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How I Cruise Like A VIP Without A "First Class" Price Tag!
Sep 13, 2025
Want to cruise like a VIP without paying “First Class” suite prices? In this video, I reveal 6 insider tricks that will let you enjoy luxury perks - all without breaking your budget. These are the same strategies I use to get a champagne cruise lifestyle on a budget. Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveller, these tips will help you transform your future cruises into something much more special — without paying suite prices. **** The Cruise Cards: go to https://www.TheCruiseGlobe.com, enter your cruises, click the BUY CRUISE CARD link and you’re done — there is free worldwide shipping, and if you enter the code TFT at checkout you'll get 10% off. 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 Book Cruise Port Excursions * Venture Ashore: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/excursions * Shore Excursions Group: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/shoreexcursions
View Video Transcript
0:00
A friend of mine on a really tight budget asked me
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is there any way I can cruise like a VIP without paying VIP prices
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He'd seen sweet guests with butlers, private lounges, priority boarding, and wanted all of it
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but on his modest shoestring budget. I gave him six things he could do
0:18
to transform his future cruises into a champagne first-class experience without spending a single penny extra
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Welcome on board, I'm Gary Bembridge, and I'm going to show you how I got my friend a champagne cruise lifestyle on his beer budget
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First, I told him I could get him into some luxurious first-class ship-within-the-ship areas
0:40
without him having to book a suite. How? Well, one option open to him is MSC Cruises Yacht Club
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This exclusive access-controlled area has butlers, a dedicated restaurant, lounge, bar with drinks included, a sun deck with pool, afternoon tea served by white-gloved butlers
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and reserve seating in the theatre that a butler even escorts guests to
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The trick? Book an inside cabin in the Yacht Club. Few know that they even exist
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For example, I was on MSC Virtuosa recently and realized it had 15 inside cabins in the Yacht Club
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all with the Yacht Club perks at an inside cabin price. If his budget could stretch to a balcony, I suggested he look at the Princess Cruises
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Sanctuary Collection on Sun and Star Princess. That's their equivalent VIP first-class area
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While most of them are suites, there are a few balcony cabins with Sanctuary Collection perks
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including the Sanctuary Restaurant, Sanctuary Deck and Princess Premier Package with perks
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like unlimited speciality dining. The only thing missing? Access to the suite-only lounge
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If you wanted even more, like Small Ship Luxury on his tight budget, I suggested he look at two lines that have R-class ships, as these, unlike most other
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luxury ships, have inside and ocean view cabins. Azamara has four of these ships, Pursuit, Quest, Onward and Journey, and Oceania has
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three, Insignia, Regatta and Serena. But those are leaving the fleet over the next year, so he has limited time to do that on Oceania
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These ships carry only 700 passengers, offer a very unmarked experience. can be booked at inside cabin prices
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The next thing I suggested he could do is focus on one line, since most cruise lines
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award one loyalty point per night regardless of cabin type, though some give double points
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for those in suites. By accumulating points over multiple cruises on one line, he could unlock meaningful, VIP
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first class perks I warned you should check the perks he could unlock before committing to a line to see see if they were going to give him that champagne lifestyle he craved And there is also a risk of course that lions change the way they allocate loyalty points
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For example, Carnival is changing to a spend-based, not nights program. I did recommend he look at Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor program
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At diamond level, after 80 nights, he would get priority boarding, four free drinks a day, up to $14 each
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a private departure lounge, a complimentary streaming Wi-Fi day, backstage tours, and most
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importantly of all, access to the Crown Lounge, which has complimentary snacks, coffee, and happy
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hour drinks. Once I personally achieved this level, I felt those perks really elevated my
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Royal Caribbean sailings. The point I made is choose one line early and stick with it. Even
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in the cheapest cabins, loyalty could pay off for him over time
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I also pointed out that he may be able to immediately unlock VIP first-class perks on
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his next cruise by choosing one of the handful of lines that status match loyalty levels
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from other programs. Some even will match his frequent traveler, airline, or hotel status
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For example, I counted 72 cruise lines, hotels, and airline frequent traveler programs that
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MSC Cruises will status match. I know my friend has high status with one of them, Hilton Hotels
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that would immediately unlock perks, which would include reserve seats and shows
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plush robes, thermal suite access, complimentary special aid dining, and priority imbalkation and disembarkation. Another matching trick to consider is if he
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did decide to build up Royal Caribbean status, as I suggested, he could not only match with MSC
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but also their status match with the other two lines in their group, Celebrity and Silver Sea
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So if his budget does grow over time, he will immediately tap into even more perks that those
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premium and luxury line fares already include. Unfortunately, few other lines status match
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with Explorer Journeys matching only ultra-luxury lines and Virgin Voyages occasionally offering it
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The next suggestion I had, and one I use often to make my budget unlock a more luxurious experience
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without spending more is go on repositioning cruises. These are when cruise lines move their
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ships between regions at the start and the end of the seasons. Most of these are ships moving
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between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean or Alaska, but others include moves to and from
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Asia and Australia as well. The big advantage of repositioning cruises is fares are often around
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half the price of the usual fare per night on any line This means that for his tight budget he could upgrade to a balcony for what he normally pay for an inside or ocean view or he could even upgrade to a suite for what a balcony
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would normally cost. Or what I've seen many people do is upgrade to a line that usually would be out
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of his budget. Some other friends of mine stick to repositioning cruises because their regular
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cruise line balcony budget they can use to sell luxury lines like Viking or Oceania on
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repositioning cruises. I too use repositioning cruises to elevate my cruising to a more VIP
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first-class experience. For example, next year I've booked a five-star, ultra-luxurally, all-inclusive crystal cruise from Lisbon to Miami that's costing me the same per night
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as a regular balcony cabin cruise on Celebrity Silhouette that I'm doing just a few months earlier
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Before I get into the next tip, which means guaranteed added perks without any added cost
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at all, I wanted to let you know about a perfect keepsake that not only helps me remember every
6:30
cruise I've been on, but also tells the story of each and every cruise
6:35
It's Cruise Cards from the Cruise Globe. These personalised, collectable cards are the same size
6:41
as the one we get on board, but way more special. They show the exact route, cruise dates
6:47
embarkation, disembarkation and ports visited, nautical miles sales and they even have a QR code
6:53
linking to your own interactive cruise map online. You can display them in a stylish cruise card
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album right alongside your actual cruise cards, or like me, build an album just of these personalized
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cards that tell the story of every sailing that you've done. It's easy. Just go to thecruiseglobe.com
7:12
enter your cruises, click the buy cruise card link, and you're done. There is free worldwide
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shipping, and if you enter the code TFT at checkout, you'll get 10% off. Start your collection today
7:23
and turn your cruises into something you can enjoy every single day
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That's thecruiseglobe.com, and the code is TFT. Now, back to the tips
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This next tip I had for my friend absolutely works for him
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because he lives in the United States. This one means he can ramp up his cruising experience
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to that more VIP experience that he wants by not spending any more money
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but by making a change to how he spends it. The change being putting all of his everyday spending
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groceries, clothes, travel, daily commuting costs, onto a cruise line credit card, something
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that many lines offer in the USA. He will then earn points which can be redeemed against cruise
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fares, upgrades and onboard credit. Extra onboard credit he can use to unlock all sorts of experiences
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for that more VIP first trip experience Many of these cards offer sign bonuses too For example the Celebrity Cruises Visa signature card has 30 bonus points which means onboard credit if he
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charges $1,000 of spending within 90 days. Many cruise lines offer credit cards in the United
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States, including Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean. I did suggest to him that the points can only be redeemed against that specific line
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so to be sure that it was the line that he really wants to be cruising on regularly
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and of course, the usual financial stuff, he should do proper due diligence before signing up
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and check that it made financial sense for him, and of course, pay off the balance every month
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to avoid high charges. While all the tips so far don't involve my friend spending more
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there was a great tip that I suggested he consider if he did have a bit of wiggle room in his budget
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because this one could elevate his cruise experience even if cruising in the cheapest cabin on any ship
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Now, this is buying one of the perks packages that would elevate him to feel like a VIP
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and give him some of the first class perks for just a small extra cost
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Now, I'm a really big fan of these and I'm using them on several upcoming trips
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that I'm going on. For example, that celebrity cruise that I mentioned
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I'm using it to elevate that trip. The VIP package I've bought for that
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is called Celebrity Premium. It gives me an 11am priority check-in, priority disembarking
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streaming Wi-Fi for two devices, reserved show seating, and a welcome lunch in a private dining
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room. Another that I've used and I really like is Holland America's Club Orange program. This
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package can be bought no matter what cabin grade that you're cruising in. It includes a guaranteed
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upgrade, concierge service, priority lines for guest services and shore excursions, premium
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bathroom, a tote bag, exclusive events, and dining in exactly the same place as Sweet Guests
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which on Pinnacle Class ships is in a dedicated Club Orange restaurant and on other ships is in a
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Club Orange area in the main dining room. Along these package lines are also things like Carnival's
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Fast to the Fun with priority check-in, boarding and priority luggage delivery. Royal Caribbean
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have The Quay, which has priority boarding, reserved theatre seating, a welcome lunch
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private disembarkation breakfast, internet, private activity times on busy facilities like Flowriders and so on. I pointed out to my friend that on many lines, a bit of extra budget could
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get him that more first-class VIP experience without booking a costly first-class suite this
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way. I also did point out though that there are tips and tricks around when and how to book a cruise
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to make his budget go further. I suggest that he watch this video where I dive into those
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So why don't you join me over there and find out too. See you over there
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