How much more can I expect to spend on a cruise?

[bumbershoot]

We just got back from a cruise and I was in shock at how much more we spent. Between the excursions (we were in Alaska so it was not a beach thing), tips and drinks. Our cruise charged $20 a day for free water, soda, tea, coffee and non-alcoholicn drinks. I will never question the mug at the resorts again.

That amount sounds exactly like the Replenish package on royal. It was socially coffee like mochas and frappucinos, special teas like Tazo brand, bottled waters, and the soda which isn't included on royal. And mocktails like smoothies just without the booze. And fresh squeezed oj in the mornings which otherwise would have cost over $4. Other boxed type juices would have been included in the fare.

If you were on royal and that's what you had, I hope you knew what was different about the package and that you tried to take advantage of it! Normal brewed coffee and simple tea would have been included with your cruise fare (the stuff you would have gotten in your mug at wdw).

Also on royal you don't have to all get the same package. Or any package. That changed last November when they rolled out the 4 new packages.

As for being shocked, excursion fares are known in advance, tips can be figured out. Alcohol can be the wildcard. If you were on royal if the alcohol consumption was adding up you could have looked at upgrading to a different package.

We were surprised because DH convinced me that watches were THE thing to get on board. But that isn't the cruiseline's fault lol. And if is written it all down like I had planned I wouldn't have had that "eek" moment.

 

[donac]

That amount sounds exactly like the Replenish package on royal. It was socially coffee like mochas and frappucinos, special teas like Tazo brand, bottled waters, and the soda which isn't included on royal. And mocktails like smoothies just without the booze. And fresh squeezed oj in the mornings which otherwise would have cost over $4. Other boxed type juices would have been included in the fare.

If you were on royal and that's what you had, I hope you knew what was different about the package and that you tried to take advantage of it! Normal brewed coffee and simple tea would have been included with your cruise fare (the stuff you would have gotten in your mug at wdw).

Also on royal you don't have to all get the same package. Or any package. That changed last November when they rolled out the 4 new packages.

As for being shocked, excursion fares are known in advance, tips can be figured out. Alcohol can be the wildcard. If you were on royal if the alcohol consumption was adding up you could have looked at upgrading to a different package.

We were surprised because DH convinced me that watches were THE thing to get on board. But that isn't the cruiseline's fault lol. And if is written it all down like I had planned I wouldn't have had that "eek" moment.

We were not told that it was the specialty coffees and teas we were told it was the normal tea. That is what upset me the most because then I found tea at several places around the ship. It was our first cruise and that is the one thing I would do differently.

Yes we cruised on Royal Caribbean. Our tips I think were $18 a day per person.

 

[bumbershoot]

That's a huge bummer if you didn't want or need the fancy coffees and teas. I hope you got a ton of bottled water at least. Or the fresh squeezed oj in windjammer in the mornings.

How did you end up purchasing the Replenish package? If a ta's miscommunication was at work, please make sure they know the real deal.

 

[Aurora D]

OP here...Thanks everyone for all the great information! I will definitely check out CruiseCritic.com. It's good to know we can still have a good time without spending too much more money. Is the entertainment/shows on Carnival decent? I have one more question. What kind of security is there when boarding? Is it like flying? Do they check luggage? With all the current unrest in the world I get a little nervous travelling...

 

[we3travellers]

We did a 7 night Holland America cruise last December, 2 adults one child, no excursions. Bill at the end was $1622, breakdown as follows:

Tips $241.50
Casino $470
Gift shop $64
Specialty dining $90
Medical visit $55.50
Beverages $700 (includes all alcohol, soft drinks, bottles of wine at dinner)

It adds up quickly! Every family is different and if you don't gamble or drink alcohol, your expenses will be much lower.

 

[bumbershoot]

OP here...Thanks everyone for all the great information! I will definitely check out CruiseCritic.com. It's good to know we can still have a good time without spending too much more money. Is the entertainment/shows on Carnival decent? I have one more question. What kind of security is there when boarding? Is it like flying? Do they check luggage? With all the current unrest in the world I get a little nervous travelling...

I believe checked bags go through scanners behind the scenes. Carryons go through scanners (typical airport sized) and you go through a metal detector. The 311 stuff isn't adhered to. Bring your shampoo bottles and sunscreen.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

When we cruise I take a case of water, soda and the Flavors for water bottles. We buy a bottle of wine, $22 with dinner a few nights, I like one pineapple drink $10 and buy a sail away drink $7.

I pack the insulated color tumblers with a lid for coffee and cold juices from the buffet. The buy a mug was a lot of extra money I didn't want to shell out.

Excursions I look for the ports on cruise Critics for inexpensive port to do tips. One day is a beach day, take our own drinks in the collapsible hand cool pack. We eat well before going off the ship, then carry fruit bars and snack bags.

A local taxi or bus for a round trip tour of the towns is inexpensive. I found Not booking excursions through the ship to be a great savings. One port $20 each to taxi around the island and tour info, another $40 for three of us to taxi to the beach and $15 for beach admissions, la ocal lunch $30,

Don't forget the tips as stated. I was booked a $2,300 trip for three..the cost driving in, parking and tolls over $300.....but there were port fees, tips $12 a day each person, that was an extra $84 each on the bill if not prepaid. That increased the bill by $620.00 to over $1,800. The small things we picked up, our drinks, bottle or two bottles of wine and specialty coffee was an extra $350 , the ports stuff maybe $125.00.
The trip was total about $3,500 when all over. What looked great at $1,800-$$2,300 depending on our rooms ended up double realistically.
(Rough amounts)

But a lot less than a Disney trip and well worth a life detox with no phones, TV, work or demands.

 

[rhiansmom]

We did your exact cruise on the Paradise in February. We quickly determined cruising wasn't for us. We aren't "sit by the pool" people nor do we drink or gamble. There was some entertainment on board but it just wasn't our thing. In fact a few things that I had highlighted to do during our sail days were cancelled or no one showed up.

The food was ok, nothing exciting but the buffet had lots of options and the evening dining room was good.

The Paradise is one of the smaller ships, it is also an older ship but clean and the staff was WONDERFUL! We had a regular room that had a window but it was TINY. There were 2 adults and a tiny 14 year old and we were stumbling on each other.

Loved getting off the ship and exploring but found that we were always racing to get back to the ship on time.

Beyond the tipping we had very few expenses that we hadn't prepaid... a few sodas, a tshirt, a lanyard for DD, and a bingo card.

 

[Patience]

After seeing what others have said about extra expenses above the cost of the cruise, I added up the expenses for our upcoming cruise. Our excursion in Jamaica (private tour company) is $140 for the four of us, plus a tip so call it $170. This is much cheaper than the same excursion booked through the cruise line. Our other port of call is Royal Caribbean's private beach and we will just have a beach day that day. $240 for tips on the ship. $60 for parking at park 'n fly but I may find a coupon before our trip to reduce it a little. I am planning $100-150 to cover miscellaneous items like an occasional soda or alcoholic drink and maybe a picture of the four of us on formal night. Total: $570- 620 for expenses in addition to the cost of our cruise which was $2016 for the four of us in two adjoining cabins. So $2586-2636 for three adults and one child. I like our vacations to stay in the $2500 range so this works for us. We won't do any upgraded dining and we don't shop on vacation. Our kids will probably have some money from the grandparents if they want to buy a t-shirt or something. With a kid in college, I am always cognizant of how much we want to spend so we won't get sucked into paying more.

 

[JenzyHP]

Carry on your own soda and one bottle of wine per adult. Cozumel has great beaches that won't cost too much to go to.

 

[rdevine10]

How much extra will be very dependent on what you like to do. The only constant will be how much tips are for everyone.

We are not big drinkers, so if we spend $100 on alcohol or soda that is a lot (for a 7 day cruise).

We do not gamble, so 0 there.

We do not eat in the specialty restaurants, so 0 there.

We do like excursions though. Typically we book with an outside vendor- the only time we did through the ship was in Jamaica, which I did not feel safe going out on our own. We spent quite a bit on this excursion (I think about $350) for 4 people- but it was WELL worth it and we had the best time!

However, typically we spent $75 to $150 per island stop. Beaches are usually the cheapest option. Sometimes we spend less- like our day in Key West, we hardly spent any $ at all- I think maybe $20?

Also figure in port parking, etc. We have parked onsite and offsite at various ports.

It is still my favorite vacation as its mostly all inclusive- no worrying about meal costs, etc.

Have fun!