Where can your spending get away from you on the cruise?

[Doctor P]

Knowing that tastes and priorities differ, what are the places that you can "waste"/spend a lot of money on the cruise? Is it the spa, pictures, all of the above? What cautions would you give to a first time cruiser? Even considering the money, what are some of the things that are worth not skimping on?

 

[prymsu]

I would decide in advance how much you can budget for pictures. Start putting your photos together and buy them towards the end of the week, so you can choose from all your photos. I made the mistake of saying to myself 'oh this is the one i know i will want', and i ended up buying more than i had intended to...

The SPA - do enjoy this treat, but don't feel obligated to buy the products.

 

[papa]

Adult beverages if you partake. Since you just sign for them on your kttw card that bill can get away from you in a hurry. Photo's also.

 

[Mike Bartenhagen]

I agree with the others comments about the pictures. You can spend hundreds on pictures very quickly if you are not careful. Also the excursions can add up. If you have a family of 4 or 5 and you do an excursion that is 50.00 each and do this twice you have a good start on a large bil.

 

[BethC1952]

Pictures weren't a problem for us...we were just two adults without any cute kids, and we're two of the least photogenic people that you could ever meet! We had one picture taken, which we did buy because it really wasn't bad.

It's really easy to run up the "adult beverage" tab if you choose to, and souvenirs...that stuff can add up!

You can have a great time within your budget if you remember to stick to it so you don't get "sticker shock" when it's time to pay that bill.

Beth

 

[Denine]

Pictures and that bottle of wine every night at dinner that we see some people buy, plus other beverages throughout the day.
Pictures also add up really quick. Put all your pictures in one spot and choose at the end of the cruise.
Spa procedures can really add up. Don't feel pressured to buy the products. You can always buy them later on the cruise or on-line once you get home.

 

[atigeg]

One word: Spa!!!
Our spa bill sometimes rivals what we paid for the cruise, even when we don't buy products (hubby loves the bath synergies, so he splurges every few cruises). You can keep it in line by deciding what treatments to get before your cruise and budgeting for them. And as Denine pointed out, you can buy the products after returning home (www.timetospa.com), so take some time to think about it...otherwise, in your relaxed post-massage state, you might be tempted to go overbuget.
Adult beverages are definitely another pricey area, even for people who don't drink much like hubby and I. Cruising has taught him to enjoy a glass of wine with his meals, and of course he goes for the more expensive stuff. My downfall is Konk Coolers...it is soooo hard to limit myself to just one, but with tip the small one on the beach is around $6 (I add an extra gratuity since the server has to slog through the sand to get to me).
If you are a pin collector, those can be tempting too. But they can pay off sometimes...I'm still in shock on how much I've been able to sell the Artists Choice pins for on Ebay.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Bev J]

For us the 2 'P's- Pins and Photos. We spent a big chunk on pins but made some good trades with the ones we got.
We have 2 kids and they were always getting their pic taken, in the clubs, the beach, the pool. It was very hard to resist buying all the cute pictures. Wish they had a package deal. They could sell so many more if they lowered the price, so many are thrown away. Next time we will just buy our boarding photo and never check them out again!!

 

[Mjasp]

I like this thread, good question. So I'm posting so I know when there are new comments added.

 

[imgoingtodisney]

I havent read the other answers yet but my immediate response to this question is
DRINKS!! you have one you want another

 

[Talky_Tina]

I agree with everyone here, but would like to add that at this point in time,
I would pay big bucks to be able to buy the photos we missed buying on the ship.



TT

 

[callahanjulie10]

To me the pictures are our favorite souvie. I would do as suggested above and buy at the end of the cruise- wait for the best pictures. Also- anytime you have the pictures that are not on formal night, stand behind the photographer and take the same one of your child with your camera.

I can see drinks adding up fast because you don't have anything to show the cost. The spa is worth every penny. So far I have only one treatment I could kick myself for spending so much on and that is the Iox-thermy thing- I am trying to block that so I forget the name- but if it looks anything like what I just wrote- avoid it like the plaque!


Tips are usually the biggest thing that we hav on our bill and we always save our spare change before we go- and usually have enough to almost cover the tips.

Preplan and try to prepay anything you can

 

[AUTUMNSAM]

I agree adult drinks, pictures pins and spa treatments.

I think the excursions are worth the price. I also book thing on my own instead of what the cruise line offers.

 

[doulasue]

On our last cruise, I spent $90 on BINGO!!! I won $200 so I came out ahead, but it would have been a pretty big chunk of change if I had not won. Also, drinks added up, as well as specialty coffee's and wine with dinner. We didn't buy any pics, took alot of our own. This cruise (one more week!!), I expect to spend alot to go to Atlantis ($154 Comfort Suites). Have a blast, make a budget ahead of time, you may be suprised how easy it is to keep to it. -Sue

 

[kcand sunshine]

Definitely drinks !!!!! As far as pics goes, I always took the same pic and hoped that they came out!Our family photo was great so I bought it and one other small one. The ones that I took were really good so I'm glad I didn't spend alot on the same pics I took.
Arcade ran us up about $100-OUCH!!!!!!!!My son loved it and I decided it was vacation what the heck!!!

 

[PiperG]

No question, we paid out a big chunck of change on wine with dinner. We actually brought a couple of special bottles on board with us. We drank one on the balcony after our five-year old went to sleep. The other we brought to Tritons. I think we were supposed to be charged a corkage (sp?) fee but the server let us get by at no charge.

Although the wines a dinner were spendy, they sure had some great choices. We have since sought out certain vintages. As with everything Disney, the wine and food was top notch.

Can't wait until 1/25/03 when we set sail again

 

[MICHELLENDEAN]

The photo's were great we got to take them home!! The drinks we had were virgin frozen stuff...we tried one almost daily...little did we know that they charge the same for a virgin drink as a regular alcoholic beverage! so for us that was an addtional $12-15 a shot! But who could resist an icy cold frozen drink on a hot day in the sun!