also have heard that MSC is going to try to cater to more of the North American market regarding food and service. I hope that's true! I'll keep my fingers crossed because it is going to be a new experience and hopefully not an experiment.
@@Michael-rx6ji we’re in the same boat (pun intended). We have been loyal to Royal but are now venturing out to other lines. I’ve been hearing the same thing about MSC so we’re booked on the inaugural World America sailing. I’m very curious to see how it will compare to the newer Royal ships. I’ll be sharing my review here on this channel 😊
@@CUTravel1st The one we used the most, In the event that you are not returned back to your cruise ship before it departs, Project Expedition will cover up to USD $500 per person towards transportation and/or accommodation necessary to travel to the next port of call. That’s a lot better than booking independent excursions completely on your own. Obviously, if somebody wants 100% guarantee, a ship excursion is the only way to do it.
@@CUTravel1st , no that's the third party excursion vendor that we use the most. We also use Shore Excursions Group and I just looked up their back-to-ship guarantee. I'm not sure if they changed it recently or I missed the fact that it's actually a lot better than Project Expedition. Theirs is "In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 USD per customer for the inconvenience." I think we'll be switching to them more with that type of a guarantee.
Do you have any other tips on saving money on your cruise? Add them below!
Book your cruise within a group booking. I'm a travel agent and I recently organized a group booking just for women... it's called Girls Gone Solo. Because it's a group booking, you'll not only enjoy discounted rates, but added perks as well. It's a great way to have an amazing cruise vacation without breaking the bank.
Absolutely! Group bookings are the way to go.
What are the itinerary
If you are going to book some of the on-board activities or packages like internet, drinks, specialty dining, excursions, etc., keep watching the website/app for sales, especially during the holidays. We have a couple of cruises coming up for next year and got 40% off the drink packages, 30% off wifi and 10-30% off some excursions for a Black Friday sale.
These discounts change over time; for example, the drink package you want might be 15% off one day, and then three weeks later, it might be 25% off. In most cases, you can cancel your initial purchase and the buy the same thing again at the lower price. It pays to be vigilant and persistent.
Great tip! Thank you for adding it.
Great video, I like the information that isn’t found in other vlogs. Thank you
Thank you so much! 😊
I definitely park at the terminal. It's so much more convenient and parking off site is a pain in the butt. You have to wait for the shuttle to pick you up, you have to load and unload your luggage on and off the shuttle, You have to wait in line for the shuttle to come, some of the lots that are available are super crammed and sometimes in a grassy field without security. I've heard some nightmares about leaving your car off site at these parking lots which are less but to me it's not even worth it. I'll pay the extra overpriced spot for the lot next to the terminal. But I understand why some people want to save a few bucks but for me it's worth it
Yes, we actually came to the same conclusion and have been using the regular parking lots more over the last couple of years. It’s still a way to save money so many people love it but I agree that it’s not nearly as convenient.
I always appreciate your presentation style...crisp and to the point! Thanks so much for all the great information. 🙂
@@rhondalyn100 Thank you so much!! 😊
Very good video and tips
Thank you so much! 😊
I am looking forward to your travel insurance information. I usually purchase the cruise lines insurance, not realizing there were other better options. Thanks!
@@LarryVotruba I’ll have that video out sometime in January. Working on doing full research right now for it.
@CruisingKat that would be great for my two upcoming cruises. Thank you again. 👍🏼
Find people who have had to actually make a claim to find out who is best. All companies write nice things about their insurance coverage and are experts at taking your money. It's the ones who pay without hassle that are the diamonds in the sh.... HEY HEY!
@blargblarg5657 thanks!
I've been on Royal Caribbean well over a dozen times and have achieved diamond level. However, Royal Caribbean is just getting so overpriced for the new ships. The icon, star of the Seas, and Utopia are just super overpriced when you break it down per day. It used to be reasonable where you could go on a seven night cruise for around $1,000 or less for an interior cabin on a decent ship. Now it's at least 50% more. Therefore, I have recently booked MSC World America for December 2025 and November 2026. I got a very reasonable balcony ocean view cabin for $1,300 per person during those holiday weeks. I've never been on MSC but I heard it's getting better and hopefully it's a new ship so there shouldn't be too many issues with it. I also have heard that MSC is going to try to cater to more of the North American market regarding food and service. I hope that's true! I'll keep my fingers crossed because it is going to be a new experience and hopefully not an experiment.
@@Michael-rx6ji we’re in the same boat (pun intended). We have been loyal to Royal but are now venturing out to other lines. I’ve been hearing the same thing about MSC so we’re booked on the inaugural World America sailing. I’m very curious to see how it will compare to the newer Royal ships. I’ll be sharing my review here on this channel 😊
3rd party ship guarantee what are they guaranteeing if you don’t make it?
@@CUTravel1st The one we used the most, In the event that you are not returned back to your cruise ship before it departs, Project Expedition will cover up to USD $500 per person towards transportation and/or accommodation necessary to travel to the next port of call. That’s a lot better than booking independent excursions completely on your own. Obviously, if somebody wants 100% guarantee, a ship excursion is the only way to do it.
@ Is that the insurance you use?
@@CUTravel1st , no that's the third party excursion vendor that we use the most. We also use Shore Excursions Group and I just looked up their back-to-ship guarantee. I'm not sure if they changed it recently or I missed the fact that it's actually a lot better than Project Expedition. Theirs is "In the extremely unlikely event that you miss your ship due to the late arrival of one of our tours, we will arrange and pay for your accommodations, meals, and transportation to the next port of call, and we will pay you an additional $1,000 USD per customer for the inconvenience." I think we'll be switching to them more with that type of a guarantee.
MSC doesn't charge a surcharge for most SOLO bookings😊
@@bobkatc9368 That’s a great tip!
Our Nov 2026 sailing is almost sold out already....
Wow! That's really early! Thank you for sharing.