Expenses other than the cruise itself?

[Jimnbigd]

No charge to get off the ship at a port. Just be sure to be back at least 30 minutes prior to sailing.

(And remember to keep you watch on "ship's time" -- usually the time of the initial departure port such as Galveston or Miami.)

No charge for shows on the ship.

A drink purchase is never required to sit in a bar (like the piano bar) on the ship. OK to take free coffee or tea into these places.

No charge for meals unless you go to a specialty restaurant or the charge is noted on the menu (like the $14.95 Chops Fillet on Royal Caribbean ships).

MDR is "all you can eat" -- just order whatever you want. No limit.

No charge for non-alcohlic and non-carbonated drinks. (Coffee, Tea, Punch, milk, juice in the morning.)

If you want a free drink in a show, take coffee or tea from the buffet with you.

There will likely be free drinks offered sometime, like during a Captains party (often the evening of the first full day). Carnival does a farewell party with free drinks the last evening. Past guests often get a free drink party. Don't miss out on these -- you already paid for it in the cruise fare.

The bottled water and soft drinks in your cabin are NOT free. You can ask the stateroom attendant to remove these.

Carnival has free toiletry samples in the bathroom. No charge to use these. If in doubt, ask your stateroom attendant.

General rule of thumb: If you are asked for your ship card, it is probably not free. (Except to get off and return to the ship.)

If you thought it was free, and are then asked for your card, just tell them you made a mistake and that you do not wish to pay for something you thought was free.

[lfrobison]

I know they take pictures for you on the boat, but will they take it with your camera also? How reasonable are the prices to buy the ones they take. I'm a little afraid to take my camera everywhere. because of all the water, but don't want to miss anything! Do you all take it with you everywhere you go? This will be the first of many stupid questions as I am a first timer! Excuse the idiocy.

[April-in-NC]

I know they take pictures for you on the boat, but will they take it with your camera also? How reasonable are the prices to buy the ones they take. I'm a little afraid to take my camera everywhere. because of all the water, but don't want to miss anything! Do you all take it with you everywhere you go? This will be the first of many stupid questions as I am a first timer! Excuse the idiocy.

 

The professional photographers won't use your camera for pictures, they will use their camera and charge you between $10-20 for a pictures (5x7 or 8x10).

 

Most of your fellow passengers will happily take a picture of you in exchange for you taking a picture of them.

 

As for water... I take my cameras with me all the time on the ship and on shore. This last time I went to Meijer (like a walmart/target) and found a water resistant (NOT water proof) bag in the camping section. I used this to keep my good camera in while at the beach to protect it from the water and sand. This will help protect it from drops of water, a small spill, wet towels, etc. but it will NOT protect if you completely sumberge the bag.

[mitsugirly]

Here is my list that I can think of:

 

Either air plane tickets to get there OR traveling by car expenses (gas and so on)

 

Pre hotel if you do not live close to the port.

 

Cab fares to the port from hotel.

 

Daily service charge

 

Any alcoholic drinks on board and/or soda package

 

Any specialty restaurants you decide to eat at

 

Any gifts or purchases you might be interested both on the ship or on land.

 

Money for the casino if you gamble.

 

While in port:

 

Cab to and from to port to where you are going OR ship sponsored ship excursion.

 

Food while you are on shore (and drinks).

 

Gifts

 

Any equipment you might need to rent (snorkeling, chairs, or AI)

 

The excursion fee itself if you do something like zip lining, snorkeling, swimming with (insert animals here), catamarans, zoos, AI's, tubing and so on.

 

Tips for cab drivers and/or any staff you feel that went above and beyond to serve you.

 

That's all I can think of at the moment.

 

I break EVERYTHING down when traveling and have charts and list that I estimate to the last dime when cruising. (I must say, I'm usually pretty close too! Last year we got a return of $7) :D

 

Congrats on your first cruise and welcome to cruise critic. :)

[Alaskanb]

Daily service charge

Can you use on board credit to cover part of the service charges like tips etc? Need to add a new column to my spreadsheet....

[Lynda59]

Some ships allow you to use your credit and some do not. I know NCL allowed us when we are on the Spirit.

 

Some ships have laundry facilities (about $2 each for washer & dryer). I had them on Carnival & Princess and used them each time. I did bring my own sample of detergent, but I am sure that was available for sale, too.

[babyblue78]

Some ships allow you to use your credit and some do not. I know NCL allowed us when we are on the Spirit.

 

Some ships have laundry facilities (about $2 each for washer & dryer). I had them on Carnival & Princess and used them each time. I did bring my own sample of detergent, but I am sure that was available for sale, too.

 

On Carnival, the little single-use boxes of detergent or fabric softener are $1 each (laundromat-style dispenser that takes quarters) . Not too bad, but I have heard that the Purex all-in-one sheets work well so I plan to take some of those on my next cruise. I don't like to do a lot of laundry on vacation, but I will thrown in a load mid-cruise to wash shorts, etc to re-wear. It really does reduce how much we have to pack.

[Wayfairers]

Another thing to add to your list if you like exercise classes: While the gym is free, most cruise ships offer classes - yoga, spin, pilates, etc and they charge for the classes. I think it is around $10 per class.

[ActiveTraveler]

Cruise Line Fans, which is similar to Cruise Critic, has sections specifically about saving money on a cruise and extra cruise expenditures. I tried to post links, but the website name was censored.