Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The answer to this question is why I absolutely avoid cruises like the plague. You’re just a captive audience, there to be milked dry on every service and extra. I can’t understand why anyone enjoys this.

How many cruises have you taken?

I’ve never been on a real cruise but I re-read DFW’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again every year or so.

So, you’re one of these people who don’t know what they don’t know, are usually wrong about things but rarely in doubt, I guess.

Do you also pan movies you haven’t seen?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The answer to this question is why I absolutely avoid cruises like the plague. You’re just a captive audience, there to be milked dry on every service and extra. I can’t understand why anyone enjoys this.

How many cruises have you taken?

I’ve never been on a real cruise but I re-read DFW’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again every year or so.

Soo...you're taking the word of a depressed man who had a fear of sharks and boats?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The answer to this question is why I absolutely avoid cruises like the plague. You’re just a captive audience, there to be milked dry on every service and extra. I can’t understand why anyone enjoys this.

How many cruises have you taken?

I’ve never been on a real cruise but I re-read DFW’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again every year or so.

Anonymous wrote:The answer to this question is why I absolutely avoid cruises like the plague. You’re just a captive audience, there to be milked dry on every service and extra. I can’t understand why anyone enjoys this.

Then don't do the extras. I once booked a cruise, then got laid off and had no disposable income. I didn't spend any money on the ship other than tips.

I'm not a big drinker, and can happily have just a couple over the course of a week. I don't need to gamble. I don't think the specialty restaurants are worth it. I like a good massage but if I'm on a budget I skip it. I really don't need to buy their expensive photographs when we all carry phones everywhere. There are some activities that cost money but I can really just sit by the pool or read in the corner for most of the day. Shore excursions are pricy, but I've had wonderful inexpensive days in port on my own. (Let us know what ports or check on cruise critic for ideas).

There are tons of extras to pay for but they're all optional.

Anonymous wrote:The answer to this question is why I absolutely avoid cruises like the plague. You’re just a captive audience, there to be milked dry on every service and extra. I can’t understand why anyone enjoys this.

How many cruises have you taken?

The answer to this question is why I absolutely avoid cruises like the plague. You’re just a captive audience, there to be milked dry on every service and extra. I can’t understand why anyone enjoys this.

This is very specific to the cruise line involved, as policies vary widely in the industry.

Many cruise line fares do not include crew gratuities, which are expected. Other cruise lines include gratuities in their fares. Some cruise lines provide on-board opportunities for you to spend more money, which you're free to resist but may not want to once aboard, e.g., art sales, spa services, casino games, extra-cost specialty restaurants, charges for soft drinks and/or for alcohol, optional shore excursions, etc. On the other hand, some cruise lines don't offer those things or include them in the basic fare, e.g., Regent Seven Seas.

Don't forget the cost of airfare, transfers to and from the ship, and the cost of a hotel the night before boarding (you never want to plan to fly in the day of departure; if your flight doesn't make it, neither do you). Again, some cruise lines include those things, but most do not.

Anonymous wrote:I love cruising and have been on several dozen. I always figure I'm not a profitable guest. I don't drink alcohol and don't do many excursions. I prefer to explore on my own. So my bill at the end is minimal...sometimes $100! I do always tip. These days it's usually added to your bill. People who don't tip the hardworking crew on ships are THE worst. To PP above, yes you can remove the tip, and no you won't get push back. But you will be the scum of the Earth.

I have only taken one cruise but agree with this pp. The one thing I was most impressed by was the service on that ship. I am over tipping in general as expectations for gratuities at places like coffee shops and takeout counters are out of control. But on the cruise, I could see how hard people were working and the service was exceptional (even though I didn’t really care for the cruise experience in general).

I love cruising and have been on several dozen. I always figure I'm not a profitable guest. I don't drink alcohol and don't do many excursions. I prefer to explore on my own. So my bill at the end is minimal...sometimes $100! I do always tip. These days it's usually added to your bill. People who don't tip the hardworking crew on ships are THE worst. To PP above, yes you can remove the tip, and no you won't get push back. But you will be the scum of the Earth.

We've only done Disney cruises. The amount of tip that you are expected/strongly encouraged to pay is listed on their website. It's a certain dollar amount per person per night - you'll need to do the calculations. You don't HAVE to leave that tip - it's put on your bill on the last night of the cruise - I've been told you are able to remove it. I've never tried to do remove the tip. We always tip extra. I would imagine if you did try to remove the tip, you would get a hard sales push back from guest services.

Anonymous wrote:You can pretty easily price it out.

I have paid for excursions & nothing else. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol.

+1. What cruise line and ship will you be on? For most cruise lines tips are probably the only extra charge you have to pay. Many also charge for sodas and espresso coffee drinks, but there will be plenty of free drinks included (usually water, tea, and lemonade kind of thing). You don't have to do excursions. You can just walk off the boat and do stuff in walking distance (and you can book your own excursions to save $$). We are light drinkers and our first cruise with just two adults we only spent about $400 dollars (that included excursions, alcohol, a game of bingo) on the ship. The $400 did not include tips. We could have spent less. My husband probably spent some money in the casino as well, but that isn't going to show up on your tab. There is plenty to do and eat for free on the ship.

Oh yes agree on tips.

You can pretty easily price it out.

I have paid for excursions & nothing else. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol.

You have to read the entire offer. Tips are expected. There is the cost of excursions and transport to the ship. There are extras onboard - photos, shopping, special meals, etc. Some packages include some of these things and some don’t. The packages are usually upfront about what is excluded.

If the cruise costs $699 per person, how much are all the add ons? I know there are taxes and port charges (maybe $200?) but what else? We do not drink and can skip the internet package. It would be for 2 people sharing a room. Just trying to get a sense of what it will cost.