New Cruiser: Post-Trip Bill?

[llclsu]

I'm a new cruiser going on the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska next year...can any of you help me with what I should expect to have to pay at the end of the trip? I know I pay my ship balance beforehand, but what costs add up on board that I should calculate into my saving? I know excursions are one, any extra drink or dinner plans, photo packages, the spa package I heard is another popular one...trying to just be prepared and not have the 'sticker shock' at the end of the trip.

 

Part of what enticed me into cruising was the fact that I could try and stay more on budget than having to figure out the pieces and parts of a longer trip on my own. Any help/thoughts/ideas are greatly appreciated! I've so enjoyed a lot of your posts. They're really helping the 'newbie' out!!

[garebarepups]

Did you get UBP (drink package) , also any children going with you. We had the UBP and dining package. You would pay port tax on drinks until you sail out to sea. Two drinks was like under a dollar at Manhattan port. Any drinks over 15 dollars you would pay the difference. Did not do the photo's so can tell you there but they are pricey. If you have kids going to the kids program for late night 10pm til 1am there is a 6 dollar an hour charge.

[garycarla]

Don't forget the DSC.

[Bold Spirit]

Don't forget the service charges (gratuities) that are added daily. You can prepay those if you wish.

[cb at sea]

Most 1st timers will spend about 1/2 the cost of the cruise in "extras"....so unless you are really strict about your spending..figure about that much. Gratuities, excursions, spa treatments, drinks or drink packages, specialty restaurants, or dining packages, photos, fitness classes, etc....it can add up.

If you get a guidebook, you can find that most things ashore are quite easy to do without paying someone! That can save a bundle! You don't HAVE to pay for anything but the DSC (gratuities ), but it's hard to deny yourself on vacation!!!

[SoCA6ft5]

There will be lots of temptations to buy on-board (every day something will "go on sale"). If you don't have a package, all drinks other than coffee, tea, milk, (lemonade?) plus gratuity will be extra. As cb at sea said, it's hard to deny yourself on vacation. To avoid final bill shock, and to stay somewhat on budget, I suggest keeping a running record of on-board expenses or checking your account regularly (you should be able to do this from your cabin TV).

[Cyclops32]

The big items ran out on board bill up was :

 

Cruisenext certificate. Either $250 or $500 per certificate. However they discount them by atleast $100. Cheap way to save on next cruise.

 

Photos. $25 for thumb drive of images plus atleast $20 for each printed photo. Had to purchase printed to get digital copy

 

Deal or no deal cards. $25 per card good for on session of two games. Ran a few times per cruise

 

Bingo... I think it was between $39 and $79 for different packages of cards 3-4 sessions per cruise so multiply above if you play more then once

 

Spent a little on Ala cart food items but it is minor to those listed above.

 

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[Socalev]

Jewelry!! Or cheapo t-shirts!!!

 

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[grouchomarx]

I think there's always some sticker shock when your stateroom account appears at the end of your cruise! My first cruise 10 years ago, our balance was $2000 for a 7 day cruise. I was like, WHAT???? Now, I'm prepared for it. Hopefully you got some freebies like a drink or dining package, internet, etc. Shore excursions can add up if booking through the cruise line. And DRINKS! (If you don't have a package). We have come to enjoy all inclusive land based resorts because there truly is nothing to pay at the end! But cruising is still great, just gotta plan for all those extras.

 

DSC

Drinks/specialty dining without packages

Spa services

Shore excursions

Gift shop purchases

Photos

Internet

 

That's about it, I think.

[tempus137]

Casino charges, especially for "Tournaments"

[eileeshb]

You can pre purchase a lot of packages through the NCL website. They offer options to buy the ultimate beverage package (UBP, all alcohol up to $15 is covered), various premium dining packages, internet packages, water packs, excursions, etc. That will help reduce the onboard charges.

 

I did my first cruise in May on Norwegian Escape and didn't bother with any premium dining except for one lunch in Food Republic which was pretty cheap compared to the other premium dining options. I found the complimentary dining options sufficiently varied for my tastes.

[sanger727]

First, did you get any 'perks'? UBP, SDP? Etc.

 

The best thing you can do since your cruise isn't for awhile is pre-plan and pre-pay as you go.

 

Pre-pay your DSC, because that adds up quickly.

 

Pre-plan what you want to do in port and either pre-book and pay for them ahead or choose non-excursions and just bring cash to pay as you go.

 

After that it will just come down to what you choose to spend money on on board. But if you board the ship with nothing pre-planned or paid, then yes, you'll have a stick shock bill at the end between DSC and excursions plus misc spending.

 

 

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[uneamie]

On our last 11 day cruise, I brought $1000 with me for the casino, bingo, shopping in ports etc. That was sufficient for that kind of stuff. Our bill at the end was $600 which included drinks and excursions. It all depends on your own budget and what you want to do on board. I save way ahead so that we are not stuck with a huge after cruise bill. We book a year in advance so there is plenty of time to save.

[MHKBCrusin]

Tournatments, Bingo, scratch cards, - all of those things provide a very low return on investment even if you win so don't bother. Drink package is definately worth it if you drink much at all ... Specialty Restaurants is not a must but nice as a splurge for a first time cruiser ... thermal suite if you love steam rooms and great views from the spa ... All are MUCH more cost effective if you buy in advance. That way there is no sticker shock after the cruise and they are cheaper and painless if you spread the cost over months prior to the cruise.

Casino charges, especially for "Tournaments"

[RD29P5]

Pretty much everything can be purchased before you even board the ship. This is really helpful with excursion's, especially in Alaska where they are not cheap. Photo packages can also be prepurchased, and I think come with a couple extra prints if you do it that way. One thing I committed myself to for this trip was buying on board credit every month. We are sailing on Monday with over $500 in OBC we purchased over the last 8 months or so.

[kitkat343]

You can save a lot of money by booking excursions from independent vendors, and you can find them on the port of call board on this forum or on tripadvisor.

[kskelley40]

I was going to respond to this but found myself using some of the tips suggested...and we have done over 15 cruises.

 

The biggest thing to pre-pay besides all of the optional packages would be the gratuities. You can do this on the NCL website under your reservation.

 

Our first cruise, there was not any drink packages at the time, we were so excited to cruise that we ended up with a 1800.00 bill after the end of a 7 day cruise.

 

On our last cruise, an 11 day cruise with NCL, we actually received a check in the mail after the cruise for $100. Between OBC and shore excursion credits we had a zero bill and credit sent to us. Granted we had the free perks: drink package, dining package, shore excursion credit etc...and I pre-paid the gratuities. We also do not purchase photos, t-shirts etc.... have enough of those and I like to take my own photos.

 

So, my suggestions - pre-pay your gratuities, purchase as much as you can ahead of time online, watch your account on the ship and enjoy the cruise!

[pe4all]

I was going to respond to this but found myself using some of the tips suggested...and we have done over 15 cruises.

 

The biggest thing to pre-pay besides all of the optional packages would be the gratuities. You can do this on the NCL website under your reservation.

 

Our first cruise, there was not any drink packages at the time, we were so excited to cruise that we ended up with a 1800.00 bill after the end of a 7 day cruise.

 

On our last cruise, an 11 day cruise with NCL, we actually received a check in the mail after the cruise for $100. Between OBC and shore excursion credits we had a zero bill and credit sent to us. Granted we had the free perks: drink package, dining package, shore excursion credit etc...and I pre-paid the gratuities. We also do not purchase photos, t-shirts etc.... have enough of those and I like to take my own photos.

 

So, my suggestions - pre-pay your gratuities, purchase as much as you can ahead of time online, watch your account on the ship and enjoy the cruise!

Great advice - we do the exact same thing. DH hates getting a large credit card bill after a vacation, so months before our cruise we pre-pay grats, pre-book our excursions, buy water, all which are charged to our cc well before our cruise date. Once onboard, we really do not buy photos anymore (maybe one per cruise) and are lucky enough to have booked a cruise with many free at sea perks - dining, drink package, internet minutes, $50 shore excursion credits, free cabin phone calls, $100 obc.

I expect that we will be getting a refund check after our cruise for unused obc!

[Travelicious]

If you are a drinker, you really need to get the UBP booking perk. You pay a gratuity on it, which I think is now 20%, but that is much cheaper than what you will likely pay by the drink. If you don't get it as a perk, it is probably not cost effective to purchase the UBP unless you are a very heavy drinker who can keep it up day after day. I always figured I could get my money's worth a few days during a cruise, but I would be nursing hangovers the days after. :)

[BirdTravels]

Tournatments, Bingo, scratch cards, - all of those things provide a very low return on investment even if you win so don't bother. Drink package is definately worth it if you drink much at all ... Specialty Restaurants is not a must but nice as a splurge for a first time cruiser ... thermal suite if you love steam rooms and great views from the spa ... All are MUCH more cost effective if you buy in advance. That way there is no sticker shock after the cruise and they are cheaper and painless if you spread the cost over months prior to the cruise.

Why respond to a comment posted over a year ago!??!

[kskelley40]

Great advice - we do the exact same thing. DH hates getting a large credit card bill after a vacation, so months before our cruise we pre-pay grats, pre-book our excursions, buy water, all which are charged to our cc well before our cruise date. Once onboard, we really do not buy photos anymore (maybe one per cruise) and are lucky enough to have booked a cruise with many free at sea perks - dining, drink package, internet minutes, $50 shore excursion credits, free cabin phone calls, $100 obc.

I expect that we will be getting a refund check after our cruise for unused obc!

 

I was really surprised when we got our statement at the end of the cruise and it said a $100 credit was being mailed to us. I always thought that if you didn't use your OBC it was lost. This was the first cruise that we had a credit. We had even looked at the statement on the TV the day before and saw the credit. Thinking that we were going to lose it, we went souvenir shopping in the gift shops, still did not use it all and received a check!

 

I am really thinking about buying some OBC credits ahead of time just to cover any extra expense on ship that we might have...but want to make sure we will get the refund again first if we don't use them.

[gymbomb]

We prepaid our DSC on the last cruise, and our bill at the end was less than $100. My parents actually ended up getting a small check back from NCL. We both had $100 onboard credit. We had the drink package and dining package, didn’t book ship excursions, didn’t gamble, didn’t visit spa. We bought some photos and let our son play a little bit in the arcade.

 

 

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[pe4all]

]I was really surprised when we got our statement at the end of the cruise and it said a $100 credit was being mailed to us. I always thought that if you didn't use your OBC it was lost. [/color] This was the first cruise that we had a credit. We had even looked at the statement on the TV the day before and saw the credit. Thinking that we were going to lose it' date=' we went souvenir shopping in the gift shops, still did not use it all and received a check!

 

I am really thinking about buying some OBC credits ahead of time just to cover any extra expense on ship that we might have...but want to make sure we will get the refund again first if we don't use them.[/quote']

Some credit is non-refundable, and some is refundable. They always use the non-refundable obc first, then go into the refundable. Any leftover is yours! And if you go down to Guest Services the last night (pick a time when there are no crowds!) and bring your driver's license they will give you the refund in cash! We have done this also a few times.

[ADH912]

Like other's have said, the one "mandatory" charge that will show up on your bill on a daily basis the Daily Service Charge (DSC), which is the gratuity that gets split among the crew. Anything else is optional. I know people who don't have any charges at the end of the week, other than the DSC, because they don't buy things from the shops, they eat in the free restaurants, and they drink the free beverages. I usually end up with around $600-$800 in charges for two of us at the end of the week. We don't really shop on board, unless we forgot toiletries at home, or something catches our eye. Aside from the DSC, most of the $$ spent is from shore excursion(s), specialty restaurants, drinks and maybe a game or two of BINGO. That being said, I check my balance on a daily basis. This can be done by going to the guest services desk, and most ships allow you to check it on your stateroom T.V. Aside from what goes on my credit card, I usually take $1000.00 in cash for the casino, ports, and pre/post cruise travel.