First cruise... Voyager of the Seas... Europe II?

Here are my cruising tips on EXPENSES for you:

Regardless of which cruise line or ship you go on, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided FREE but you must pay for soft drinks AND alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order. You can save on drinks by ordering them in a plain glass rather than the fancy souvenir glasses that they offer them in.

PHOTOGRAPHS: The cruise line will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most. Save your money and take your own pictures around the ship and just ask other passengers to take them for you; they are always glad to.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive. These are listed on your cruise line web site and you can reserve them well before the cruise and pay for them also.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that. If you need more cash dollars while on your cruise, instead of going to the ATM, go to the casino cage and ask for cash on your on bard account. They will give you the cash and not charge an ATM or other fee, but just process it as any other charge

OTHER: Most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.

SPA SERVICES: If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. Spa services are not the same as the gym which is FREE. Spa stuff cost big bucks.

INTERNET: The ship will have internet cafe and maybe WiFi hotspots, but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour). Skip the ship's internet service and just look for an internet cafe in your port stops. You can usually get internet service in the ports for $5 to $7 an hour.

You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).