Budgeting? Just take cash equal to your fare

[buddylover]

I agree with the last two posters, it totally depends on the cost of the cruise you are taking, plus expenses before + after the cruise, including the costs to get to the cruise.

We spend very little on board, not big gamblers, or drinkers, but airfare, hotels etc vary greatly by time of year we travel. So pre-cruise costs can really change the percentage of costs as compared to the cruise cost itself.

Another huge variable is the cost of the cruise itself. We are going on a 7 day in an OV on the Magic for barely $400 per person in November, where our airfare + hotel + car rental will far exceed the cost of the cruise. Then we are going on another 7 day cruise in January on the RCI Harmony for $1350 per person......so huge differences in beginning baseline costs to compare extra expenses against. Our outside expenses for this cruise are about 60% of cruise cost.

[brooklynfc]

This post just made me sit down and look at my budget. I'm not sure about the OPs technique, but I think this could turn into a great thread for cruise noobs who want to know what to budget for.

 

Cruise Fare with grats: $714

Flight: $337

Baggage: $50

Hotel: $150 (split three ways for two nights)

Port of Call spending: $100

Insurance: $80

Port Transport: $60

Excursions: $209

Island Transport: $15

Est. Extra Tipping: $100

Drinks: $200

Spa: $200

Pictures: $0-$100

Port Gifts: $50 (for my nieces and nephews)

 

I bring $500 in cash. My friend owes me about $150 for excursions I booked for both of us. The rest will go on my credit cards for points.

[Foxinspace]

After reviewing our spending post cruise (Fantasy July 29), and now having 9 sailings under our belt, I'm ready to agree with those that suggest you should double your cruise fare when planning your spending.

 

We may be a good representative sample family:

 

 

2 adults, 2 older teens

1 OV, 1 IS upper deck level

Buy a few souvenirs and trinkets in the gift shop

Drink 4 or 5 drinks between us on the ship and on land per day

Do an excursion, do another port day on our own

10 hour drive to the port

1 night pre-cruise hotel

Buy a couple of photos

Get the wifi and hub chat app

Gamble a couple hundred $$$

 

 

Roughly a 1/3 of our fare was spent before we ever walked on the ship, about a 1/3 in the ports of call, and another 1/3 onboard spending.

 

 

Basically, it came out almost equal to the fare. I was really a little shocked because I tried to be careful about spending.

 

 

But, we also bought a few snacks for the road trip, the girls got mani/pedi's before we left home, DW bought a few clothes and a new swim suit. I bought a new snorkel mask. Consider that kind of pre-spending too.

 

 

I'll be curious as DD heads off to college and may not cruise with us in the future, just how much that changes things.

 

 

I was going to disagree with you and say ours is waaaay less. Except you've included transport and hotels and so yup, this is our budget also.

 

We live in Toronto and even the cheapest flights to the closest ports run us about $1200. Add a hotel for a night and cabs from airport to hotel and hotel to pier than a 3rd cab from pier back to airport after the cruise. Food while traveling and suddenly just getting to and from the cruise is 50% of fare cost.

 

Than we add-in on board expenses. We don't gamble, we don't really drink. I have maybe 1 fancy drink a day, sometime a latte. We do the steak house one night each cruise. Don't buy souvenirs really. We usually do an excursion at each port (or most ports anyways). We buy endless bubbles and now that we are cruising with our DD we have to budget some money for the arcade. It all adds up!

 

So yes, typically the cruise fare is about 50% of our vacation budget total!

[ryano]

My current cruise fare is about 1700.00 for three in a Lido 4J on Magic. Im taking 1000.00 to cover pre cruise hotel, gas down to PC and back, pre cruise eats, extra tips, onboard account expenses that goes over my OBC and spending money. I have 400.00 in OBC but our grats arent paid yet. I will very likely come home with at least 2-3 hundred left. I cant even imagine spending 1700.00 on everything except our cruise fare. I find its more like 40 - 50%

[Domino D]

Anyone else sense that Flight Cost plays a big role in some of our differences. Can't help but wonder if we have to eliminate flight cost to get a fair comparison. No way Foxinspace and I can compare when they fly from Toronto and I drive from Atlanta.

[bUU]

Anyone else sense that Flight Cost plays a big role in some of our differences. Can't help but wonder if we have to eliminate flight cost to get a fair comparison. No way Foxinspace and I can compare when they fly from Toronto and I drive from Atlanta.

I excluded getting to/from the port and trip insurance.

[ravensbad]

Anyone else sense that Flight Cost plays a big role in some of our differences. Can't help but wonder if we have to eliminate flight cost to get a fair comparison. No way Foxinspace and I can compare when they fly from Toronto and I drive from Atlanta.

 

Cabin cost also makes a huge difference. If you're in a $700 pp inside cabin it's a lot easier to double your fare in extra costs than it is if you're in a $1400 pp balcony.

[cruzinlisa]

When you count everything you spend on a cruise that's not part of the fare/gratuities it's very easy to spend your fare again. We don't drink or gamble and we drive to port, but between travel insurance, hotel the night before, cruise parking, meals while travelling, excursions, dining package, excursion / porter tips, bingo, etc. it can add up pretty fast. If we drank alcohol and gambled I could easily see spending a total of 3 times the cruise fare. Of course, we book insides generally, so the fare is cheap(er).

 

I don't know about 3 times the fare, but up the amount of the fare, assuming you are accounting for all the travel expenses, as well as spending. We are neither particularly spendy or frugal- its vacation and we cut loose and worry about it later to some extent, but not through caution to the wind altogether (meaning we might have dinner at a nicer restaurant in the departure port even though we COULD go to McDonalds, order off the value menu and spend far less).

 

We are in the landlocked Midwest so everything is far from us. NOLA is a little under 12 hours and Galveston a bit more. Mobile is a little closer, but selection is limited so its not much of an option. We sometimes fly to Florida, but with a family of three when we can drive, we usually do. We like to break up the drive on the way down so usually it takes us two days to get down there (that's 2 nights at a hotel). Then there is gas and meals on the road (cheap for lunch but we try to at least eat at an applebees type for dinner). In the port city we either have to pay for parking or stay at a park and cruise hotel (more $$$). Then there is shuttle to the port, which may cost or may just be a tip. Also we typically buy insurance. That's all before we set foot on the ship.

 

Then on the ship we have a few drinks maybe and occasionally eat at a specialty restaurant. We may stay out later one night so there is baby sitting. And every so often I want to get a family photo. Other than that we don't buy much on the ship.

 

Ports we rarely book excursions, we either go to the beach or shopping. I pick up a few small things in port maybe, but Cozumel I do more shopping. The stuff there is cheaper than other places so if I have to bring back souveniers, we get them there. I usually budget $100-150 per port plus another $100 cash for tips, porters and shopping but lately I come home with a big chunk- enough to pay for dog boarding and meals on the way home.

 

So yeah, if you are counting everything it really adds up. Plus, we also book inside rooms so our fare is not that high.

[bUU]

Cabin cost also makes a huge difference. If you're in a $700 pp inside cabin it's a lot easier to double your fare in extra costs than it is if you're in a $1400 pp balcony.

That's a good point also. We're going to spend pretty much the same whether we're in an inside cabin or a suite (perhaps even more in the inside cabin).

 

So what is really most useful for readers is a posting of what passengers typically spend on board, and for what. And there's a recent thread about that:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2523170

[WaggesAZ]

I have not been able to take a cruise and spend so little (except the 3 day booze cruze out of Long Beach) - but maybe that's the difference. We fly to the port (Vancouver, BC; FL or PR) and automatically that can be close to the cost of the cruise. Once we have taken a cruise that was just the 2 of us, the rest of the time, it's been all 4 of us. I book using points and/or miles as much as possible, but if we are taking a cross country flight to see and experience a cruise, my goal isn't just to be on the ship or to spend no additional money. We want to do excursions (always booked outside the cruise line as the cost is often less and the experience is greatly enhanced by not being herded with 50-100 of my fellow passengers) to explore the islands and we may choose to just take a taxi to have beach day, etc. Regardless, it costs money to do those things and it is important to us. We pick our sailings because of the ports and the beauty or culture they may offer, not just to be on a cruise. Many of you have done the same sailings many, many times so to you view the ship as the destination. The beauty of the forum is that we can all learn tips, tricks, cost savings ideas (within the cruise line rules of course! ;) ) and to get ideas of things to do at different ports or while on the ship and so much more. Because the OP and I choose to cruise and spend money differently doesn't make us nuts, it means our current sailing style may be different than many of you.

Additionally, because I am the mother of 2 boys (young men if I am honest! They're 22 & 14) we have always booked a balcony and an inside cabin directly across as 1 bathroom with 3 boys is not happening! The cost of that is often negligible (+ $200) as all 4 in a balcony, as we always book around 1 year out to try and get the best prices on flights and cabins..

Edited August 9, 2017 by WaggesAZ
ETA cruise cabin choice

[BTHodgeman]

We average way more than the fare - in fact, we're probably 2X the cruise fare. A big part of our expense includes flight and hotels before (and sometimes after) the cruise. On average between flight and hotel, we're in $1,000 just to get to the port.

 

On board, we have 4-5 drinks a day total, some specialty dining, bingo occasionally, etc., and then we usually do a shore excursion in each port. We don't tend to buy anything from the shops (the exception being minor incidentals), and don't shop much in port other than a key chain or very small item.

 

Add in gambling, and that 2X multiplier can increase pretty quickly... lol

[mek]

I consider everything that is necessary to be a part of the cruise - not just the cruise fare, so I wrap up taxes/port charges, air, transfers, tips, insurance,(which is a necessity for us because of pre existing conditions), and one night pre cruise hotel as what the cruise costs me.

 

The rest is optional and for us varies on the itinerary - some people spend like there is no tomorrow and others are very frugal - most of us fall somewhere in between.

[brooklynfc]

I forgot to say, what about cruises that are inflated because of the time of year or a new ship? My Vista cruise in march is around $1600pp for the HCB. I wouldn't bring that much money with me for a normal 8 day cruise. In fact, I'm kinda planning on not really getting off the boat that go round.

[Budget Queen]

If nothing else, this post, clearly notes- ALL the expenses involved in travel. Often times, the focus is on partial costs. Interesting read.

 

So many variable with cabins, pre/post stays, transportation, tips etc.

 

Depends on one style and preferences.

 

I'm an opportunist traveler, I love a bargain, so I late book. I am not loyal to any line, itinerary always is the priority, so Carnival isn't sailed as often as others due to their very limited itineraries. They are my top choice for the Caribbean. I do have the luxury of traveling frequently, (9 cruises already this year), which I know is not the norm.

[Domino D]

Cabin cost also makes a huge difference. If you're in a $700 pp inside cabin it's a lot easier to double your fare in extra costs than it is if you're in a $1400 pp balcony.

Very true.

 

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[MastersLevelMama]

I'm thinking we will go over the amount equal to our fare. With flight (CA to FL), hotel and dinner the night before, Lyft, Cheers, tips, excursions, extra dining, and casino, I'll be elated if we spend equal to the fare.

[tef43]

Not even close.

To clarify, "not even close" means that we spend NOWHERE NEAR the amount of the cruise fare in additional expenses.

 

If we have to fly to a port (rare), the airfare is covered by frequent flyer miles.

A pre-cruise hotel stay is covered by hotel points.

Souvenirs? Nope.

Photos? Don't care.

Maybe a drink a day.

Carry on soda quota.

 

It's rare that our S&S bill hits triple digits after gratuities.

[sanmarcosman]

OP: That's not a budget that's what is known as fudge it by those who make budgets for a living :)

 

Cruise expenditures vary as greatly as the people whose money is being spent, or not being spent, by them. Like life, it's not one size fits all.

[DenaInWyo]

We cruise about once a year, but when we do, we like to have a good time. We also live too far away to drive to ANY port. I think we pretty easily match our cruise far and then some with the extras. Just in case it might help someone else, this is what our next cruise will run, and it's a casino premier cruise so we didn't do FTTF because we already have priority boarding.

 

 

Cruise, 7 day on the Freedom out of Galveston with grats for 2 in an interior: 1,267.12

Flights from Denver (We live in Wy and it's much cheaper to drive there) 450ish

Denver hotel that includes parking (6:15 am flight, so no way we're driving in..we'd be too exhausted to enjoy ourselves) $200

Meals until we get on the ship: $150 (two dinners, two lunches, breakfast at hotel included)

Galveston hotel: $200

Misc. Travel expenses, wine for the ship, snacks on the drive, airplane drinks, airport coffee, blah blah $100

Gas there and back: $100

Drive from Hobby to port and back: $80 (Galveston Limo shuttle)

Ports (we are only doing one excursion) $400..that's $100 each port and $200 in the one with the excursion

Gambling..I'm straight up budgeting $500 for this because I enjoy it.

Drinks: We have DoU but that only covers the casino. I'll spend another $100 around the ship.

Ship shopping and photos: $100

Extra tips (room steward, MDR, porters, bartenders etc) $150

 

Total minus actual cruise: 2530..minus $400 OBC from the casino is $2130.

 

People can shake their heads and say we're spending too much, but I don't care. Like I said, we do it once, maybe twice a year if we're lucky and I don't skimp. I may not actually spend all I have budgeted but I want to know I can if I want to.