Yesterday I shared my best tips about how to save on cruises. After you get a great deal on the trip you don’t want to end up blowing all your cavings on all the little things they aren’t part of your “all-inclusive” vacation. So today I’m going to share more tips on how to cut onboard cruise costs!

How to Cut Onboard Cruise Costs

Find Cruise Gift Card Deals

Gift card deals can help you save on booking a cruise but also while on board.  Find discounted cards to the cruise line you are sailing with and then bring the cards with you to pay for your room charges.  My go-to for cruise discounts is AARP.  (You don’t have to be a certain age to join.). Add up what daily gratuities will be along with any other large purchases you expect to make and then grab deals for that much in gift cards.  AARP offers $500 gift cards for $450 to most of the major cruise lines.  That’s a 10% savings!

Only get drink packages when they’re on sale

Every ship line has their own “all-inclusive” drink plan. Some are just for soda and others include alcoholic drinks, too. To come out ahead on the alcoholic plans, they require drinking 6+ cocktails per day. While some folks might be able to hit that, most of probably won’t.  So skip the beverage plan and grab a drink occasionally. Most are priced $10.95 or less if you buy individually versus the $50+ cost of the drink card per day. The soda plans can be a “deal” if you love to only drink soda, but you’ll have enough calories with the all-night buffets, so skipping soda might be a great idea. (Note: You can get these packages for free with some booking incentives. Then and only then are they a deal!)

Bring your own drinks

Many ships allow you to bring any soda, water, or wine on board as long as it’s unopened.  If you consume it in your room, there is no charge; however, if you take the wine to a public dining area then they will charge a corkage fee. If you want something special in your room, this is a huge savings over the cost on the ship (plus gratuity).  If you want an occasional soda, pack some to bring along or grab some at ports of call. (To give you an idea on cost, a six pack of Coke is $12 on Carnival ships and a bottle of Barefoot wine is $30. In the store these are around $2.50 and $5 respectively.)

Make sure to check with your line what the bring on board alcohol limits are.  Also check to see if there are a limitations on plastic bottles, many ships now only allow cans.

Bring your own beach gear

While you are packing a bottle of wine, also think about packing a snorkel or other play items for the beach days. Most cruise lines do require that you wear a snorkel vest, too, so if you only bring the mask, expect to pay around $10 for the vest rental. Having your own gear saves you a chunk!  You’ll also find that your gear is much better than the rental gear.

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