Based on the messages I get every week I know one
of my favourite “secret weapons” is already saving passengers I have told it about it hundreds
of dollars, pounds, or Euros. And even if you know that one, I’m positive the five others
will make your cruise dollars go further and should transform every cruise you go on. Just as
they did this one I am on now! As I will explain. Welcome aboard Holland America Oosterdam,
if you don’t know me, I am Gary Bembridge My first set of “secret weapons” are all
things I use to save or use money better. Starting with a quick word about
the one I have told some about. All smart cruisers track their fares using an
easy-to-use method. You can save big money this way, I got back $1,800 off an Azamara cruise last
year when they cut fares below what I had paid. After you book, fares change based on demand. If
the ship is filling up, fares go up. If it isn’t, fares go down. If the price falls, I
always ask the line for the lower fare, extra on-board credit, or an
upgrade. Most times I get it. My secret – and simple - weapon to
track my fares is using Cruisewatch.com, Cruiseline.com or CruiseCritic.com. I have an
article on how to set these up on my website, so check that out. It could be return
hundreds of dollars, pounds, or Euros to you. I did that for this cruise and saw fares went
up versus what I paid so nothing back this time. But another secret weapon helped me
tackle another big cost on this cruise, and not only make savings but have
a way better time and experience. I am on a 14-night Holland America
Oosterdam cruise around South America. I saw before coming the excursions would easily
have added up to $1,500 to the trip per person, as they range from $100 to $200
each. Here’s what I did instead. First, I looked at CruiseTimetables.com.
Like for every trip, I inputted this cruise to see how many ships would
be in each port at the same time. Knowing helps me decide the best
thing to do in every port. Stay on the ship because it's going to be
manically busy? Self-explore because it’s not going to be that crowded? Or find
an excursion that helps me avoid the crowds? On my last cruise, Regent Seven Seas Caribbean, it made a huge difference knowing. For example, I
saw in Barbados there would be six mega ships in, and it estimated there would be between 15,000
and 20,000 cruise passengers. I knew that many would head to Harbour Lights beach area. So,
I choose an excursion which avoided that. On this trip, I could see only one small Viking
or Saga ship would be in ports at the same time, so self-exploring or any excursions would be fine. So then knowing this, I then used probably one
of my favourite weapons of all. It’s also the least attractive looking of all these secret
weapons of mine, but boy is it brilliant. It’s called WhatsInPort.com and it
covers every port of every size. It tells you about where the ship docks, the
facilities, watch outs, what to see and do, how to get to the best sights, and even
has a map of the port area to download. I found it a goldmine for this
trip as other than Ushuaia, I have not been to any of the ports. And
from this I discovered what I wanted to see, and what I needed an excursion
for and what I could do myself. For example, based on their suggestions for
Montevideo, I wanted to go to the Carnival Museum and Plaza de la Independencia. They showed one was
right by the port and the other walking distance, and so I could do it on my own, avoiding
the costly excursion the line offered. WhatsInPort.com is absolutely one of the best
weapons I use to help me get the most from a port. Once I looked at that site, I checked the cruise
line excursions, seeing what they're offering. On my this Oosterdam South America trip, WhatsinPort.com made it clear some of
the best sights were some distance away. So, in those ports I looked at what the line
offered, but before booking as some were pricey, like the $350 trip I wanted to do
in Punta Arenas Chile to Magdalena Island and Penguin Reserve, I turned
to another of my cost saving weapons. And that is checking what two independent
providers I have found reliable over the years offered. One is VentureAshore.com
and the other is ShoreExcursionsGroup.com. I just put in Holland America, selected Oosterdam, and my departure date, and it gave me all
the excursions that they offer in each port. I found more diverse and niche
excursions than through Holland America, ranging from an Argentinean cooking class
run by a famous local chef in Buenos Aires to a heritage tour in Montevideo
targeted at the Jewish community. As an aside, here’s other secret
weapon I use in warmer climates, like that Regent Caribbean trip I
mentioned earlier. I love beach and resorts days on warm cruises, and while
cruise lines sell these excursions, ResortPass.com has a choice of resorts, and
better and fancier ones, at much less cost. Before more money saving secret weapons of
mine, I want to talk about something most cruisers know about but don’t know it’s power. I
see smart cruisers use it in a very specific way And that is Cruise Critic. I don't use
Cruise Critic for the reviews. I use it for three other things, and again for this trip. First, it is an incredible way for getting answers to very specific questions
about your cruise, ship, or cabin. I'm often asked questions that are so specific or time-sensitive it’s
impossible to know the answer to. For example, Lynn, who's going
on a P&O cruise and is deaf, wanted to know about what they do
in terms of entertainment and what adjustments they have in the daily
program activities for deaf people. She turned to me as even P&O customer service
line didn't know. I suggested she post that question in the Cruise Critic P&O forum, she got
amazing information from recent deaf travellers. Another follower, Dave, wanted to know if some
specific aft cabins on Carnival Mardi Gras were any good, or suffered from noise and vibration.
Following my suggestion, he got the answer from people just back from recent trips in those cabins
by posting it in the Carnival Cruise Critic forum. I even saw others asking people on board to post daily programs to see what the activities
and entertainment is like on Holland America. The second thing I use it for is the roll
calls. I joined the roll call for this trip, and it’s been packed with tips and more. For example, people were clubbing together
to arrange and share mini-bus transfers to the ship and saving a fortune. This
trip required flying to Santiago, but the ship departs from Valparaiso (an hour
and a half away). The Holland America transfer was almost over $200 each, I was quoted
over $300 by a private transfer company. Others found some unusual excursions via the Roll
Call for specific interests like birdwatching, and they've found tours and
a guide to go on together. I’ve saw solo travellers in there connecting
and get to know other solos before the trip. The third way that I use it, which at the time
of recording is on pause due to a hangover from Covid restrictions but could be back by
time you watch this, is the Meet and Mingles. On Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle
page, I would sign up for the meet up on my cruise which is run in conjunction
with the line at the start of a cruise. I have had some great ones in the past
where I’ve met people, and hear others making plans, and getting tips and ideas for
ports from people who have been to them before. Are you ready for another fantastic secret
weapon for spending money better on a cruise? This one will cut that big on-board cost: drinks. I see many passengers buying the drinks
packages, as they assume they will save money versus buying drinks on the go. You can
be paying up to $60 plus per day per person, and every adult in your cabin must also
buy the same drinks package on most lines. So, on this 14-night Holland America cruise, the Elite Drinks package would add a
staggering $1,680 to the bill per couple. So, I always use another easy-to-use nifty tool to see whether buying a drinks package
on my cruise is a good idea or not. There are two drinks package calculators
that I use, either the one on Cruzely.com or CruiseMummy.co.uk. I input the cruise line,
what I think I will drink on average per day, and they tell me whether it's worth buying
a drinks package, which type or not at all. Even as a non-alcohol drinker, I
use these clever secret weapons to check whether it's worth buying the
soft drink or non-alcoholic package. If you found these weapons and tools
interesting, watch this video of the top best tips and tricks I learned in my two
decades of cruising to date, starting with the biggest mistake I see most cruisers make when
choosing a cruise line. See you over there.
