Learn how to cruise and get the most value.

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A Tale of Two Cruises to the Caribbean - true story!

Budget: $3300

Team A: 7 night cruise from Miami to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martin, St. Kitts. Paid $3,200 for regular class with balcony.

Team B: 5 night cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martin, St. Kitts. Paid $799 for special Aqua class with balcony

Both chose same packages:

1. $300 shipboard credit 2. Beverage package

Beverage package included all bottled waters, specialty coffees, tea; wine up to $11, cocktails up to $9.

Team A chose to spend $175 on internet access. They were concerned about every penny spent. Unfortunately, they didn't study their beverage package, so they didn't realize most of their alcoholic beverages were covered. They were reluctant to order drinks because they were too expensive. The reality was $9 to $11 of their alcoholic beverages were covered, but they didn't take the time to ask what the package included.

They spent their time laying in the sun and attending the free entertainment. It was hard to take advantage of anything else like the restaurants, spa or shop because they were on a tight budget. The satellite internet ended up being hard to connect and there was a lot of frustration with the internet. After paying for the internet and tips, they used up all of their budget. Team A ate in port every day, even though they had already paid for food aboard the ship.

Team B chose to spent $135 on spa massage, reasoning they could connect to the internet on shore for much cheaper than $175, which turned out to be the case. In some ports internet was free at a restaurant and at others it was only $7. Team B spent less than $20 on internet during the trip and some of that was for a beverage at a restaurant.

Team B also had free access to the spa - heated lounge chairs, sauna, hot tub and steam room. Because of their special Aqua class, they were first to embark and disembark the ship. They also had a special, more exclusive dining room although they also could eat in the main dining room if desired.

Team B spent their days exploring the ports and collecting the free gifts from merchants. They each collected 8 topaz and silver pendants for free, plus a token coin and charm bracelet.

They enjoyed shopping and were treated to free champagne every day while shopping. They were able to negotiate great prices and bought nice gemstone and gold jewelry while staying within budget. Because they had already paid for food, they chose to return to the ship each day for lunch.

They also enjoyed free champagne while attending an art auction aboard ship and chocolate martinis at the shops on board the ship. The last evening they ate at a specialty restaurant with an incredible experience. It was absorbed by their onboard credit.

Two sets of travelers on the same ship, similar itinerary, but 2 totally different results.

Team A made several mistakes…they didn't shop for a great price and overpaid to begin with. They didn't get the upgraded class with special privileges like preferred embarkation and disembarkation, the dining room and spa.

They paid for satellite internet aboard the ship instead of getting in on shore. They paid for food on shore that they had already paid for on the ship, wasting money. They didn't understand their beverage package and what it paid for, so they skimped on their drinks. They didn't take advantage of free drinks on board or free jewelry on shore.

They also didn't know they could follow their cruise account on the TV. Every day all expenses are posted to your bill, which you can read on the TV in your cabin.

It just goes to show, if you're smart you can stretch your dollars and live luxuriously without scrimping or being "frugal". It's not about doing without! It's about being smart with your money, using it to get "deals", and educating yourself about what's available and how to make the best use of each dollar.

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