Where to Cheap Out on Cruises (and Where to Splurge) — Transcript

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1. 0:00Cruise lines have gotten incredibly good
2. 0:01at convincing us to spend money on
3. 0:03things that barely make our vacation any
4. 0:05better. And after more than 50 cruises,
5. 0:07I've wasted enough of my own money to
6. 0:09know exactly where they get us. Because
7. 0:11there are things I'll almost never pay
8. 0:13extra for anymore, even when they sound
9. 0:15like a great deal. But, [music] there
10. 0:17are also a handful of things that I will
11. 0:19happily spend hundreds and sometimes
12. 0:21even thousands for because they can
13. 0:22completely change the trip. Oh, and if
14. 0:25we haven't met yet, I'm Evan from Family
15. 0:27at Sea. If this is your first time
16. 0:28watching my channel, I'm glad I'd you're
17. 0:30here. If you've been here a while, you
18. 0:32already know how much I appreciate you.
19. 0:34If you're ready, I am. Let's go.
20. 0:38>> [music]
21. 0:40>> The first thing I'd never spend money on
22. 0:42is a cruise line airport transfer. Most
23. 0:44cruise lines will sell you
24. 0:45transportation from the airport directly
25. 0:47to the cruise terminal on embarkation
26. 0:49day, and well, it sounds convenient
27. 0:51until you look at what you're actually
28. 0:53paying for. Those transfers are priced
29. 0:55per person. So, if there's two or more
30. 0:57people traveling in your party, an Uber
31. 1:00or Lyft is almost always the cheaper
32. 1:02option, and it's a better experience.
33. 1:04Because instead of finding the cruise
34. 1:05line representative, loading onto a
35. 1:07crowded motorcoach, and waiting for
36. 1:09everyone else to fill up on the bus
37. 1:11before you leave, you just grab your
38. 1:13bags, book an Uber, and off you go. You
39. 1:15save money, you leave on your schedule,
40. 1:18and you get a private ride to the ship.
41. 1:20Now, one place I will gladly spend the
42. 1:21extra money is arriving at least 1 day
43. 1:24before the cruise. Yes, that means
44. 1:25paying for a hotel and another day of
45. 1:28meals and potentially taking an extra
46. 1:30day off of work, but I consider that
47. 1:32money well spent. Because if your flight
48. 1:34gets canceled, you miss a connection, or
49. 1:36bad weather shuts down the airport, the
50. 1:37ship isn't waiting for you. Flying in
51. 1:40the morning of your cruise means one
52. 1:42problem can ruin a vacation you spent
53. 1:44thousands of dollars on. When we arrive
54. 1:46the day before, we can deal with delays,
55. 1:48get a good night's sleep, and wake up on
56. 1:50embarkation morning already where we
57. 1:52need to be. So, that hotel room is
58. 1:54basically an insurance policy, and I'll
59. 1:56pay for it every time. And once you
60. 1:58actually get to the cruise terminal, I
61. 2:00wouldn't waste my money paying to get on
62. 2:01the ship a few minutes earlier. Royal
63. 2:03Caribbean has the key, Carnival has
64. 2:05Faster to the Fun, Norwegian has
65. 2:07Priority Access, and pretty much every
66. 2:09cruise line sells their own version of
67. 2:10the same thing. They bundle priority
68. 2:12boarding with other perks to make it
69. 2:14sound valuable, but embarkation has
70. 2:16gotten so efficient that the priority
71. 2:18line rarely saves enough time to justify
72. 2:20the cost. Now, the one exception is when
73. 2:22the package includes something you're
74. 2:24already going to buy, like Wi-Fi, and it
75. 2:26only costs a few dollars more.
76. 2:27Otherwise, I'll keep the money. Getting
77. 2:29on board 15 minutes earlier isn't going
78. 2:31to change my cruise. One thing I will
79. 2:33absolutely spend more money on though is
80. 2:35the right itinerary. If one cruise is
81. 2:38$500 cheaper but gives me shorter port
82. 2:40days, places I've already visited, or
83. 2:42skips the destinations I really want to
84. 2:44see, I'm spending the extra 500. Because
85. 2:47you can upgrade your cabin, buy the
86. 2:49drink package, and eat at every
87. 2:50specialty restaurant on board, but none
88. 2:52of that fixes a bad itinerary. And
89. 2:54y'all, I am really excited to share with
90. 2:56you that I am hosting my first ever
91. 2:58Family at Sea Group Cruise from March
92. 3:0028th to April 4th, 2027 aboard the
93. 3:03Symphony of the Seas. And I'd love for
94. 3:05you to come with us. We're sailing for
95. 3:07seven nights from Galveston, Texas with
96. 3:09stops in Costa Maya, Roatan, Honduras,
97. 3:11and Cozumel, plus three sea days with
98. 3:14plenty of opportunities for us to hang
99. 3:16out. And I've lined up some pretty
100. 3:17awesome prices, too. So, if you're ready
101. 3:19to meet the family behind the Family at
102. 3:21Sea, scan the QR code above or use the
103. 3:24link down below to get all the details.
104. 3:26And even if you don't want to join the
105. 3:27group cruise, you can use that same link
106. 3:29to connect with me personally about
107. 3:31booking your next cruise because I've
108. 3:32partnered with my friends at Cruise It
109. 3:34to help you plan your vacation at the
110. 3:36best possible price. All backed by their
111. 3:38low price guarantee, but now with a
112. 3:40personal touch from yours truly. And
113. 3:42even if you're not ready to book
114. 3:44anything yet, you can use that same link
115. 3:45to join my email list where I share all
116. 3:47sorts of things that never make it into
117. 3:49these videos. So, y'all, you've got all
118. 3:51sorts of different options. So, what are
119. 3:53you waiting for? Join the list. I'll see
120. 3:55you over there. Another thing I've spent
121. 3:57a lot of money on over the years that I
122. 3:58rarely buy anymore is a thermal spa
123. 4:00pass. When they're good, I love them.
124. 4:02Norwegian, MSC, and the newer Celebrity
125. 4:05Edge class ships have some fantastic
126. 4:06thermal suites with heated loungers,
127. 4:08saunas, steam rooms, pools, and
128. 4:10incredible ocean views. But, there's
129. 4:12also a lot of ships where you're paying
130. 4:14hundreds of dollars for a couple of
131. 4:16heated chairs, a sauna, and a steam room
132. 4:17tucked into a windowless dungeon. So,
133. 4:20unless I already know the ship has a
134. 4:22great thermal suite that I'm actually
135. 4:23going to use, I keep the money. All
136. 4:26right. Well, one place I will spend a
137. 4:27little more money is choosing my exact
138. 4:29cabin instead of letting the cruise line
139. 4:31choose it for me. Guaranteed fares can
140. 4:33save you some money, but you're also
141. 4:35giving up control over where you'll
142. 4:36spend every night for the next week. So,
143. 4:39that can mean ending up underneath a
144. 4:40pool deck, above a nightclub, next to an
145. 4:42elevator, or with an obstructed view you
146. 4:44didn't realize you were getting. And
147. 4:46once that cabin is assigned, there may
148. 4:48not be another one available to move to.
149. 4:50So, I pull up the deck plans, find a
150. 4:52cabin in a quiet location with cabins
151. 4:54above, below, and on both sides of me,
152. 4:56and just pay the difference. And that's
153. 4:58one upgrade I've never regretted. And
154. 5:00then we have bingo, Deal or No Deal,
155. 5:02Wheel of Fortune, and all the other paid
156. 5:05games cruise lines have packed onto
157. 5:06their ships. And look, I enjoy
158. 5:08responsible adult gaming periodically,
159. 5:10but as bad as the odds are in the
160. 5:12casino, they're even worse with these
161. 5:14types of games. You can easily spend 30,
162. 5:1640, or 50 dollars for one session. Your
163. 5:19chances of winning anything are
164. 5:21incredibly slim, and even when you do
165. 5:23win, most of the prizes aren't going to
166. 5:24really do much for you. They can still
167. 5:26be fun, but go into them knowing you're
168. 5:28paying for the entertainment, not
169. 5:30because you have a real shot of winning.
170. 5:32One place I'm happy to spend a little
171. 5:33extra on board, especially dining, but I
172. 5:36don't think you need to do it every
173. 5:37night. Instead, before the cruise, look
174. 5:39at the restaurants on your ship, watch
175. 5:41some reviews, check the menus, and pick
176. 5:43one or two that actually offer something
177. 5:45you're excited about. Because specialty
178. 5:47dining can give you some of the best
179. 5:49meals in the entire cruise, but paying
180. 5:51extra doesn't automatically mean the
181. 5:53food is going to be better. And not all
182. 5:56cruise ship steak houses are created
183. 5:57equal. Yes, Crown Grill on Princess, I'm
184. 6:00looking at you. So, rather than buying a
185. 6:02huge dining package, I'd take that money
186. 6:04and splurge on one or two restaurants
187. 6:06that are actually worth it. Another
188. 6:08place I almost never spend the extra
189. 6:10money is booking excursions directly
190. 6:12through the cruise line. You're paying a
191. 6:13premium for the same exact tour you can
192. 6:15book elsewhere, except now you may be
193. 6:18doing it with 40 or 50 people following
194. 6:20someone holding a numbered paddle. I'd
195. 6:23much rather book a smaller independent
196. 6:25tour where we can move faster, spend
197. 6:27more time actually experiencing the
198. 6:28destination, and typically save money in
199. 6:31the process. And if your concern is
200. 6:33getting back to the ship on time,
201. 6:35companies like Shore Excursions Group
202. 6:37offer a back to ship guarantee, which
203. 6:39gives you that same peace of mind. But
204. 6:41while I'm happy to save money on how I
205. 6:43book my excursions, I'll gladly spend
206. 6:46more for an experience I may only get
207. 6:48one chance to have. Some of my favorite
208. 6:50memories from cruising have come from
209. 6:52things like dog sledding on a glacier in
210. 6:54Alaska or zip lining down the side of a
211. 6:56mountain in the Norwegian fjords.
212. 6:58Experiences like those can be expensive,
213. 7:00but they're also the reason I travel in
214. 7:02the first place. And when I'm deciding
215. 7:04where to put my vacation budget, I'd
216. 7:06much rather spend an extra $300 on an
217. 7:08incredible day in port than use that
218. 7:10same $300 for some heated loungers and a
219. 7:13thermal suite. Because 20 years from
220. 7:15now, I know which one I'm going to
221. 7:17remember. Another thing I absolutely
222. 7:19hate spending money on is anything I
223. 7:20forgot to pack. Once you're on board,
224. 7:22that $6 bottle of sunscreen or $8 bottle
225. 7:25of Advil suddenly costs two to three
226. 7:27times more, assuming the ship even has
227. 7:29what you need. Deodorant, toothpaste,
228. 7:31sunscreen, basic medications, charging
229. 7:33cables, all the boring little things you
230. 7:35never think twice about at home can
231. 7:36suddenly become surprisingly expensive
232. 7:39on a cruise ship. And the selection is
233. 7:41usually terrible. So, like Santa Claus,
234. 7:43before every cruise, make a packing list
235. 7:45and check it twice because there's
236. 7:47nothing less satisfying than spending
237. 7:49$20 in the gift shop replacing something
238. 7:52that's sitting in your bathroom at home.
239. 7:54I used to be a lot more willing to save
240. 7:56a couple hundred dollars by adding a
241. 7:58connection to a flight, but the more I
242. 8:00travel, the less interested I am in
243. 8:02doing that. Every connection adds
244. 8:04another opportunity for something to go
245. 8:06wrong. Your first flight gets delayed,
246. 8:07you miss the second one, your bag
247. 8:09doesn't even make the connection, or
248. 8:11whether somewhere you weren't even
249. 8:12trying to visit, suddenly becomes your
250. 8:14problem. And even when things go
251. 8:15perfectly, you've turned a two-hour
252. 8:17flight into five or six hours of your
253. 8:19day. Now, I'm not paying double just to
254. 8:21avoid a connection, but if a non-stop
255. 8:23flight cost me an extra hundred or maybe
256. 8:24two hundred dollars, especially when I'm
257. 8:26flying to a cruise, I'll gladly spend
258. 8:28it. I'm buying back my time, I'm
259. 8:30removing one of the biggest
260. 8:32opportunities for my travel day to go
261. 8:33sideways. Look, I love staying in the
262. 8:36suite, but on most cruise lines, I have
263. 8:38a really hard time justifying what they
264. 8:40cost. You can easily spend two or three
265. 8:43times as much as you would for a
266. 8:44balcony, and sometimes what you're
267. 8:46really getting is a bigger cabin, a
268. 8:47nicer bathroom, and a few perks that
269. 8:50don't come close to making up the
270. 8:51difference. But where I'm sometimes
271. 8:53willing to spend the extra money is when
272. 8:54the suite changes the entire cruise. The
273. 8:57Yacht Club on MSC, The Haven on
274. 8:58Norwegian, and The Retreat on Celebrity
275. 9:00give you private restaurants, lounges,
276. 9:02sun decks, upgraded service, and a
277. 9:04quieter place to escape from the rest of
278. 9:06the ship. And at that point, I'm not
279. 9:08paying thousands of dollars just for a
280. 9:10bigger room. I'm getting an an entirely
281. 9:12different experience. So, if you're
282. 9:14considering a suite, don't get
283. 9:15distracted by the square footage. Look
284. 9:17at everything outside the cabin that
285. 9:18comes with it. That's where I decide
286. 9:20whether the upgrade is worth the money.
287. 9:22But here's the bad news. Even when
288. 9:24people understand which upgrades are
289. 9:25truly worth it, a lot of them still end
290. 9:27up overpaying. Between constantly
291. 9:29shifting fares, fake deals, and bad
292. 9:32timing, it's incredibly easy to spend
293. 9:34thousands more than you should without
294. 9:36realizing it. The good news is that this
295. 9:38is completely avoidable. and In my next
296. 9:40video, I break down the exact tricks we
297. 9:42use to save money on every cruise. No
298. 9:45sketchy booking sites, no last-minute
299. 9:47stress, just simple strategies that
300. 9:49actually work. So, don't stop here.
301. 9:51Watch that one next, and I'll show you
302. 9:52how we cruise better for less. I'll see
303. 9:55you over there. If you're ready, I am.
304. 9:57Let's go.