In fact, a taxi fare from Sydney airport to the dock is anything from $60 to $80, but for two people on the cruise line transfer, it is $44. I find too, while on the bus, you are higher up, so you get a bus tour experience as you go through the city. You can also relax and talk to other cruise passengers, or sometimes the driver gives you interesting commentary.

Beats a smelly taxi ride any day!

I did visit the spa once, but paid only $7.50 for the tip. When we returned to our cabin after dinner on our anniversary, there were a pair of gift cards on the bed, being guarded by our towel frog: a $50 spa gift card and a $25 wine gift card! While I was getting my deluxe manicure with shoulder massage, an elderly woman came in with her husband to spend HIS birthday gift card! (They were very sweet; he was so excited she was getting a gift for his birthday.) So if you are traveling on an anniversary or birthday, make note of it when you book. You just might get a bonus!

We did make an exception to our normally strict policy of no cruise line sponsored excursions. In Belize, the ships docks pretty far from shore, so you have to take tenders (small boats) to port, which takes thirty to forty minutes. If you are not taking a ship-sponsored excursion, you are unlikely to get a seat on a tender until after all the excursions have left. Plus, most excursions in Belize are forty-five minutes to an hour out from the port, and they only hold the ship if it’s one of their excursions. (They may have to pay big fees to depart late.) Weighing the risks and benefits, we booked through Carnival, had a blast, and were worry free. This made Belize much more expensive as a port, but it was one of the best port days we’ve ever had. (We went for free activities in the other ports to compensate, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.) I don’t regret our choice, but I don’t think I would pay for a cruise line excursion again except under similar exceptional circumstances.

The amount varies on the length of cruise, but for my upcoming 7-day cruise on Holland America, it’s $100 USD. Buy 100 shares of Carnival (the parent company), send proof of ownership by email along with proof of payment for the cruise and they put $100 in my onboard account.

Due to lucky timing, the annual dividend will also be paid during this period. So owning 100 shares for a month will net me $100 plus $120 (1.20 per share) in dividends. With any luck, the shares will go up as well.

That is really great to hear! I’m glad you could save so much and travel for so long! Thanks for writing!

– One sushi lover to the next!

We also spent 80 days in Paris and there again we saved thousand of dollars with your 101 free things to do in Paris. We went to 20 free concerts, included the France Independence day celebration. 500,000 people including us at the free concert and firework show. AMAZING. We rode bikes almost everywhere and we eat and drank mostly at our wonderful apartment or picnicked at any of the wonderful parks, along the rivers and anywhere that we could set and watch life go bye. Basically we lived like the French.

Things we did different is we danced quite a bit in different place in town( we are ballroom dancer ) And we Geocached. A great way to get around town and search for treasures. Most of the time the caches are located in a place with a great view or something interesting to learn about.

Thanks for all the great advice, we are so glad we came across your books and blog. We look forward to all we can learn from you.