Booking
I found this sailing attractive because it fit the timeframe I was looking for with it being a six-day cruise in December that leaves on Monday and gets back on Sunday. That means I don’t have to worry about whether or not they show a Saints game on the ship. I just booked the cheapest interior cabin I could get and bid on an upgrade.
I added Princess Plus which covers drinks, Wifi, gratuity, two casual dining meals, and more for less than what just the drink package costs on Carnival. Princess Plus is just $65/day and Carnival’s drink package us up to $82.50/day now.
Princess Plus is more than the Norwegian’s Free at Sea but FAS does not include Wifi, gratuity, water or coffee. It’s worth noting that Norwegian does have a new Free at Sea Plus starting in February that will include all of that for an additional $50/day.
I have two travel agencies that I usually compare quotes from and book the best one. In this case I asked for the cheapest room which was an inside guarantee. One TA quoted me 1,418 with $150 onboard credit. The other quoted me $1,266 with no onboard credit. I went with the cheaper price and no onboard credit. I did still get $150 onboard credit due to me being a veteran and a stockholder. That would’ve been $200 if it were a 7-day cruise instead of a 6-day cruise. It will be $175 because Princess gives you a $25 credit to spend on drinks out of Galveston before hitting international waters. That’s when I drink my wine so I’ll have $175 OBC to spend.
I saved $100 by paying for the cruise with 8% discounted Princess gift cards purchased from NewEgg.com.
Upgrade
The value of a balcony to me is about $50 per day. That would be $300 for this cruise. I usually bid just above that so I come in ahead of anyone with the same bid as mine. My bid for a balcony was $310. The deluxe balcony doesn’t add much for me. It includes a couch which many people value more than I do. I put a slightly higher bid of $320 for the deluxe balcony.
Surprisingly there was an obstructed balcony option with a maximum upgrade bid of $90. I did research on these balconies and found that they still had a pretty good view out. It was just down that was the problem. Some of the obstructed balconies on Princess are what Carnival calls “cove balconies.” I easily bid the maximum and would’ve bid more if they would have allowed me to do so.
I did get upgraded to a deluxe balcony for $320. That makes me 2 for 2 on upgrades with Princess. That’s the same bid I put in for all of my Norwegian cruises with no success. Carnival just sends you offers. I only upgraded with them once and that was on a two-week transatlantic. They usually want $700-1,000 for me to upgrade to a balcony from an interior.
My total for this cruise is $1,586 for the deluxe balcony with drinks, wifi, gratuities, and the other Princess Plus benefits. I actually paid $1,485 when you figure in the discounted gift cards.
Galveston
I’m going to do the same thing I did last year when I cruised during football season which is stay in an Airbnb down by Galveston beach Saturday and Sunday. That way I can watch my game at The Spot on Sunday. I’m staying in a different Airbnb this time. Last time I was one block off from the beach. This time it’s going to be more like four blocks, but I’m going to save $70 walking those few extra blocks. It’s a total of $168 for the two nights. I’ll also be closer to The Strand where I plan to attend the Dickens on the Strand Parade on Saturday.
We have a program at work where you get rewarded in the form of points that you can use for merchandise or gift cards. They’ve been giving me a hard time because I haven’t been using mine. Out of my $1,500 I had only used $32 on a Princess gift card two years ago. Airbnb is one of the gift cards we can buy so I’m using some of my points to pay for this stay.
Parking
I’ve been using Discount Cruise Parking for about six years now. I always price check the other lots. Discount is always the cheapest.
The first time I parked there wasn’t great. It was a long wait for a shuttle. After Covid they moved to a closer lot so it’s much better now.
Parking just keeps going up in Galveston. Before COVID Discount was $50 for a 7 day cruise. Post-covid I’ve been paying around $100. In February it was $110. In March it was $161.
My last time out of Galveston was on Norwegian Prima in March. I was talking to another guy waiting for a shuttle. He said he parked at Affordable cruise parking for $100. I’ve never heard of this one but I made a mental note to look it up.
Affordable Cruise Parking is indeed a new parking option in Galveston. It is in the old Discount lot and they are significantly cheaper than Discount for this cruise.
For this cruise Discount wanted $161. Affordable is $100. I’m giving affordable a shot and saving the $61.
Ports
Cozumel and Roatan
In Roatan I’m planning on my usual beach hour in Mahogany Bay. I don’t have any big plans in Cozumel. I will at least get off of the ship and walk around to look at the Christmas decorations.
Onboard Spending
Last time on Princess I left some non-refundable onboard credit on the table. I did the same on my last Norwegian cruise. I want to make sure I don’t do that this time. I’m planning on trying to get signed up for The Chef’s Table when I get onboard. That should eat up all of my OBC. Since I already have gratuities, wifi, and drinks included and I don’t plan any excursions, specialty dining is the only way I’ll spend that $175 OBC.