Does the Price of a Cruise Include All Expenses?

Cruises are a good deal as far as vacations go because the price of the cruise includes a lot: meals, room and board, many of the activities aboard the ship, and of course the voyage itself.

However there are lots of extras that generally aren’t included (though more expensive luxury cruises include a lot more extras in their ticket prices).

Here are some of the things you will have to pay for that are not included in the price of the cruise:

• Tips
• Drinks, including sodas and bottled water
• Phone calls
• Email
• Massages
• Dry cleaning
• Babysitting
• Dining at alternative restaurants on board
• Airfare (unless you sign up for a package that includes cruise and airfare)
• Souvenirs
• Photos
• Sometimes port taxes and charges (these are usually included but double check)
• Shore excursions (you can choose to save money by sight-seeing on your own, but activities aren’t always by the dock, so put aside cash for taxies or buses)
  

As you can see there are quite a few extras that aren’t included in the price of your cruise, but a lot of these items are optional. Just be prepared when someone wants to charge you for that poolside diet soda!

The positive news is that you still get a lot for your money with a cruise, and with all the deals available, you’ll rarely pay even as much as is listed in the cruise line’s brochure.