11 Tips Cruise Lines DON'T Want You to Know (But They Aren't Against the Rules)

what tips would the cruise line rather you actually not know I'm not talking about anything illegal or against the rules but when you know what I am about to share you'll save tons of money know some of the secrets behind cruising that most people don't know and do things way differently than the cruise line planned so let's get to it if you've taken a cruise to the Caribbean you know cruise lines are very happy to sell you a drink package you pay one set price and then you essentially have free run of what ever you want to drink from the bars not having to worry about a barab is nice but if you were paying full price for this package know that it's going to be really tough to get your money's worth let's say the drink package is $75 per day before gratuiti like what you see on this Royal Caribbean cruise the line charges 14 bucks for a cocktail and around $8 for a beer that means that you'd have to drink six cocktails every single day of the cruise or 10 beers every single day on a 3-day Cruise you might be able to handle that on a week-long trip however it's going to be hard to keep that sort of pace up then you add in the rules around the drink packages if you buy the package then your cabin mate has to get it as well even if they aren't big Drinkers and you have to buy it for every day of the cruise so even if you were in Port all day you were still paying for that drink package yes there are always caveats if you find a good deal or a sale then the math can work in your favor and no matter what some people will definitely get their money's worth however for most people the cost and the rules mean that the math doesn't work in your favor this next tip is one that may vary from Line to Line and cruise to cruise but I've personally used it on my trips when you book your cruise you'll be asked to select a boarding time they use these times to spread people out during the boarding window so that everyone doesn't show up right when boarding opens and creates these massive long lines what you'll find is that sometimes the time you'd like to arrive is no longer available or even if you pick a time it might not match your schedule meaning that you have to just kill an hour or two before you're supposed to arrive to the port what I'm finding more at least personally is that the staff seems to care less and less about your assigned boarding time to be sure I've arrived early to port and then had to wait before I could board but it's been a long time since that's happened these days it seems like your boarding time is rarely checked or even asked for so I'm not telling you to show up way early but if you do get to the port before your specified time you'll likely still be able to board right away now this one may not be anything that's actionable but something that I always keep in mind when sailing it's pretty well known that cruise ships throw out some heavy exhaust and thankfully they seem to be getting more and more serious about reducing those emissions but if you you do go on the back of the ship you're still likely going to find what looks like dirt or dark streaks around the deck and the railings this is coming from the ship's exhaust in fact there have been studies done that show the particular matter in the air can be pretty bad when after of the exhaust when the ship is underway given this study and what I personally see with my own eyes I don't avoid the back of the ship but I definitely keep it in mind when looking for places to get some sun I just checked to see where the exhaust is BL and make sure that I'm not spending too much time directly underneath it eating is a big part of your cruise and if you're in the dining room then one tip is that you can order more than one entree Cruise lies they hate food waste and they take steps to reduce it not only does it cost the line money but growing food is a major source of carbon emissions so reducing food waste can help lessen the overall environmental impact of cruising which is a concern for the lines one way to reduce waste is to serve Rel ATIV L small servings in the dining room I feel like I'm a pretty average eater on a cruise and even for me the dishes are on the small side if you have an appetite then one tip is that you can order another entree in the dining room it is sometimes no issue at all but some lines have started to charge a nominal fee I'm talking something like five bucks a plate still if you hungry or you just want to try a couple of dishes at once don't be bashful this also goes for appetizer and desserts this tip is specifically for those Royal Caribbean fans out there if you sailed the line then you likely know that it uses something called Dynamic pricing now that's just a fancy way of saying that you can see different prices for items on board like drink packages or wifi or admission to the water park on Coco K depending on your specific trip but even then the price that you pay can vary as the cruise line runs sales and simply seems to change prices here here and there one tip is that the things you buy before the cruise are fully refundable so what you can do is purchase a package or an item through your account and lock in the price if you go back later and see if the price has dropped then you can refund the item and then repurchase it saving yourself the difference it is a bit of a pain dealing with multiple transactions but it's a way to make sure that you get the lowest price available and the cruise line gets to keep less of your money every Cruise Line will have a small sunry shop in a pinch it's where you can get a spare toothbrush or Listerine or deodorant or Senti andol things like that I want to tell you to avoid buying here if you can at all the pricing it can be just outrageous I'm talking $18 for a bottle of DayQuil outrageous instead I like to bring a small Pharmacy of over-the-counter medicines when I travel so if I get anything from a toothache to a headache or an upset stomach or a sunburn I'm covered it's also nice having this with you in the cabin in case something hits in the middle of the night when the shop is closed now if you do need something and you can wait then ports of call they will also have little pharmacies where you can pick anything up that you might need and they are way cheaper than buying on the ship one little secret that's not advertised by the cruise lines but any smart Cruise passenger knows the ships in the fleet are way different based on when they were built built cruise ships can be in service for up to 30 years and yes during the past three decades there might have been a little bit of an advancement in what's possible on a cruise ship so you can take the same exact cruise at the same exact time of year with the same cruise line but on a different ship and that means that you'll have a completely different experience and considering how much time is spent on the ship itself during the cruise the ship that you sail it makes a huge difference in your vacation now personally I like the newer and the bigger ships because I like having more things to do with more venues but a lot of folks they like those older ships that are typically smaller and frankly more calm that's up to you but just know that cruise lines don't brag about the differences between ships in their Fleet so it is up to you to know the difference are you assigned to dinner time that can actually be a pain for one it seems like there are three options 5:30 8:30 or anytime dining if you made me wait until 8:30 every night before dinner let's just say that I wouldn't be a very fun person to cruise with other times there may be events happening in the evening that conflict with your signed Meal Time such as a show in the theater that you want to see one tip is that no matter what time you select or the cruise line of signs you can go eat in the dining room whenever you want all you have to do is show up and ask to be seated it's essentially anytime dining even if you are assigned to time now it may not be as easy as eating at your assigned time when I do it sometimes I have to stand by While others are seated first but you aren't going to be turned away from the dining room and it may be that the cruise lines would rather you stick to your time to keep things more orderly for me I prefer the flexibility one way the cruise lines make more money is by loading up the ship with balcony cabins these rooms they have their own small door space is relatively private passengers like them because they offer light a view and fresh air when you want it Cruise Lines love them because they fetch much higher rates my tip is that yes balconies they're great by all means if you want it then get it but if you run a short Cruise then frankly it's just not worth it overall I'm convinced that the vast majority of people spend way less time on the balcony than they think they will most people they just step outside for a few minutes here and there on a short Cruise of 4 days or fewer however that time is going to be even less as you're more likely to be out exploring the ship and in ports of call trying to pack in as much as you can to the cruise 5 days is a middle ground where you could go either way six days are more then yes spring for the balcony as you will have more downtime to enjoy it but while the cruise lines might not like it I tell you to save the money on the shorter cruises all you headed on a cruise to a private destination every line has these spots and they seem to dominate itineraries especially if you were sailing from Florida these areas all have a few things in common for one they have beautiful beaches where you can spend literally the entire day for another the cruise lines use them as an opportunity to generate more revenue for the business Coco K is a big one with beach clubs a water park Cabanas and more and they charge a premium for the these items now I'm not singling out Coco K as you see this in a lot of places one tip is to use these Private Island days as free days you could spend a fortune here if you wanted instead I think they serve as a great way to enjoy the beach and the water without spending a ton of money then you can save your money and instead use that for excursions in non-private ports like Nassau where it's not near as easy and cheap to spend the day unless you do book one of those tours this is one that I've mentioned in other videos but everyone needs to know about it in my opinion head to any Cruise Line website and you'll find that wow they are running a sale right now you better take advantage right after all there's a countdown timer so it's only for a limited time huh the cruise lines can't like people pointing it out but these sales they run constantly sure after the timer hits zero the offer may be tweaked slightly and reintroduced but it's essentially the same deal in fact sometimes the offer isn't even tweaked it's just announced that it's extended don't worry about having to hurry up and book due to a sale even if it ends a new one is going to come along and take its place thanks for watching and I hope you learned a thing or two that maybe the cruise lines don't really want you to know for more on everything cruising you can visit Cruis le.com or check out the other videos on this channel as well be sure to like And subscribe and until next time happy sailing

Channel: Cruzely.com

Views: 205,619

Keywords: cruise, travel

Id: -97JBx27sw8

Length: 11min 38sec (698 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 24 2024