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Cruise holidays are many people’s idea of the dream holiday and it isn’t unusual for individuals to save their hard earned money to be able to afford to go on a cruise holiday.
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However, once you have paid up and booked your cruise of a lifetime, the spending, unfortunately, doesn’t end there. Even “all inclusive” cruises can have hidden costs attached or simply just don’t cover all the things you might want to do whilst cruising.
A great example of an extra expense that people will certainly encounter and not be able to avoid is shore excursions.
It makes sense that cruise ships will stop in a number of ports while you are on board and you will probably want to leave the ship for a few hours and explore on dry land.
Most cruise lines sell their own variation of shore excursions that will show you around the main sites of a port and the best places to do a little shopping but even if you try and do a shore excursion under your own steam you are still going to end up spending extra cash in local shops, bars and restaurants depending on how long you stay ashore.
It makes sense to factor these trips into your saving plan for your holiday to make sure you can enjoy the cruise experience to the full.
When you book an “all inclusive” cruise this usually just includes meals and drinks in the same way it would if you were staying at a conventional hotel, however, cruise ships are crammed full of things to do that cost a little extra like spa treatments or salons if you feel like pampering yourself.
You will also find that many cruises offer other on board activities such as keep fit; Yoga and Pilates for example.
So what is the best way to save for your cruise, I hear you ask? Well a really obvious, but often overlooked, fact is to make sure you save enough money to spend while you are away and it’s always smart to shop around to try and get a good deal on your cruise holiday itself.
You could try looking for deals on Virgin Holidays Cruises – I found an old blog post that talks about the launch of “austerity cruises” last year, which could be perfect if you absolutely have to plan ahead – or wait until the last minute to try and grab a late deal as there are sometimes plenty to be had depending on where and when you are going.
To make your money go even further, www.cruisecritic.co.uk regularly hosts competitions in which readers can not only win some great cruising prizes, but could even win an entire holiday on occasion, which could save you a boatload!
