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Overrated Tips Every Sensible Cruiser Should Stop Using - RIGHT NOW!
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May 19, 2025
I'm just back from a cruise on Explora Journeys Explora 2, and was disappointed how many passengers I met on there are still following cruise tips that frankly I know are overrated and out-of-date. Tips that many cruising articles and videos are still recommending cruisers use. I'm Gary Bembridge, and I want to tell you about four overrated cruise tips I think you should ditch overboard and (importantly) what you should be doing instead. Links mentioned in the video - and savings on cruise products * eSim by GigSky: Get 10% off using https://www.TipsForTravellers.com/GigSky and code “TFT10” at check out. * 10% off any your personalised "The Cruise Maps" using https://www.TheCruiseMaps.com/TFT * At least 10% of collectible landmark, city and country tokens and token holder using https://www.TheWanderClub.com/TFT and "TFT" at check out * Save 5% off shore excursions at https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions and "TFT5" at check out For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * TeePublic Store: https://tipsfortravellers.dashery.com * Teespring Store: https://tips-for-travellers-youtube.creator-spring.com * Fourthwall: https://gary-bembridge-1-shop.fourthwall.com
View Video Transcript
0:00
i'm just back from a cruise on Explorer
0:02
Journeys Explorer 2 and I was really
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disappointed how many passengers I met
0:06
on there are still following cruise tips
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that frankly I know are overrated and
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out of date tips that many cruising
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articles and videos are still
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recommending cruisers use welcome aboard
0:18
i'm Gary Benbridge and I want to tell
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you about four overrated cruise tips I
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think you should ditch overboard and
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importantly what you should be doing
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instead i meet many cruise passengers on
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cruisers who proudly talk about the
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loyalty status level they've built up
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with that particular line many cruise
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pundits encourage building loyalty
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remarking on the added perks and
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discounts that you can build up but I
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disagree why first it takes a lot of
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cruisers to get to a significant tier
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that gives you reasonable perks for
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example to get to a level on Royal
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Caribbean like Diamond where you start
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to have meaningful perks like access to
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a special lounge with all day snacks and
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happy hour priority imbulcation
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disembarkcation four drinks vouchers per
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day even if you were to book a seven
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night cruise every single year it'll
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take you 12 years to reach that level
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second if you focus on one line to build
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loyalty you're limited by where they're
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going what ports they call on what ships
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they have and when they're going so you
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often will be compromising on the very
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best itinerary let me give you a couple
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of examples say you've got a cruise line
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you're building loyalty with and you
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want to go to Alaska if it's not one of
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the few cruise lines that has a license
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to go into Glacia Bay you miss out on
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one of the best parts of Alaska but if
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you've gone with another line that has a
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license you would definitely have an
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even more incredible experience if
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you're cruising in the Mediterranean or
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Asia many ports are far away from the
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key towns and sites so unless you go on
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a cruise line with smaller ships that
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can dock within the actual city you're
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going to miss out for example lines like
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Azamara with smaller ships dock in the
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center of Marseilles France while larger
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ships are way out in a very unattractive
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container port the same for example if
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you're visiting Shanghai China where I
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went recently on Crystal on a smaller
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ship we were able to get right into town
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to dock while bigger ships were miles
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out in a container port thirdly by
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switching between lines instead of
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saying loyal you can get deals that way
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exceed any perks from being loyal let me
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give you an example years ago I used to
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be loyal to Kunard and I'm actually at
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their highest tier level but I booked a
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Holland America South America cruise
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instead of theirs which was roughly the
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same fair i have limited status on
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Holland America but the deal at the time
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included their have it all package so
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I've got Wi-Fi drinks gratuitities
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especially dining and excursion credits
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which not only are way above any of the
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limited perks I get on Kunard with my
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high level but those would be an add-on
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cost on Kunard it would have cost me
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over $2,000 if I'd gone on Kunard so
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much more while some lines do offer a
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free cruise or nights for high status
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you're going to have to spend hundreds
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of nights on board and spend a fortune
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but by jumping between lines to find the
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best itinerary at the best price I know
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you will spend less and get more for
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your buck overall many fellow passengers
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cruise writers bloggers and vloggers
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encourage cruisers to use cruise line
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excursions mostly as the line says the
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ship will wait if any of their
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excursions are delayed getting back
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before sell time now while this is a
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plus I do think using cruise line
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excursions is an overrated tip these
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days why well first cruise line
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excursions are usually the costliest way
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of exploring any port cruise lines do
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not run their excursions they contract
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them in most cases to third party
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companies like Inter Cruisers who then
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source and hire local providers to run
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them so as well as the line marking up
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the excursion cost a lot there may also
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be a series of middleman costs already
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marking them up too this make cruise
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line tours expensive you can often be
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paying as much as twice as if you were
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doing the same tour by a local or
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independent provider secondly most
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cruise lines offer a limited choice they
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focus on a few key excursions they know
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will sell well because they need to fill
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buses and they need to hit sales targets
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so if you have a more niche or
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specialist interest or want to do
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something a little bit different you're
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probably not going to find it on a
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cruise line excursion thirdly most
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cruise line excursions are larger group
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sizes with full bus loads fourthly they
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tend to be designed to tick off and do
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as much as possible in a port so they
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tend to be pretty rushed around
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different places and different things
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because they want people to be able to
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tick off lots of things that they said
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they can say they saw or did if you talk
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to any tour guide you will see they have
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a very detailed schedule of where they
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need to be and time is very tight
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fifthly cruise line excursions keep you
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within the cruise bubble you're not
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experiencing and interacting much or at
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all with the local population nor dining
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locally seeing a more authentic site to
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the port and so on so I think using
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cruise line excursions is an overrated
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cruise tip i suggest trying something
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different look for example at using
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independent providers they usually offer
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more diverse excursions smaller groups
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and almost always are cheaper plus most
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will guarantee to get you back to the
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ship because they use local tour guides
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who used to working with cruise
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passengers and if for some reason they
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do not they will make all the
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arrangements and cover any cost to get
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you to the ship at the next port one
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that I personally recommend and use is
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called Shore Excursions Group i like
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them as I can input my cruise line the
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cruise ship and the dates and that
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brings up all the tours that they can
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get me by port they only show tours that
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they will work with the times my ship is
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scheduled to be in port they have that
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return to ship guarantee and I know that
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they vet local tour providers constantly
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and review them constantly by the way if
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you want to consider using them you can
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get 5% off every single tour you book
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using my link tips
6:13
fortraas.com/shore excursions and then
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enter the code
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TFT5 at checkout i've linked to that
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also in the notes of this as a reminder
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that's tips
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fortravelers.com/shore excursions and
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the code is
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TFT5 if they don't appeal other good
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ones that I've used include via.com and
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ventureassure.com because of the way
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things were most writers bloggers and
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vloggers including me would strongly
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stress the importance of switching your
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mobile phone off or onto airplane mode
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when on a cruise to avoid costly roaming
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charges if it connects to the ship
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satellite phone services and your phone
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starts downloading emails updating apps
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and so on or you make or receive calls
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the costs are absolutely astronomical
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for example phone calls are like $6 a
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minute and upwards until now your only
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option was to buy the rather costly
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cruise line Wi-Fi to stay connected
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these days this tip is heading to
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becoming an overrated one because there
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are fast emerging options and packages
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from some mobile phone providers and eim
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companies that actually work when
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cruising for example AT&T users in the
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United States can add a cruise package
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which allows 1 GBTE of data talk and
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unlimited text on 175 cruise ships and
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growing certainly at the time of
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recording this worked for various US
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AT&T users on that explorer journeys
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trip I mentioned at the start of this
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now more providers are starting to offer
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this but check the exact offer and
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capability carefully for example I
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looked at another provider like T-Mo
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which shows that theoretically you could
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connect and use it on your cruise but on
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some ships it was still $6 a minute but
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on others it was included in the cruise
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package so do check very carefully now
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there is another option available to
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everyone and this is what I tested out
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and used on that explorer journeys trip
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which is a cruise package e sim i used
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one from a company called gig sky so gig
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sky is an e sim so I don't have to
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change the sim in my phone it can be
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used on at the time of recording 220
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cruise ships and they work by connecting
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to starlink or satellite at sea services
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the advantage of this is it's perfect
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for people who don't want to be
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connected all the time so it avoids
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having to buy a costly Wi-Fi package so
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it's ideal for cruisers that want to
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occasionally check email do a little bit
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of online browsing the occasional
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WhatsApp or FaceTime call home now for
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example I tested out I bought 3 GB of
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data for the Explorer Journey trip it
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cost me about $50 US and I could do web
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browsing i was able to do email i did a
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couple of voice calls and I even
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downloaded a couple of Netflix shows to
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watch i actually didn't use all that
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data so if you ever try an ESA I suggest
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buying a smaller package cuz they're
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really easy to add on if you try any of
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these packages do still remember to
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check carefully and see if you need to
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put your phone into airplane mode with
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Gig Sky I had to switch off my regular
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phone number my regular phone provider
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which was simple to do so that didn't
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connect to the ship services and I was
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just using Gig Sky you can find out more
9:25
about Gigsky and actually get 10% off
9:27
any purchase by visiting tips
9:29
fortravelers.com/gigs sky and use the
9:31
code TFT at checkout
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tips.com/gs sky and the code is TFT link
9:37
in the notes of this too another thing
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that I see many writers bloggers and
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bloggers recommend as a tip is buying
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packages to save money things like those
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all-inclusive packages such as
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Norwegians more at sea celebrity always
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included Holland America have it all and
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Princess Plus or on the lines without
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those bundle packages then drinks
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packages Wi-Fi packages especially
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dining packages photo packages and so on
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but I think this tip is overrated too
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why so do you really believe that cruise
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lines are going to offer packages so we
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save money of course not they've created
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and sell packages because it means that
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we're going to spend more money on board
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not less onboard spending is key to
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cruise line profits especially for value
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cruise lines they have low fairs to get
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us on board and then it's sell sell they
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want us to buy and spend on board and
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they've clearly found that packages are
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a successful way of driving up the
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amount of money we as passengers spend
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on board to confirm this I do see in the
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reports that the cruise lines make every
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quarter to Wall Street or reporting how
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the amount that we spend per head on
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board is going up and up these reports
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also show that most passengers spend
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between another 50% and 100% of the fair
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they've paid once we get on board so
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those packages are a significant part of
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that spend and I believe for most
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passengers buying things more ad hoc is
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likely to cost less so while I think the
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tip to buy packages is overrated for
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that reason I do concede that it's not
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overrated as a tip in the two following
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situations first if like I do sometimes
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I you just want the convenience of
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buying a package knowing that you've
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paid for everything before you go on the
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ship because it can just make the trip
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more enjoyable less stressful sometimes
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certainly I don't have to think then
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about tracking or how much I'm spending
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second packages work when I have
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actually spent time to calculate if it
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will save me money based on my planned
11:43
cruise habits for that cruise for many
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cruisers I will look at each of the
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packages and calculate if they are
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saving me money for example premium and
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streaming Wi-Fi is really important to
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me because I always work on board i need
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to upload and download video files i
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like to download and stream different TV
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shows to keep up with them so that's
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really really important to me so in most
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cases those all-inclusive packages do
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not work at all because they don't
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usually include premium streaming Wi-Fi
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so it's silly of me to buy a package
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which includes Wi-Fi when I'm then going
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to have to pay for what I really need on
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top of that when it comes to drinks
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package while I don't drink alcohol I do
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drink especially coffees sodas alcohol
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free beers alcohol-free cocktails so I
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compare buying ad hoc to what a package
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would cost me i And to do that I use
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easy online drinks package calculators
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like those on cruisely.com and
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cruisemummy.co.uk sites i've again put
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links in the notes for those again I
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find many of these all-inclusive
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packages just don't work for me because
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they are including a big drinks package
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but for alcohol drinkers the drinks
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packages are based on and priced at
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including up to 15 drinks a day so
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consider are you really going to drink
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that much every day or would actually ad
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hoc still work out much cheaper so my
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tip is work out if the packages are
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really saving you money do not assume
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they're a great deal you're going to be
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shocked at how much more you could be
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paying i also think that there are many
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overrated tips when it comes to cruise
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cabins so why don't you join me over in
13:18
this video where I talk about what I'm
13:20
seeing smart cruisers do these days when
13:22
it comes to cabins and why you should
13:25
too see you over there
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