What kind of hidden fees should I expect when booking/ going on a cruise?

Regardless of which cruise line you go on the extras are about the same. The biggest expense after paying your cruise fare is gratuities which will be about $10.00 per person per day. While the gratuities are listed as "suggested" or recommended", please consider them pretty much mandatory as they represent the majority of the wages for the ship's staff who serve you. The gratuities cover the cabin steward (who will clean your cabin twice a day), your waiter and assistant waiter, and the head waiter/matreD. Those are the only people you need to plan on paying gratuities for. (So for a 7 day cruise for two that's $140. total)

When you pay for your cruise it includes all of your meals, breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks, and free room service; you can use all of the facilities on ship like the gym, pools and hot tubs, water slide, ice skating, mini-golf, etc, and all of the shows and the disco and lounges are free also. You get free coffee, tea, milk, juices, and punch but you have to pay for alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. Each beverage order will have a 15% gratuity automatically added to the check. Cruise lines other than Royal Caribbean allow each passenger age 21 or older to bring on board at the departure port one bottle of wine or champagne. So bring one or two for your cabin.

Most cruise lines will push drinks on you, especially the first couple days. Don't think you have to buy drinks to have fun. If you don't drink all day at home or on other vacations, then don't drink all day on ship. Plus you'll quickly run up a very high drinking bill. Then, buy the drink of the day which is usually cheaper, by at least a dollar or more. Also ask for your drinks in a plain glass rather than the souvenir glasses they will be offering. This will save you about $1.50 per drink.

The cruise lines will offer a lot of interesting tours but they will be expensive. You DO NOT have to buy tours to get off the ship in port stops. You can go off on your own and many times in Caribbean and Bahamas ports you can find cheaper tours on the pier. Lots of places in the Caribbean you can get to a beach by taxi much cheaper then the ship's tours. Do some Google search of your port stops to locate the best beaches and get names of tour operators and book your own. Just make sure that you get back to the ship on time.

Most ships have several "specialty" restaurants. There is plenty of free food on ship 24/7 so there really no reason to pay to eat in a specialty restaurant in ship. You'll not be able to eat all of the great free food. The specialty places charge a fee between about $10 and $25 per person per visit. Just eat the free food; it will be great.

Cruise lines will take lots of photos of you boarding the ship, getting off in ports, at dinner, on formal nights, around the ship. These will be very expensive ($10 to $25) so take your camera with you all of the time and take your own photos and ask other passengers to take photos of you, they will gladly.

The ships have internet service but it is very expensive; likely about $50 an hour. Wait until you get to a port stop and find an internet cafe. Ask the wait staff and your cabin steward because they generally know where they are. The internet cafes on shore generally charge between $2. and $5. for an hour.

If you tend to munch at night, bring along your favorite snacks so you will not be tempted to take anything out of the mini-refrig and have to pay for it.

The gym on ships is free but you do have to pay for spa services like massages, nail and hair appointments, and wraps. And these are expensive too.

There are of course some extra costs but those come up once you get on the ship (drinks, etc.) Other than that you shouldn't expect much more than what you pay for the rate. If you have any other questions about booking or anything on the ship you're going on, ask the knowledgable members of http://www.cruisersconnect.com/ . They should be able to help you with whatever else you want and they are very friendly. Hope this helps and have a great cruise this summer!

There are no hidden fees on a cruise. The problem is lot of people think that the price of the cruise that they pay covers everything on the cruise. Well that's false. Alcohol and soda is not included, nor are spa treatments and shore excurstions. Then there are the tips. Cruise lines add the tip to your cabin account at the end of cruise.

But all this is plainly listed in what is included and what is excluded from the price of the cruise, if one is willing to actually read it.

Where to start....lol. All drinks except coffee and iced tea, all onshore tours, tipping for your stateroom assistant, your waiter and his assistant (that is usually added to your closing statement, so you can ask them to adjust it). Arcades, golf simulator, and all spa treatment. If you want a picture they have taken of you, they charge for it. Trip insurance (which you probably should buy), and transportation to the ship and return to airport, plus parking at the terminal if you are not dropped off. Plus tips, tips and more tips, and obviously the casino isn't free! Finally, prepare yourself for a fuel surcharge fee that has been added recently due to the high cost of gas.

With all that being said, I've been on many cruises and have had a great time always. Enjoy!

When booking, they will charge taxes and port fees up front. After that, you need to think about what you will spend money on the cruise, drinks, shore excursions, photos, souvenirs, gratuities at the end of the cruise(is a must),

Find a cruise that is free except for port departure taxes. These are great priced cruises and then once on board go to the desk upon arrival and have them eliminate the automatic tips added to your bill daily. Do it the very first thing and you then can tip the amount you feel is good and not be paying for bad service.

NONE!

Your booking covers certain things, and may not cover others. It really depends on YOUR booking on What Cruise Line.

For instance, on Carnival you usually pay for excursions. On Regent you don't.

If you are a beginner, find a Certified Travel Consultant. Answer their questions. Ask your own questions. If you picked the right guy/gal, you'll get as close to exactly what you want as your budget allows.

I've heard it said that you get more personal service from smaller companies. In some cases, that may be true, but, the largest seller of cruises in N. America gets the best rates AND has an subsidiary that deals in one to one service with each client.

I have a FAQ section that many people find useful. I also have video, photos, illustrations, as well as details of various ports to include seasonal weather averages. You'll be able to compare, side by side, different cruises, as well as differences in rates from sailing to sailing.

If you think you might find this helpful, feel free to research and ask any questions you may have.

Joe

put it like this, the cruise ship is like a hotel, you basically paying to sleep and eat there, included fee, but everything else you have to pay, except swimming, shows, gameshows lil stuff like that