"Spending Money"

[nanaoften]

Okay...first time cruiser here with a question. Have been reading the various posts and learning so much.
I read someone had planned to have $300 to spend daily. Since the cruise is pretty much inclusive, why would anyone need that amount of money? If all you pay for are the selective restaurants, alcoholic beverages and gifts...why this amount? Should I start saving even more???

 

[tinkerone]

Okay...first time cruiser here with a question. Have been reading the various posts and learning so much.
I read someone had planned to have $300 to spend daily. Since the cruise is pretty much inclusive, why would anyone need that amount of money? If all you pay for are the selective restaurants, alcoholic beverages and gifts...why this amount? Should I start saving even more???

shore excursions, shutters photos, just to name a few, neither of which run cheap. tipping.

 

[mickeynut1]

shore excursions, shutters photos, just to name a few, neither of which run cheap. tipping.

As stated here, these are just a few of the many things you can spend money on above and beyond the cost of the cruise. Depending on what extras you want, it can add up very fast.

 

[lovedmy1stcuise]

it's all depends on you and your spending. We went on 2 cruises Fantasy and Wonder and never spend that much, but we didn't use spa (purchased Rainforest before cruise), didn't play bingo, didn't eat in extra restaurants, didn't buy snacks for the movie or show or any extra alcoholic or non alc. drinks and only a few souvenirs for kids. The first cruise we spend a lot on pictures, we bought CD and all the pictures, as we didnt' plan to take another cruise any time soon, but than KSF came up and we couldn't pass on it, so we went on our 2nd. cruise less than a year after first and purchased only a few pictures. First cruise we went on excursion in 2 out of 4 ports, on our second only in one port.

 

[keaster]

Here are some of the extras we have paid for while cruising:

Spa treatments (love my cabana massage )
Specialty coffees at Vista Cafe & Cove Cafe
Alcoholic drinks
Shutters photos
Souvenirs/gifts/extra toiletries
Palo
Shore excursions
Tips

However, if you have no plans to dine at Palo/Remy, do any of the DCL excursions, use the spa, or buy their photos, you can get by with a minimal amount of extras.

 

[nanaoften]

Thanks for the feedback. We'll be on a short cruise (3 days/4 nights) and won't be sailing until 9/15. Have been purchasing Disney Gift Cards each week when buying groceries at Publix. By the time we cruise, there should be a pretty nice stack of those. We're a "senior" couple cruising with daughter and her family and don't plan on doing any excursions. We'll no doubt get some of the photos, daughter will probably purchase photo CD and since we're "light" drinkers, I feel that what we'll have saved should be plenty. (If not...there's the charge card!! LOL)

 

[racingfandj]

It depends on your personal habits and tendencies to splurge. We don't drink alcohol, speciality coffees or do the speciality restaurants, so most of ours was planned expense. There are a lot of opportunities for temptation, so it's all about how much you can control yourself.

Pictures - $450
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - $595
Tips - $420
Disney Excusions - $365

These are just our shipboard charges, so expenses on the islands are not included and our excursion expenses there booked outside of Disney (just one) was extra, but again, planned. We added extra cash to our tip envelopes, but I don't remember how much (maybe $100 total). For reference, 3 adults, 2 kids. Hope that helps you plan.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm sure you would have to ask *that* person what they meant, but for me if I say I budget x per day it's just shorthand for "so I have $z for the whole trip". Like I have budgeted $100 per day for food for a land trip; some days I spend $150 just for lunch at CRT; other days we make food in the room and eat leftovers. It all evens out.

Most of our ship charges were tip and increased tip. Another 70+ was photo prints. I think I bought two adult beverages, one or two coffees, and then DS and DH kept buying popcorn. That was pretty much it.


OP if you're going to put those giftcards onto your ship account, be sure to keep the GCs safe. If you don't spend it all they'll refund you, and it will go back to those giftcards. So you'll want to keep them.

 

[TDC Nala]

Souvenirs, photos, bingo, Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique, shore excursions, spa treatments, specialty coffee, packaged snacks, watercraft rental on CC...there are lots of extras that aren't "included" besides the specialty restaurants and alcohol.

Spa treatments expecially can run up some bucks, so can bingo.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I have never spent close to that much and it's not like I "deny" myself. If I want a drink I buy it.

But I have NEVER wanted any picture they took of me LOL! Or 99.9% of the stuff they are selling in the gift shop or played Bingo. (I work in Senior Care, Bingo is what our residents play and I have not yet been admitted to the nursing home LOL!)

 

[Nikisha421]

I have never spent close to that much and it's not like I "deny" myself. If I want a drink I buy it.

But I have NEVER wanted any picture they took of me LOL! Or 99.9% of the stuff they are selling in the gift shop or played Bingo. (I work in Senior Care, Bingo is what our residents play and I have not yet been admitted to the nursing home LOL!)

It's has to be the funniest thing yet today

 

[jdb in AZ]

Our biggest expenses have been shore excursions, and on one cruise a nice piece of artwork followed us home. We probably average $100. expenses per day. Sometimes less.

 

[QuiltTeddy]

We've been on five cruises and the average was no where near $300 a day. In fact, the entire cruise, including excursions, tips and transfers back to the airport, maxed out at $500 for a 7 day cruise. I should add that the majority of our additional expenses were the excursions. We do not spend a lot on the alcohol.

 

[JnDRader]

Okay...first time cruiser here with a question. Have been reading the various posts and learning so much.
I read someone had planned to have $300 to spend daily. Since the cruise is pretty much inclusive, why would anyone need that amount of money? If all you pay for are the selective restaurants, alcoholic beverages and gifts...why this amount? Should I start saving even more???

$300 per day?! Wow. Not us ! I guess it depends on the itinerary. Our first cruise stopped at CC twice and Nassau. At CC we brought our own snorkeling gear and rented the bikes one day. At Nassau we just strolled through the straw market. We don't drink alcohol so most of our cost was souvenirs. That was probably around $300 total. You can spend more if you want to.

Take a look at the port excursions and see what those will cost you. We're hitting GC and Cozumel next month. Cozumel will cost us $200 for the diving. Can't remember what GC is costing but it may have been around $300. Sea days aren't costing us a thing beyond what we've already paid to sail .

 

[floridaminnie]

Just got back from a 7 day with dd and we spent almost$1000 and I bought snacks for the movies and alcohol. What cost us the most was the one excursion we went on ($140 a person), week at the Rain forest which U ended up getting half off due to some major issues, bought three pictures, palo brunch and dinner, dinner at Remy's and then merchandise for the inaugural cruise (which was all half off) and then they brought out the15 year anniversary merchandise. We also had tips.

 

[BEYONCE]

Just got back from a 7 day with dd and we spent almost$1000 and I bought snacks for the movies and alcohol. What cost us the most was the one excursion we went on ($140 a person), week at the Rain forest which U ended up getting half off due to some major issues, bought three pictures, palo brunch and dinner, dinner at Remy's and then merchandise for the inaugural cruise (which was all half off) and then they brought out the15 year anniversary merchandise. We also had tips.

What were the issues on the rainforest?

 

[lilpooh108]

On our Alaska cruise we only did 1 excursion through Disney, did Palo once and bought Shutters 10-pic CD. That isnt very much, but our total with tip was still quite high.

 

[MikeAndNick]

$300 a day... I am unhappy if I spend $300 a 7 day cruise.

 

[KappaSigHero]

We're (DW and I) doing a 4-night on the Wonder in May. We pre-paid rainforest, and will pre-pay tips. We're doing Palo and the $32 pp snorkel/bike/float combo at CC. We have no plan to do shutters. We're bringing on liquor for mid-day and pre-dinner cocktails, though we'll probably buy a few drinks otherwise. We plan to do Key West on out own, and to stay on-board for Nassau. We're bringing cash for room service and extra tips.

All of that said, I had thought that $150/day would be more than enough. Am I underestimating my cost?

 

[mrcymbalplayer]

My wife and I have gone onboard and our entire charges for the cruise were less than 300 for the whole thing. If you have will power and are not looking for any of the "extras" (photos, alcoholic drinks, gifts, shirts, excursions) what you spent for the cruise is what you will pay. Just remember tip money for the crew. They absolutely deserve it.