Additional Cost of Freestyle Cruising

[iheartbda]

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.

Unless the OP doesn't understand about the suggested tipping on other lines, then it won't, or shouldn't come as a surprise. We can leave out semantics and consider the DSC and tipping the same thing, or at least close cousins.;):)

[rsohn65820]

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??)

 

My husband has his own business also so he needs access to email while we are on vacation. We always bring our laptop and purchase the 250 minute internet package for $100. We bring along an ethernet cable and hook up to the internet that way, and the speeds do not really seem that slow. Not as fast as high speed but faster than dail up. The 250 minute package last for a full seven day cruise, and we usually end up using it for more than just his business emails.

 

We usually pre-pay our DSC before we leave so that it isn't added to our bill at the end. We have been on two NCL cruises so far and have not ate at any of the speciality resturants yet. Besides the internet DH usually has a few drinks in the evening, but another way that we have saved on that is that we purchase a bar set up for in cabin use before we leave.

[JimSS]

The daily service charge is pretty much the same on all lines. You might want to add some budget for room service; a dollar or two, maybe a little extra for your room attendant if you feel they earn it, and maybe some extra tips for the bartenders if they are really taking care of you.

 

We find the MDR (main dining room) food to be adequate and always look at the menu to see whats on board for the day. If there are no appealing dishes then we explore one of the specialty restaurants (charges $10 to $35)

 

For excursions it all depends on what you want to do and how often you have visited or plan to visit in the future. We usually catch a cab and do the beach thing since we have visited many of the destinations already. Shopping is often a big expense so be prepared to spend a couple bucks in port of on the ship.

 

Drinks are typical bar prices - many posting on costs if you do a search. My DW and I usually spend about $100 for the week which might include a bottle or two of wine (we bring our own and pay the $15 corkage fee). Maybe a few after dinner drinks and a couple of buckets of beer by the pool. The drink costs can add up but that is true anywhere. You can also review your charges on the TV in your room and see where you are.

 

You can be frugal on the cruise ship and have a wonderful time. Enjoy your cruise.

[terrymtex01]

OP.. I think it is very wise to get ideas from people on this subject. You can see some have spent nothing extra and there are folks like us who do. When we cruise my DP, Doug, has a Excel sheet with every possible expience, barring any emergency expense. For our upcoming cruise this Nov the budget is some where between $3200 and $3500 and that is before we add any casino money to it. Now to be fair, that does include our two days in NOLA before the cruise (hotels, tips, food, activites, taxi, etc), airfare to and from the port, but it also includes excursions (cost of what we do in the particular port, food, transportation, entry fees, tips, etc), extra tips above and beyond the DSC, dining in specialty restaurants four nights of the seven and Doug always includes a nice comfy miscellaneous for me.. LOL. That is for my coffee when we are out and about on the ship, gift shop purchases, etc. We do usually error on the side of budgeting too much, but better to be safe than sorry.

[robinpow]

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??)

 

I too own my own business and have to stay in touch. Your modem won't do the job, however there are some ways to save a little $$.

 

First off make sure your email is POP, not web based!!!! The bandwidth isn't always the best. So if you download all your email, log off, type out all your replies, the log back on and send. You will save a lot of time, and they do charge by the minute.

 

Also try to log on off peek hours. Just like anywhere else, the more people online the slower things move.

I normally do very early 6am than again late night.

 

Don't even think about using your AT&T cell phone! They have cell service, however the last time I checked it was $2.95 a minute. If you must talk to someone, cross your fingers about speed and try to use your skype.

 

As to other spending, it's like any other cruise line, you can spend as much or little as you want. Personally I go for the free food.

I trade in my fancy glass, when drinking (refills are much cheaper) and I don't need a set of NCL plastic glasses.

I like the slots, but just like on land, I set a limit for each day, when the money is gone, so am I.

Tours, very rarely do I book with NCL. Most of the time I can get a better deal booking on my own.

[DharmaCakes]

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.

 

Wow! Did I read that right?? I can BYODC?? Are there rules tied to this? or can I just throw a couple of 2Liters in my suitcase? :D

[dznymom]

We usually bring a couple of 2 liters with us, and if we need more it is cheap enough in most ports. A 12 pack of cans is better if you plan to drink them around the ship, though. I recommend carrying it on vs checking it so they can clearly see that it is soda. If they see liquids in a checked bag that they suspect may be alcohol, rumor has it that you can end up in the Naughty Room.

[swedish weave]

I have not heard of anyone having problems bringing soda onboard at the origin or at any of the ports.

 

One small correction about Le Bistro -- the price is now 20 dollars per person.

[dockrocker]

This thread really illustrates why keeping base fares low and letting people choose their add-ons makes sense for most folks. Some people don't drink alcohol, some drink a lot; some never buy photos, others buy tons; some book shore excursions in every port, some always go out on their own; some love to try the different specialty restaurants, others are happy in the buffet for every meal.

 

I love freestyle. Love it.

[Summerfeet]

I'm leaving in April and fully expect to eat in the specialty dinning rooms at least 2-3 times with the family. I also expect a larger alcohol bill because my husband likes to drink on holiday.

 

I figure, on a cruise, there is so much included and the food is always so good it's worth the extra for a specialty restaurant because we don't eat like that at home...>Who can afford that and who can do it for $10 - $25 a person! LOL After reading the thread, I didn't know we could add Lobster on for $10. My son will be very happy! I did that on both the Disney and Carnival cruise and was not disappointed. I'm expecting NCL to be of the same caliber.

 

I usually expect to spend in total what I paid for the cruise, it just seems like too much work to count my pennies. I make sure my master card is paid in full before we go, sometimes with a credit that I've applied to it before we go & I bring traveller's cheques for the ports & just cash them the day of the excursion.

[bloomcruisers]

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:

 

[*]

[*]I will need to do the soda thing to cover my diet coke/caffeine addiction, :)

 

If your addiction is to diet coke you definitely want to pack your own because the ship only has pepsi product line sodas. We packed a 12 pk of coke zero for my DH and a 12pk of diet coke lime for me on the Gem last month...cheaper than buying on board and better tasting for coke lovers like us.

 

We also managed the 10 day trip with no added food costs. The free restaurants were just fine.

[bloomcruisers]

If your addiction is to diet coke you definitely want to pack your own because the ship only has pepsi product line sodas. We packed a 12 pk of coke zero for my DH and a 12pk of diet coke lime for me on the Gem last month...cheaper than buying on board and better tasting for coke lovers like us.

 

We also managed the 10 day trip with no added food costs. The free restaurants were just fine.

 

I guess I should mention though that we did manage to more than double the initial cost of the cruise with expenses like shore excursions (we each did 3 ship sponsored) , spa memberships ($119 for each), yoga and pilates classes, a bit in the casino, daily service charges, and other minor onboard purchases. Though these added charges are ones you would encounter on pretty much any cruise line.

[jmcdon7230]

Unless the OP doesn't understand about the suggested tipping on other lines, then it won't, or shouldn't come as a surprise. We can leave out semantics and consider the DSC and tipping the same thing, or at least close cousins.;):)

 

I think there is some confusion regarding the DSC as it being per cabin or per person. It seems as if parents are stunned when their three children incur another $252 added to the price of their cruise.

[jmcdon7230]

For our upcoming cruise this Nov the budget is some where between $3200 and $3500 and that is before we add any casino money to it.

 

So Terry, when your casino money is added to it does the total top fifteen grand? ;-)

[NMLady]

I have not heard of anyone having problems bringing soda onboard at the origin or at any of the ports.

 

One small correction about Le Bistro -- the price is now 20 dollars per person.

 

When did that change? In October we paid $15 per person. Did it go up last month maybe, at the start of a new year??

[NMLady]

Wow! Did I read that right?? I can BYODC?? Are there rules tied to this? or can I just throw a couple of 2Liters in my suitcase? :D

 

Since you're not flying, I'd recommend that you put the 2liter bottles in your carryon so that they are easily checked by NCL that they're not hard liquor. If you put them in your checked luggage, the suitcase might get through with no problem, but it also might be held by NCL in a holding area (referred to on CC forum as 'naughty' room) until you can be there for them to open it and make sure it's not liquor being smuggled. That's why I'd suggested cases of cans instead.

[terrymtex01]

So Terry, when your casino money is added to it does the total top fifteen grand? ;-)

 

LOL.. probably close.. LOL.. we usually limit ourselves to the $2000.00 daily limit the casino has for withdrawing cash on your onboard account. That doesnt mean we always spend that much per day, but I think it would be fair to say we usually do. There have been a few occasions where we spent more than that, but not often. A lot will depend on how fun the casino is. We never execpt to leave the casino with pockets full of money, we just have fun playing. However when we were on the Pearl, we loved their casino, it was open, bright, and had a lot of fun slot machines, however we could not win anything on any of them. I mean literally if we hit a $20.00 payout we felt like we were lucky that week. When we have a week like that, we just cut down on what we are putting into the casino by a LOT. I'm sure mid week we probably we not putting in more than a few hundred a night.

[luddite]

Terry, I talked it over with her. Wifey says we want your budget!:D

[halos]

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!

 

We def spend more on NCL than we do on CCL...but we choose to.

I love the options NCL offers (for dining) and they so worth the extra $$ spent.

No matter which line we sail, we try to book excursions with outside vendors. This isn't just about money, it's about better quality, less crowded excursions.

DSC is a littl emore on NCL...again WELL worth the extra $2 pp/pd (to us it is anyway..)

 

I don't think any of us can help you 'know' how much money you'll spend. Everyone is different...If and when we sail with a large group, there is often buying rounds of drinks involved...If we sail with my MIL/SIL, we often buy their dinners at the specialty restaurants...and we always tip extra on bar drinks (using the slip to add extra tip) as well as the surcharge restaurants...so our bill at the end of every cruise is usually hefty.

BUT...the beauty of it is yours doesn't HAVE to be.

With options, YOU control your spending.

It's a great thing :)

[terrymtex01]

Terry, I talked it over with her. Wifey says we want your budget!:D

 

LOL.. keep in mind though, that does include pretty much everything even transportation and pre-cruise days in port.

[mbisson]

LOL.. keep in mind though, that does include pretty much everything even transportation and pre-cruise days in port.

 

And I still want that budget LOL

[rstackjd]

My husband has his own business also so he needs access to email while we are on vacation. We always bring our laptop and purchase the 250 minute internet package for $100. We bring along an ethernet cable and hook up to the internet that way, and the speeds do not really seem that slow. Not as fast as high speed but faster than dail up. The 250 minute package last for a full seven day cruise, and we usually end up using it for more than just his business emails.

 

I'm self employed as well (attorney) and just got off the Sun from a week. Did a 100 minute $55 plan and left 24 minutes on the table when we disembarked. Now you have to understand, I'm on vacation and my out of office auto response says "sorry, I'll be back in a week - for an emergency contact . . . . " so my clients are no expecting to be able to get me, but I checked e-mails every other day, and used the internet for flight check-in and that's about it.

 

As other's have said, how much you spend will depend what you do. We've come to like the specialty restuarants (3rd time on NCL) and spent more this time on them than in the past. But even with that extra cost, given NCL's cruise pricing, we're probably at the same overall cost that we would have had on Princess or Royal Caribbean so I think it's really a horse a piece.

 

Finally, and I'll get flamed for this, but as for the food quality (you indicated you like good food) the specialty restuarants are very very good to excellent. However, in the MDR, we've never been wowed. As I stated in my review of the Sun from last week, the MDR's on NCL are a lot more like a mid level chain restaurant (Ponderosa, Denny's, Fridays, Red Lobster) - you will get a nice meal and plenty to eat, but you won't tell your friends they just have to eat there. On the other hand, Teppanyki is our favorite ($25/pp) and LeBistro ($20/pp) is a close second.

 

Bob

[luddite]

LOL.. keep in mind though, that does include pretty much everything even transportation and pre-cruise days in port.

 

We didn't spend that much. I'm assuming that we could've tried.

Still want your budget. We could be up for adoption if you're amenable.

[luddite]

Finally, and I'll get flamed for this, but as for the food quality (you indicated you like good food) the specialty restuarants are very very good to excellent. However, in the MDR, we've never been wowed. As I stated in my review of the Sun from last week, the MDR's on NCL are a lot more like a mid level chain restaurant (Ponderosa, Denny's, Fridays, Red Lobster) - you will get a nice meal and plenty to eat, but you won't tell your friends they just have to eat there. On the other hand, Teppanyki is our favorite ($25/pp) and LeBistro ($20/pp) is a close second.

 

Bob

 

No flames. That's a fair assessment. It's the goofs who come on and say the food is inedible that get flamed.

[halos]

Finally, and I'll get flamed for this, but as for the food quality (you indicated you like good food) the specialty restuarants are very very good to excellent. However, in the MDR, we've never been wowed. As I stated in my review of the Sun from last week, the MDR's on NCL are a lot more like a mid level chain restaurant (Ponderosa, Denny's, Fridays, Red Lobster) - you will get a nice meal and plenty to eat, but you won't tell your friends they just have to eat there. On the other hand, Teppanyki is our favorite ($25/pp) and LeBistro ($20/pp) is a close second.

 

Bob

 

No flames. That's a fair assessment. It's the goofs who come on and say the food is inedible that get flamed.

 

 

Agree totally with both of you!!!!