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6 Game-Changing “Cruise Weapons” That Transform My Cruises!

Tips For Travellers
Tips For Travellers
🥈Expert
👁️ 211K views📅 3 years ago⏱️ 10:34

Key Moments

Editorial Summary

Gary Bembridge shares several digital tools and strategies designed to help cruise passengers save money and optimize their onboard experiences. He begins by explaining how to track fare fluctuations using websites like CruiseWatch or Cruise Critic to secure price drops or upgrades. To manage excursion costs, he recommends using CruiseTimetables to assess port congestion and WhatsImport to research port facilities and walking distances. For more diverse or niche shore excursions, he suggests comparing cruise line offerings with independent providers such as Venture Ashore or Shore Excursions Group. Bembridge also highlights the utility of Cruise Critic for crowdsourcing specific ship information, participating in roll calls to organize shared transfers, and finding social meetups. Finally, he addresses the expense of beverage packages by advising travelers to use online calculators from Cruiseley or Cruise Mummy to determine if a package is more cost-effective than purchasing drinks individually. These methods aim to reduce common cruise expenses like excursions, transportation, and onboard refreshments.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.

How This Review Compares

This review's score for Holland America Line
Solid Strip
All-time creator consensus for Holland America Line
A Nibble

This review is more positive than the all-time creator consensus.

What This Creator Said
Creator RecommendsTips & Advice🥈Expert Creator
South_pacific · 14 nightsVeteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

I got back one thousand eight hundred dollars off an Azamara Cruise last year when they cut fares below what I had paid

I'm on a 14 night Honda America osterdam cruise around South America

whatsimport.com is absolutely one of the most important weapons I use to get the most from a port

I use it for three other things and again for this trip it was invaluable

Creator's Tips & Advice

Use cruisetimetables.com to see how many ships will be in port and plan accordingly
Check whatsimport.com for detailed port information and self-exploration options
Use Cruise Critic for specific questions, roll calls, and meet and mingles
Use drinks package calculators to determine if buying a package is cost-effective

Questions This Creator Answers

QHow can I save money on cruise fares?
QWhat are the best ways to plan port activities and avoid crowds?
QHow can I use Cruise Critic effectively beyond reviews?
QAre cruise drink packages worth the cost?

Topics Covered

Excursions2 Happy BaconValue Pricing4 Happy BaconDrink Package1 Sad Bacon

Port Highlights

Buenos Aires3 Happy Bacon
Top: Argentinian cooking class
Barbados2½ Happy Bacon
Top: Excursion to avoid Harbor Lights Beach
Montevideo3½ Happy Bacon
Top: Carnival Museum and Plaza de la Independencia
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology

Video content sourced from the creator's original upload. Watch on YouTube