How about a Budget forum?

[fiedav]

I notice that there are numerous threads here about how to save money on your cruise.

 

However, some of us don't know what amount we are saving money on. That is, we have no idea of the total costs of a cruise. For a lot of us, that bottom line is important.

 

I wonder whether people would post approximately the total cost of their cruise, with notes to indicate how many shore excursions, alcohol and specialist dining, and even costs of getting to the cruise port.

 

Obviously no-one is looking for perfect accuracy, but it would help if we knew the total costs of cruises in the Caribbean out of Florida, New England to Canada, Alaska cruises, and Mediterranean cruises.

 

I know that many things affect the price of a cruise, but imagine if someone said to you "We've never cruised before, but my late aunt has left us a small amount, and we're thinking of cruising from X to Y. Do you think we can afford it?"

 

So post here and let us know what we're in for financially.

[5326jan]

It's really hard to do. Everyone has a different priority and no one knows what another is paying for an identical cabin. Did they get a discounted fare? (Princess allows travel agents to discount, not all lines do.) Did they book on a sale or regular price? Did they get OBC (on board credit) from TA or by using FCC (future cruise credits) or "loyalty" discounts?

 

The most important thing is to know that cruising can be addictive, so these approximate costs are "per cruise".... multiply that number by the huge number of cruises you'll want to do!:D

 

Here are a few things:

price of cabin- location, itinerary, length of cruise, popularity of cruise, sales, discounts, etc.

 

approx $12/day in gratuities

 

about $8/drink- Depends on type of drink and number of drinks. Wine will run $25 and up per bottle, but it can be saved night to night if you don't drink it all. On some lines, you can buy bottles of alcohol for consumption in your cabin/balcony and you can bring on your own mixers.

 

$25 per person for specialty dining plus tip

 

casino- ???

 

Excursions- private or ship tours vary by area and activity. Look on the itinerary you choose and see what the ship charges.

 

Hotels vary tremendously. We always fly in the day ahead of time, after missing the ship once.

 

Parking/taxi- if you drive to port, figure approx $10-15/day or find a hotel with a parking plan. Taxi depends on location and distance.

 

Air Fare- One of the biggest expenses.

 

Food/drink in ports

 

Souvenirs

 

Shopping for stuff before cruise.... new cruise wardrobe is not at all necessary, but many do it.

 

If either of you are military or past military, you can get on board credits by sending in your discharge papers. If you are a shareholder you can get on board credits. If you use a travel agent, some give on board credit.

 

There are plenty of things you will be tempted to buy on the ship.

Photos are a big temptation. You will have your picture taken many times on the ship or in port. Usually there is a "scene" as you disembark where a photographer is set up to take your pictures. They will be available to buy within hours. We never even go look at them.

 

Coffee Cards about $32. DH likes his cappuccino, so he buys. I can drink regular coffee, so I don't need it.

 

Soda Cards. We bring propel packets to add to tap water, so I don't know how much they are.

 

I'm sure others can add to this list or elaborate on other line's costs. I'm familiar with Princess. Have a great time!

[misty57]

Each cruise is different based on cruise line, time of booking, how far out you book, category of cabin, number of cruisers in your cabin, length of cruise and destinations and whether or not you purchase travel insurance or excursions. As previously mentioned, getting to the port of embarkation is often a huge expense if you have to fly. Since it is suggested to arrive a day early, you have hotel accommodations to consider as well as meals and transportation from airport and to the port and possibly parking if you drive to the airport. We have sailed for less than $1000 for 2 of us on a 4 day cruise out of Miami using 55+ discounts for an inside cabin and credit card points for airfare, using priceline for hotel and being really frugal with meals out.

If I had a really tight budget I would get busy and research all of these points for the cheapest cruise I could find. Only then would I know if I could afford the trip. I wouldn't want to go if I knew I had no "wiggle room" with expenses.

[Hommiette]

Totally get what you are seeking! Was thinking almost the same thing a couple of days ago. Like $200/drinks (onboard)for two on a 7-day. Excursions $100/2 ppl(we only do those ran by the local's) we really enjoy going around town and seeing and meeting the local people who live there and having drinks with them so most of the time its just trolley/buggy/walking for us. But just in case anything comes up I like to be prepared with some extra cash. $60 non-ship tips. $40 casino or bingo for two/7 day cruise. I don't gamble and control the money so pretty much give hubby $40 to have fun but that's all he gets to work with. $300 cruise tip/4 ppl 7-day. $80 pre cruise hotel. $60 pre cruise dinner/4. $180 transportation to/ from Fll to Mia for 4.

[Hommiette]

Flights are crazy high, but have seen some for $276 from Mpls to Fll. So pretty much paying everything off then waiting to buy flight tix with tax return money unless a good deal comes along and I have the money for it. Also $40 post cruise meal.$6 lightrail home home from airport.

[tm32561]

You ought to be able to go on a 4 or 5 day cruise out of Jacksonville or port Canaveral to the Bahamas, inside room 3 people for $1500 total trip. That's excursions, booze and tip and room. That does not include the cost o get there. Carnival Cruise, I might add. FUN!

 

 

3013 Sept Carnival Ecstacy

2011 Dec Carnival Fascination

2010 Sept Carnival Elation

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[peterdemski]

I would agree that prices can vary wildly however given enough time/posts you could eventually get a bell curve of prices for certain trips. It would probably be a lot easier to track base cruise price(cabin + taxes & fees) vs. total cruise cost since some people use the casino/bars more than other which can swing the price wildly.

 

The wife and I are pretty frugal(poor) so we typically go off of Cost Per Day of the cruise and expenses to get to the port. We typically shoot for $50/day or less pre-taxes/fees for the destinations we want and just bide our time until one comes up and book if we can get reasonable transportation to the port. We have to fly/drive so while our next cruise is $1080(cabin + taxes&fees) for an 8 night oceanview we have to add an additional $400+ for either airfare or driving + hotel since we live 10 hours from the nearest port.

[mshimko]

I think you really need to track YOUR expenses on a few cruises, and see what YOUR habits are.

 

On my end, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I've spent (and will do so below), but there are just so many variables.

 

For our cruises, photographs can be expensive (after the first three, we typically get only one), excursions can add up, shipboard and ashore shopping, casino (if you're not lucky), and drinks, to name "my" expense categories.

 

That said, here's what my ranges are:

 

Base cruise (cabin, including all fees): Average just under $300 /cruise (for 2 people)

 

Most other non-transportation expenses (shipboard, ashore, drinks, etc): just over $200 per cruise (for 2 people)

 

Transportation: I keep this separate and is even more variable. I love cruises that don't involve airfare, or even parking (who wouldn't?)

[TravelBone1977]

I'll throw one idea out there that borders on cheap-skate but just might appeal to the budget-minded folks.

How do you get lots of nice photos from your adventure without going broke? Well you have one very big advantage: It's about supply and demand... they are selling a product with a target audience of 1, you. A good time to work this angle is near the last day. Check with your cruise line before this to make sure you can still buy photos up to the last minute, just to be safe.

You can quietly discuss pricing with the cashier, explain that you like the pictures and want to get prints, but you're trying to get a deal. See what they offer, and offer them 1/2 of that. Think about it, they can only sell your pictures to you and nobody else, so try to make a deal. If all else fails and you’re not afraid to walk away, ask if you can buy the display prints as-is (which are still quite nice, and usually 5X7 or 8X10 in size). If they can even get a couple of bucks for those prints, they are making money. After all, if they don't sell those, they go in the trash since you're their only customer.

 

FYI, most modern ships have RF tags embedded in those display prints, so don't try to take them beyond the boundaries of the display area or you'll likely set off an alarm.

As an alternative to all the haggling or pricy packages, you may find that if you catch one of the ship's photographers at a quiet time (and when their boss isn't looking) you can ask them to snap a shot of your group using your camera. You have about a 50/50 shot of this working, they don't want to get in trouble but they also want to keep you happy. Remember it's putting them on the spot and could get them in trouble so ask nicely and they may just sneak a shot for you. You can also ask other passengers to do this in exchange for you taking their pictures, which is likely to be more successful.

Happy budget cruising :)

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[zoncom]

I have found over the years what one pays for their cruise berth is considered a private matter.Prices can change daily.Experience and sleuthing can yield the best buy. But seasonal trends; load factors, hence the price remain pretty constant.Use both the discount cruise only agencies and lines themselves.You never know where the next deal will come from.

[happybooker1]

7-day out of Galveston on carnival. We drive since we're less than 80 miles from there.

 

$1530 for 2 for the week -- inside cabin on Deck 9. Parking is $50/week.

 

Tour 1 at Roatan, Honduras -- arranged privately -- $176 for both

 

Tour 2 at Cozumel -- $160 for both --arranged privately

 

Port 3 -- no tour but arranging our own transportation to a nearby beach -- around $50 for taxi & some snacks

 

No photos purchased. No soda cards -- we'll take in 2 12-packs for the room

 

A few drinks for me -- @$7 per probably $50 (I'll also smuggle in some vodka)

 

No spa deals, trinkets, etc. And no specialty restaurants. A few bucks for DS to play video games -- $25?

 

Gratuity = $23/day

 

That's about it. Maybe a T-shirt for each of us from one of the ports & a magnet.

 

Total for the week close to $2100.

[avaross09]

Try saving on water, bring packed snacks as snacks and foods ,as food is much costlier on cruise, try not to shop much have a limited budget on shopping, make sure that you spend wisely and buy things only that you find necessary to.