CRUISES in general...how much do u spend total?

[Jennifer in MI]

great prices . We are also a family of 6 and I cannor find good deals . Do you get 2 rooms? Help

We've cruised three times with our family of six. We always get two connecting rooms. You have to book early to get them though.

Our first cruise cost us $4800 for our family of 6 on a 7 night Disney Cruise in inside connecting rooms. That was in Jan. Our bill afterward was about $1500 (tips killed us!).

The next cruises were back to back Disney cruises - 3 and 4 day. We went in Jan (great deals!) and got the "Secret Porthole rooms." They had Kids Sail Free, and those cruises together cost us $4200. Our bill afterward was $1000.

We're going on a Mexican Riviera Cruise with connecting balcony rooms on Disney. 7 nights. $6100. I fully expect to have a bill of about $1500 for excursions and tips.

 

[Chelley00]

We are taking the same cruise as the OP also June. There are 6 of us. Here's my budget:

2 balcony cabins (3 in each room) $7,690 (June is prime time expensive!)
Tips $540
Johnny Rockets for 6 $40 (4.95/pp plus tip)
Portofino for 2 plus tip $50
Pictures $50 (formal nights only)
Bermuda (3 dolphin swim, 3 jet skis) $1200 (ouch, but that's all the little ones asked to do.
St Thomas tour and lunch $450
St Maarten tour and lunch $450
Puerto Rico DH and 2 oldest zipline $393
Puerto Rico $ for the other 3 of us who arent ziplining $100
extra tip money $150
soda cards for teens $100

That totals $11,250. We have a $500 OBC to offset some of that. We get 2 bottles of wine from our TA, so I haven't budgeted anything for drinks. We also get a coupon book that I hope with have a Johnny Rockets coupon in it

The kids have all saved spending money so I don't have to worry about paying for their souveniers. I have birthday money saved to buy a new purse in St Thomas

The amount above doesn't include travel gas/food/tolls/hotel there (we are driving) or 2 days in NYC afterwards. That included brings us to $15,000. We have $19,400 in our vacation fund that I've been padding for 2 years to save for this trip (graduation present for DS18) so I think we did good. It's a huge splurge for us, but we are paying for it all in cash so I don't feel guilty.

 

[lisaross]

Wow..u really know exactly what u are spending on! thanx for sharing!

Have Fun!!

We are taking the same cruise as the OP also June. There are 6 of us. Here's my budget:

2 balcony cabins (3 in each room) $7,690 (June is prime time expensive!)
Tips $540
Johnny Rockets for 6 $40 (4.95/pp plus tip)
Portofino for 2 plus tip $50
Pictures $50 (formal nights only)
Bermuda (3 dolphin swim, 3 jet skis) $1200 (ouch, but that's all the little ones asked to do.
St Thomas tour and lunch $450
St Maarten tour and lunch $450
Puerto Rico DH and 2 oldest zipline $393
Puerto Rico $ for the other 3 of us who arent ziplining $100
extra tip money $150
soda cards for teens $100

That totals $11,250. We have a $500 OBC to offset some of that. We get 2 bottles of wine from our TA, so I haven't budgeted anything for drinks. We also get a coupon book that I hope with have a Johnny Rockets coupon in it

The kids have all saved spending money so I don't have to worry about paying for their souveniers. I have birthday money saved to buy a new purse in St Thomas

The amount above doesn't include travel gas/food/tolls/hotel there (we are driving) or 2 days in NYC afterwards. That included brings us to $15,000. We have $19,400 in our vacation fund that I've been padding for 2 years to save for this trip (graduation present for DS18) so I think we did good. It's a huge splurge for us, but we are paying for it all in cash so I don't feel guilty.

 

[holden]

We are doing the Freedom of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) this summer. We are paying $2800 for a Junior Suite (that includes taxes & insurance) for the 4 of us. We got such a great deal because we are Diamond members ($250 savings there) and we cashed in points from our RC credit card. Airfare to MCO is free thanks to points.

We'll probably spend another $750 or so on excursions and drinks.

We usually budget around $3000 for our family vactions and come in close to that price range wherever we go - cruise, Disney, etc.

 

[lisaross]

i also think as the kids get older..vacations cost more because they can do more!!

I also ALWAYS pay for the trip and have all the money saved b4 going.....

I'm sure my next cruise if we go w/out friends just our family would be MUCH cheaper - this cruise will have lots of laughs and memories though!

Everyone enjoy ur trips and thanx for posting..

 

[TLuvsD]

We've cruised several times, I highly recommed cruise critic . com. It's an amazing resource for all things cruise related. I book some excursions with the cruise line (zipline, things far away from the ship), some independently (swim with dolphings, things close to the ship). For some ports, we just play tourist. Check out Fodor's from your local library and see what options are avaliable...and then go check cruise critic. There will be a forum for eery port, with recent suggestions/reviews. Love it.
Look for a clear plastic shoe bag (the kind you would hang over a door). Pack it with some ribbons and a couple of wire hangers. It's amazing how much "stuff" can be stored easily in those pockets--cameras, room keys, sunblock, chapstick....all in one small location. And a few magnets for your cabin door will help the little ones find the cabin (the doors are metal, and they tend to all look the same). If you have teens, a dry erase board makes it easy for friends to leave messages.
Check with your cell phone provider BEFORE you go, see what additional charges may apply. You may not want your kids to be texting you/friends/etc depending on the charges.

 

[cluelyss18]

Just adding my two cents...
We cruise on RCCL the Oasis of the Seas Sept 2010.
Cruise was originally $1361.56 per person for the two of us.
A few months before the cruise the price dropped giving us $380 on board credit between the two of us. I got $55 back at the end of the trip.
We played, drank, ate at the steakhouse..had a blast.
We don't do excursions, I like getting a taxi for the day and seeing what the island really has to offer, usually way cheaper this way.
Flights were $79 each way on Southwest.
I'm frugal so no one could have gotten this same trip cheaper, I check everyday.

Have fun!! Cruising is by far my favorite thing.

 

[lisaross]

we booked over a year early hoping the prices would go down but NO they went way up..i paid about 1000.00 per person inside room Now its about 1700 per person - crazy - not sure if its because of gas prices or the boat is just booking up.


QUOTE=cluelyss18;40227221]Just adding my two cents...
We cruise on RCCL the Oasis of the Seas Sept 2010.
Cruise was originally $1361.56 per person for the two of us.
A few months before the cruise the price dropped giving us $380 on board credit between the two of us. I got $55 back at the end of the trip.
We played, drank, ate at the steakhouse..had a blast.
We don't do excursions, I like getting a taxi for the day and seeing what the island really has to offer, usually way cheaper this way.
Flights were $79 each way on Southwest.
I'm frugal so no one could have gotten this same trip cheaper, I check everyday.

Have fun!! Cruising is by far my favorite thing.[/QUOTE]

 

[lisaross]

i already got the shoe bag - post all the time oncruise critic but i love the idea of the magnets..willhave to pick some up!

We've cruised several times, I highly recommed cruise critic . com. It's an amazing resource for all things cruise related. I book some excursions with the cruise line (zipline, things far away from the ship), some independently (swim with dolphings, things close to the ship). For some ports, we just play tourist. Check out Fodor's from your local library and see what options are avaliable...and then go check cruise critic. There will be a forum for eery port, with recent suggestions/reviews. Love it.
Look for a clear plastic shoe bag (the kind you would hang over a door). Pack it with some ribbons and a couple of wire hangers. It's amazing how much "stuff" can be stored easily in those pockets--cameras, room keys, sunblock, chapstick....all in one small location. And a few magnets for your cabin door will help the little ones find the cabin (the doors are metal, and they tend to all look the same). If you have teens, a dry erase board makes it easy for friends to leave messages.
Check with your cell phone provider BEFORE you go, see what additional charges may apply. You may not want your kids to be texting you/friends/etc depending on the charges.

 

[floatinourboat]

Whatever you think you are going to spend... Triple it.

 

[cluelyss18]

One other thing I forgot to mention, when we went to Nassau this time we were only there for a short time, so we walked to a beach, blew up some dollar store floats, and left them on the beach...some beaches charge upwards of $15-$20 per float if you rent, plus then I knew I was the only one using them. They came flat from the store, didn't even know they were in the luggage.
Oh! not sure if anyone mentioned this one yet, but bring zip lock baggies. We've used them for ice and made a makeshift cooler to keep bottled beverages cold and also ordered sandwiches from room service the night before, and voila, lunch for free.

 

[cluelyss18]

we booked over a year early hoping the prices would go down but NO they went way up..i paid about 1000.00 per person inside room Now its about 1700 per person - crazy - not sure if its because of gas prices or the boat is just booking up.


QUOTE]


That is what happened to us this year. We were going to do Bermuda, but were unsure. So we decided if the prices went down enough we'd go, if not, we'd think of something else. They went up by about $500 a person. We really wanted two trips this year, one being vegas in the fall, so Disney here we come!

 

[lisaross]

OH geez i hope NOT - that is why i'm really thinking about what we will spend including transportation on the islands snacks etc etc - the only thing i'm not sure about is the actual spending on the boat for a few drinks - i'm hoping not to spend more then a few hundred - again just for drinks pretty much as we'll have money already allocated for the casino, my massage and bingo games..

Whatever you think you are going to spend... Triple it.

 

[floatinourboat]

Just stay out of the duty free jewelry stores then and you will be fine. LOL

If you are drinking on board. When you get to the first port pick up some tiny airplane bottles of your favorite spirit then carry them in your beach bag and add them to the FREE soft drinks onboard the ship.

Now if you are going for the blender drinks.... I haven't figured out a way around that one yet. LOL

 

[Chelley00]

When you get to the first port pick up some tiny airplane bottles of your favorite spirit then carry them in your beach bag and add them to the FREE soft drinks onboard the ship.

Many lines charge for soft drinks. Not so free at $2+ a can.

 

[Vijoge]

Many lines charge for soft drinks. Not so free at $2+ a can.

Generally cofee, hot tea, and iced tea are free. Also OJ, apple juice, etc. at breakfast. The only time I have ever had free soda is on a few ships who offer it free in the dining room at dinner. It's been awhile since that's happened so I don't know if they still do that or not.

 

[Vijoge]

Whatever you think you are going to spend... Triple it.

It doesn't have to be that way. DH and I did a 14 nighter R/T to Hawaii last fall and our onboard charges were less than $500.

 

[disneystar65]

Hi,
We are a family of four who have been on 7 cruises(yes we are addicted), on 3 different lines. We took the Explorer 9 night in May 2008 for the same reasons, huge family group. It was the most expensive vacation we have ever taken! 4 of us in a junior suite cabin cost almost $6k. Total spent on board including casino (hubby has to have his casino, like yours) atleast $4k, when I added in all the new clothes shopping, etc... came to well over $11k - WOW it was crazy and we vowed never to spend like that on another vacation. That being said, I do not regret it one bit, due to the memories. It's a gorgeous boat, with tons to do, we still miss the promenade! I'm a bit concerned about your family all in an inside cabin though, rccl has the smallest cabins of all we have sailed. It will be a tight squeeze, and you will want to stay out of the room which does make you spend more! So, bottom line I think your estimate on spending is right on the money - If you have it saved, then don't stress it - enjoy every minute of it!

This is the first year in a while we aren't cruising, getting the itch real bad, so I started looking, and hmmm lo and behold I'm thinking maybe Allure of the Seas for next May. I know, I know, we said never again, but this ship is a once in lifetime event!! Here's to hoping you get hooked too - enjoy!!

 

[lisaross]

Glad u said it was worth it....Definitly will have all the money saved b4 we go!

curious - what was the cheapest u spent on a cruise for ur family?

Hi,
We are a family of four who have been on 7 cruises(yes we are addicted), on 3 different lines. We took the Explorer 9 night in May 2008 for the same reasons, huge family group. It was the most expensive vacation we have ever taken! 4 of us in a junior suite cabin cost almost $6k. Total spent on board including casino (hubby has to have his casino, like yours) atleast $4k, when I added in all the new clothes shopping, etc... came to well over $11k - WOW it was crazy and we vowed never to spend like that on another vacation. That being said, I do not regret it one bit, due to the memories. It's a gorgeous boat, with tons to do, we still miss the promenade! I'm a bit concerned about your family all in an inside cabin though, rccl has the smallest cabins of all we have sailed. It will be a tight squeeze, and you will want to stay out of the room which does make you spend more! So, bottom line I think your estimate on spending is right on the money - If you have it saved, then don't stress it - enjoy every minute of it!

This is the first year in a while we aren't cruising, getting the itch real bad, so I started looking, and hmmm lo and behold I'm thinking maybe Allure of the Seas for next May. I know, I know, we said never again, but this ship is a once in lifetime event!! Here's to hoping you get hooked too - enjoy!!

 

[disneystar65]

The cheapest cruise we have ever done was actually our first cruise, Carnival Legend out of NY for 8 nights. We let the kids miss the first 3 half days of school and went that first week of September. It was fabulous! The weather was amazing (sailed between 3 hurricanes in the caribbean, and it was a bit rocky, but the Captain did such a great job!). We paid $3k, for the 4 of us in a balcony cabin. We love the amenities on Royal, but we really love Carnival, we tend to just have a better time, rooms are bigger, and IMHO the food is better. This past summer we were on the Carnival Valor, and we booked a year in advance using their early saver rate, this time out of Ft Lauderdale. It was a pretty good deal, we paid $3300 for a balcony. You have to factor in airfare to that though. Enjoy your cruise!