Extra expenses: Opinions from experienced cruisers wanted!

[SeaSpray]

Hi everyone:

I've been putting together a spreadsheet trying to estimate all of the expenses we will have on our cruise/WDW trip this summer. Here are the categories I have so far. Can you please take a look and let me know if I'm leaving anything out? Thanks!

TIPS for Cruise Staff.

LIMO while in Florida and to/from Logan Airport in Boston.

PRE-CRUISE overnight stay at Radisson, including dinner and breakfast the morning of the cruise.

Disney World Resort for 1 night, following cruise.

MEALS for our day and a half at Disney World, also including dinner on the flight home.

EXCURSIONS broken down by each port.

SOUVENIRS including t-shirts, mugs, formal pictures, (anything else you can think of we'll buy???)

ARCADE CARDS for the kids.

SMOOTHIES for the kids, DRINKS for us!

**We won't be playing any Bingo, so don't add that in**


P.S. I have these listed, along with the prices that I have figured out/estimated, if anyone would like me to post what I have so far, let me know and I will. I really am trying to figure out how much we will want to put aside for this trip Thanks!!

 

[kcashner]

I'm probably the queen of cheap, so I have some money saving ideas in the categories if you are interested. It looks like your categories are fairly complete. DO you need WDW passes? Spa?

A lot of the "how much" is a personal issue.

 

[CACruiser]

tip money for baggage handlers. DCL has a wonderful baggage system when you disembark. I always tip them a few bucks.

And just a suggestion for kid souveniers. I gave my kids a budget and a "bankbook" I made on my computer. They had to think about what souveniers they really wanted and keep track of them until their balance reached zero. It cut impulse spending on their behalf.

I do the same for myself. I have an idea what my own budget is...drinks, jewelry, etc. And I keep track of what I have already purchased for myself.

LisaCA

 

[dclwdwlover]

Here's some things I thought of right off the bat:

1) Other tips, including housekeeper staff at
a) Radisson b) WDW resort c) limo driver? d) baggage carriers
2) Pictures in the parks
3) Travel to the excursions if not included in the excur. price
4) Did you allow A LOT of $$$$ for WDW meals? If you've been there before you probably know what I'm talking about.
5) Any extra shows or such in WDW

 

[SeaSpray]

I'm interested in hearing everyone's opinions and tips so yes, please let me know yours!

As of now we are not planning on going into any of the parks while we're at WDW, that's why we're planning on staying at a Magic Kingdom resort, the Polynesian, so we'll have the "atmosphere" without going in the parks. Also, we'll be able to see the fireworks from the Polynesian's beach, and we plan on dining primarily at the restaurants onsite at there (O'Hana for dinner, Kona Cafe for breakfast/lunch). We may possibly go to Disney Quest that night but that would only cost about another $120 for the 4 of us. We also want to relax at the Polynesian after the cruise, swim in the volcano pool

We do plan on going to the spa and dining at Palo, but we have that amount figured in already into the price of the cruise itself since we'll be doing the Romantic Escape at Sea package, and we have the cruise almost paid off, that's why I didn't add those in.

I am going to list the amounts that I have figured in so far, so that you all can let me know if you think they're accurate or not.

I have the category, then the TOTAL, then the breakdowns beneath:

Tips for cruise staff: ($300. TOTAL, will adjust up for good service)
Diningroom server $100.
Dining room assistant $75.
Head Server $25.
Cabin Host $100.

Tips-Miscellaneous:
Room Service $25.
Baggage Handlers $30.
Palo $25. (tip only, not incl. Palo fee)

Limo: $550.- TOTAL
In Florida $350.
In Boston $200.

Radisson, dinner and breakfast: $225.TOTAL
Radisson $150.
Dinner $50.
Breakfast $25.

WDW resort- 1 night: $300. TOTAL

Lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner (following cruise, before flight home): $325. TOTAL
Sat. Lunch $75.
Sat. Dinner $100.
Sun. Breakfast $50.
Sun. Lunch $50.
Sun. Dinner on plane $50.


Excursions: $844 TOTAL

Key West:
Western Union Schooner $45. X 4 = $180.

Grand Cayman:
Nautilus Semi-Sub $40 X 4 = $160.

Cozumel:
Tulum Ruins $90. X 4 = $360.
Fury Catamaran Teen Cruise $35 X 2 = $70.

Castaway Cay:
Banana Boat Ride $14. X 4 = $56.
Hobie Cat Rental $18/half hour = $18.


Souvenirs: $$????
T-shirts, mugs, formal pictures, etc





Arcade Cards: $100. TOTAL
Craig: $50.
Robby: $50.

Soda, Smoothies and Alcoholic drinks: $346. TOTAL
Soda stickers: $35 each X 2 (for kids) = $70.
Smoothes: $5. each
Craig: 6 days X 1 smoothie/day = $30.
Robby: 6 days X 1 smoothie/day = $30.
Alcohol:
Terry: $6. each X 3/day = $18/day X 6 days = $108.
John: $6 each X 3/day = $18/day X 6 days = $108.

*Bottled Spring Water: We are going to have Shirley make up baskets and ask her to include individual bottles of spring water for us to take on excursions, so I did not include spring water in this worksheet.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by dclwdwlover
Here's some things I thought of right off the bat:

1) Other tips, including housekeeper staff at
a) Radisson b) WDW resort c) limo driver? d) baggage carriers
2) Pictures in the parks
3) Travel to the excursions if not included in the excur. price
4) Did you allow A LOT of $$$$ for WDW meals? If you've been there before you probably know what I'm talking about.
5) Any extra shows or such in WDW

1) Yes, I do have to add in tips for roomservice on the ship, and tips for baggage handlers!! Thanks

2) Probably won't be in the parks, we'll take our own pics around the resort.

3) We'll be booking the excursions through DCL so transportation will be included.

4) Yes, I KNOW the prices for WDW meals!

5) We may go to DisneyQuest that night, so I will have to add that in.

Thanks

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by CACruiser
tip money for baggage handlers. DCL has a wonderful baggage system when you disembark. I always tip them a few bucks.

And just a suggestion for kid souveniers. I gave my kids a budget and a "bankbook" I made on my computer. They had to think about what souveniers they really wanted and keep track of them until their balance reached zero. It cut impulse spending on their behalf.

I do the same for myself. I have an idea what my own budget is...drinks, jewelry, etc. And I keep track of what I have already purchased for myself.

LisaCA

We are giving DSs a set amount they can use towards Smoothies, Arcade Cards, and we'll buy them souvenirs, up to a certain amount. They are teenaged boys, ages 16 and 13 when we cruise, I dont think they'll be too into the souvenirs, but they probably will see a few things they'd like. We've also given them some Disney Dollars to spend on whatever they want.

 

[lrmillen]

WOW...You're organized! I wish I could come up with something you've forgotten but I can't. Maybe you should just have a "catch-all" category because no matter how hard you try to gather info there might be a few unexpected expenses - that way if something comes up you won't feel like you're going over budget. Sounds like an exciting time ahead of you!

 

[awatt]

Under the drinks category remember to include: sodas and waters,as well as poolside cocktails and any wine or cocktails with dinner. This adds up more than you anticipate. To save money,get some sodas and waters in Key West.

Pictures-since the DCL photographers take alot more pictures than on other ships,we spent more on DCL,I think about $200 for a package of 15 6x8's plus a few 8 x 10's.

Forgot if this was mentioned or not- cash tips for Palo servers if you go there.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by awatt
Under the drinks category remember to include: sodas and waters,as well as poolside cocktails and any wine or cocktails with dinner. This adds up more than you anticipate. To save money,get some sodas and waters in Key West.

Pictures-since the DCL photographers take alot more pictures than on other ships,we spent more on DCL,I think about $200 for a package of 15 6x8's plus a few 8 x 10's.

Forgot if this was mentioned or not- cash tips for Palo servers if you go there.

I just edited the drinks category and the tips category to include soda and spring water, and Palo tips. I think if I add in $200 for professional pictures that should be a realistic amount. Thanks

 

[MrsPete]

Several comments:

Unless you're looking at a suite or something special, I think you can do better on that one night at the Raddison. I've seen less than $100 mentioned several times. Perhaps this is seasonal.

Breakfast -- Okay, call me cheap, but I always bring breakfast bars and fruit from home for a quick breakfast in the room. I do this because it's easier and cheaper. And -- in the case of the cruise -- it allows you to save your appetite for the lunch buffet!

I see that you've allowed only 30 minutes for a sailboat rental. I don't think that's enough time. You'll just barely get out there, and you'll have to turn around. I suggest allowing at least an hour.

Arcades -- I don't see the point in spending cruise ship time inside playing games that are available at the local mall. There will be PLENTY to keep your boys entertained without spending money on arcade cards. I think your boys are teens, so I guess they won't be playing the free games in the Oceaneer's lab. How about bringing along Gameboy games, etc.? For the $100 you've budgeted, you could buy a couple new games.

Smoothies -- will they really want one per day? This doesn't seem like a teenaged boy's drink. Would they perhaps benefit more from the unlimited soda package? Remember that many, many FREE drinks are available everywhere on the ship.

Souveniers -- I was rather disappointed in the lack of souvieners on the ship. However, the shopping at WDW is great!

For your Polynesian stay, I'd suggest an evening meal at O'hana. It is WONDERFUL, though it'd be a little more than you've budgeted for your evening meal. However, it's all you can eat. Delicous food!

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by MrsPete
Several comments:

Unless you're looking at a suite or something special, I think you can do better on that one night at the Raddison. I've seen less than $100 mentioned several times. Perhaps this is seasonal.

Breakfast -- Okay, call me cheap, but I always bring breakfast bars and fruit from home for a quick breakfast in the room. I do this because it's easier and cheaper. And -- in the case of the cruise -- it allows you to save your appetite for the lunch buffet!

I see that you've allowed only 30 minutes for a sailboat rental. I don't think that's enough time. You'll just barely get out there, and you'll have to turn around. I suggest allowing at least an hour.

Arcades -- I don't see the point in spending cruise ship time inside playing games that are available at the local mall. There will be PLENTY to keep your boys entertained without spending money on arcade cards. I think your boys are teens, so I guess they won't be playing the free games in the Oceaneer's lab. How about bringing along Gameboy games, etc.? For the $100 you've budgeted, you could buy a couple new games.

Smoothies -- will they really want one per day? This doesn't seem like a teenaged boy's drink. Would they perhaps benefit more from the unlimited soda package? Remember that many, many FREE drinks are available everywhere on the ship.

Souveniers -- I was rather disappointed in the lack of souvieners on the ship. However, the shopping at WDW is great!

For your Polynesian stay, I'd suggest an evening meal at O'hana. It is WONDERFUL, though it'd be a little more than you've budgeted for your evening meal. However, it's all you can eat. Delicous food!

Hi MrsPete

We are staying in a "suite" at the Radisson, the room is $129. so I put down $150 which would include taxes and any other charges. With 2 older boys, they each want their own bed, so we've reserved the 2 King bed suite which of course has 2 king beds, plus a queen sofa bed. They'd be fine in 2 separate twin beds but hotels don't seem to offer that. LOL

Which breakfast are you referring to here? Breakfast on the morning we'll board the ship? I just might bring PopTarts or something and eliminate that fee PLUS leave us more room for the buffet once we get on the ship. Since we'll be flying in, I just hate the thought of all that extra packing, but we'll probably want snacks on the plane anyway so I might as well throw in some healthier type snacks like fruit, cheese and crackers, etc. Good idea

I was wondering about the 1/2 hour boat rental too. Do they allow you to rent for an hour beforehand? Or do you have to do the half hour, then come back in and go back out? DH wants us to do the Hobie Cat, I'll see if he wants the half hour or hour.

Arcade Cards: I agree with you 100%. We're hoping that DSs (yes you're right, they are both teens) won't want to spend much time in there, but if they do, we are going to buy them the $10 Arcade Cards one at a time, with a $50 limit for the week. I don't think $10 lasts very long in an arcade these days. lol Another thing, my DSs don't go to arcades at the mall, they're just not into that, so the arcade on the ship will be a novelty to them. You have a good point about using that $100. instead to buy a couple of video games! I would give them the option, but I think that if they don't use their allotment for the arcade, DH and I will keep the rest. lol

Smoothies: They love milkshakes which we don't have on a regular basis, so we're alloting them 1 per day, and we've told them that if they don't have a smoothie on one day, it doesn't mean they can have two the next day. lol We will probably get them the soda stickers (still undecided), but DH and I will be drinking lemonade, iced tea, and water, and DH will drink soda at dinner and lunch only. I don't like soda anyway so it would be a waste for us to get soda stickers for ourselves.

Souvenirs: I don't see them really wanting much in the way of souvenirs, but since we haven't been on a Disney cruise yet, I don't know what they might see. We will get them each a t-shirt and other souvenirs, within reason. LOL They will have some of their own Disney Dollars to spend too.

O'Hana: Yes. that's where we're planning on having dinner the night we debark from the cruise. I ate there in 2002 with my brother and his family and I can't wait to take DH there! Since we'll be staying at the Polynesian we will give DSs the choice to either dine with us, or they can eat at the Kona Cafe for dinner, or grab something else. We'll let them check out O'Hana's menu and decide. You're right, I will have to add $$ to the total for O'Hana. I'm sure it's about $25 per person, plus tip on top of that. I'll have to change that amount to at least $150.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[dtuleya]

Here are some of the extras I have budgeted for.

Snack money airport snacks during our layovers

Internet Usage onboard (don't know if I'll actually use this)

Port Souveniers

 

[smchan]

Originally posted by SeaSpray
Arcade Cards: $100. TOTAL
Craig: $50.
Robby: $50.

Dang lucky boys. Will you adopt me? I'm 36, but I think we can work past the age thing.

Sam

 

[MrsPete]

Okay, your price for a suite does sound good. For one night though, you're a more generous parent than I am! I'd have told them they can make do for one night. LOL

Yes, I did mean the pre-boarding breakfast. I'd suggest bringing just what you need for that morning, however. You really will have SO MUCH food on the cruise that you won't want extra -- or, if you do, you'll find plenty onboard. If anything, you might want to have some pre-packaged snacks that'd fit in a fanny pack for excursions.

I have not specifically rented THESE sailboats, but I have rented water mice from the Magic Kingdom resorts at WDW -- I assume it's the same. Can you reserve these sailboats, or is it "come see if one is available"?. Anyway, at WDW, it worked like this: Say you arrived at the docks at 1:50. The cast member would help you with your life vest, instructions, etc. and would mark down that you left the marina with the boat at, say, 2:00 -- they're very exact with it. You are not charged for anything until you arrive back. If you come back by 2:30, you're charged for 30 minutes. If you don't come back until 2:40, you'll be charged for a full hour. This leads me to an all-new suggestion: bring a waterproof watch! Of course, I'm assuming that the cruise operates its marina like the WDW resorts -- can anyone else verify this?

My kids also love milkshakes, but they wouldn't touch a smoothie with a ten foot pole!

As for souveniers, it's good that you're going to WDW AFTER the cruise. I suspect you'll end up buying the tee-shirts, etc. there. The ship had so few to choose from -- we bought almost nothing.

We ate at Ohana last summer, and I think it was in the $90 range for the four of us (but we have two children, who were charged much less than your two teens). I think you'll be safe with $150 -- even with an alcoholic drink for each adult.

Here's another thing to be sure about: Have you included your film? I spend a ton on film and disposable waterproof cameras. Okay, I'll own up to it: When I returned from my cruise, I spent $140 on developing -- and I get a good discount because I"m a photography teacher. This didn't include what I spent onboard at Shutters.

While we're on the subject of stuff to buy ahead, don't forget suntan lotion too. These are two "little expenses" that seem to add up to a lot.

 

[MrsPete]

Cozumel:
Tulum Ruins $90. X 4 = $360.
Fury Catamaran Teen Cruise $35 X 2 = $70.

I looked back at your list, and I think this is a problem spot: You're planning that your sons will do TWO excursions in one day. Checking
http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/brigham/612/w7czform.htm, I see that you'll be in Cozumel from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM.

The Tulum Ruins tour meets on the ship at 9:40, so I"m assuming that they'll have you leave the ship as soon as everything's safetly prepared. This tour is advertised as 7 - 7.5 hours total. That means you should expect to arrive back at the ship around 5:00-ish. Keep in mind that this tour requires two different forms of transportation, so the time is somewhat iffy.

I've heard bad things about the ferry used in this excursion -- we've decided not to do it because of the long travel time vs. the short time actually at the ruins. It's something like 2 hours actually at the ruins vs. 5 hours on the ferry/bus.

The teen cruise leaves at 6:00. If you're later than expected, or if your boys are just tired from the first excursion, they may very well end up missing their second excursion.

You might want to consider letting them choose the one they want most.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by dtuleya
Here are some of the extras I have budgeted for.

Snack money airport snacks during our layovers

Internet Usage onboard (don't know if I'll actually use this)

Port Souveniers

Thanks, I do need to add in some $$ for small port souvenirs. We're not big shoppers but we will want some sort of memento from each port.

We will be staying far away from the ship's internet cafe! DH works in front of a computer every day and I spend way too much in front of one too. When we cruised last summer, we LOVED being technology-free for a week.

I'm hoping we won't be spending much, if anything, on airport snacks. On our flight down, we will already have had breakfast, and I plan on packing lunch for us to eat on the flight since it leaves at 11:25am and gets to Orlando in mid afternoon. For the flight home we will probably have to buy at least their cheese and crackers snack to hold us over until we're home and can have dinner. We'll eat a big, late lunch that day before heading to the airport.

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by smchan
Dang lucky boys. Will you adopt me? I'm 36, but I think we can work past the age thing.

Sam

Sure, Sam, I'll adopt you...the more the merrier! But I don't think either of my DSs will share their room with you; you're on your own!

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by MrsPete
Okay, your price for a suite does sound good. For one night though, you're a more generous parent than I am! I'd have told them they can make do for one night. LOL

Yes, I did mean the pre-boarding breakfast. I'd suggest bringing just what you need for that morning, however. You really will have SO MUCH food on the cruise that you won't want extra -- or, if you do, you'll find plenty onboard. If anything, you might want to have some pre-packaged snacks that'd fit in a fanny pack for excursions.

I have not specifically rented THESE sailboats, but I have rented water mice from the Magic Kingdom resorts at WDW -- I assume it's the same. Can you reserve these sailboats, or is it "come see if one is available"?. Anyway, at WDW, it worked like this: Say you arrived at the docks at 1:50. The cast member would help you with your life vest, instructions, etc. and would mark down that you left the marina with the boat at, say, 2:00 -- they're very exact with it. You are not charged for anything until you arrive back. If you come back by 2:30, you're charged for 30 minutes. If you don't come back until 2:40, you'll be charged for a full hour. This leads me to an all-new suggestion: bring a waterproof watch! Of course, I'm assuming that the cruise operates its marina like the WDW resorts -- can anyone else verify this?

My kids also love milkshakes, but they wouldn't touch a smoothie with a ten foot pole!

As for souveniers, it's good that you're going to WDW AFTER the cruise. I suspect you'll end up buying the tee-shirts, etc. there. The ship had so few to choose from -- we bought almost nothing.

We ate at Ohana last summer, and I think it was in the $90 range for the four of us (but we have two children, who were charged much less than your two teens). I think you'll be safe with $150 -- even with an alcoholic drink for each adult.

Here's another thing to be sure about: Have you included your film? I spend a ton on film and disposable waterproof cameras. Okay, I'll own up to it: When I returned from my cruise, I spent $140 on developing -- and I get a good discount because I"m a photography teacher. This didn't include what I spent onboard at Shutters.

While we're on the subject of stuff to buy ahead, don't forget suntan lotion too. These are two "little expenses" that seem to add up to a lot.

I hope the Hobie Cats on Castaway Cay work the same way as the watermice. We've rented them before but only stayed out for a half hour. I do think we'll want to stay out longer than a half hour!

I can only hope that my DSs end up not liking smoothies. LOL Why do your kids not like them?? I've had them before, they were like a fruit milkshake right? Maybe I'm thinking of something different??

I have a confession to make: I STILL have rolls of undeveloped film from our May 2001 Disney World trip! LOL Now we have 2 digital cameras that we use exclusively, and we love it. We will buy a couple of underwater disposable cameras though. And I always have a lot of suntan lotion, we spend a lot of time at the beach every summer

Thanks so much for all your advice and opinions!

 

[SeaSpray]

Originally posted by MrsPete
Cozumel:
Tulum Ruins $90. X 4 = $360.
Fury Catamaran Teen Cruise $35 X 2 = $70.

I looked back at your list, and I think this is a problem spot: You're planning that your sons will do TWO excursions in one day. Checking
http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/brigham/612/w7czform.htm, I see that you'll be in Cozumel from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM.

The Tulum Ruins tour meets on the ship at 9:40, so I"m assuming that they'll have you leave the ship as soon as everything's safetly prepared. This tour is advertised as 7 - 7.5 hours total. That means you should expect to arrive back at the ship around 5:00-ish. Keep in mind that this tour requires two different forms of transportation, so the time is somewhat iffy.

I've heard bad things about the ferry used in this excursion -- we've decided not to do it because of the long travel time vs. the short time actually at the ruins. It's something like 2 hours actually at the ruins vs. 5 hours on the ferry/bus.

The teen cruise leaves at 6:00. If you're later than expected, or if your boys are just tired from the first excursion, they may very well end up missing their second excursion.

You might want to consider letting them choose the one they want most.

I had the same exact concerns and I posted a thread about this, a couple of months ago. Several people told me that they went on the Tulum excursion and their kids had plenty of time to get back for the teen excursion. I think you're right that the kids will be a bit tired from the long Tulum excursion, but the teen excursion is a Fury catamaran ride so they can just relax and enjoy it. They also serve snacks and beverages to the kids on this excursion, then they can eat something else when they get back to the ship. We may choose this night for our Palo night, since the boys will be off on the teen excursion and wouldn't be around for dinner anyway.