When taking a cruise, your on-board expenses can get out of control, leaving you with a bill that you hadn’t expected. This can put a heavy strain on your finances when you’re getting ready to head home. There are ways that you can control your spending and keep your finances at an acceptable level.
Stick to a budget. It’s easy to spend more than you have when taking a cruise, since on-board purchases are added to your tab. Have an amount of funds that is specifically set aside for on-board purchases and stick to it. Only go over your budget if you find a great deal you can’t get elsewhere and you have the backup funding to cover the purchase.
Purchase a fountain card if they’re offered. Fountain cards have a one-time fee, but allow you to drink all of the soda you want while on board. Soda purchases can add up faster than you think, so a fountain card keeps that expenditure under control.
Keep impulse shopping to a minimum. Wait until you’re at a port before you purchase souvenirs, since on-board items can be many times the price of a souvenir you find at a port of call. In fact, you can usually find more items at the port and at cheaper prices. Only purchase exclusive ship souvenirs if you must have them, such as postcards.
Don’t use the phone in your room. Phone charges can be as much as $7.99 per minute, and while it’s nice to be able to contact your family while on the open seas, it’s not cost effective at all. The same goes for using your cell phone. While it’s cheaper to use your cell phone than it is to use your room phone, it’s still very expensive and you must have international roaming enabled. Once you get more than 200 feet away from the ship, the cost goes down considerably. The cheapest way to contact people at home is to purchase a phone card in the area you’re visiting. You can use the phone card as a souvenir as well.
Watch your Internet time. Using the Internet on board is expensive and is usually charged by the minute. You can buy blocks of time, but if you go over your allotted time, you are usually just charged for it. No one will tell you to get off of the computer, and your time will go by fast. If you must use the Internet while on your cruise, keep track of your time on board or purchase time at an Internet café at a port of call. These are usually much more inexpensive, and you will be told when your time is up. You can also purchase phone calls at the Internet cafes.
