Jan115

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Despite what you may have heard, cruises are not all-inclusive. Sure, for the price of your cruise, you'll get all your meals, a room (maybe even one with a view!), and non-stop entertainment. Just the same, I've read a number of cruise reviews by first-time cruisers who are turned off by frequent onboard sales pitches for everything from spa treatments to a scoop of designer ice cream. Let's face it. This is where cruise lines make their money. With all the extra fees for specialty restaurants, photos, slot machines, art auctions, bingo, alcohol, soda, lattes and shore excursions, what is a cruiser to do? I have three little words for you: "Just...Say...No." However, let's be realistic. You're on vacation, after all, and we all need to splurge every now and then. To avoid sticker shock when you get your bill at the end of the cruise, here are some ways to reign in that onboard spending: 1. Don’t pre-book spa appointments. It’s convenient to book in advance, but you’ll save money by waiting until you board, when daily discounted treatments are often advertised, especially treatments scheduled for port days. 2. Bring a refillable water bottle on your cruise. You will save both money and the environment. 3. Buy a soda card. An all-you-can drink soda card will save you money – but only if you drink a lot of soda. Better yet, take along travel-size packs of Crystal light and add flavor and variety to your refillable water bottle. 4. Skip the ship excursion - take a cab. Shore excursions are big wallet busters. In some cases, a ship excursion simply doesn't make sense. Research alternative, less expensive ways to tour, whether by foot, by taxi, or a local guide. 5. Resist the lure of bells, whistles and flashing dollar signs. Hear that whooshing sound? No it’s not your stateroom toilet. It’s the sound of your hard earned money being flushed away. Stay far away from the casino. Your lungs will thank you, too! 6. Skip the ship photo ops. The ship's photographer will be lurking around every corner. Simply smile and say no. If there are no photos of you, you won't be tempted to buy any. An exception would be if your travel agent gave you a free photo as part of your cruise package. In that case, smile and twist yourself into that unnaturally ridiculous pose for the guy behind the camera, and get yourself a formal portrait. 7. Say "no" to that souvenir glass with the "drink of the day". It’s usually cheap plastic and not worth the extra five bucks. Ask for a regular glass instead. 8. Disconnect. You're on vacation. Your boss and your Facebook friends don't need to know where you are. Unless you have loyalty points that come with free Internet, logging on is going to cost you. Even then, the connection will be so painfully slow, that you’ll become extremely frustrated, possibly leading to flinging your device overboard in anger. 9. Turn off your phone. See #8. Save the phone for emergency use only. If you do turn it on, be sure to turn off data roaming or you'll be clobbered with a huge bill from your cell phone provider. 10. Drink the free champagne, but leave the artwork at the auction. Trust me. That masterpiece will arrive at your door, and you’ll wonder what the hell you were thinking. It was the champagne that made you do it. Finally, to avoid an unpleasant surprise at the end of your cruise, check your account balance daily. On many cruise ships, you can turn on the TV in your cabin and see exactly what you’ve spent. If not, you can go to Guest Services and ask. You may still get nickel & dimed, but at least you'll know whether you can afford another scoop of that gourmet ice cream. By Janice Neves, CruiseCrazies Contributor For more cruise news & articles go to http://www.cruisecra....com/index.html View full article

It's Tuesday, my friends, and you know what that means - my Tuesday Travel Tip! Head over to my blog and check out today's helpful hint: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/forums/blog/18/entry-128-go-green-and-save-money-pack-a-reusable-water-bottle/ Check out the accompanying article, as well: http://www.cruisecrazies.com/index.html/_/cruise-articles/10-ways-to-avoid-getting-nickel-dimed-on-your-cruise-r845

Don't pay $4.00 for that bottle of water the crew will try to sell you at the gangway to your awaiting excursion. Even worse, don't be an environmental hog and bring a huge case of water from home, like I've seen some people do. It's wasteful, and those bottles are bad for the environment. Instead, go green! Pack a reusable water bottle and fill it in your stateroom sink before you head out for the day. Don't worry. The ship's water supply is purified, perfectly safe to drink, and tastes as good as any bottled water. For some occasional variety and flavor, mix in a travel packet of Crystal Light. It's much easier and less expensive than packing cases of soda - and less environmentally wasteful, too! For more ways to save money on your cruise, visit my article: 10 Ways to Avoid Getting Nickel & Dimed on Your Cruise

Absolutely - and no doubt you have charming personalities to go with those handsome faces. Do you have any more cruises or travel booked? If so, tell us where you're going and what you're doing, and share your stories with us here. We need more reviewers like you!

[The basic plotline for the film is that "a group of tourists find themselves on a desert island as a result of a shipwreck," Conti said.] Sounds like Gilligan's Island, to me.

DebbieandJerry, Thanks for the reminder about booking El Tovar well in advance - a very important detail I forgot to mention in my review. It is recommended to book a year in advance if you're planning to visit in the busy summer months. For our visit in February, we booked in the fall, and there were vacancies the nights we stayed. In fact, there were few crowds, and even though it was freezing, we enjoyed the peace and quiet of the off season. By the way, we stopped in Sedona on the way back. We were blown away by the rock formations and Cathedral Rock. You are so fortunate to live within hours of such stunning places.

If it makes boarding a ship more efficient, then all the better. Build it ... They will come!

I will bet, that just like the Triumph incident, there are other witnesses to the same thing who will say it wasn't so bad.

Congratulations, Kevin. That's a great itinerary! As for us, we're still deciding ......

Wow, Tim - what a run of terrible misfortune. It is far past time you celebrate something good. So go on that anniversary cruise, forget about all that bad stuff and have a great cruise. Hopefully, you've turned a corner and can start over new.

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Congratulations, Tim! Those spontaneous bookings are the best kind. Enjoy - and Happy Anniversary!

I think it's because Holland America typically attracts clients of a certain age who simply don't spend much time on the Internet.

The best part of a cruise for me is sitting on my balcony just watching the world go by!

How awful and very frightening that must have been! So much for assuming that cruise ship excursions are safer than independent tours.

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