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11 Easy Ways to Save for a Bonus Cruise

6/26/2014

8 Comments

 
John Roberts, In The Loop Travel, sitting on the pool deck of cruise ship in Miami, Florida
With a little diligence in your savings plan, you could be sitting pretty on a cruise next year. Are you up to the challenge? It's actually pretty easy if you attack it with some of my tried-and-true methods.
By John Roberts

We're always looking for ways to save a little extra money with an eye toward finding a way to afford a bonus cruise every year. In The Loop Travel knows the more you save, the more often you can travel.

To find out how much we'd need to save over the next year, I researched a seven-night cruise to the Caribbean in June 2015. I find a sailing on Carnival Glory leaving from Miami with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Honduras, and Grand Cayman -- all excellent ports full of tons of options for active fun.

The price: from $669 per person. So, that's $1,340 for the two of you. I always double that as a loose estimate for airfare, tipping, drinks, fees and taxes, plus any souvenirs and excursions you might pay for. So, how do we raise $2,700 in 12 months so you can get on that cruise? That's about $50 extra bucks a week. C'mon. You can do that! It's an especially fun challenge when you count down to that vacation.

1. Sell your junk! Ummm . . . I mean your extra treasures that you never use. We routinely evaluate items we haven't touched for a while. (Some things have sat idle for years. Gone!) Use Craigslist, Etsy, Ebay or hold a yard sale to find a new home for your extra furniture, clothes, electronics, games, housewares, etc.

2. Cut back on eating out. This is a big one. Make an effort to cook just one or two more meals at home during the week and use leftovers for lunches and you'll be amazed how quickly that adds up.

3. When you eat out, try fast casual and spots that routinely offer buy-one get-one-free specials. Also, use eateries' loyalty programs. Every 10th lunch might be free, for example. We've had great luck being picky about where we go when we decide to treat ourselves to a meal. You both drink soda? Share one instead of paying for two at restaurants that offer free refills at the machines.

4. Take advantage of an overtime shift at work. Just one shift every other month could put a lot of cash toward your goal. Plus, you can offset the doldrums of the extra work by daydreaming about why you are doing it.

5. Ask for gift cards or cash when filling out your birthday or holiday wish lists.

6. Diligently use coupons for your weekly grocery shopping.

7. Ask for onboard credit. About that upcoming birthday or other holiday. Let your family members know you wouldn't mind a gift of onboard credit on your sailing. Tell them what cruise you are taking, and they can put some money into your onboard account. What a nice gift, huh?

8. Book during the cruise line's sale period. Most lines routinely offer sales throughout the year. If you catch a good one, you might get onboard credits, drinks packages, tips included or other benefits. Monitor prices and sales because cruise lines usually honor the lowest price as long as it's not too close to your sailing date.  

9. Consider using a travel agent when booking your cruise. Interview several to find the best offer. Some charge a fee and you might not consider it worth it, but some can monitor pricing very closely for you and have access to deals that allow them to offer you a nice benefit such as onboard credits, meals at for-fee onboard restaurants, etc., as an incentive for using their services.

10. Ask friends or family to join you! If you can all get along, a larger group that books several cabins is a win for the cruise line. So, you can get reduced rates. Usually, you have to book at least eight cabins to get a pricing discount.

11. Drive to your port. You can cut down that cruise budget number a lot, too, if you can cut out the flight. Do you live relatively close to a cruise port? Yes? Way to go! You can drive to your port and save on airfare. If you're close enough, you could even save on the typical night-before-the-cruise hotel stay. Maybe someone can even drop you off and pick you up at the port. Not paying for parking means more money for drinks and scuba diving.  

Let me know any other frugal travel tips you have in the comments. 
Thanks for reading.

JR

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Cruise Lines Offer Adventurous Excursions, Exotic Destinations

6/23/2014

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Maybe you can rappel into a cenote in Mexico for a cool swim during your day ashore.
By John Roberts

When we go ashore, we usually pick an active excursion. Sure, we mix in an occasional beach day, but that also will include a lot of snorkeling time.

The cruise lines offer a wide range of choices that will get your heart pumping when you spend a day in port.

In fact, here's a list of unconventional excursion options Cruise Lines International Association released last week to highlight how lines are catering to adventure-seeking cruisers. That's you!


CLIA is the world's largest cruise industry trade association.

Note: At many cruise ports, you can find the same excursions or very similar ones to those offered for you to purchase on your ship. You might be able to negotiate a lower price and a smaller-group experience on your own, but you don't get certain benefits, such as a guarantee that the ship won't leave you if you are late to return after your day in port. I'll discuss more about booking your excursions independently in a coming post.
 
Alaskan Wilderness Family Expedition
Take a five- to seven-mile glacier hike to get an up-close view of Alaska's wilderness, waterfalls and wildlife on Carnival Cruise Lines' "Laughton Glacier Hike." An expert guide leads participants (9 and older) on an Alaskan wilderness trek, complete with a scenic train ride and a traditional Alaskan meal.
 
Explore One of the Most Remote and Coldest Islands in the World
Hurtigruten, specialists in Arctic and Antarctic cruises, is the only cruise line that visits Norwegian volcanic island Jan Mayen, one of the most isolated spots in the world and home to a large population of polar bears. Excursion activities include learning Arctic winter survival skills or bush craft. You'll get tricks for how to make a fire, fish, and throw a lasso in the harsh climate.

Stay Overnight on a Traditional Junk in Vietnam
AmaWaterways' offers an excursion called "Vietnam, Cambodia & the Riches of the Mekong." You'll spend the night on a junk (ancient vessel) sailing World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. The most distinctive feature of junks, which were developed during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) and used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages, is their broad, fully battened sails. Enjoy dinner and breakfast onboard taking in the bay's scenery including dramatic limestone cliffs and rock formations.
 
SCUBA Training and Certification in French Polynesia
For treasures underneath the sea, Paul Gauguin Cruises' Paul Gauguin is the only luxury ship in the French Polynesian islands offering PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification onboard. Programs include the "Discover SCUBA Diving" class, or resort certification, and "PADI Open-Water Diver Certification."

Save the Coral Reefs of Bonaire
To help save and protect precious coral reefs that delight divers and snorkelers, Cunard has a volunteer excursion for 2014-15: the "Coral Restoration Dive Experience." The program (only for PADI certified divers) connects passengers with the Coral Restoration Foundation in Bonaire where they receive hands-on instruction on basic coral reef preservation.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Dracula
Sink your teeth into this exciting . . . OK, sorry. Oceania Cruises' itinerary in the Greek Islands and Eastern Mediterranean includes a stop in Constanta, Romania, featuring a day trip to "Dracula's Haunts and Best of Bucharest" in Transylvania, with a drive through the Prahova Valley and then to Bran Castle, where the legend of Dracula was born.

Russian Cosmonaut Training
Blast off on a Crystal Cruises Baltic sailing to St. Petersburg, Russia. You'll get a flight to Moscow and an overnight stay in Star City, the Russian equivalent of NASA and home to the largest centrifuge in the world. The excursion includes experiencing one of three Russian Cosmonaut Training courses on advanced space equipment: the centrifuge, zero-gravity flight, or hydro-space program. 


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Princess Cruises is offering a "Bucket List" promotion featuring deals on exotic destinations. I picked out this item to show you because it has some cool spots that appeal to me, so I know you probably are considering getting to these places, too -- if you haven't already been. 

The cruise sale runs through July 17 and offers passengers up to $200 in onboard credit and up to $400 in prepaid gratuities, depending on the type of stateroom booked. These types of perks mean a more affordable vacation for you.

Check out some of the destinations:

Tahiti -- 10 days; $1,499 for an interior cabin and $2,199 for a balcony
 
Australia and New Zealand -- 12 days; $1,499 interior, $2,499 balcony
 
Grand Asia -- 17 days; $1,199 interior, $2,199 balcony
 
South America -- 14 days; $1,399 interior, $1,999 balcony
 
Transatlantic -- 14 to 32 days; from $1,299 interior, $1,999 balcony. On transatlantic voyages, you sail across the ocean as the ship repositions ports -- from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona, for example. These cruises offer a lot of sea days and very low prices. 

More information about the Bucket List Extravaganza Sale and cruise prices can be found at Princess.com/sale.

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Exploring Off-the-Beaten Paths in Dubrovnik, Croatia's Old City

6/19/2014

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On our second visit to Dubrovnik, we decided to explore the lesser-trod alleys and paths of this great old city.
By John Roberts

When we returned to Dubrovnik, we faced one question to answer: Do we walk the city walls again or freelance our way through the Old Town?

The city walls, or ramparts, are truly impressive. From high above the town, you are afforded incredible views of the entire area and beautiful surrounding blue waters of the Adriatic Sea (check out our series of pics from our visit in 2006, below). The 1.25-mile limestone structure encircles the city and served to protect it for centuries. It features more than 1,000 steps to navigate as well as towers and turrets. The wall is remarkably intact and looks out over the city and its blanket of orange-roofed homes and buildings. During the Croatian War of Independence more than 20 years ago, the Yugoslav National Army shelled Dubrovnik for more than seven months, destroying many homes and buildings. But Croatians rebuilt the city amazingly quickly, and those buildings with bright orange roofs mark what has been restored. 
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I'm kind of bummed that we didn't give it another go this time, but we decided to pass on walking the walls and instead set out to explore all the other nooks, alleys and staircases of the amazing Old Town. Our port stop for the day on our Princess Cruises sailing on Regal Princess marked our second time in Dubrovnik. If you are a first-time visitor to Dubrovnik, you must walk the walls (costs about $16) but you also can find so much more to do that will have you desiring to return again and again.

We wound our way around to find a plethora of restaurant lined rows, shops selling all manner of art, clothes, crafts and oodles of gelato. We finally settled our weary bones into a comfy corner trattoria that gave us a vantage point of others exploring the city, wandering about their activities and snapping pics. We also saw many people humping luggage up to the holiday apartment rentals and workers methodically hauling heavy construction materials up and down the steep marble walkways. Walk around for just a few hours and you'll appreciate what everyday life is like in Dubrovnik without any elevators. (Lean people with legs of steel.)

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Next time we're in the city, I think we'll be trying the beaches and sea kayaking (that's the image at the bottom). Looks like so much fun; we can't wait!
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