Can someone tell me the real cost of taking a cruise?

[Anonymous]

(I, the person who re-reads DFW each year - am not the person who was trash talking cruises. I'm a new poster just doing a drive-by posting)

[Anonymous]

We only cruise with one cruise line that we are pretty happy- Princess Cruises. The cost of the cruise will depend on may factors. The best would be to go online, pick a cruise line ( Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess etc.) and pick the cruise and see what it costs. On the cruise we go to, crew gratuities are mandatory and it was $15 or 16 per person per day. Type of the room will also dictate different prices. For example, when we went on a 7 day cruise, we picked interior cabin ( no windows) which saved us $1000. For us that was a lot of money, but for other people it might not matter. For our recent 7 day cruise we paid $2300 ( for 3 people in the same room: couple + child), not including gratuities, excursions, premium packages, internet. We drove to Florida to save on airfare. Cost of the excursions can add up pretty quickly as well, depending what you want to do while being in the port. A bottle of wine with dinner would cost you about $42, you could then use the rest of wine for subsequent dinners until finished. You have to buy internet package which for us was $200 per week on one device. There are more or less luxurious cruise lines, similar to hotel choices, so really it's impossible to tell the real cost of the cruise. You have to factor airfare cost, transfers to the ship, or if you drive with your care, you can park the car at the cruise terminal parking ( for us it was about $130 for a week at Ft Lauderdale in Florida).

[Anonymous]

If you care about the cost, it's not for you. (It's not for me.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you care about the cost, it's not for you. (It's not for me.)

That’s funny - I definitely don’t think of cruises as being for the “cost is no concern” set. If anything I think of them as like the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you care about the cost, it's not for you. (It's not for me.)

That’s funny - I definitely don’t think of cruises as being for the “cost is no concern” set. If anything I think of them as like the opposite.

I agree. Cruises are best for people with a firm budget. You know what your costs are going in. Zero unexpected charges. The items that OP are asking about are outlined when you book. I’ve found the price posted to be “all inclusive” - if you don’t do excursions, don’t drink alcohol, or tip (or remove the tip).