On-board expenses are the life-line of the cruise industry during this recession/depression. While secret coolers to carry your booze on-board have been successful. (Cruise Packngo), cruising becomes a lifestyle. You want to be sure not to bite too hard at the hand that you look forward to literally feeding you again in the future. Use some of these tricks, but only to the extent that you keep your expenses close to what you would pay for similar products and services where you live.
Be sure to try the DOD (Drink of the Day) each day. They're lower priced, and you'll find some exciting new drinks to add to your favorites. Avoid all drinks with umbrellas, and don't order by brand unless you have the taste and sobriety to tell the difference. Don't try to impress others with your selection, they're too busy thinking of themselves.
Buy liquor on-board on the first leg of a Back-to-Back cruise (2 or more cruises in a row on the same ship and cabin), consume it on the second with free juice mixers.
Bring or buy a single water bottle, and refill it with the clean distilled water from your tap.
In casino's, do the matching free chip offer, and gamble it at the craps table. Don't feel pressured to win. This is supposed to be enjoyment, not work. Concentrate, and make good gaming decisions. Always look at it from a cost per hour perspective. your losses over time should not exceed the cost per hour of your other pastimes (golf,bowling,etc.). When you're over that cost per hour, it's time to hit the nickel machines (Remember to play maximum coins.), or just go enjoy the many free activities available on the ship.
Get your hair and nails done at home before you leave.
Make sure to attend all of the captain's cocktail parties for which you are eligible. Get aisle seats so that the servers are constantly passing you with fresh drinks. Order drinks 2 at a time, and make your last order just before the captain speaks. The bar usually closes the second that he opens his mouth.
Shop for jewelry aboard and ashore, than amaze yourself by the savings you can get at home by watching Jewelry TV.
If any of the above tricks take away the feeling of being a special person at a special occasion, don't do them. With the price you paid for the cruise, do you REALLY have to scrimp?
Dick leaves Vancouver for Alaska
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election Results and the Cruise Business
With the election past us, it's time to look at the probable effect on the cruise industry.
Obama's promises to curb outsourcing.
Although staffing of cruise ships serving Americans with foreigners could be misconstrued as outsourcing of jobs, NCL's experience in Hawaii showed that forcing the use of U.S. crews did not work. CLIA has done a great job of showing that cruise lines are international businesses with international crews sailing predominantly on international waters. We are confidant that Obama realizes that these jobs were never in the U.S. - Stay tuned!
Cuba
Have you realized that you can cruise easily to North Vietnam, while nearby Cuba is off limits to U.S. citizens. The Russian nuclear threat that caused these rules is gone. Only the lingering hatred of ex-patriots keeps us from alleviating the congestion in ports of the Caribbean by opening up a beautiful thousand mile long island exactly in the center of the region. Cruisers would all benefit, and the infusion of dollars into Cuba should eventually result in better conditions for Cubans. The newly elected Democrats seem to be be more sympathetic to the idea, but Fidel Castro may have to be gone before a 50 year old hatred can be erased.
Who's in/Who's out?
Christopher Shays of Connecticut is out. He has been a vocal (And, I think, unfair) critic of cruise safety. A better set of consistent international rules is needed, but his non-constructive criticism painted an unfair picture of cruise safety. In almost a year at sea on cruise ships, I have never encountered a safety problem.
Ted Stevens of Alaska helped defeat the bill that would have made cruising impossible as we know it to Hawaii and Alaska. Unfortunately irregularities in his own world lost him the election.
Elijah Cummings of Maryland should be a good proponent of the cruise industry. He heads the Committee on Coast Guard and Marine Transport, and understand the health that cruise expansion from Baltimore will bring to his state.
It's the Economy....
Just as in 9/11/2001, customer confidence has plummeted. This has resulted in falling cruise prices, and more last minute bookings. Air fares have increased as their companies face bankruptcy.
Carnival's stock has dropped to a five year low, and they have had to suspend dividends to finance completion of new ships under construction. Because of high fixed costs, cruise ships must lower the price to sail full and hope that guests spend some of their cruise savings in the spa and casino. To the customer this means prices so low that "It's cheaper than staying home".
Travel agents are being squeezed by lower effective commissions, while trying to keep up the high level of advice and service that makes customers feel pampered. This will put a whole new meaning to "South Beach Dieting".
The customer can help the industry stay in business while they get phenomenal prices. Most of us will survive, but only if you take advantage of the deals. P.S. Don't "Nickel and Dime" your travel agent, that's all they are getting in the current market.
Obama's promises to curb outsourcing.
Although staffing of cruise ships serving Americans with foreigners could be misconstrued as outsourcing of jobs, NCL's experience in Hawaii showed that forcing the use of U.S. crews did not work. CLIA has done a great job of showing that cruise lines are international businesses with international crews sailing predominantly on international waters. We are confidant that Obama realizes that these jobs were never in the U.S. - Stay tuned!
Cuba
Have you realized that you can cruise easily to North Vietnam, while nearby Cuba is off limits to U.S. citizens. The Russian nuclear threat that caused these rules is gone. Only the lingering hatred of ex-patriots keeps us from alleviating the congestion in ports of the Caribbean by opening up a beautiful thousand mile long island exactly in the center of the region. Cruisers would all benefit, and the infusion of dollars into Cuba should eventually result in better conditions for Cubans. The newly elected Democrats seem to be be more sympathetic to the idea, but Fidel Castro may have to be gone before a 50 year old hatred can be erased.
Who's in/Who's out?
Christopher Shays of Connecticut is out. He has been a vocal (And, I think, unfair) critic of cruise safety. A better set of consistent international rules is needed, but his non-constructive criticism painted an unfair picture of cruise safety. In almost a year at sea on cruise ships, I have never encountered a safety problem.
Ted Stevens of Alaska helped defeat the bill that would have made cruising impossible as we know it to Hawaii and Alaska. Unfortunately irregularities in his own world lost him the election.
Elijah Cummings of Maryland should be a good proponent of the cruise industry. He heads the Committee on Coast Guard and Marine Transport, and understand the health that cruise expansion from Baltimore will bring to his state.
It's the Economy....
Just as in 9/11/2001, customer confidence has plummeted. This has resulted in falling cruise prices, and more last minute bookings. Air fares have increased as their companies face bankruptcy.
Carnival's stock has dropped to a five year low, and they have had to suspend dividends to finance completion of new ships under construction. Because of high fixed costs, cruise ships must lower the price to sail full and hope that guests spend some of their cruise savings in the spa and casino. To the customer this means prices so low that "It's cheaper than staying home".
Travel agents are being squeezed by lower effective commissions, while trying to keep up the high level of advice and service that makes customers feel pampered. This will put a whole new meaning to "South Beach Dieting".
The customer can help the industry stay in business while they get phenomenal prices. Most of us will survive, but only if you take advantage of the deals. P.S. Don't "Nickel and Dime" your travel agent, that's all they are getting in the current market.
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