30 Days of Boat Drinks – Getting Informed

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Introduction

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Getting Informed

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Credit Card Plays

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Barclay Arrival Miles and Ultimate Rewards

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Membership Rewards and Cruise Privileges

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Shopping Strategies and Getting Booked

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Backup Plan

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Onboard Spending Strategies and Life On Board

30 Days of Boat Drinks – Conclusion

This may seem simpleton, or perhaps even obvious to some. But one of the first things I’m doing to get ready for the possibility of  30 days of cruising paid for with points is to arm myself with some options. Knowing that the Port of Miami features 3 and 4 night sailings on 3 cruise lines, Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean, makes this the best choice in my opinion for economical cruising. The less we spend in points, the more we have leftover for boat drinks, right? 🙂 Further, in Miami, it is possible to walk off one line’s ship, and walk onto another line’s ship for another cruise if pricing is favorable.

With these three cruise lines in mind, it’s a good idea to subscribe to their email newsletters which include notice of good deals. In addition to the cruise line sites, I’m also subscribing to the cruise newsletter offerings from the major online travel agencies as well as vacationstogo.com, crucon.com, and cruise411.com. Looking at Orbitz for the month of November, I found deals like these on all three of our focus cruise lines.

These are just examples, but there are lots of 3 and 4 night cruises starting in the $130 per person range. With prices like this, I’m beginning to see a way to spend 30 days on a ship with points.

Next up – credit card plays for 30 days of boat drinks.

-MJ, October 23, 2013