To skip the details, our four-night cruise in the past December cost us $892 per person which includes an extensive amount of add-ons. But the bare-minimum cost for the same cruise could have cost us about $400 per person (an interior room + gratuity).
In the past December, my wife and I took a trip to Los Angeles to stay at a resort while visiting family. When my parents decided to visit LA during the same week, they asked us if we wanted to join them on a cruise with grandma. I cannot turn down an opportunity to go on the Royal Caribbean Cruise so we decided to alter our plans a bit and join them. As it was a shorter cruise on an older ship, it was much cheaper than going on Royal's latest, flagship vessels like the Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and now the Icon of the Seas (first sailing in 2024).
Unfortunately, for cruises, there are a lot of costs that first-time cruise-goers are not aware of. So in this blog, I wanted to explain all the additional costs that the cruise can charge you so you can fully expect it and not be surprised if you ever decide to board one day. One of my goals is to subsidize my cruise fares using dividends, but until then I have noted some ways to save money in below (read: How to Travel on a Cruise for Free Every Year).
Cruise Fare
The low advertised fare you see in the ads are interior rooms, and shorter cruises, on an older cruise ship. However, the cruise fare you pay does include accommodation, all the entertainment, and most of the dining options. So if you do book a cruise for $247 for example, it is essentially going on a 3-night all-inclusive stay per person.
For an ocean-balcony room, it would be roughly 40% more expensive than the cheapest interior room. When it comes to choosing a room type, if you know you are an active person and feel that staying in a room on a cruise is waste of time, an interior room may be a perfect option for you. There are so many activities going on all throughout the day, if you have the energy for it, there will be something for you to do. However, if you are the type that likes to relax in a room and needs your rest throughout the day, getting a balcony room and having a private balcony to enjoy the ocean can be worth the additional cost. It really comes down to preference.
For us, not only do we like to rest in the room often with our newborn, Trang has a little motion sickness so for "medical reasons" we choose the ocean-view balcony. As sitting on our balcony and watching the ocean is one of our favorite parts, it is worth the additional cost to us.
But with the vast size of a cruise ship, getting a spot to enjoy the ocean on an open deck is not hard to find.
Total cost per adult (Ocean-view Balcony, 4-night cruise): $565/pp
Gratuities
One other required fee that is not included in your cruise fare is the automatic gratuities that are charged per day, per person that are allocated for the staff. Because when you're onboard and cash is rarely needed on hand, cruise lines charge a set amount for gratuities, typically $10-16/day per person (children are charged for this as well). This can come out to an additional $64 per person on a four-night cruise. However, I will say the staff on the cruise are the kindest, friendliest people you'll deal with on a vacation and this charge is a well-spent fee.
Consequently, you do not have to worry about any gratuities when you are on board. As all dining options are buffet style with no charge, you can go and eat and walk out to your next activity without having to sign any checks. We give additional cash tips to the restaurant servers, and housekeeping attendants but it is not required.
Total cost per adult (4-night cruise): $64/pp
Internet (optional)
Something that is ingrained in every minute of our daily lives is not available when you are on an open sea. You will not be able to use your T-Mobile service nor have any reception to make calls, unfortunately. Although Wi-Fi seems like a basic service anywhere on land, it is an additional charge on a cruise. The cost is around $15/pp per day. So on a 4-night cruise, it would be $60 total per person. However, it becomes cheaper as you purchase a package for multiple devices. For us, it was $171 total for four people, which comes out to $43/pp, and that is about $10/pp per day.
However, a cruise can be a great time to simply disconnect from the world and not be connected to the internet and enjoy everything that the cruise has to offer, and spend time with family. It's a win-win for people who can commit to accepting this challenge. For the rest of us who cannot...
Total cost per adult (4-night cruise): $43/pp
Beverage (optional)
Beverages are free when you are at the complimentary dining locations such as all the buffets. Water is obviously free at specialty restaurants as well. But outside of these places, when walking around the cruise ship or walking up to any bar, beverages will incur additional charges.
There are several beverage package options that you can choose from for an additional fee. If you're going all out and want the unlimited package which includes all the liquor, it will set you back a hefty $69/pp per day. So for a 4-night cruise, it would have cost my wife and me $552! The one below is called the "Refreshment package" which cost a moderate price and include all beverage anywhere you go on a cruise except liquor. This is the option that we usually choose as my parents buy the package for everyone. And typically these options go on sale and we usually pay roughly $20 per adult, per day.
However, if I had to pay, I would likely skip the beverage option due to this pro-money-saving tip: Guests are allowed to bring two bottles of wine per room, and another twelve bottles of
non-alcoholic bottles of beverage per stateroom.
Honestly, the exact number of bottles you bring on board is not very enforced from my experience, but this is certainly generous and I always bring maximum bottles of wine on board (shove a couple in my parent's bag, and another couple in my grandma's bag also).
Total cost per adult (for a mid-tiered refreshment package, 4-night): $80/pp
Specialty Dining Package (optional)
This is definitely our favorite part of going on a cruise. Yes, meals are included for free and the buffet is massive and the options are incredible. However, specialty dining restaurants are worth it if you enjoy the fine dining options that can cost you over one hundred dollars per couple at home. With the unlimited dining package, you can go to as many of these dining options for a total cost of $140. As we typically go at least two times per day, it is definitely worth the value to us.
On the newer Royal Caribbean cruises, most of the restaurants are the same and they typically include Wonderland (experiential), Jamie's Italian, Chops Grill (steakhouse), Hook's Seafood, 150 Central Park (fine dining), and Izumi (sushi) + Hibachi. You also have the option to go to any of these restaurants and pay a flat rate of $50/pp.
But in my opinion, it would be worth getting the unlimited package for $140 and I believe we went at least eight times on our four-night cruise. This is one thing I will always choose even at an additional cost.
(left to right: chops grill with family, lobster at hooks, another meal at hooks. above: 150 central park)
Total cost per adult (unlimited dining package): $140/pp
Shore Excursions (optional)
The perk of going on a cruise is the port itinerary that the cruise docks at for the day. Once docked, you are free to explore the location on your own or participate in a wide arrange of excursion options offered by the cruise. All of these options have different costs and are also optional. On a recent cruise where we brought our daughter, all of the options had a minimum age requirement so we decided to explore the port on our own and did not pay any fees.
At Catalina Island, our family walked around the main town of Avalon as it was a small town, and at Ensenada, Mexico, Trang and I took a stroll around the port and called it a day. However, there are thousands of excursion options as part of Royal Caribbean catered towards the destination and some are truly incredible experiences that will be well worth the money.
Total cost per adult: $0 (ours was free but typically can budget $200-300 for multiple options).
Cruise Activities (optional)
When you're onboard, the nightly shows, comedy clubs, and live music venues are all included in your fare. One of my favorites is the ice shows, the professional figure skaters performing with music and costumes are always entertaining to watch. One activity that I always partake in on vacation is the Casino and cruises certainly have one on board. Other onboard activities that have additional costs are the arcade room, escape room, and wine tasting at a wine bar.
Total cost per adult: $0 (I set a hard $200 limit at the casino which gets me through the week going up and down at the Roulette).
Flight, Car Rental
This is a cost for people who do not live within driving distance of one of the ports (Miami, Galveston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, etc.). Obviously, you'll need to get to the city of the port and also have transportation to get to the port on your cruising day.
Total cost per adult: on average $300
In Conclusion
Our total cruise per person was $892. This does not include the money I spent on the cruise, and also does not include the flight and car rental for the calculation of a cruise as we were already visiting Los Angeles for other purposes.
Cruise Fare | $565 |
Gratuity | $64 |
Internet (optional) | $43 |
Beverage (optional) | $80 |
Specialty Dining Package (optional) | $140 |
Shore Excursion (optional) | $0 |
Cruise Activities (optional) | not include $200 |
Flight, Car Rental | not include $300 |
Total | $892/pp |
Comentários