Cruise ship help?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

I have been on about 20 cruises and here information for you based on my experiences. Regardless of which cruise line you select, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship such as the pools, hot tubs, gym, library, and disco. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.

PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most. So bring your camera and take pictures around the ship and ask other passenger to take photos of you; they will gladly do that.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive. These are listed on your cruise line web site and you can reserve them well before the cruise and pay for them also. If you are going to the Caribbean, most places you can get a tour or taxi on the pier for a much lower price than on the ship. About 45 days before your cruise the cruise line will send you a booklet listing the tour available and their cost.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.

OTHER: most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.

If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.

Ships now have internet cafe and some have WiFi but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour). Skip the ship's internet service and just look for an internet cafe in your port stops. You can usually get internet service in the ports for $5 to $7 an hour.

You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).

Anne

It all depends. On most lines, liquor is not included, and you need to pay extra for it as well as tip for each drink. If you are eating at a specialty restaurant on board, such as Johnny Rockets, Portofinos, or Ben and Jerry's on Royal Caribbean, you have to pay for whatever you're buying and tip separately. If you're eating at the main cruise restaurant or buffet place, the price is included.

Angelsfromheaven

The food onboard is included, including room service. The only drinks included are water, coffee, tea, and juice. The cruise I was on did have a little cafe where you get special coffee's and fancy desserts, this cafe was charging but the prices weren't too high.

sunshyn9494

Typically food is included on board the ship. Some ships will have a couple of restaurants that there is a surcharge for but it's still inexpensive. For example, on the last ship we were on they had an Italian Restaurant that had a $20 pp surcharge, as well as a burger joint that had a $4 pp surcharge. You were still unlimited in how much you eat at each place. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages were always extra but you can buy soft drink packages for the whole cruise. You can also buy wine packages if you have wine each night with dinner. Check your cruiseline's faq board for specifics. Room service is no charge.

Sheena

On Carnival food is included all you pay for is like cokes and gifts

randall_nd

The food is included, except if you go to the exclusive Supper Club, which is unnecessary. What you do pay extra for is pop, alcohol, shore excursions, gratuity, spa treatments, Internet access, and purchases on board either at the store or photo gallery. Shampoo, cream rinse, bathrobes, beach towels, and hair dryers are provided in your stateroom.

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