7 night cruise $$ question

[disneydreamer1970]

Hi All!

We are planning our 1st Disney Cruise for November, 2004. It will be myself, my DH, my DS (13) and my DD (3 will be 4 a week after the cruise).

I am wondering how much money families usually spend once onboard the ship.

Any ideas on how much I should save would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!!

 

[luvstiggertoo]

I'm interested in this too.
We are only doing the 4 day....but DH & I are starting to budget for how much cash we'll need to come up with in the next month!!

 

[jrabbit]

If you are driving yourself to the port, you will get tagged even before stepping foot into the terminal – there is a parking lot that I think costs $10 per day and you pay up front.

With the 3/4 yr old, it will put a crimp in what shore excursions you do. For our family of 3 the biggest expenses for us are: tips, shore excursions and shutters. Tipping guidelines are listed in the book (per person) and it's your discretion on if you tip less, same or more. DCL shore excursions are available from their web site and may include the cost (you can get the costs from DCL if they are not on the web). Shutter’s costs us plenty even though we try to resist. Their prints are fairly expensive - but usually oh so good and with little once – very cute. With a 13yo there is the arcade "Quarter Masters" up on deck 9 and that has a cost associated with it.

We generally don't drink sodas or alcoholic beverages, but from what I understand these can add up quickly. Ways to help mitigate some of this expense is to buy the "soda mug" for "free" soda whenever you want it. If you like wine with dinner they have a package you can buy and receive a bottle with each dinner. If you only want a "little" wine with dinner you can purchase a bottle, each have a glass, then your beverage server will save it for you for the next evening when you can enjoy it again. There is also a “reduced fee” beer mug that is available to purchase.

We don't understand those who go on the cruise to go shopping - we want to be on the beach or in that lovely warm water (the pacific in the northwest is freezing!) So we do very minimal shopping while on the ship or in the ports - so I can't be of help there. And no matter how much I like some of the DCL polo shirts - I can't bring myself to pay over $50 for one.

If you order drinks on the ship there is an automatic tip added (including if you buy bottled water). If you use the porters at the terminal, they also need to be tipped. Room service servers need to be tipped (what you order is included in the price of the cruise). If your youngest needs to be in flounder’s nursery, there is a charge for that. There is NOT a casino, but they do have BINGO, and you have to pay to play. There is a wine tasting class that has a minimal charge. If you eat at Palo for brunch or dinner there is an automatic tip added (5 for dinner, 10 for brunch).

I'm sorry about not giving you any amounts; I've tried to give you the areas we spent money in. It's been a couple of years so what we paid will be probably be different than the current charges. There are probably other places you can spend money while on board.

 

[blanq]

Our onboard costs (i.e., what was actually billed to our stateroom), for 2 adults and 1 child were right around $1000.00. This included staff tips, photos (I was a sucker for these!), shore excursions, spa treatments, 1 soda mug, a couple of alcoholic drinks, and a couple of bottles of wine to share with our tablemates one evening. We also did spend about $100 in the ports of call. Our shore excursion was cancelled in St Maarten, due to weather, so our total shore excursion costs were less than we had originally planned for. Hope this helps you with your planning!

 

[BeanoC]

We are also a family of 4... Our onboard bill last year was around $1,400 for the week:

- "Shutters". Them pics are expensive! Around $200 for the week.

- Onboard shopping, including pins. Both of our kids are pin traders, and that adds up fast!! Then there's the usual assorted souvenirs. I'd guess $350-400.

- Drinks. Refills for the beer mug, sailaway drinks, etc. Add another $200

- Tips. Head waiter, Head server, assistant server, room steward.
Figure around $300 for a family of 4.

- Additional tips for room service, etc. We had some form of room service nearly everyday, including food for a party we hosted in our stateroom one afternoon, where the tab was 70 or 80 bucks just for that. Altogether, maybe $150.

- Shopping and drinks on Castaway Cay was another $100 easily.


We don't do any of the Disney sponsored excursions, so if you want to do those, add that cost. (We always go on our own.)



Obviously, you can do it for a lot less, and you can work within a budget if you plan ahead as to what you want and what you don't want to do. We'll be on a 4 day followed by a 7 day this fall, so I am already saving for the spending budget!!

If you aren't pin traders, and you don't drink alcoholic beverages, knock $200 off the top! Of course you can also limit your shopping budget as needed.

I hope this is a helpful guideline!!


'Beano'

 

[ducklite]

I'm not sure how much we spent, but it was over $1000, not including tips, for a family of three, for alcohol, shore excurions, souvies, aps treatments, more alcohol, wine tasting, are you seeing a trend here

I know we also went through over $150 in cash tips (this doesn't include the server, assistant server, head waiter, and cabin steward) but includes Palo, room service every morning for breakfast, porters at the port, drivers on excursions, etc. and another $75 or so in cash in the ports, and we didn't do much shopping.

Anne

 

[kpgclark]

I'd say if you were conservative plan on spending $100 for photos, whatever is recommended for tipping which I think comes to around $350, a few drinks and souveniers $100, Palo dinner $10 plus $10 more for extra tip, 2 Rainforest days in spa $30, BINGO, and other misc. I think if you wanted to be conservative you could get away spending $600. This would mean no excursions or soda mugs.

If you were REALLY conservative, then all you need to spend money on is tips but I highly doubt that would be possible.

 

[videoman]

I believe a family of 4 for a 7 night cruise should plan on spending between $1,000 - $1,500 for the week. That is our usual spending.....just think if you have left over you can put it towards your next disney cruise!!

 

[kendall]

in 2001 we spent about $1000, last week we spent $1500. We are a family of 4 (kids are 12 and 10) - we did a pricey excursion (Anguilla dolphin & stingray), otherwise we would have been around $1000 again.

If I were to guess and round, last week we spent:

Tips (standard and Palo): $350
Souveniers: $100
Photos: $100
Excursions: $820
Drinks and Bingo: $100
Spa: $200

Island shopping, we probably spent another $100 on souveniers and gifts

 

[westjones]

As you can see, it really depends on what you want to do while on board. You can get by with under $500 easily, if you don't buy drinks or pictures and don't take expensive excursions. Or you can spend over $1000 with spa treatments, pictures, excursions, drinks, shopping, etc.

We don't spend a lot; but we always have a nice time. I think what you need to do is sit down and talk about what are the things you want to do, and budget from there. Barb's website:
http://www.castawayclub.com is great about letting you know prices of a lot of things onboard. We used that to help plan our budget.

You will have a great time no matter how many or few 'extras' you add to your cruise.
DJ

 

[Bev J]

There are lots of ways to save money and still enjoy and do all the things you want.
We do not buy the soda mugs, no way can we drink $35 worth of soda in a week. We bring our disney resort mugs and bring on our own soda-we like pepsi and orange soda, DCL has neither.
We also brought juice boxes for touring. Plenty of free juice onboard in the dining rooms or room service.
There are plenty of tours that are available through local vendors that will be alot cheaper than DCL and you will have a smaller group and a more personal tour.
we cannot resist to buy some things in the ships shops, especially pins!
We had a great cruise and did not feel at all cheated by our own soda or not taking the ships tours. Now this goes for any cruise we are on DCL or otherwise.
We also could not resist some photos, but we did wait untill the last day to buy, this curbed the impluse buying.
Set your budget then add some for those unexpected items you just cannot live without
We are not trying to be cheep just spending our hard earned money the best way we can and saving a bit for the next cruise.

 

[mrsltg]

I tend to agree with the $1k range. On my honeymoon, we spent around $600 or so on alcohol (not raging alcoholics, just some nice bottles of wine! ) , then add on tips, photos, and some souveneirs, as well as a couple of shore excursions and it starts to add up! Our last cruise was a 3 day and we managed to hit $500 (I'm still trying to figure that out!). You can do it for less, but I think that you should be prepared for the high side as everything adds up very quickly! Oh, and what Ducklite said about tips for the drivers and guides on your shore excursions... I always get caught on the first excursion with no change for tips... make sure you have a few singles and fives for this purpose.

Have a great trip!

Erin

 

[4u2dream]

We were able toplan our 3 day last year with 2 adults and 1 child 4 yrs. old as follows:

Parking - $25.00
Tips- $150.00
Excursions- $150.00
Photos- $85.00
Drinks- minimal- $100.00
Souveniers- $100.00
Spa- $100.00
Total= $$ 710.00

We felt these were pretty much a given. And expected it. I have heard some people say aprox. half the amt. of your cruise is usually a guide line. I think it would depend on your financial situation and your spending habits, After all it is your vacation!!!

 

[SlyHubby]

>
I have heard some people say aprox. half the amt. of your cruise is usually a guide line.
>

I guess if you have category 12 that may hold.

 

[aprilgail2]

We are budgeting about 2000 for our 7 day cruise, if we spend half of that we will book another one while we are onboard!

 

[my3kids]

About $1000 for 5 of us. No DCL excursions. Mostly tips. Got some photos, a tiny bit of shopping. The tips are a major expense that shouldn't be forgotten about in your planning. That was just our shipboard account. We did our own shore trips which of course cost a little bit.

 

[SlyHubby]

aprilgail, I find it hard to believe that you will spend $2000 while on board. I think you can easily get away with $1000.

we're going at the end of next month. this time we signed up for a glass bottom boat excursion and the swim with the dolphin thing. besides tips, I doubt we'll spend more than $50/day. Total for us for 7 days - $1000 tops.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by SlyHubby


, I doubt we'll spend more than $50/day. Total for us for 7 days - $1000 tops.

I will spend more than 50.00 a day just on spa treatments! When I take a vacation I have no concern over the cost of most things, I am going to have a good time so I like to overbudget just so I don't come up short. I spent about 800 on the last 4 day with just my 2 year old and myself so with 3 more days I may almost double that amount. Its me and my then 4 year old going but I am sure she will find a few things in the stores onboard that she likes again this time around. To me its just not a vacation unless I can go pretty carefree money-wise,,,its different for everyone but that is how I like to go!

 

[thedisneymom]

I just checked my charge receipts from our 4 day las year and all I can say was it was scary. I spent much more than I remembered because Disney makes it so easy. Just your key to the world card and off you go. It adds up fast-spa, teen spa, soda mugs, pins, t-shirts, tips. We didn't even drink. Now I have to start really saving for our 7 day! Plan on MORE!

 

[confal1]

What everyone says is about right depending on what you want to do. I am quite a planner so I make up envelopes about 6 months before I leave home. I use business size envelopes and print out pictures of Disney characters on them and then label what they are for and fill them with cash and seal them. That way when we get to the cruise I just get out my envelopes. Example. The tips, each of the servers gets the recommended amount in the envelope for the family. Spa I usually set aside 2 or 3 envelopes with $100.00 per each day. My DD gets her own envelope for souveniers with $50.00 and once that is gone she doesn't get any more money for pens or tshirts or anything. Also you get the excursion list prior to departing so you can fill your envelopes for your excursions. I find this easier than charging everything and then stressing about when I get home. Have fun.