What Does Your Cruise Include?

Are you thinking about cruising and not sure if it’s for you or not? Here are some tips on what to do and what not to do and how to save tons of money on your vacation.

A cruise can be like an all-inclusive vacation, but not exactly. While most of the cruise is included, not everything is included in the price.

Included	Not Included
Accommodations – room, housekeeping, TV, some in room movies	Mini Bar / Pay Movies
Most food – Dining room, Buffet, Pizza, Ice Cream	Specialty Dining Restaurants, Specialty Ice Cream
Beverages – Non-Carbonated Drinks, Coffee / Tea, Juice, Water	Soda, Alcohol, Specialty Coffee, Bottled Water
Entertainment – Movies, Miniature Golf, Ice Skating, Ping Pong, Swimming, Water Park, Rock Climbing, Ice Skating, Rollerblading, Games, Live Shows, Comedy Venues, Live Music and More	Shore Excursions – when off the ship with the cruise line on an activity, tour, etc. Casino, Video Arcade, Golf Simulator, On-Board Shopping
Fitness, Gym, Some Fitness Classes, Jogging / Walking Track, Pools, Hot Tubs	Some Exercise Classes, Personal Training
	Personal Care – Salon, Massage etc.
	Internet, Ship to Shore Phone Calls, Your cell phone
Gratuities to restaurant staff and cabin steward (although this is a separate charge when booking)	Additional Gratuities, Tips for crew members
	Dry Cleaning / Laundry (some ships have washers and driers available)
Motion Sickness / Norovirus Treatments	Medical / Doctors Services

So how do you avoid or minimize your costs? 

There is so much food available either in the dining room and/or buffet most hours of the day (and night), there is no reason that we find we need to pay for additional foods. Hungry at 11 pm – go to the 24 hour pizza and salad area. Don’t want to leave your stateroom – order food from room service (it’s free, between 5 am and midnight). Still hungry check out the midnight snacks.

Plan ahead for what to do on shore – we do lots of things for free or low cost and do not go through the cruise line. Do your research and see what options are available. We took a great free walking tour of Valencia, Spain. All it cost us was a tip for the guide. You have to be aware of the time. When you are on your own, you could miss the ship sailing if you don’t pay attention to the time. One note, make sure if you book something on your own and the ships misses the port (weather related), that you will get a refund.

Some cruise lines will let you bring limited quantities of non-alcoholic beverages on board. Check with your cruise line before you cruise. We have flown to the cruise and stopped at the store to pick up bottled water and soda on the way to the pier. If they don’t, you can send yourself a gift (bottled water is less expensive to give yourself a case vs. buying as you go at the bar).

Alcohol is a big money maker for the cruise line. You need to determine how much you intend to drink.  Check out the packages to save money. If you don’t purchase the package, here are few tips – if you don’t intend to take home the souvenir glass – don’t purchase a drink in this glass.  Look for events with free alcohol – champagne art auctions, captain’s receptions, past guest parties and more offer limited free drinks.

Cell phone and internet service – it can be expensive on board. We have always found free internet in port when we wanted to check in.  Otherwise, purchase in advance for discounts. I did this when I was taking an online college class and needed to post daily to the discussion. 

The above is based on our experience on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, other cruise lines can have different policies and costs. Do your research ahead of time, so that you can understand the costs before you incur the charge. This is not a surprise you want to incur as your vacation winds down. Happy Travels!