During this past two-year journey around the world, we’ve now spent more than two full months as passengers on Cruise ships as a means to get around the globe. That’s a long time to be cruising and hence we’ve learned lots of cruise hacks and cruise tips during our time out at sea.

Having been on a total of eight cruises across six different cruise lines, we’ve developed an arsenal of cruise hacks that we’ve learned from fellow cruisers and a few cruise tips we’ve developed on our own. We’re now happy to share these secrets of the sea with you. We hope these cruise hacks help to save you hassle and money on your next cruise. And maybe even help save a few pounds too!

Booking Cruise Hacks

One of the questions we receive most about cruising is when to book a cruise in order to get the lowest price. Like airfare prices, cruise prices also tend to fluctuate greatly and there’s no surefire way to guess exactly what they’re going to do. But based on past booking patterns, you can have a decent idea. Often booking early is best while in other instances last-minute cruise deals are the way to go. Follow these tips when booking your next cruise and you’ll be sailing into an awesome deal.

1) Book Early but Keep Monitoring the Prices

Its typically a safe bet to book a cruise as early as possible to lock in the best price. But don’t stop there. If the price of the cruise changes or a better promotion springs up, then you can change your booking to take advantage of the new pricing or promotion. So keep a watchful eye on those prices and promotions. If you find a more attractive offer call your booking agent immediately to rebook the better deal.

Be diligent to check the price often or consider paying for a service to alert you of price drops. Sites like cruisefaremonitor.com will do this for you for a small fee.

2) Or Book a Last-Minute Cruise Deal under the Right Circumstances

If all of the following circumstances apply, you can usually find some of the best deals by booking last-minute:

1. You are are flexible and don’t have strong preference as to a specific itinerary, cruise line, or ship
2. You are considering a cruise during a location’s off-seaason
3. You are comfortable booking a non-refundable cruise within a month or so from departure

September and October Caribbean sailings can often be a good bet to hold off until 30-45 days prior to the cruise to book a fantastic last-minute cruise deal at a non-cancelable rate. Transatlantic and repositioning cruises can be another place to find incredible last-minute values. (See more on off-season bookings in Tip #4.)

Another consideration for booking last-minute cruise bookings is if you happen to live within driving distance of the departure port. Because even if you score a great last-minute cruise deal, you may still have to shell out big bucks for costly last-minute airfare. Yet if you can drive to the cruise port, this further capitalizes on the incredible deal that may await you.

3) Do Use a Travel Agent or Third Party

With most things travel, we usually always advocate booking directly with the company for the best price. Middlemen often take a cut and inflate your price. But this is absolutely NOT the case with a cruise. Always book with a third-party instead of the cruise line directly. You will often find perks and bonuses and occasionally even lower prices. Be sure to check out our guide to on How to Book a Cruise Deal for Less Than $50 Per Day for detailed info what sites to check to score the best deal and our complete strategies for booking a last-minute cruise deal.

We’ve actually found the best deals on the last three cruises we’ve gone on by booking through Priceline.com. They do charge an annoying $24.95 booking fee, which would seem to make the total price higher. But we’ve found that they tend to also offer an additional $50+ onboard credit and/or a $50 Priceline hotel voucher which more than makes up for the booking fee. Take a look and compare prices, just be sure to factor in all of those perks and bonuses that a third party, like Priceline, may be able to provide.

4) Book Against the Grain

Regardless of whether you’re going to book early or late, always consider off-peak cruise times to secure the best prices. If possible avoid Spring Break sailings. You’ll not only save money but will also save yourself sanity by avoiding hell-raising kids and drunk college partiers. Similarly it can be a wise call to avoid holiday sailings and summer sailings.

Some great cruise bargains can often be found in early Fall when kids go back to school. The weather is still warm but beware that its still in the midst of hurricane season. Another good bet is in between Thanksgiving and mid-December, particularly for Florida/Caribbean sailings. During this time, there tends to be an influx of ships that have been recently repositioned there, yet people tend to avoid traveling during this time. This brings about an excess supply of empty cabins which can often lead to prices being slashed.

5) Book a “Guaranteed Stateroom”

We’re big proponents of booking what’s called a “guaranteed stateroom” to get the absolute lowest price on whichever cabin type you’re interested in (inside, outside, balcony, suite). With a “guaranteed” cabin, you are guaranteed a room within that particular type of stateroom or higher. You don’t get to the choose the cabin’s location and it will be assigned to you at a date usually around a month or so prior to the cruise. It is a small gamble and naysayers will cite the potential of being placed in undesirable locations such as under a nightclub, galley, or in the ship’s bow. But you stand a much greater chance to be placed in one of the many awesome locations on the ship and you could even score an elusive free upgrade. We always book “guaranteed” and have been extremely happy with our assigned stateroom locations.

The one thing to keep in mind is that these guaranteed cabins always have the absolute lowest price.

 

Health and Weight Gain Cruise Tips

With cruises tending to have an endless array of incredible food to gorge on from decadent deserts to the midnight buffet, you may worry about your waistline. You’re on vacation and it can be fun to indulge! Use these simple cruise hacks to disembark and not be ten pounds heavier.

6) Why Weighing Yourself on Day 1 May Give You an Excuse to Gorge

Yes, really. Just do it. You can always find a scale in the gym. Weigh yourself as soon as you get onboard so you can keep tabs on your weight gain during the cruise, particularly if it’s a longer itinerary. Weigh yourself periodically throughout the cruise and you may actually find that you’re not packing on the pounds as much as you feared, giving you a well-deserved excuse to have a day of gluttony.

7) No Need for the Gym When You Can Use Stairs!

You’re on vacation. There’s no need to spend it at the gym unless you really love a good gym workout. Instead, simply hold firm on always using the stairs. Most large cruise ships have a minimum of 10 passenger floors (often more). Set a rule to never use the elevator and you’ll end up burning lots of calories simply by trying to get from one place to another on these megaships. Often you’ll get there faster too, particularly if your cruise ship has many elderly passengers or kids who like to press buttons.

If your cabin happens to be on the bottom floor, simply taking the stairs up and down to the lido deck for lunch will burn approximately 100 calories, based on the estimate of 5 calories burned per flight of stairs. Considering that you’ll likely be making multiple trips up and down the ship’s stairs throughout the day, you can realistically burn several hundred calories without even trying! So go ahead and get the chocolate lava cake!

8) Have Bread WITH Your Meal, Not Before

A lovely basket of bread is always immediately delivered to your table upon getting seated for dinner. It’s so easy to butter those rolls and load up on these carbs before your appetizer has even hit the linin. You may even find yourself too full to finish whatever delicious entrée you’ve picked out. So instead, make a special request for your sever to only bring out the bread basket when your main course is served. Remove that carbtastic temptation from the table prior to your main course. If you’re still hungry while eating your meal, go ahead and have some bread. You won’t gorge yourself with this filler as you would have prior to your meal’s arrival. Save your appetite for the main event and forgo the seduction of all of those unnecessary carbs.

 

Electronics

In today’s digital age, there are many tech-savvy hacks to be abreast of before your sailing. These cruise tips will help you avoid drained batteries and keep you connected.

9) Use the TV to Keep Your Gadgets Charged

Often staterooms are limited to only 1 or 2 electrical outlets. Yet many TV’s on cruise ships have a USB port, which you can utilize as an extra outlet to charge your cell phones, kindles, cameras and other small electronics.

10) Pack a Travel Power Strip

With only one or two electrical outlets in your stateroom, it is wise to also pack a travel adapter to allow you to keep all those gadgets charged. We use this Belkin Travel Power Strip which turns one outlet into three plus two USB ports!

11) Pack a European Power Adapter

Often cruise ships have a single European power outlet and a single North American outlet. Make use of the European outlet by packing a European Power Adapter. This lightweight and inexpensive piece will give you an extra outlet to use.

12) Use the Shipboard App

Most cruise lines now have their own app that you can use onboard complimentary. Simply connect your phone to the ship’s wifi network and you’ll be able to use this app without incurring any wifi charges.

You can use these apps to check your onboard account balance, browse the day’s up-to-date activities, read up on your next port, check daily menus, access a ship map, or even make dinner reservations. Be sure to download the app prior to your voyage so that you don’t incur wifi or roaming fees to download the app while you’re on the ship.

Here’s a listing of all of the major cruise line’s app to download before you embark.

Cruise line	iPhone	Android
Carnival	Carnival HUB	Carnival HUB
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean International	Royal Caribbean International
Norwegian	Norwegian iConcierge	Norwegian iConcierge
Celebrity	Celebrity Cruises	Celebrity Cruises
Princess	Princess Cruises Messenger	Princess Cruises Messenger
Disney	Disney Cruise Line Navigator	Disney Cruise Line Navigator

*Note that at time of writing, Carnival’s app is only available on the Carnival Breeze.
**Princess’s app does not contain any of the features just mentioned and is solely used for messaging while onboard.

13) Ditch the Walkie-Talkies and Instead Chat with the App

Its been a long-used cruise tip to bring walkie-talkies with you onboard to be able to communicate with your cruise mates during the voyage. You can now forgo using this dated technology and instead communicate using the cruise line’s app. This capability does often come with a fee but it’ll usually cost less than the price of a pair of walkie-talkies. For example, on our most recent sailing, Norwegian’s app – Norwegian iConcierge – offered this messaging service for a one-time fee of $7.95. This allowed for voice calls and text, through to app, to fellow passengers during the entire 13-night cruise. Coming in at less than a buck per day, we found it to be a surprisingly fair price for the service.

 

Cruise Wifi Hacks

Wifi can be extremely expensive onboard cruise ships and is notoriously slow. Our most recent sailing with Norwegian had rates of $0.95 per minute and the least expensive package was $9.95 for 15 minutes. So here are some tried and true ways to minimize your wifi expense and maximize your time online if you do need to connect during your vacation.

14) Buy Wifi Before You Embark

You can find nominal savings on a wifi package if purchasing it before your cruise. And when booking a cruise, also keep an eye out for promotions that may even include a free wifi package.

15) Get Free Push Notifications on Your Phone

Enable the Wifi on your phone even you don’t intend to purchase a wifi package. On some cruise lines’ wifi networks; push notifications have been known to slip through. So put your phone on airplane mode, then enable your wifi to potentially receive these push notifications. You won’t be able to respond to any notifications but it can still be nice to receive them, free of charge.

16) How to Get Free Wifi on Cruise Ships: Use 29 Seconds per Session

Some ships’ wifi will only deduct usage from your account if you’ve been logged onto the wifi for 30 seconds or more. Logging on to Celebrity’s wifi for 29 seconds won’t deduct any minutes from your usage. Just be careful to watch that counter! While you admittedly can’t do much browsing in that short amount of time, it is a great way to quickly pull in new emails or send out a prewritten email.

17) Use Wifi During Off-Peak Hours for Maximum Speed

If you did purchase a wifi plan, use those minutes at times such as late at night or early in the morning. Or consider using them during peak meal times or during a popular show. You’ll find speed to blazing fast compared to other times. These off peak times may vary by ship and itinerary. Ask the Internet Desk Manager for the best times to logon.

18) Get Your Minutes Refunded

If Internet is painfully slow (as it often is), do inform the Internet Desk Manager of your troubles and he or she will almost always reinstate the minutes used during your sluggish session(s), no questions asked.

19) Ask the Crew for the Best Wifi Locations in Port

There’s almost always a place to connect to wifi right at the cruise terminal where you’re docked but often those places are expensive and/or slow. Instead, ask your favorite crewmember where he/she goes to use the wifi. If you’re on a ship with a regular itinerary, crewmembers will know all the best free places in port with high speed Internet.

 

Sea Sickness Cruise Hacks

If the motion of the ocean has you feeling ill, try some natural seasickness remedies. Sea sickness medication, while often effective, will often make you drowsy. So instead of spending your entire cruise in a coma, use these natural methods to improve your state of being and enjoy the ride!

20) The Best Ship Location to Avoid Motion Sickness

If you’re prone to seasickness, consider booking a lower stateroom, midship. If your cabin is elsewhere, then try to retreat to the most central part of the ship possible. You’ll find the motion is much more subdued on the lower, central areas of the ship. Keep the air on iced-cold which will further help counteract motion sickness. We recently sailed through the remnants of a hurricane in nearly 20-foot seas, in a lower midship location. No seasickness here!

21) Go To This Unconventional Spot if Your Feeling Queazy

An unintuitive place to retreat to is actually the ships pool! Here you’ll get a double-whammy of help. First, the pool water itself will feel refreshing and cool. Secondly, you’ll move with the water in the pool rather than with the ship, which often helps with the disagreement your inner ear is having, causing the sea-sickness in the first place! Just don’t go here if you’re ready to blow as your fellow pool-goers certainly won’t appreciate that.

22) Natural Sea Sickness Remedies that Are Free

We recommend green apples and saltine crackers as natural sea sickness remedies which all crew members tend to strongly advocate. Also try ginger pills or ginger ale.

Did you forget to pack ginger pills? Ask Guest Services, the clinic, or even your stateroom attendant. Often they will be happy to provide them to you free of charge. Feel better!

The Trip Insurance Hack You Need to Know

23) Here’s Why to Always Book Travel Insurance with a Third-Party

When booking a cruise, most cruise lines or agencies will offer you something called “trip insurance” or “travel insurance.” It’s very important to have travel insurance on a cruise but NEVER book travel insurance with the cruise line directly. The cruise hack is to book with a third party instead.

First, what is travel insurance and what does it cover? Different travel policies cover different aspects of a cruise. Common coverage includes: trip cancelation, medical coverage, baggage, flight delays, etc. If you get sick during the voyage and need treatment, you’ll be stuck with a very expensive bill if you don’t have travel insurance. If your flight is delayed to your cruise port, travel insurance would likely  fly you to the next port or may cover the costs of the having to cancel your cruise. If your luggage goes missing, travel insurance will reimburse you for new clothes and other essentials. (I’ve actually used this one and got $800 worth of new clothes!) If you got sick before the cruise or something unfathomable like a death in the family prevents you from going, travel insurance should cover all or a portion of the cancelation.

Why you don’t want to book trip insurance with the cruise line: Policies from cruise lines often contain minimal coverage at inflated costs. And we’ve found it to be painstaking to track down specifics of what their coverage includes. Also, these policies often cover only the cruise itself. That means if you’re staying in the port city of embarkation before or after your cruise, you won’t be covered during your pre- and post-cruise travels. Furthermore, your flights to the cruise port probably aren’t covered either unless you booked them as part of a package with the cruise. And if for some reason the cruise line financially defaults, the cruise line’s policy won’t be able to help you out at all. For all of these reasons, it is important to book a separate policy with a third party.

Be careful when booking your cruise: Many cruise lines and booking agencies will try to pull the deceptive tactic of automatically including trip insurance with your cruise package. When booking, be sure that they do not include it. If they do add this expense to your booking, insist that you want it removed.
Where to book travel insurance for a cruise: There are many third-party travel insurance companies and we’ve carefully scrutinized most of them. For travels that are less than a month in length, we’ve found the best value for the coverage offered to be with travel insurance provider RoamRight, and hence we use and recommend them. Policy cost will differ based upon length of cruise and price paid, but you can expect to pay about $50 per person for a weeklong cruise. Just enter your dates and costs to get a quick trip insurance pricing estimate. This small expense is well worth the peace of mind to protect yourself against unexpected travel mishaps that would potentially run you thousands of dollars and hence ruin your vacation.

 

Food Cruise Hacks

With so much deliciousness out on the open sea, it can often be a happy problem to navigate all of those delectable culinary treats. So here’s a few cruise hacks to help you maximize your intake of all those tasty dishes!

24) Order Two Entrées

Can’t decide between the steak and the lobster? Get both! Your waiter will gladly oblige with your request for two entrées if there are two options that both looking enticing. This also applies to starters and desserts. Hope you’re hungry!

25) Request an Entrée for Your Appetizer

Despite wanting two mouthwatering entrées, you may not have the appetite to eat them both. The solution: order one of the entrées as an appetizer instead. Vegetarian entrees can make for particularly awesome appetizers, even if your not a vegetarian. Sometimes you can even get smaller appetizer-sized portions of entrees. Ask and you shall receive!

26) Eat Dessert at the Coffee Shop

The specialty coffee shops on board cruise ships are revenue centers where passengers can spend money on expensive cappuccinos and lattes. But what many cruise passengers don’t realize is that you can also find beautiful desserts here that are all complimentary. Those wonderful cheesecakes, cookies, and pies won’t cost you a thing and no coffee purchase is required to indulge in them. So if dinner is running long and you need to make it to a show, skip dessert in the main dining room and instead enjoy an alternate sweet treat later at the coffee shop.

27) Do Get Room Service

Getting room service is typically associated with high fees in hotels. Yet many cruises offer room service completely complimentary to guests. Check the policy for your specific ship. Norwegian does not, but most all other major cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, Holland America, etc.)  do. Check to see confirm if your cruise does have complimentary room service, and if so, why not order a nice cheese plate to your room while you’re getting ready for dinner?

28) How to Get Free Candy

Have a sweet tooth? Don’t buy that $5 bag of M&Ms in the ship’s duty free store. Instead just head to the ice cream stand and ask the scooper for a cup of toppings of your choice. Celebrity’s ships tend to have a particularly nice range of candy to choose from. How ‘bout a nice cup of gummy bears to chew on?

29) Go to a Specialty Restaurant on the First Night

If you want to try out one of the ship’s specialty restaurants, do this on the very first night. For whatever reason, everyone always wants to eat in the Main Dining Room on the first night of their cruise, leaving the specialty restaurants with several open chairs. Therefor cruises tend to offer special offers on these restaurants during the first night of the ship. So consider going to the steakhouse on the very first night and you may find a deal such as a 50% discount and a free bottle of wine to boot!

Meanwhile, those who choose to go to the specialty restaurant later in the cruise, such as on formal night, will be forgoing the complimentary lobster and/or chateaubriand that is typically offered in the main dining room. And you don’t want to do that! So splurge on the first night instead.

30) Skip the Buffet on Day 1

Its usually a complete cluster at the buffet during lunch on the first day abroad the ship. Start your cruise off right and find out what other restaurants may be open for lunch. You’ll eat better, avoid the crowds, and have a much more enjoyable beginning to your trip.

Cruise Tips for Drinking on the Ship

Drinking on cruises can be super expensive. Try these cruise hacks to quench your thirst without breaking the bank!

31) Drink for Free and Cheap

We have so many drink-related cruise hacks to share, so we’ve actually detailed them all in two separate posts. Be sure to check out these two articles where we reveal all of our secrets to economically boozing on the high seas:

• 10 Proven Methods to Get Cheap Drinks on a Cruise Ship
• 8 Ways to Score Free Drinks on a Cruise.

32) Use Flavored Water Drops to Add Taste to Your Water

Tap water is always free onboard and is completely fine to drink, so bring flavored water drops such as Mio Water Enhancement to turn that water into a flavorful drink wherever you are on the ship. Add a little squirt to your water during lunchtime or at the pool.

33) Make Your Own Café Mocha for Free

Don’t want to splurge the $5 on specialty coffee but still looking for a little flavor? Use approximately ¾ packet of hot chocolate mix, 2 creamers, fill cup with coffee and stir. Instant café mocha!

34) Remove Drinks from Minibar and Bring Your Own

Most cruise lines permit you to bring your own sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages. It seems that all cruise lines aside from Carnival will allow this but check your specific ship’s policy for bringing beverages aboard to be sure. Then just ask your stateroom attendant to empty out all of those expensive minibar drinks so you can make use of the fridge. Once the fridge is clear, you’re free to chill down all of the beverages that you’ve brought onboard.

 

Shore Excursion Cruise Hacks

Shore excursions can be tricky beasts, particularly if you’re new to cruising and don’t want to pay for the often exorbitant fees charged by the cruise lines. Booking excursions through the cruise line can be very convenient and offers a hassle-free experience, but you’ll pay a hefty premium to do so. These cruise tips should help get you on shore with some spare cash to spend while you’re there.

35) The Best Wake-Up Call

Instead of setting an annoying alarm clock or getting a wake-up call on your phone, just preschedule complimentary room service breakfast to be delivered to your room at whatever time you’d like to be woken up. Instead of a buzzing alarm or a loud phone ring, you’ll wake up to a soft knock on your door and have a cup of coffee in your hand within minutes of waking. Then enjoy a leisure breakfast-in-bed as you pull into port. If you’d prefer to eat a more proper breakfast, then just schedule a pot of coffee or tea to be delivered and head up to the dining room once the caffeine gets you going.

36) DIY Excursions

Go out on your own or book excursions directly with local companies operating in the area, which will likely save you hundreds of dollars across multiple ports. Just be absolutely sure that you get back on the ship before the “all-aboard,” because late passengers not on the cruises’ excursion will be left behind.

In some ports, site-seeing shore excursions can often be accomplished on your own. Just hop off the ship and see the sites. In other places a rental car can be the way to go. It can be cheaper in some ports to reserve a car in advance while other times it can be best to just show up at the port. Either way, its usually a very economical option to cover a lot of ground during the short time you have on land.

Or you can often find people selling tours just as you walk off the ship. Sometimes prices here are negotiable so don’t be afraid to haggle a bit. You’re not on the cruise ship anymore and in some cultures bargaining is customary. But if you’re wanting to do a tour, its wise to plan and book one in advance so that you don’t end up wasting what little time you have on land, seeking out an appropriate tour. You can often find outfitters using Google and Tripadvisor, which then usually results in a back & forth email exchange to actually book the tour. Instead we recommend this next tip…

37) Use Viator to Save Money on Ports of Call Tours

One of the best sites to book a good value shore excursion is Viator. They offer extremely competitive prices for many excursions in all the popular cruise ports. You can browse and book all of these excursions online. Many of the shore excursions offered here are the same or similar to those offered through the ship, yet Viator has them at a fraction of the cost!

We love booking through Viator because they have a low price guarantee, 24-hour live phone support, and their tours are usually refundable if canceled at least seven days out (for those who are indecisive like us). But best of all, they often have tours specifically for cruise passengers with dates & times tied to the ships’ itineraries, and have unique policies for shore excursions to refund your money in the event that the port call is canceled or delayed.

Viator’s shore excursions includes what they call a “Worry-free Shore Excursion” policy, which will ensure your timely return to the port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, they will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded.

Here are some links to Viator shore excursions for some of the most popular cruise ports. Get saving and enjoy!

• Nassau, Bahamas
• Cozumel, Mexico
• St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
• St Martin
• San Juan, Purto Rico
• Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos
• All Alaskan Cruise shore excursions
• Roatan, Honduras
• Rome, Italy
• Barcelona, Spain

38) Do Go to Port Lectures

The port talks are designed primarily to sell you one of the ship’s shore excursions but these lectures can still be helpful even if you don’t intend to purchase a shore excursion through the ship. The lecturer will highlight and show pictures of many of the tours on offer. Use this info to help decide which sites you may be able to see on your own or by simply renting an inexpensive rental car for the day. You may even pick up some money-saving coupons to use on shore or other shipboard freebees they use to entice attendance to these lectures.

39) Get a Port Map

There are some very helpful port maps and miniguides available for every port of call but they’re typically not distributed out to passengers. Often they’re handed out at the port lecture. Not to worry though if you’re unable to get to the lecture. Just ask guest relations for a port map to get the scoop on where everything is once you get off the ship. These maps tend to contain a plethora of helpful information such as sample taxi fares, ATM locations, and wifi hot spots.

40) Use Water Bottles on Shore

In some of the more touristic ports, bottled water can often be outrageously priced. You may be thirsty enough to pay it. Instead, be prepared and bring a water bottle filled with the ship’s tap water to bring on land with you. You’ll be saving a few bucks with this environmentally friendly alternative to buying bottled water on shore.

 

The Cruise Hack to Get Cash

41) How To Turn Onboard Credit into Cash Money

If you have onboard credit and you don’t spend it, you will loose it. You cannot simply go to guest relations and ask for this onboard credit in cash either. Don’t ever let your onboard credit go to waste! But instead of blowing your onboard credit on overpriced souvenirs that you didn’t really want anyways, this little trick will, in fact, allow you to transform your credit into cash money!

Here’s what to do: Just insert your sign & sail card into the slot machine. Add whatever is left of your onboard credit to the slot machine. Consider betting a nickel or so on a slot pull just for fun. (Don’t get carried away though, the odds are awful!) Now that your funds are loaded as gambling credits, you can now cash out those casino funds with the casino purser. You will have just turned your onboard credit into cold hard cash. Jackpot! Be sure to do this before returning to US waters. If not, the casino will be closed, and you will have lost the ability to cash out your onboard credit.

42) Use This Cruise Tip to Avoid Expensive ATM fees

Cruise ships have notoriously high ATM fees onboard. So if you need cash, you could incur a $15 charge simply by using the shipboard ATM. Instead you can also use this exact same method, as described above, to get cash from your onboard account. Simply transfer funds from your shipboard account onto your card as if you were to use them in the casino. Don’t actually gamble away the funds. Then just cash out! There’s absolutely no need to visit the ship’s expensive ATM with this nice little loophole!

 

Cruise Hacks Around the Ship

One of the best cruise tips there is, is to simply get to know your ship. Check out the ship’s deck plans before you get onboard and use these hacks to help make the most of the ship itself.

43) When it Rains: Use the Pool, Hot Tub, and Slides

If you don’t feel like squeezing into a crammed hot tub with a dozen other strangers, simply go in the rain. You’re getting wet anyways and the pool deck will be completely empty. Unless it’s a really bad storm, the pool facilities will remain open and functioning. You’ll also find no lines at the waterslide or at the bar. Enjoy!

44) Get a Free Balcony Upgrade

Achieving a free balcony upgrade can be more difficult than ever these days. But we’ve actually managed to score a free balcony on three of our past four cruises. It can be very tricky to actually land these free stateroom upgrades, so we’ve actually detailed a very informative guide on exactly how to do so. See post:

• 10 Secrets on How to Get a Free Balcony Upgrade on a Cruise

45) If Getting a Balcony Stateroom, Know What Side of the Ship to Book

If booking a balcony, take a moment to research whether the starboard or port side of the ship will have a more scenic view.

If your ships’ itinerary is going in a loop and visiting mostly mainland ports, book a port (left) side stateroom for a clockwise route and a starboard (right) side for a counter clockwise route. In doing so you’ll be treated to better views when cruising in and out of ports.

If your itinerary is taking you in a circle visiting islands, it can be a little more uncertain as it will depend on which side of the island your specific port is on. Check out you itinerary’s route map and determine whether the port or starboard side of the ship will be facing land more frequently.

46) Get the Good Seats at the Theatre

Most big cruise ships will have at least four entrances to the main theatre (upper starboard, upper port, lower starboard, and lower port). If there is a theatre entrance that is in front of a non-thru corridor, this is the one to use to get the best seats in the house, particularly if you’re arriving just minutes before the show.

You may be surprised to find a plethora of empty seats right in the front in this particular corner of the theatre. During our recent sailing on the Norwegian Star the non-thru lower port theatre entrance was a sure bet every time!

47) Find Your Secret Spot

When a ship is filled to capacity, sometimes you may just want to escape the crowds and have a nice place to retreat to for some serenity. Yet with a finite amount of passenger space, this can often be challenging. But if you thoroughly explore all the out-of-the-way ship locations, you can be rewarded with your private area of zen. On the upper decks, take some time out your day and see what is at the very aft of the ship or go all the way forward. When all the action centers on the middle of the ship, these tend to be two very overlooked places to relax onboard. Try this: On the main pool deck (lido deck) go to both ends of the ship, then check up or down a deck. You may have just found your secret tranquil oasis to escape the crowds!

48) Use the Spa for Free

Even if you aren’t planning to splurge on that massage, don’t be a stranger to the spa, which may also have some minimal complimentary facilities. If nothing else, the spa can provide a second shower if there are two people in the same cabin who need to get ready quickly. And they’ve been known to have some nice complimentary soaps and shampoos available too!

49) Magnets Keep You Organized

Did you know that your cabin’s walls are actually metal? They are! So before heading to the ship, grab your favorite magnets from your fridge at home. You can repurpose the magnets onboard the ship to keep track of daily guides, receipts, and other pieces of paper that may otherwise start cluttering up your room. You can also have fun with magnets on the exterior of your cabin by decorating your door or leaving notes for fellow cruisers to let them know your whereabouts.

50) Shop ’til You Drop

If you’re planning to do any onboard shopping, consider waiting ’til the last day of the cruise. Sometimes the ship will have a big sale. There will be greater odds of this happening and better deals if you’re on a repositioning cruise or if your cruise is about to change itineraries. Check the daily itinerary on the final full day of your cruise to see if there will be a big sale.

51) Weigh Your Luggage Before Disembarking (Bonus Cruise Hack)

If you’ve bought lots of souvenirs on board the ship or while on shore, be sure to strategically distribute your purchases throughout your luggage to be under the weight restrictions imposed by airlines, if you’re flying home after the cruise. We use a little travel luggage scale keep tabs on our bags’ weight but you can also haul your luggage up the the gym and weigh them using the scale there.

 

Bon Voyage!

We hope these cruise hacks have been helpful and that you’re now all ready to set sail!

With so many cruise hacks and tips to remember, here’s a pin you can use to save this to your Pinterest boards for later.

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