Frugal Hits & Misses: The Cruise Version

     It is amazing to realize that May is getting ready to knock at our fifth-wheel door. Where did January, February, March and most of April go?
     The answer is simple, of course: on the world cruise we just got home from. 

Cruise & Maritime Voyages' world cruise via the Columbus was supposed to last from Jan. 6 - May 5, give or take a day or two. Instead, the cruise was cancelled in mid-March, while we were still in Semarang, Indonesia. It took a month (and two reflueling stops) just to get back into port at London/Tilbury. 
     Our return plane tickets, originally scheduled for May, had to be changed. Twice -- because the airline kept putting us on flights we literally couldn't make timewise. Finally, the little dears at Virgin Atlantic, who had been making these fun changes (without our knowledge, by the way), cancelled the April 19 flight altogether.
     We had been staying at an airport near Heathrow. Finally we were able to fly home on the 19th, via another airline. Since then, we've been hunkered down for two weeks of quarantine in our fifth-wheel. We've been emptying suitcases, scrubbing, tidying up and doing a few repairs. (Apparently the appliances in the trailer missed us -- because several have shown their affection by breaking down. Fortunately, the Brick is a clever and resourceful handyman.) 
      It''s a little strange to be cooking again -- but I actually enjoy it. Simple things like scrambled eggs taste better, freshly made. Oh, and potato chips!!! (We didn't get them onboard.) Hamburgers, Mexican food and Italian dishes are other points of joy; either we didn't get them, or the ship versions didn't taste 'right.' (Curry powder does NOT belong on fajitas, no matter how much the India-born chefs thought it did.) 

     Dirty dishes and unmade beds, however, are another matter. Where are all the nice crew members who cleaned up after us?!?

Beautiful ship... crappy internet.

FRUGAL HITS
starting with New Year's Day, including five days in...

   LONDON

*Stayed in Walthamstow, one of the outer reaches of London -- but very accessible via the Tube (or Underground). Not only that, but we stayed at an AirBnB and cooked many of our meals inhouse, thanks to a terrific Polish grocery down the block.
      We made some interesting friends at the BnB, as well, including an American military man who had lived in England so long that he was practically British, and a Saudi there on business. (One of the kindest non-English guys I've ever come in contact with, and embarrassingly generous.)

*Used an Oyster card to get around -- a multi-day pass on the Underground. Worked just fine, though it was a chore to haul suitcases. Now I actually know where Piccadilly Square, Queen's Cross, Buckingham Palace and the West End are!

*Saw the sights with a double-decker Hop On/Hop Off bus pass. This was one of the smartest things we did, not only in London, but in several of the ports we stopped in, like Sydney, Australia. Not only did you get the equivalent of a tour with a guide, but you could stop and visit various spots...then get back on. It wasn't that expensive, either.

*Bought a London Pass. This single-multi-day card lets you pay one price for a wide variety of attractions. The longer you stay, the more you can see -- at a very reasonable price. Since several of the things we wanted to visit were included in the list, like the Charles Dickens museum, it was a no-brainer. (It worked with the Hop On/Hop Off plan, too.)

*Stayed in a hotel the last night, booked by CMV -- which gave us a free ride to Tilbury and the cruise ship terminal via bus, as well. Nearly all the Americans took advantage of this special, which meant we were all crammed into the same two busses. Surprising, because only 92 Americans were on an approx. 900 passenger list!

 CMV COLUMBUS WORLD CRUISE
(Later renamed the Repatriation Cruise)

Note:  As of today, the British pound is 1.2348 US dollars. While we were cruising, it ranged from $1.29 - 1.50. The ship's exchange rate was even more.

*We got a free upgrade -- just by asking for it. Paid for: an inside cabin. What we got: an 'obstructed view.' Sure, we looked at Lifeboat 10...but we also had lots of light, views of the water and a slice of land. (Also, the occasional workman who strolled by. Some of the guys took coffee/smoke breaks not far from our window -- which got to be funny.)

*Everything was largely paid for before we even got on the boat. This included the cruise price, of course -- but also tips and travel. We did end up paying some visa (and visa photo) fees -- which were never used. (sigh) Automatic bill-paying kept us in good shape back at home.

*Extra cash in our home account went into a six-month CD. The interest rate was horrendous -- but at least we got a little extra interest. We kept enough in the bank account to cover bills that still needed to be paid while we gone.

*We used our 1000-pound shipboard account to the max. It was part of the special; not only did we get discounts on the cruise itself, but a 1000-pound GBP bonus was included. (Although CMV is owned by the Dutch, everything onboard is British, including the currency.) We had planned to use it mostly on excursions -- and we did, for nearly all of it. But some was used for washing machine tokens, drinks, cappucinos and such. The remainder helped pay for our coach return to Heathrow.

*We brought along American dollars, as well. For some reason, many of the ports we did visit would take USD as quickly as the local currency -- which meant less hassle and gouging from changing money. (Ironically, shipboard reception was one of the worst offenders.)

*We luxuriated on board -- once in a while, and when it was reasonably priced. Drinks? You bet -- when they were on special. (Three beers for 7 pounds, for example. We kept them in our cabin's refrigerator.) An occasional beer or glass of port was much cheaper than buying the ship's drinks plan.
     One of our main indulgences were espressos, lattes and cappuccinos -- 1.8 pounds each. That generally translated out to $2.18-3.00 USD each for a large cup, artistically swirled, a butter cookie alongside. Try getting that price at Starbucks!
     We also bought Cokes when in port -- $1-2 USD. Expensive, but still cheaper than the ship's cost. An icy Coca-Cola is a lifesaver on a hot day in Indonesia...and the sealed can meant we didn't have to worry about contamination.

Regular coffee onboard varied from 'okay' to sometimes good, and occasionally great.
(Don't even ask about tea -- even the Brits thought it bland.)
The Brick packed coffee and a drip carafe, so we could have our own brews in the cabin.
We also bought ground coffee at ports after we ran out.

*Luxuries were even nicer off the ship. One we still regret not being to take advantage of: half-hour massages, $6 USD, in Bali. (The Brick had a shoulder massage on board, for comparison: 39 pounds.) Beautiful sarongs were easy to find at $10-20 USD each...or less. Smaller souvenirs were generally lower-priced. Unfortunately, the bargains we were told about from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China never materialized -- because we never went there. (In a way, you could argue that we saved even more by not buying as many souvenirs because of this.)
     We also bought in multiples, when the price was right. A group of key rings were much more reasonable than a single one; so were other items. Sellers wanted us to do this, so were even more accommodating. (Yes, we bargained most of the time.) Fortunately, we also bought a few extras, just in case. (The plan to buy each kid their Christmas present from a chosen country never worked out. Nearly all of our recipients chose China, Japan or Sri Lanka -- places we did not end up visiting.)
     Meals were also inexpensive by comparison, but:

*We ate on the ship, whenever possible. Not only was the food just fine, but there were no worries about bugs or careless food prep. We generally ate a late breakfast, just before leaving for the day.  Sometimes we came back in late afternoon for teatime (de rigueur on a British ship), and deliberately scheduled ourselves for 'second seating' (8:15 p.m.), so there was more time to stay out in-port.
     The few times we ate out were part of an excursion, or one memorable night in Fiji with friends to hear a 'true FIJI music' concert. (Which included American rock!) We did buy a fair amount of cold drinks or coffee while out and about.

*Many of our souvenirs (and snacks) came from the local grocery store. Not only was the food cheaper -- we were able to get items that were true specialties, at a fraction of the souvenir store price. This included Madeira wine from Funchal, peanuts (spicy, packed with lime leaves for zest) in Fiji, and eccles cakes and bakewell tarts from London.
     In case you're wondering -- did we buy potato chips? The answer is yes...plus cassava chips, which were both salty and slightly sweet. Yum.

The local markets were a great source of color and interest, too.

*We took care of our own personal needs -- particularly laundry. Spending a few hours folding clothes and ironing in the launderette wasn't fun -- but it was a heck of a lot cheaper than sending out our laundry. (We also found a dryer that went longer than the others...and used it. Regularly.) I kept our clothing in repair, and the Brick made sure electronics, shoes and suitcases were in good order. (We did end up throwing away one suitcase when we got home -- its bockety wheel never did work well. Grrrr.)
     This included schlepping along four months' worth of deodorant, baby powder and medications -- which came especially in handy, once the ship began slipping by ports without stopping. We were able to help out other people who came up short, as well.

*If it was an "I've always wanted this" experience, we didn't hesitate -- we did it. Even if that excursion was more expensive, we still booked it. (In fact, the cruise itself fell into this category.) But it was also 'wasting' time, so we could spend hours looking for dolphins, gawking at the Suez Canal, or eyeing the Rock of Gibraltar. I will never regret them.
     Sadly, we missed out on place like the Great Wall of China and Petra...but we plan to get back to them in the future. This experience has not dulled us on travel, at all.





*We also didn't hesitate to ask for a refund or reduced price, when the occasion justified it. This is still in progress, and will be covered in a future post.

*We volunteered for events -- which paid off in unexpected ways. The Brick and I did the music for all of the ship's Sunday church services; he also gave a few of the 'sermons.' (Talks, really.) This included one memorable Sunday, when we sang in Dutch and I did a Scripture reading in German. (I was assured that both were understandable, though the Dutch was purely phonetic.) The cruise director was very grateful for our help...and more than willing to listen to us in other ways. He also interviewed me for his weekly talk show, including a plug for my books. (Tony really was a nice guy, although he had a tendency to joke about Americans' odd ways.)
    I also participated in a Masterchef cooking competition. Yes, it was a little scary...but I came in second place. The prize: a free dinner at the ship's fancy Indian restaurant, Fusion!
    The surprise about all this were the friends we made-- from the chefs who moderated the Masterchef competition, or the people who watched me cook. People we sang with at church, and others who went to the daily Bible study, became good friends we still talk to. (In fact, we're tentatively planning a meeting with our Dutch friends, Bert and Maria, in October.) Some of these people are hoping that we'll come visit them in the future...we hope to!

*No extra costs for luggage -- but boy, were our suitcases heavy.

*We kept track of every dollar (pound, rupee euro, etc.) we spent. This will come in handy at tax-time, as well as help us plan for future trips.

FRUGAL MISSES

*Paid for: a lot of shots, vaccinations, pills and visas we never needed -- or used.
     Couldn't be helped...

*Missed out on some of London's attractions, due to the holidays -- they were closed, or had shorter hours we weren't aware of. Restaurants and stores weren't always open, either. (Ironically, we probably saved money on the initial plane fare by traveling over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.)
     Fortunately, we stopped in London BEFORE the cruise. Everything was in lockdown by the time we came back!

*Four nights at a hotel near Heathrow -- because our plane ticket wasn't good until then. Everything was closed around us: stores, attractions, etc. with few exceptions -- which meant we just stayed put. We did mitigate expenses some by one trip to buy snacks, some food souvenirs and microwavable meals at a convenience store nearby. (The hotel restaurant, except for an expensive daily special, wasn't open.)
     Which made it doubly ironic that:

*We had to pay for a return trip plane ticket twice -- when the first was cancelled. That ticket cost roughly what we'd paid for the roundtrip plane tickets. The stinkers.

     Extra electricity and propane were needed to keep the trailer from freezing while we were gone. (It never was winterized -- because our friend needed to have it available for use.) We also had a few items spoil: a half-bag of apples and such. But to have the opportunity to do what we did...and knowing that if we'd been here during the worst of the corona virus lockdowns, we would have been trapped in place --
     It was all worth it. 

The last report I posted (December 2019) is here. Last year's reports during this period are here: January 2019; February of same; March etc; and April.  Far different last year than this one -- we were still cleaning up and discarding, getting ready to put the Collins house on the market. We still have more work in this area, but it's simpler now.     
     Sort of.
     And we're starting to plan for future trips -- once this pesky virus lets up, the door is wide open on what we can do, and where we'll go.