I’ve said many times that cruising is my favorite way to travel. It’s your hotel, entertainment, food, and transportation to multiple locations all in one. Even though it compacts so much in one place, there are other expenses you should be prepared to add to your cruise vacation budget.

Head to the budget sheet here!

Cruise Fare

Cruise fare is the base price that you see whenever you book your cruise. It will include the cost of the stateroom as well as taxes and port fees. This will also cover your main dining and buffet food, and basic drinks like tap water, tea, coffee, milk, lemonade, and non-fresh squeezed juices. It also covers most entertainment like comedy shows, musicals, dance performances, etc.

Gratuity

Gratuity is probably the main thing that catches people by surprise at the end of their cruise. Gratuity is broken out to the stateroom attendant and the servers in the main dining room. If it isn’t prepaid before the cruise, it will be charged at the end of your cruise on the last night. It is typically a rate of per person, per night. Example: two people are in a stateroom for a 4-night cruise and the rate is $16 a night. It would be $64 per person, making the total for the stateroom be $128.

Some people don’t want to pay the gratuity charge and just pay the attendants and servers directly. Some people don’t want to pay it at all because maybe they only ate in the buffet and never went to the main dining room. The gratuity charge can be disputed but please remember, this is another way the crew members make their living.

There are some who just want it to be included in the cruise fare (something that Virgin Voyages already does) so it’s accounted for.

I’m someone who will always prepay gratuity with my cruise fare. This is mostly to avoid the surprise at the end but I do agree that other cruise lines should take Virgin Voyages cue and just include it the cruise fare.

Drink Package

As I said earlier drinks like tap water, basic tea and coffee, milk, lemonade, and juices are included in the cruise fare but bottled water, soda, fresh-squeezed juice, mocktails, beers, cocktails, and other spirits require a drink package. There are a few cruise lines who do include soda in the cruise fare and/or don’t have drink package options – like Virgin Voyages who has a bar tab and Disney who has a beer or a wine package – but most have different drink packages to choose from.

There’s a soda-only package, a non-alcohol package meaning everything from soda to smoothies to milkshakes just no alcohol, and the alcohol package which includes everything. The different types of packages vary in price. The drink packages allow for unlimited drinks instead of buying a drink one by one and paying at the end.

A common question that most people have is, “Should I get the drink package?” I talked about this in the 14 Tips for First Time Cruisers blog post but I will say it again here: that depends on how much you drink.

I mostly drink water at home and don’t drink alcohol often so I know I wouldn’t need the alcohol drink package. However, I may want to get the soda-only or non-alcohol one in case I end up wanting to get a breakfast smoothie every morning.

If you drink alcohol normally or want to be able to try different drinks to see which one you like without paying for all of them, you could get the alcohol drink package.

Drink Package Calculators

I suggest using a drink package calculators to determine if it’s worth it for you. The calculators will let you choose how many drinks you think you’ll have a day with the drink type (soda, beer, liquor, cocktail, etc.) and the cost of that drink. If you spend less than the drink package, then you can just buy your drinks a la carte (but keep in mind a gratuity percentage will be added automatically for each drink).

Here is a drink calculator I use: Cruise Spotlight – Drink Package Calculator.

Tip: Keep in mind – if one person gets an alcohol drink package, anyone over the age of 21 in the stateroom would have to also get the alcohol package. This is to prevent sharing drinks. You may be able to call the cruise line to get an exception for different circumstances.

All drink packages will have a gratuity percentage added to them and will be included in the total price if you decide to get a drink package. This is something I’d suggest getting before you go on the ship because it typically costs more on board.

Wi-Fi Package

Cruising used to be a way to disconnect from the world for a few days. Now, most of us are wired to be connected 24/7 so Wi-Fi packages may be something you’d want to get.

This is the one thing hotels and resorts have over cruises because Wi-Fi is typically free in those places.

The rate is based on one device per night. Example: If the package is $21 per night for a four night cruise, it would be $84 for one device. If you want all your devices connected at all times – like your cell phone, laptop, and tablet – it would be $84 x 3 = $252.

To avoid paying for multiple devices, if you’re just checking your email or notifications, you could log in to one device at a time. This is something my friend and I did on my Royal Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans last year.

Some cruise lines will have premium Wi-Fi included, like Virgin Voyages.

If you do decide to get a Wi-Fi package, it’s another package to get before you go on the ship. Again, this is to save a few dollars.

Specialty Dining Package

Certain cruises offer specialty dining packages if you want to try multiple specialty restaurants.

These are restaurants you’d have to pay additional money for. Cruise lines like Disney and Virgin don’t offer this package. With Disney, you can pay for the individual adult-only restaurant(s); with Virgin, all restaurants are included in your cruise fare.

If you only want to try one restaurant, a specialty dining package isn’t needed. You can just make a reservation for the singular restaurant. If you want to try three or four restaurants that aren’t included in your cruise fare, consider getting a specialty dining package.

Make sure to read the package carefully. Sometimes their more expensive options (for example, Royal Caribbean’s Chef’s Table) is not included in the dinning package.

You might be wondering if it’s worth it. I think you could go on a cruise without getting a dining package since the main dining room and buffet on cruises are free. That being said, sometimes the main dining room leaves something to be desired and the specialty restaurant might have better food.

You can always search for menus for both the main dining room and specialty restaurants of the cruise ship you’re going on before deciding.

Photo Package

You want to remember your first cruise, right? Well, the cruise line will have photo packages you can purchase with a different amount of photo options.

There are photographers throughout the ship but the most notable times you’ll see them is:

• Embarkation day
• Dinner
• Formal/Theme nights
• Getting off of the ship when in port

You may think you don’t need a photo package but there could be a great picture of you or of your family or friends and you just have to get them all.

Photos can be purchased individually but if you’re wanting over a certain amount it might be better to get a package.

You can also set up a separate session with photographers for posed photos at an additional cost.

Note: As of right now, Virgin Voyages does not have photographers on their ships so you won’t see any photo package options.

Excursions

Excursions give you something to do in the port once you get there. You don’t have to get an excursion at every port (or any port) but it’s an option.

Excursions are offered by the cruise line but you can also find third party companies that have an excursion. For first time cruisers, I highly recommend getting an excursion through the cruise line. Why?

Because if something happens on the excursion that causes a delay of you getting back on the ship before the all aboard time, the ship will wait. If you booked it through the cruise line, they’re responsible for you in a way.

If you’re on a third-party excursion and the same thing happens, there’s no guarantee they’d wait for you. You can reach out and call the ship/cruise line ahead of time to notify them of the delay. They may wait a few minutes more or tell you your next steps to get to the next port if they can’t wait. They’re on a schedule.

You never want to get left because the expense of finding transportation to the next port or even back home is not going to be a small thing.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is something I suggest getting whether it’s just for this cruise or annual travel insurance for multiple trips in a year.

Travel insurance can cover things like flight delays, baggage loss fees, or medical emergency expenses just to name a few. It’s something you hope not to use but it will come in handy if you need it.

Spending Money (Cash)

Of course for all travel you should have some money set aside for souvenirs. Amongst your spending money, I suggest bringing cash with you. Not just for in port souvenirs or snacks but also for tipping porters and your tour guide/tour driver if you feel moved to do so.

Another reason to bring cash is to have more than one form of payment in ports. Keep in mind your card may not work in every place you visit.

Aside from cash, it’s also good to have spending money set aside for any onboard activities you might want to do that cost extra like the spa, salon, or casino. Different cruises ships also have things like, escape rooms, indoor sky-diving, go-karting, and even a roller coaster.

Keep in mind, any onboard activities will be paid with your card on file.

Transportation to Embarking City

If you don’t live near the port your cruise starts from, you have to get there, right? You might have to fly, take a train or bus, or rent a car to get to the starting cruise terminal. Even if you drive your own car, you have to think of the cost of parking at the terminal or a nearby hotel that could have a shuttle to the terminal. Also keep parking in mind for your flight if someone isn’t dropping you off.

Accommodations (before or after the cruise)

If you fly in the day before the cruise (highly recommended) or leave the day after the cruise ends, you’ll need somewhere to stay.

Check if hotels in the area have a shuttle to and from the cruise terminal (and if you’re lucky, the airport too). This would be especially helpful for you to avoid trying to get a rideshare in the busy cruise terminal on disembarkation. You also might be able to see more of the city if you come in the day before and/or stay the day after.

Pet Care and/or Childcare

No matter how much we love them, our pets can’t go with us everywhere (unless you have a service animal). You’d either have to leave them with someone, have someone watch them in your home, or use a boarder which costs a pretty penny sometimes.

If you aren’t taking your children with you on your vacation – if you’re going on Virgin Voyages for example – you’ll have to find someone to watch over the child(ren) while you’re away. You may not have to pay anything but it’s always better to be prepared to pay something.

Those are some of the things that came to mind when thinking of all the potential cruise costs. If you’ve been on a cruise before, have there been any unexpected costs you came across? Let us know in the comments.

I’ve also created a budget sheet for anyone to use to keep track of your cruise expenses.

Cruise Budget Sheet