Additional Cost of Freestyle Cruising

[DharmaCakes]

HELP! I'm so confused! My hubs and I got a great price on the NCL leaving NYC next month. We are new to Freestyle and were wondering how much we need to plan to spend for the extras/beverages/restaurant upgrades. I realize the amount will vary dependent upon spending habits, but I guess my question really is: how much above and beyond have YOU paid for a week of Freestyle Cruising?

Thanks!

[deise17311]

Hi!

 

We went on the Dawn 2x and only ate at the specialty rest. for dinner...which are amazing! We spent an extra $350 both times (food only...we do not drink alcohol)...other than that, just the regular stuff of any cruise...excursions, photos, etc...

 

Treat yourself to the restaurants and you will not be disappointed..we ate every lunch in the MDR and loved it!

[deise17311]

P.S. We also ate Lobster every night which added on additional $10 at Le Bistro and Cagney's (2x at each)..so worth it!!!!

[Ask4Jay]

We splurge on our cabin (stern balcony) instead of fancy food. We have an occasional bottle of beer or a glass of wine; we are very happy with the food in the MDRs and buffets. eat in the premium restaurants only if they have a twofer. However, I do spend about $50 on 90 minutes of wi-fi access. So, on a 2-week Atlantic crossing we spend about $200.

[Traveller20074]

I spent NOTHING extra for restaurants. I loved the Garden Cafe, and Summer Palace was ok...didn't like to wait for the food courses (a lot of them, and it took a while) so ate at the buffet mainly. I want to "get in, get out, and get on with it" when I'm cruising. sitting around eating food while I could be outside or on my balcony, just seems like a waste of time. Unless I've taken my food from the buffet line and am sitting in the Great Outdoors :D

 

I didnt buy a soda card.

 

 

didn't buy any booze.

 

 

The coffee was enough for me, most of the time, or water from the cabin faucet. :D

 

 

Excursions is where I splurged. The Western Caribbean, I snorkeled 3 times. About $250 for all 3.

 

bought photos. One of the ship in Glacier Bay ($14) and a couple others probably about $35 for them.

[uppitycats]

HELP! I'm so confused! My hubs and I got a great price on the NCL leaving NYC next month. We are new to Freestyle and were wondering how much we need to plan to spend for the extras/beverages/restaurant upgrades. I realize the amount will vary dependent upon spending habits, but I guess my question really is: how much above and beyond have YOU paid for a week of Freestyle Cruising?

Thanks!

 

 

On our first NCL cruise we didn't spend anything extra that we wouldn't have spent on any other cruise line...meaning we bought liquor, and a few specialty coffees, but that's all. On the second, we did spend extra for Le Bistro (and very glad we did...best rack of lamb I ever had!), but then most of the main cruise lines have specialty restaurants now anyway...

 

so basically, nothing that we would not have spent on other llines.

[fin]

Some people can cruise without spending a single extra dime other than the added tips.

 

Others, between the casino and their bar bill can and do triple the cost of their experience.

 

Most fall somewhere in between.

[DharmaCakes]

I do spend about $50 on 90 minutes of wi-fi access. So, on a 2-week Atlantic crossing we spend about $200.

 

Oh! WiFi, thanks for bringing that up. I run my own business so was planning to bring my laptop in case any of my clients start freaking out that they can't get in touch with me. Is the NCL WiFi the only option? Can I bring my own 4G USB modem? Or do those not work out at sea? (Can you tell I haven't taken a vacation in a while??)

[Zeno]

HELP! I'm so confused! My hubs and I got a great price on the NCL leaving NYC next month. We are new to Freestyle and were wondering how much we need to plan to spend for the extras/beverages/restaurant upgrades. I realize the amount will vary dependent upon spending habits, but I guess my question really is: how much above and beyond have YOU paid for a week of Freestyle Cruising?

Thanks!

 

Let's see least I have spent would be on our 2nd NCL cruise. We ate only at the 'included' restaurants (which were fine) and did not buy anything extra. We are not big drinkers - so in total we spent about $30 on booze and paid our service charges - so in total we spent less than $200 "extra" for the two of us. The most we spent was about $200 each for a total of $400 for two. (We ate at a couple of restaurants and paid for an excursion).

So our "extras" (including the service charge) have ranged from $200-$400. The only "extra" we "had" to pay for was the service charge.

So it really depends on whether you purchase a small or large amount of money on drinks, excursions, "extra" restaurants or spend money in the Casino and shops.

[groo]

We have done a 5 day with a total bill of $50 , not counting the daily service charges.

 

We didn't drink, gamble or use the pay restaurants. Still one of my favorite cruises.

[dznymom]

$15 for a margarita or martini tasting, maybe a couple specialties for another $35 or so, and up to $100 for sodas and cocktails. So usually around $150 plus tips for me. If I am with DH he doesn't drink, so about $75 plus tips for him. When we are being extra careful we skip the specialties and that's fine, too.

 

What we don't do is blow a lot on pictures, trinkets and that junk. What you spend is totally within your control and you can go one extreme or the other!

[iheartbda]

On our first NCL cruise we didn't spend anything extra that we wouldn't have spent on any other cruise line...meaning we bought liquor, and a few specialty coffees, but that's all. On the second, we did spend extra for Le Bistro (and very glad we did...best rack of lamb I ever had!), but then most of the main cruise lines have specialty restaurants now anyway...

 

so basically, nothing that we would not have spent on other llines.

You took the words right out of my fingers.:)

[mbisson]

This pretty much matches our habits...specialty dining rooms sometimes...tips always..a bit of 'adult beverages'...maybe a little in the gift shop---really nothing over what we would have done on other lines.

 

On our first NCL cruise we didn't spend anything extra that we wouldn't have spent on any other cruise line...meaning we bought liquor, and a few specialty coffees, but that's all. On the second, we did spend extra for Le Bistro (and very glad we did...best rack of lamb I ever had!), but then most of the main cruise lines have specialty restaurants now anyway...

 

so basically, nothing that we would not have spent on other llines.

[nosekh]

HELP! I'm so confused! My hubs and I got a great price on the NCL leaving NYC next month. We are new to Freestyle and were wondering how much we need to plan to spend for the extras/beverages/restaurant upgrades. I realize the amount will vary dependent upon spending habits, but I guess my question really is: how much above and beyond have YOU paid for a week of Freestyle Cruising?

Thanks!

Hello

You can cruise the whole week and pay nothing extra....the food in the MDR is great....enjoy

[jmcdon7230]

Hello

You can cruise the whole week and pay nothing extra....the food in the MDR is great....enjoy

 

Well....almost. It seems that a lot of people are surprised by the DSC. That can add up to a pretty good chunk of "extra" cash, especially if children are involved.

[DharmaCakes]

It seems that a lot of people are surprised by the DSC.

 

okay, I'm not up on all these cruising acronyms... what's a DSC??

[mbisson]

okay, I'm not up on all these cruising acronyms... what's a DSC??

 

 

Daily Service Charge

[cherbear4000]

In addition to our cruise and airfare, my husband and I usually budget $500-$750 in extras for the 2 of us on a 7 day. This includes taxi to and from pier and airport, daily service charge, drinks, excursions, souvenirs. We usually do not dine in specialty restaurants. So, far we have found the included food to be good enough. We are not into a lot of gourmet foods. We sometimes take cruise sponsered excursions, sometimes we book independent tours, and other times we just do our own thing on shore. It just depends on the port. We hate gambling, but do like a couple drinks in the evening. We tend not to buy the cruise photos unless it is a really good on of us and we never go to the spa. Most of the money we spend usually goes towards the DSC/tips and excursions, followed by drinks.

[DharmaCakes]

Daily Service Charge

 

So how much are DSCs? ;)

[DMH15]

HELP! I'm so confused! My hubs and I got a great price on the NCL leaving NYC next month. We are new to Freestyle and were wondering how much we need to plan to spend for the extras/beverages/restaurant upgrades. I realize the amount will vary dependent upon spending habits, but I guess my question really is: how much above and beyond have YOU paid for a week of Freestyle Cruising?

Thanks!

 

Last year my total on my account was a tad under $4,000. But I did expensive excursions, expecting them to be once in a lifetime occasions, like trip to Antarctica.

 

But on a regular cruise I buget $100/day for DSC and all extras that go on the card.

 

I read great advice here on CC, do your cruise budget and pack and then figure twice as much money and half as much clothes to pack!

[swedish weave]

So how much are DSCs? ;)

 

DSC is 12 dollars per day per person.

[Clay Clayton]

So how much are DSCs? ;)

$12 per person per day automatically added to your onboard account. Regarding internet, the ship provided internet is crazy expensive and awfully slow and your card won't work. I would suggest leaving your computer at home and just letting your customers know ahead of time that you will be away with limited access to email and plan on checking in once or twice using internet cafes while in port. Typically you can get 20-30 minutes of internet access for under five bucks. Faster and cheaper.

 

Now how much to budget - as you can tell from the varying responses, it all depends. DDP (dear domestic partner) and I use a big old spreadsheet and budget for each day depending on where we are going (once in a lifetime cruises - South America, Egypt, Turkey had lots of expensive excursions - Cozumel and St. Thomas pretty cheap), who we are traveling with (just us, maybe a drink or two a day and a bottle of wine every two days in the restaurant but if we are traveling with other folks, typically more drinking=more $). We typically budget for spending more on the first day aboard (more booze) and the last day (gosh we hate the vacation is almost over) and usually plan on dining in specialty restaurants at least twice on a seven day - sometimes more, for example I suspect on our Oct cruise on Sun that we will do it more - Moderno (to experience this new restaurant) and Il Adiago (hopefully to find out they haven't ruined it). And I wouldn't be surprised if we do the Sushi place for lunch on a sea day. Anyway - as an earlier poster said, do your planning and budgeting ahead of time, throw in a contingency and then quit worrying about it and enjoy yourself. We usually find we don't spend as much as we have budgeted....so that makes the final reckoning not be so awful.

[DharmaCakes]

Wow! Thanks so much for all of your thorough responses. I came to the right place for these questions! You guys are the best!

 

Just to tell you a little more about what we're thinking:

 

• This is certainly NOT supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip; We're more looking for a bit of a inexpensive-ish escape from this terrible NY winter and to enjoy each other after a hard winter! Mostly looking to get away and relax and NOT get on a plane... nor break the bank. I've got other ways to attempt to do that back home ;)
  
• We are kid FREE
  
• I will need to do the soda thing to cover my diet coke/caffeine addiction, :) and will probably enjoy a few drinks, nothing crazy.
  
• We're not big gamblers, but we do enjoy good food.
  
• We'll probably want to enjoy a massage to kick things off.
  

So is this sound like a cruise we'll enjoy? Feel free to be honest, and thanks again for all of your responses!

[NMLady]

HELP! I'm so confused! My hubs and I got a great price on the NCL leaving NYC next month. We are new to Freestyle and were wondering how much we need to plan to spend for the extras/beverages/restaurant upgrades. I realize the amount will vary dependent upon spending habits, but I guess my question really is: how much above and beyond have YOU paid for a week of Freestyle Cruising?

Thanks!

 

It's not just NCL's Freestyle Cruising that has extra charges, but ALL non-luxury lines have extra charges: obligatory daily 'gratuity' (DSC: Daily Service Charge), sodas, alcoholic beverages, specialty restaurants, etc.

 

We rarely eat in specialty restaurants, we limit ourselves to one alcoholic beverage per day each, one soda per day each, no spa, no Bingo. What ups our budget are tours, either independent or through the ship.

We also give tips for cabin service, usually give extra tips to cabin stewards too. The amount varies according to their service.

 

So, it's hard to give a total since there are too many variables.

Figure out how many drinks per day you'll have and average them out to $7 per alcoholic, $3 per soda, $25 per bottle of wine (or $8 per glass). $3 for specialty coffee, $2-5 for bottled water (if you insist on bottled water and don't bring your own aboard. Ship water is fine.) These are very broad averages but would give you some idea of your daily charge for drinks. Or stick to the free coffee/tea, free milk, and other free drinks and don't spend anything for drinks.

Specialty restaurants range from $10 per person to $25 per person, or stick with the free food in Main Dining Room, buffet, Blue Lagoon.

 

Tours, whether independent or through the ship can cost from $50 per person to $150 per person.

 

Do you plan to use the internet? Whether you use your own laptop or the ship's computers the cost ranges from 40cents a minute to

75cents a minute, depending on what package you purchase. (40cents a minute if you buy the 250 minute package for $100).

 

If you buy photos from the photographers who take your photo at embarkation, porst, several dinners, those cost at least $15 each.

 

Our other big expense is the casino and even there we budget not more than $100 per day for each of us. Do you gamble? If so, figure that into your budget.

 

Did you buy insurance? If not, you should, so add that into your figuring.

Are you flying to your destination? If so, figure that into your figuring.

 

I would guess that whatever your cruise cost, you should probably figure at least double that for your additional expenses. Then, if the total isn't that high, you're happy.

[NMLady]

Wow! Thanks so much for all of your thorough responses. I came to the right place for these questions! You guys are the best!

 

Just to tell you a little more about what we're thinking:

 

• This is certainly NOT supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip; We're more looking for a bit of a inexpensive-ish escape from this terrible NY winter and to enjoy each other after a hard winter! Mostly looking to get away and relax and NOT get on a plane... nor break the bank. I've got other ways to attempt to do that back home ;)
  
• We are kid FREE
  
• I will need to do the soda thing to cover my diet coke/caffeine addiction, :) and will probably enjoy a few drinks, nothing crazy.
  
• We're not big gamblers, but we do enjoy good food.
  
• We'll probably want to enjoy a massage to kick things off.
  

So is this sound like a cruise we'll enjoy? Feel free to be honest, and thanks again for all of your responses!

 

If you're addicted to soda and you're not flying, you might give serious thought to bringing a couple cases of soda aboard. Just slap a luggage tag on each case and leave it with the porters with your other luggage to be brought aboard to your cabin. That will save you some bucks.

 

Since you enjoy good food, plan on at least one dinner at Le Bistro for $15 per person.

 

I don't know how much the massages are, but I'm thinking about $100.

 

Your cruise is 7 days? If so that's a total of $168 for the DSC (Daily Service Charge of $12 per day for each of the two of you). All the non-luxury cruise lines have a DSC, so don't think that's unique to NCL. It's not.

 

Where are you cruising to? What kind of tours are you thinking of? Since your goal is just to go somewhere warm, you might be content not to do any tours but either to just stay aboard the ship in port, or walk around to do your sightseeing (might involve taxi fares to get into town at some ports).

 

Yes, I think NCL is a cruise you'll enjoy -- no formal dinners, no assigned time for dining. Just kick back and relax. You'll have a great time.