AFS “How to have a perfect time in port or Suzy’s secret port tips revealed.”
Cruises are a great value as an inclusive vacation but optional shore tours can cost a fortune if you’re not careful. I do recommend doing a few ship tours, particularly to sites far from port or when the only way to gain access to a place is via the ship.
Here are some tips to make the best of your time and money.
- Decide in advance how you want to spend your hours in port. Do online research before departure on what you most want to see. Google each city. Find local events or public holidays when sites may be closed. For private tours go to shoretrips.com
- At most ports, everybody is heading to the same famous sites. Hire a taxi outside the port fence, Get several friends to join you. Negotiate in advance a half day rate. Use same taxi driver for drop off and pick up time by meter.
- Hire a private car and driver at local tour agency or hotel concierge. I do not recommend renting a car due to strict and different driving laws. I do rent scooters often.
- Onboard, read the daily descriptions of the ship tours to get ideas of significant places you can visit independently. Calculate the travel time from ship to site. Ask the crew. They know estimated times needed for transfers in and out at every port. When the ship anchors, you either walk into town or ride small tenders. Passengers who booked the ship tours are allowed off first to board the tenders. Be patient. You’ll have plenty of time to explore.
- Onshore, walk into city center. Use public transit options. They are cheap, fast and authentic with locals. Lonely Planet guidebooks have the best logistical information on bus, train and ferry schedules for each city.
- Sometimes a ship tour is greater value than doing it alone. For example, precision timing for visiting Egypt’s pyramids. Port docks can be far away. In Italy, it’s a 2 hour drive to Rome. If a site is too challenging to get to or expensive to enter, book with the ship.
- Private AFS tours. Sometimes we can offer our own private group tours that are the same or more creative than the ship’s tour. They are always less expensive, more fun and leads to group unity. Cruiselines hate this. Some will even penalize us with fines to prevent it. If we offer one, please be discreet and follow disembarkation details form your trip leader.
- Don’t believe everything you’re told by the port lecturers on cruise ships. Sometimes they are being paid by stores or get kickbacks from entrance fees at ports. Go listen, then determine if you can do sites on own.
- If you can afford it, feel free to book all shore excursions with the ship but beware. The guide may speak poor English or present store shopping may be included in your tour. Whatever you choose, be smart, be bold and use every minute onshore to the fullest.
21 tips and tricks that will make your first cruise go smoothly Gene Sloan Jan 6, 2021
Cruising is easy. Or so cruisers will tell you.
For starters, you only have to unpack once, even as you travel from place to place. You also don’t have to go hunting for a restaurant every night. There usually are a bunch just steps away from your cabin, and they have tables waiting for you. You’ll also have no trouble finding entertainment.
But even in its simplicity, cruising still can be daunting for a first-timer. What should you bring? What should you plan on doing in ports? What is the best way to book?
This brings me to the tips below. If you’ve read this far, you are likely a first-time cruiser looking for advice for an upcoming trip, and that’s exactly what this story is meant to offer. It contains my list of 21 ways to make your first sailing go more smoothly.
It’s a list drawn not just from my own experience over 20-plus years of cruising but the observations of more than 100 cruising fans who shared their tips with TPG in a lively conversation on the topic at the TPG Lounge on Facebook. If you’re not a member yet, we highly encourage you to join!
Arrive at your departure port a day ahead of schedule
If you only follow one piece of advice in this story, it should be this one. It is the only way to ensure you won’t miss your ship — something that happens to cruisers more often than you would think.
Many cruises depart in the afternoon, so it might seem just fine to fly or drive to a port on the morning of departure. But all it takes is a moderate flight delay, or a pile-up on the highway, to upset such plans. If you’re delayed in your arrival at the port, the ship will not wait for you.
If you’re traveling overseas for a cruise, we recommend traveling to the port two or even three days in advance. This isn’t just so you don’t miss the ship. It’s also so you have some time to recover from jet lag. European cruises, in particular, can be port-intensive, with lots of touring, so you want to be ready to hit the ground running right after the cruise begins.
Pack your bathing suit in your carry-on
When you first arrive at a ship, in most cases, a porter working with the line will whisk away your luggage. It’ll be delivered to your room later in the day. This is a great convenience — there’s no need to haul your bags through the entire check-in progress. But it also means that you might not have access to your luggage for many hours on your first day on board. Be sure to pack anything you think you might need for these first hours of your cruise in your carry-on bag. This means things like medication, for sure, and a phone charger, but also a bathing suit, hat, sunscreen and other items that’ll let you head straight to the pool deck to start the fun.
Don’t overpack
Throw all the clothes you think you’ll need on a cruise in a pile, and then take out half of it. You won’t need it. Trust us. Most cruising these days is casual, and you really only need a few outfits to rotate through a voyage. If things get dirty, no problem. Many ships have launderettes on cabin decks where you can run a load or two of laundry every few days. If not, you can send laundry out to be cleaned on board. It’ll usually come back in a day or two.
The extra cost of doing a few loads of laundry on a ship is a small price to pay for the freedom of not having to lug a giant suitcase around as you travel to and from your ship. Plus, you’ll want to save room in your suitcase for all the little treasures you’re going to find along the way.
Bring your own drinks on board
Many first-time cruisers assume they can’t bring their own drinks on board a ship. But many lines will allow this, usually with some limits. It’s one way to save some money when cruising, as drink prices on ships can be high.
Among the lines that will allow you to be your own bartender is Disney Cruise Line. Adults can bring up to two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne or six beers onto Disney ships at the start of a cruise and during every port of call. Note that these beverages must be packed in carry-on bags. At Royal Caribbean, the bring-your-own allowance is two bottles of wine or Champagne per cabin at boarding, plus up to a dozen standard cans, bottles or cartons of nonalcoholic drinks.
One caveat: Many lines levy a “corkage fee” if you want to bring your wine into an onboard restaurant. Be sure to read the rules for your line before you bring any drinks on board.
Drinks packages are available on many cruise ships. On some ships, you can bring your own drinks on board. Bring extra toiletries. Yes, you’ll be able to find sunscreen, aspirin and Band-Aids on a cruise ship. But it’ll cost you. Cruise lines know you’re a captive audience and price their shipboard stores accordingly.
I have a small “go bag” of over-the-counter medicines that I throw into my suitcase for every cruise, containing everything from cold medicine to seasickness pills. I rarely use any of it. But I also never get hit with a crazy toiletries charge. While we’re on the topic of sundries, don’t forget extra batteries for your camera.
And bring these six things, too.
In addition to extra toiletries, cruising regulars often bring Clorox wipes or something similar to wipe down surfaces in their cabin upon arrival (and to bring along on shore excursions). I admit, I’ve never done this, though I know I should — if only to wipe off the remote control for the cabin TV.
Many cruisers also won’t head to a ship without room freshener, a foldable shoe rack (which they hang in the cabin bathroom to store toiletries), a highlighter (to highlight activities on the daily planner) and a lanyard (to hold their cabin key card). I am, of course, too cool to ever put a key card lanyard around my neck, which means I lose my card once or twice on every trip. They always give me a new one at the front desk.
Some cruisers also swear by bringing magnets to ships, to affix dinner invitations, excursion tickets and other important papers to their cabin walls. Walls on ships often are made with metal (even if they look like wood, thanks to faux wood veneers) and will hold a magnet. Some cruisers even bring magnets with hooks so they can hang up clothes and other items on their walls.
Skip the buffet on your first day on board
There’s nothing more jammed than the buffet on embarkation day. Everybody boarding heads straight up to it. To avoid the first-day buffet crowds, head to whatever secondary dining option is available. Sometimes, a ship will open one of its table-served eateries for lunch on embarkation day. It’ll likely be much less crowded than the buffet.
There are some types of vacations — a beach trip, for instance — where you don’t have to do much advance research. You just sort of show up. Most cruises aren’t that way — at least if you want to get the most out of them. At the heart of most cruises are port calls that, in many cases, are very short — often just a few hours. You want to have a plan for what to do in these ports, or you’ll miss out on a big part of the cruising experience.
Another great place to get ideas for what to do in ports and on ships — and what to bring on a cruise, for that matter — are the many private Facebook groups dedicated to particular lines. I belong to a number of them, including the Royal Caribbean Cruises group, the Carnival Cops (Carnival Cruisers Opinion Page) group and the Holland America Line Fans group. You’ll find thousands of cruise fans at these pages who often are only too willing to answer questions about their favorite line, its ships, its itineraries and the destinations on the itineraries. I’ve met some wonderful people in these groups, some of whom have become my longtime friends on Facebook.
Sign up for private tours
Booking a shore excursion directly through your cruise line is easy. You just check a box on an online form before sailing or while on board, and — poof! — it’s all arranged. But booking tours through your line isn’t the only option, and it’s not always the best option. In many cases, you can save a lot of money — and get a better touring experience — by booking shore excursions through independent tour operators in ports or a tour booking service such as Viator or ToursbyLocals.
Often, independent tours will be much more intimate than the tours offered directly through cruise lines. They might go to the same sites but in a small van instead of a big motorcoach. You might have just six or eight other people on a tour with you instead of nearly 40. If your group is big enough, you might even be able to book a private tour with an independent tour operator.
Independent tours also can take you to places that the cruise line-organized tours don’t. Plus, they often come with excellent service. ToursByLocals has staff on hand around-the-clock to respond to questions, and — for those of who worried about missing your ship — they offer a return-to-ship guarantee with every tour.
Sign up for activities in advance or soon after boarding
Some lines will let you sign up for shows, tours and other activities (including meals at specialty restaurants) in advance of sailing using online portals. If you want to be sure that you get a seat for a specific show on a specific night, or a specific tour or restaurant reservation time, it’s a good idea to do this. It’s not uncommon with some ships to find that some shows, tours and restaurant reservation times book up in advance.
If you don’t sign up for activities in advance, a back-up strategy is to do so just after you board a vessel. That said, whether or not you need to race to sign up for activities at the start of a voyage depends a lot on which ship you are on. I am more careful about signing up for a lot of things in advance when I am sailing on a giant ship such as Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas where there are thousands of other passengers.
Don’t feel like you have to do it all
While we’re on the topic of signing up for activities, note that … it’s okay if you miss a few things. You don’t have to do it all. In fact, you should force yourself to try to not do it all. Remember, you’re on vacation. Relax. Take some downtime. Sit on your balcony, if you have one, and just stare out at the ocean for a couple of hours. You won’t regret it.
Always carry the ship’s contact information with you
When going ashore, always bring the ship’s contact information with you. Those details are usually printed in the newsletter that’s delivered to your cabin each night. If something goes wrong when you’re away from the ship, you’ll want to get in contact with the cruise line right away.
Keep your phone in airplane mode
Some of the biggest cruise ship horror stories you’ll find on the internet are tales of cruising newbies who racked up thousands of dollars in cellphone charges while on ships. This can happen when you leave your phone turned on and, say, watch videos on the internet. Many phone plans — even international plans — do not include talking, texting and data on cruise ships, and you’ll pay exorbitant roaming rates for such services that will show up weeks later on your phone bill.
There are ways to make calls and access the internet from ships without spending a boatload of money. You can buy a Wi-Fi package, for instance, that will let you make FaceTime calls and stream videos (on some ships) by Wi-Fi without using phone data. Some phone companies also have cruise-specific plans you can buy in advance of a voyage. But I personally never go that route. I keep it simple. I just put my phone in airplane mode the moment I step on board a ship and never switch it back on. I then turn on the phone’s Wi-Fi, buy a Wi-Fi package and do all my calling, texting and internet surfing over Wi-Fi. That way, there’s no way that I can be surprised by an unexpected charge.
A growing number of lines now have apps that you can download to your smartphone in advance of sailing. The apps vary in what they offer, but many will show you a daily list of activities and all of the things that you have reserved. Many also will let you make restaurant reservations, and book shore excursions and other activities, and a few will let you order drinks and other items to wherever you happen to be standing. That’s pretty cool, right? The best part: The apps will work on board even if you don’t pay for a Wi-Fi package.
It’s not always smooth seas when it comes to cruising — or any sort of travel. We hate to even bring it up, but you might need to cancel your cruise in advance due to the sudden onset of an illness. Or, maybe you’ll fall ill during the cruise and need emergency medical attention. Maybe your flight to your ship gets canceled and you miss the vessel’s departure. These sorts of things can happen to cruisers, and they’re all the sort of situations where you might benefit from having travel insurance. Here’s a comparison of the top travel insurance providers and information about Cancel for Any Reason add-ons.
Don’t tip twice for drinks and spa treatments
Most cruise ships now automatically add a gratuity to bar bills — often in the amount of 18% to 20% of the total. Such automatic gratuities also are becoming more common in ship spas. But many first-time cruisers don’t know this and write in a hefty tip at the “additional tip” line on bills at cruise ship bars and spas. Be sure to ask if a gratuity already has been included before adding another 15% or 20% to the total. Otherwise, you may end up tipping twice.
15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise
Gene Sloan. Jul 10, 2020
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No Cards MentionedI can still remember my first rookie mistake on a cruise. It came about 15 minutes after I stepped on board a ship for the first time.
I had worked my way up to the Lido Deck, to take in the view, and was almost immediately confronted by a beaming waiter holding out a tray of colorful umbrella drinks.
“Oh, nice,” I thought. “Free sail-away cocktails!” I reached out to grab one.
It was only then that the waiter whipped out an invoice pad from his back pocket. Ka-Ching! It turned out the sail-away drinks on this particular ship weren’t free. Not by a long shot. I can’t remember the dollar amount that he wrote down, but I recall it was sky high. I do remember the way I felt: Duped.
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I never made that mistake again. But it wasn’t the last time that I spent money on a ship in a way that I later regretted. Even now, after sailing on more than 150 cruise vessels, I still make unforced errors from time to time when it comes to onboard spending. Don’t we all.
As anyone who cruises a lot knows, cruise lines are masters at the upsell. At some lines, the whole business model is built around getting you to spend more than you ever thought you could on board. They get you on a ship at a low rate and then blast you with spending opportunities.
The top mistakes new cruisers make
Are you a newcomer to cruising looking to maximize your dollars on your very first cruise? Read on for our list of the 15 most common ways first-time cruisers waste money on ships.
It’s a list drawn not just from my own experience over 20-plus years of cruising but the observations of hundreds of cruising fans who shared their tips earlier this month in a robust conversation on the topic at the TPG Lounge on Facebook. If you’re not a member yet, we highly encourage you to join!
Buying too many shore excursions
Despite what you’ll hear at onboard port talks, you don’t have to book a shore excursion in every port. There are many big-name cruise destinations around the world — Barcelona, for example, or Venice — where it’s easy to visit the biggest attractions on your own, either on foot or by using public transportation or ride-hailing companies such as Uber. This can be much less expensive than touring with a group on an organized tour, and maybe more enjoyable, too.
My favorite site in Barcelona, the Antoni Gaudi-designed Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, for instance, is easily reachable via the Barcelona metro for just a few dollars. Tickets to enter the basilica are 20 euros (about $22.50) for adults, less for students and seniors, and free for children under 11 (be sure to buy tickets in advance to ensure access). Compare those costs with the $90 or more per person you’ll pay for the typical four-hour cruise excursion to the basilica.
Only buying excursions through your cruise line
Booking a shore excursion directly through your cruise line is easy. You just check a box on an online form before sailing or while on board, and — poof! — it’s all arranged. But booking tours through your line isn’t the only option, and it’s not always the best option. In many cases, you can save a lot of money — and get a better touring experience — by booking shore excursions through independent tour operators in ports or a tour booking service such as Viator or Tours by Locals.
Often, independent tours will be much more intimate than the tours offered directly through cruise lines. They might go to the same site but in a small van instead of a big motorcoach. You might have just six or eight other people on a tour with you instead of nearly 40. If your group is big enough, you might be able to book a private tour with an independent tour operator, which can be heavenly.
Pro tip: Use the excursion list from your cruise line as a guide to the possible tours and top attractions in each port. But don’t book one of the excursions until you’ve researched whether it’s just as easy to do the top attractions on your own, or through an independent tour company.
Buying a drinks package (if you’re not a big drinker)
Drinks packages on ships often are quite pricey, and they generally only make sense if you’re a big spender on drinks — a really big spender. Carnival Cruise Line, for instance, charges as much as $59.95 per person, per day for its Cheers! drinks package. Royal Caribbean drinks packages sometimes cost as much as $89 per day. One Norwegian Cruise Line drinks package is over $120 a day. Think hard about how much you typically drink on vacation — and what type of drinks you typically order — before you commit to one of these packages. You may find it’s less expensive to just pay as you go for your drinks.
If you’re a beer drinker, for instance, the packages often are not a good deal, unless you drink a lot of beer. On Carnival ships, many beers cost $6.25. You’d have to order more than nine beers a day at that price for Carnival’s Cheers! package to start paying off.
Not buying a drinks package (if you’re a big drinker)
If you’re a big drinker, by contrast, a drinks package can be a money saver — again, depending on what type of drinks you prefer. Drinks packages can make sense for wine drinkers, in particular, as the cost of wine by the glass on cruise ships often is high. To continue with the Carnival comparison: Wines by the glass on the line’s ships range from around $8 to $14. At the higher end of that spectrum, you’d have to order just five glasses a day for the package to start paying off.
Note that, in addition to alcoholic drinks, passengers purchasing a drinks package typically also have access to an unlimited number of nonalcoholic beverages such as specialty coffees and sodas that normally come with an extra charge. The packages thus can be a good value to vacationers who are fond of ordering a high number of lattes, Cokes and other nonalcoholic beverages during the day in addition to alcoholic drinks.
To use the Carnival example again, someone who orders two or three lattes in the morning, several sodas during the day and three or four glasses of premium wine in the evening would come out ahead by buying a drinks package.
Pro tip: Some lines will offer discounts on their drinks packages in advance of sailing. Royal Caribbean, for instance, is known for doing this. At Royal Caribbean, the deals will appear in the My Cruises section of the line’s website (once you log in, navigate to the Cruise Planner area for your sailing and click on Beverage Packages).
Not bringing on your own drinks, where allowed
One way to cut your bar bill on ships is to bring your own drinks on board. Not every line allows this, and those that do often have limits. But you can end up saving a lot of money by being your own bartender on lines where going BYOB is kosher.
Among the lines that allow this is Disney Cruise Line, where adults can bring up to two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne or six beers on board at the start of a cruise and at every port of call. Note these beverages must be packed in carry-on bags. At Royal Caribbean, the bring-your-own allowance is two bottles of wine or Champagne per cabin at boarding, plus up to a dozen standard cans, bottles or cartons of nonalcoholic drinks such as sodas.
Note that many lines levy a “corkage fee” if you want to bring your wine into an onboard restaurant.
Buying the soda package
Unless you’re the type of person who drinks a soda every few hours, these packages don’t always make sense. Often, people buy them for their kids, who love the freedom of having access to soda all day long. But be sure to think through the drink-cost math before committing to one of the packages. At Royal Caribbean, for instance, you can get a soda a la carte for around $3, while a soda package runs $12.99 per person, per day. That means the package doesn’t really start paying off until you hit an average of five sodas a day. If that doesn’t seem too out-of-the-question to you, remember that on some days you will be off the ship for extended periods touring.
Not bringing every toiletry you could possibly need
Yes, you’ll be able to find sunscreen, aspirin and Band-Aids on a cruise ship. But it’ll cost you. Big time. Cruise lines know you’re a captive audience and price their shipboard stores accordingly.
I have a small “go bag” of over-the-counter medicines that I throw into my suitcase for every cruise, containing everything from cold medicine to seasickness pills (which I haven’t used in years). I rarely use any of it. But I also never get hit with a crazy toiletries charge.
While we’re on the topic of sundries, don’t forget extra batteries for your camera.
Not using a points card for onboard spending
You saw this one coming, no? Given TPG’s origins as a points-and-miles website, we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you to maximize your credit card points while making purchases on ships. The way to do this is to tie a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases to your onboard account. This could be the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which offers 3x Ultimate Rewards points on travel and dining (excluding the annual $300 travel credit) and the Citi Premier℠ Card, which offers 3x ThankYou Points on travel, including gas stations. There’s also the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which brings 2x Ultimate Rewards points on travel (and dining).
The information for the Citi Premier Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Buying full-priced spa treatments
If there’s one thing that all cruise ships have in common, it is this: The pricing in their spas is sky high. It’s not uncommon for a 75-minute massage at a cruise ship spa to run as much as $199, and that’s before a gratuity that, on many ships, is now added on automatically. A manicure can set you back nearly $50 on some vessels — again, before a gratuity that may not be optional.
One strategy that many savvy cruisers follow when booking spa treatments is to wait for the treatments to go on sale. This often happens when a vessel is in port. Cruise ship spas have a harder time getting customers on port days, as many passengers are out touring, so they often drop prices to boost demand. Often, you’ll find port-day spa discounts highlighted in cabin newsletters the night before a port call, and/or spa staff will be in corridors on port days promoting the deals.
Tipping twice for a spa treatment
As noted above, some cruise ship spas now are adding an automatic gratuity to the cost of spa treatments — often in the amount of 18% to 20% of the treatment cost. But that’s not always clear when you go to check out. Be sure to ask if a gratuity already has been included before adding another 15% or 20% to the total. Otherwise, you may end up tipping twice.
Shopping on board, for just about anything
People buy the strangest things on cruise ships. On just about every ship bigger than a tugboat, you’ll find at least one store, usually many, selling everything from little models of your ship to gold chains sold “by the inch.” There’s also art, sold through auctions (how did this become a thing on cruise ships?), all the tanzanite you’ll ever need (for some reason, this is a thing, too), and all sorts of tchotchkes, jewelry, watches and clothing, the latter often with the cruise line’s logo splashed all across it.
If you’re into all of this stuff, fine. Just know that it isn’t necessarily a bargain — no matter what the salespeople try to tell you. As mentioned above, you’re a captive audience, and the cruise lines know it.
Not keeping your phone in airplane mode
Some of the biggest cruise ship horror stories you’ll find on the internet are tales of cruising newbies who racked up thousands of dollars in cellphone charges while on ships. This can happen when you leave your phone turned on and, say, watch videos on the internet. Many phone plans — even international plans — do not include talking, texting and data on cruise ships, and you’ll pay exorbitant roaming rates for such services that will show up weeks later on your phone bill.
There are ways to make calls and access the internet from ships without spending a boatload of money. You can buy a Wi-Fi package, for instance, that will let you make FaceTime calls and stream videos (on some ships) by Wi-Fi without using phone data. Some phone companies also have cruise specific plans you can buy in advance of a voyage. But I personally never go that route. I keep it simple. I just put my phone in airplane mode the moment I step on board a ship and never switch it back on. I then turn on the phone’s Wi-Fi, buy a Wi-Fi package and do all my calling, texting and internet surfing over Wi-Fi. That way, there’s no way that I can be surprised by an unexpected charge.
Young woman on the bench on deck of the ferry boat or ship yacht taking photos pictures using her smart mobile phone while sailing on the vacation in sunny day
Taking pictures is fine, but be careful how you use your phone for calls, texts and internet surfing when on a cruise ship. (Photo by Miljan Zivkovic/EyeEm/Getty Images)
Buying photo packages
Photography is big business on many cruise ships. Even before you board, you’ll be greeted by photographers, often with a faux ship backdrop, wanting to take your picture. They’ll reappear at the gangplank during port calls, in restaurants during dinner and corridors on formal nights, snapping away. All these photos then appear in ship photography galleries, available for a charge.
Our advice, and the advice of many TPG readers who cruise: Look but don’t buy. Some of the photos may be fun, but the pricing for photos on most ships is insanely over-the-top. You can easily pay $20 for a single photo given to you in digital form. You won’t even get a printout. Multi-photo packages often run into the hundreds of dollars. You may be excited about the photos when you first see them at the photo shop, but — trust us — you won’t be so thrilled when you get your final bill at the end of the cruise.
Not using points to get to your cruise
Using points and miles to pay for a cruise doesn’t always make sense, as it often requires a huge number of them to secure a cabin. But that doesn’t mean you can’t save big time by booking your flights to and from a ship using points and miles.
You’ll find plenty of stories here at The Points Guy about how to, say, pay the equivalent of $1,330 in points for a flight that cost $16,000, or book a $27,000 around-the-world trip for just $168 in out-of-pocket costs. Scroll around a little, and you may never pay cash for a flight to a cruise ship again.
Not asking for comps in the casino
Just like at casinos on land, casinos at sea often offer extra perks for their most loyal customers. If you’re going to play a lot in a shipboard casino, make sure you introduce yourself to the casino manager at the start of the trip and check to see if the line has a casino players card. Depending on the line, your play could be rewarded with such perks as free drinks, free dinners in extra-charge restaurants, free internet time, an onboard spending credit or even a free future cruise.
Norwegian Cruise Line, for instance, has a formal Casino at Sea rewards program with five tiers that, at its highest tier, can bring a waiver of your onboard service fees, a complimentary shore excursion, private transfers from your home or hotel to the ship and back, cabin discounts, free drinks while playing and more.
