10 Cruise GOUGES & RIP-OFFS to Absolutely Avoid (If You Can)
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- It's vacation, so you expect to pay more, but there are some things during your cruise that frankly can just be a bad deal. From easy ways to save money that most passengers skip to paying for a fancy room you don't use to even having to tip when you're not served by a person... after years of cruises, here's some gouges I think you should avoid.
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Also, leave a comment on what you think is a gouge in cruising.
Personally I cannot see ever paying for a meal at any of the specialty restaurants since meals are already included elsewhere.
Once you do, you will quickly realize how much better it is. I used to think this as well.
I agree and thought this but our son took us when he got comped from the casino. Since then we pay to go on occasion because its better enough for us to pay
I would agree with you. You’re already paying for the included food. Why pay more for specialty dining. I mean if that’s what you want to do then more power to you. It’s your money and your vacation. You have to enjoy it the way you want to. So I’m not knocking those that pay extra. It’s just not for me. Besides, I can grill a pretty good steak at home so yeah. That being said I would pay for chef’s table just for the experience and the behind the scenes tour. I love exploring the inner workings. Lol
I take my daughter to a specialty restaurant for her birthday. She loves it.
I usually get the premium lamb chops in the restaurant An upcharge but worth the nominal price. I don’t usually get to have lamb. My partner hates it.
10:55… but that poor robot bartender has robot kids and a wife back at the factory that he’s supporting!
😂😂😂
And he gets a little grease every Saturday night.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Just a note - don't forget to look at public transit options. In Miami, I stayed a few days after my cruise, and taking transit from downtown to the airport was easy - one elevated train for $4.25 - and for getting around the city, they have a whole system of trolley routes are free!
Thanks for letting us know that. Appreciate it 😊
I love your cute little numerical interludes.
A caveat with respect to gift cards: If you need to get a refund before the cruise, gift card payments come in the form of gift cards, not cash. And you might need to have proof of purchase. So save the record of purchase. And plan to take another cruise in the future to use those gift cards. Now a disclaimer: I use them to help pay for my cruises too.
We cruise off season also.. our group of 4 are retired... bags are always packed
Have used and am using the AARP discount cards. Best value and so easy to use !
Each person has to decide what’s important to them. Personally I travel solo. I book early and I book an inside cabin. I skip specially dining. I can eat out at home cheaper. Being on the ship is my priority!! All the entertainment I want on the ship!! My home city doesn’t have entertainment.
I 2nd that.
I've been using the AARP gift cards to pay for my cruise since last year! Saved a bunch!
How do you get those? I have AARP
@@jenkayla2492 This UA-camr did a video on that. Just search his channel for "AARP" ..... They have the discounts for Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Holland America. Carnival is super easy, Royal is a little more complicated to redeem. The other 3, I'm not really sure.
@@jenkayla2492find the aarp rewards and search the gift cards. Sometimes the rewards is at the bottom of the page. You might also have to scroll down the page with the gift cards. Good luck. I also use them whenever possible.
I don’t go to any of the specialty restaurants. I have in the past but they really weren’t any better than the MDR. I already paid for the food in the buffet and MDR so that is where I eat. Since Covid I have only had one bad experience in the MDR where the steak was so tough it was inedible. I let the server know and I got a new steak and the server made sure that the chef knew and gave me a great cut.
Good point. I went on the all access pass on RC my last cruise and the chef in the kitchen told us that he supplies food for some of the specialty restaurants and well as the dining room. I tried the spaghetti in the dining room and also in the Italian specialty restaurant and they tasted both the same.
@@Synoopy2 Exactly. I only do MDR. I once did a $90 Chef's Table, and everyone else hated half the food and refused to eat it and it was miserable. Save $90 and just eat in the MDR.
@@Synoopy2😂😂
I have prided myself on saving money since I started cruising right after Covid, only transatlantic on both Royal and Princess. The only extras I've purchased have been internet on sea days, and some specialty dining. No alcohol onboard, no photos, no cruise line excursions, no on-board shopping. Solo inside cabins. I did buy gift cards for paying the cruise fare on Princess, but I did so at the grocery with a card that gives 4x points; not quite as good as AARP's 8% off (not 10% any more). But I didn't know they also have RCL gift cards, which I don't find at the grocery. But there are rules about RCL cards that need to be followed closely.
I think people (including me) misuse the drink package. It also includes bottled water, fresh OJ, soda package and specialty coffee at ANY BAR, ANYWHERE! No more running to find a soda machine or going up to the Jammer to fill your water bottle you have to carry everywhere. You can just ask any waiter anywhere for water or a coffee or Coke Zero and get it and there is no tip because the cost of the package includes gratuity.
Do you realize you wrote there is no tip and that you paid a gratuity in the same comment? They are the same thing.
@@jhrielly I think they meant..... some people who already have the drink package might forget it also includes soda, so they buy a soda outright and then have to pay the 18% on that soda that they also paid extra for???? Not exactly sure, though.
I think on norwegian they don’t give water bottles with the drink package but i know for sure my last celebrity cruise it was included
I buy the soft drink package on Norwegian and it never includes water. I bring a water bottle and I fill it up whenever I pass the buffet. I think I get one box of water when I board for being a Gold member. Also a bottle of sparkling wine that I don’t drink.
9@@thebraz21
I find cruising to be a great deal overall. Accommodations, great food options, entertainment, trivia, game shows, pools. All included. I stay away from drink packages, choosing to bring soda and wine when allowed. Avoiding purchasing internet. Avoiding specialty dining and photos. Sailing off season. All makes for a very affordable and fun vacation. AND, your greatest hit using AARP. I’ve save hundreds thanks to your video. Nice new transitions. Clever.
I agree with everything you said to get the most for your dollar with cruising. My last few cruises all-in, including the gratuities are under $180 per night for the 2 of us (interior cabin). You'd be lucky to find a comparable hotel for that price, which doesn't include any food, shows, transport between cities, etc. Cruise value is hard to beat.... if you do it correctly!
I always add extra gratuities, but I would love to see transparency as to who and where the money actually goes. My gut tells me that a portion is kept by the cruise line.
One of the things people don't know about is that you can opt out of the 18% standard gratuity for you state room attendant and dining steward when you purchase your cruise on Carnival and RC and just pay them what you want at the end of the cruise - in my case I only went to the dining room once so I just tipped my room steward.
@@Synoopy2 Well, what about the people in the laundry that wash your towels and sheets? When you go with your approach, those people don't receive a portion of the tips that would have otherwise been divided up among the "behind the scenes" workers.
@@PatrickWagzWe need to move past this and stop blaming the customer. The cruise lines should be paying their staff appropriately. It is not my job to pay the behind the scenes personnel through this weird system, that has a lot of uncertainty. The cruise lines should charge a cruise fare that is necessary to pay every worker a fair wage. Then we don’t have to wonder if our mandatory gratuity is going to the workers or not. Then I can choose to tip the personnel that went the extra mile and earned a tip.
@@JH-ld9jk I agree with you that entire tipping system on cruises needs a complete overhaul. But, I don't see that happening any time soon. So, I always leave the regular gratuities "on" and just consider that as part of the fare. Then, I give my room steward, waiters in the MDR, and a few of my "regular" bar servers some extra cash tips at the end of the cruise.
@@PatrickWagzVirgin Voyage includes tipping and if you want to tip for those who go above you can.
Rakuten gives cash back on cruises, then use your AARP card to get your discount, then be sure to get your military obc.
For Port Miami and Port Everglades you may be able to use Brightline to stay in Aventura, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Orlando before the cruise and then take the Brightline train to the particular station and then Uber or Lyft to the port. Princess Cruises has a free shuttle from the train station to the port.
We went to the BLOW HOLE also about 15 to 20 years ago. It was not a good experience. One thing stood out at the full on shopping was a shop that had "We cheet um less" sign on top of their store. Great video thank you.
Thanks So Much For The Great Advice Tips And Treats. 😮🎉
Thanks! Love You Videos~ Keep It Up!
Appreciate it!
Thanks you, the AARP tips is a good one.
sorry, on short cruises i have no need to leave suite, we pay for the room, the experience the feet up holiday, the perks. each there own
My wife and I went on the La Bufadora excursion about 10 years ago and the part I remember the most about it was the homemade tacos we got right by the parking lot . Homemade tortillas were amazing!
All of Ensenada is a Terrible idea! This is the WORST port I’ve EVER been in!
We used to Sprig Break in Ensenada and the street tacos and cold bottled Coke were the best!
yes, because you can't eat that anywhere else..... it is quite a rare food in Mexico!
We just got off a Carnival sailing and we went to Montego Bay, Jamaica. The last time we went to Jamaica was 15 years ago to Ocho Rios and then the vendors were very aggressive. Now, the state department has given Jamaica a level 3 travel warning (reconsider travel) due to crime and sketchy medical facilities. My wife stayed on the ship and i just went to the shops in the secure port area. I found everything we were wanting and we got them at a fair price and no aggression. Going to Alaska soon and i know that sailing will be a much more different vibe.
Come to Canada. We are clean, safe, and civilized.
@@cruisecrazy7066 100% agree. In fact, since my wife and I have our passports now, we have tossed about the idea of driving to Niagara Falls and maybe seeing Ottawa and Quebec City too. We can take our dog with us, Alexander Hamilton. 😀
At Amber cover we were a group of 4 then 2 others from the ship joined us.. we haggle our taxi price and got the city tour for 15$ per person... ship price was way way way more...
I like your channel.
100k is coming
Thanks
I actually enjoyed La Bufadora. I had the best greasy fried something or other there (and I bought some, uh, pharmaceuticals that I can't get at home.
I can only take so many vendors wanting me to go into their store before I'm over it.
Celebrity's ground transportation saved me and about 18 others on a flight from Florida to board Celebrity in Seattle for an Alaskan cruise. The airline was the issue and this ship knew of it so waited. Had myself and four others NOT been booked through Celebrity the ship would not have delayed departure. Literally a dozen others who were going to take Uber or a cab were allowed to board the bus and they were VERY GRATEFUL, they'll always book transportation with Celebrity henceforth.
I love going to a specialty restaurant a couple of times on a longer cruise. It’s worth it to us.
We did La Bufadora back in Feb 23. We really enjoyed it. The vendors are aggressive, no doubt, but it helps that my daughter speaks Spanish. They warm up to that, and even offer discounts. It's not something we need to do again, but for a 1-time thing, we liked it.
I'd say the biggest gouge is not being explicit with what is and is not included in drink packages. For example, that welcome on board drink is likely not included in the package
Agree with the gratuity gouging. I am a member of AARP but am wishing that they had NCL gift cards since the past few cruises have been with them. Though we will probably be switching to HAL, Celebrity, or Viking for future cruises.
Note: With most cruise lines there is a corkage fee per bottle of wine/champagne applied - from around 15.00 to 30.00 $.
Tip: Check cruise contract.
Check out train and bus line prices to get from the cruise port to the airport. I paid less than $18 to make a 2 hour trip from ship to airport. The cruise shuttle was about 5x as expensive.
Nice! Can I ask where this was?
I started donating plasma again and use those funds to purchase aarp gift cards. I earn $95 a week donating twice a week. I’m getting 10% off my cruise and Biolife foots the bill for 2 hours a week of my time. Win Win!
You look kinda pale in your picture!! (just kidding!LOL)
Great information for us cruisers - do you have any tips for trying solo cruising? What ships offer studios besides NCL?
I used to cruise solo and didn't get caught up in the "I'm not paying for two people BS", I just considered the cost of two people the cost of the room (like a hotel does). The GOOD news is that you can buy the drink package without paying for two.
4:05…NORWEGIAN DOES NOT allow you to bring on a 12-pack of soda
Check contract of your cruise. Major cruise lines might change beverage policy within months/weeks.
I don’t think I should have to tip somebody that doesn’t give me service like the maître D
You shouldn't need to tip period for someone carrying out their most basic job requirements. Despite what many people think, these employees are already getting decen wages + accomodation & food thrown in on top. For example, bartenders on RB are getting 2.5k per month minus tips. Head waiters can walk away with 5k per month, etc.
The bottom line is that you are already being gouged by the cruise line for every step you take on board the ship. I will give something extra if someone goes above & beyond what I can expect of them but it should only ever be at my sole discretion as to if or when that is. Forcing people to tip when no service is offered or someone simply fulfilling the very most basic job duty is obscene.
I'm going on my first cruise with one of my friends. We're doing RC. We got the key because it was only a couple dollars more expensive than the internet package and she needs internet just in case anyone needs to reach her about her kid (he'll be with his dad). We're doing a specialty dining one night because we've started a tradition of getting hibachi when she comes to visit. I have on board credit from playing a cell phone game that will pay for it, though.
Which ship?
Try inquiring internet with your cell phone provider. I paid $100. For 7 nights cruise instead of paying $350. On the cruise for internet.
Viking is the worst . They cancelled a major part of cruise 3 weeks prior to departure. We lost a bundle . It was our first ocean cruise and probably our last. Viking don’t care either that they said we should have cancelled. Never cruise Viking.
They're a rip off (IMHO)
I had a bad experience using the gift cards. It can only be used for the base cruise and and my TA took forever to get it to go through.
Viking scammed us on air fare on our Dec 2023, Amazon and Caribbean adventure. We chose to do the extra night and airfare with Viking. They cancelled the Brazil portion of the trip but never adjusted the air fare. When checking flights it would have cost us $340 a person round trip instead they scammed us for $999. It was a disaster since no one would help . Any ideas people how to get my money back. Will never recommend Viking a complete rip off . 😮
Learn to book everything separate and do it yourself and also get insurance. Don't count on other people booking things for you.
What travel insurance does everybody recommend? I am reading horror stories about those who have legitimate catastrophe's happen. And then the travel insurance doesn't want to pay up.
You know the old joke: What does Ensenada mean in Spanish? It means "stay on the ship."
I thought that's what "Cartagena" (Columbia) meant??!?! :)
ensenada in spanish means literally the beach of sex, or the bay of love, whatever you prefer. stay on the ship at your peril.
LOLOL
I have been cruising since 1981/82, when alcoholic drinks were included! Apparently, AA members complained about paying for alcohol they couldn’t consume, but the cruise prices never changed, drinks just became additional. However, cruising is still less expenses than going to a single destination for the same amount of time. And if you travel with the same cruise line repeatedly, you earn a variety of upgrades!!!
wrong amigo, crusing is not near as good as going to the places on your own. you get to see the stuff for real and learn about the places, not just rushing over things in a sea of other people. in Kotor I went up and own the walls in the time the cruises were docking....
I never would heft soda cans or wine bottles arround only to save a couple of bucks. It's vacation, and yes I do pay for comfort.
Onboard spa services usually suck and are underequipped, nice lady tore up my face without using any steam. Make a spa appointment ashore where you can read reviews first.
Not to mention summer and holidays are a floating daycare
Who do I contact for discounts on senior citizens and military. I have already booked my cruise on Royal Carribean
I am Retired military and the Military Discount has the best discount of all. It beats AARP. You can always call the cruise line and get the discount if you haven't sailed.
Tips for robo bartenders,still need service and refilling supplies.
I skip the drinks package. Too many calories. I am happy with water and tea. I am happy that drunks spend hundreds of dollars to subsidize my cruise.
I agree entirely. haha. When I feel the need to purchase a $14 drink onboard, I just go grab a snack at the buffet instead. If it's free, it's for me!!
Internet on a flight can be way higher for a few hours .
Don't buy the welcome aboard cake that they send to your stateroom. Remember they have fresh baked deserts all over the ship.....
We don't cruise from may to August ..the early we book the better the price
I booked a cruise over 6 months ago. The price decreased 24% last week. So, your "book early for best price" isn't always true.
@@PatrickWagz You're right. If the ship hasn't sold out, they start discounting to fill up the ship. If they DO sell out your SOL.
Nowadays I think specialty dining has become a rip-off, it used to be that when you paid for a restaurant on board the pricing felt like they took into consideration the fact that you had to pay to be on board to begin with. But now all cruise lines have drastically increased the cost per person for specialty dining which now feels to be on par with land Restaurant pricing so you no longer feel like you're getting a special experience at a special price.
This is a good point. When I first started sailing, it seemed like it was $20 to eat at the steakhouse. Now it's well above that.
@Cruzelycom They all used to be between $20 - $25 per person on average with the fanciest restaurant at $35 at the most and that included surf and turf. Now the average is $45 - $50 with fancier ones being well over $50 and some close to and even over $100 per person.
We are cruising in September and I have learned that if I want to drink a Root Beer on RC then I need to bring my own onboard. We had 3 port stops and no one had it in stock. It's not being cheap if the cruise line doesn't carry the product that you want so bring your own.
Internet: expensive but I have no choice. It's either fast expensive internet so I can work on my laptop or else it's no cruise at all.
Carnival I prepaid gratuities. Then I bought the soda package with gratuities. I got part of a can with a slip to add gratuities on. Seriously? Less than a can with several gratuities.
The prepaid gratuities have nothing to do with the "bar servers".... the people who are in charge of the sodas.
But, I get what you're saying!!
Ensenada exists strictly as a legal stop. It's the closest foreign port to the south west coast. There is NO reason to get off the ship.
On seven or 12 night cruises get the drinks package.
Just remember all adults in the cabin also have to buy it.
I'm through. enough is enough. $13 drinks? no more
Where on land are you living where that isn’t a fantastic deal?
It’s the same price every where
@@em9341 my house
Until you want your next drink.
@@Synoopy2 I don't really need anyone to mix me a drink, I'm pretty good at making my own!! LOL The crowds put me off cruising more than anything.
NCL sold ATV ride excursion to us on line. On day of excursion was turned away because we were too old. Cruise desk no refund, we should have read details on ticket and ask for refund 2 days before day of excursion
Oh wow.
If it was through the cruise line they knew how old you were when they sold you the excursion! Their system should have prevented the sale
Same issue with Celebrity cruises but their website did not allow the purchase of the excursion. NCL should have done the same at time of purchase to prevent the disappointment. We have banned NCL for future cruises
@@genesnyder2985 Correct we we’re screwed out of $450 as well as a taxi ride of shame back to the cruise ship
@@carltaylor4541Oh no 😮
If you are retired military or affiliated with the military - that is the steepest discount there is, beats AARP by a mile.
4:35 why accept this thievery? Cruise lines are so greedy
Everyone already knows that. Their job is to take your money and your job is to keep it. Some people are just bad at it.
I had a good laugh 😆 😂 at this.
They're NOT the Red Cross!!
Everything about a cruise is a gouge.
Not on Crystal
@SausalitoVicki - Sure. Pay 5 times more and they won't gouge you further.
Never made that experience. On balance cruising was always reasonabler in price than hotel vacations or all-expenses trips.
@@gregbrooks4450😂😂
About the taxi ride. We found that out first time ever in Barcelona. Spain. The hotel was 4.1 miles from the airport. The guy kept getting lost by time he got there. He tried to charge me $110 Euros?. I told him to F off and told him I'm giving him $20 or I'm calling the police. He took that 20 listen, be learned. The cabbies are ripped off Artist in barcelona spain.