Hidden Cruise Costs You Should Know About!

Hidden fees on cruises run the gamut from mandatory taxes you’ll pay before your cruise sets sail to charges for onboard activities and amenities you assumed were included in your fare. To budget properly for your vacation, and not get caught out once you’re onboard, you’ll need to know what costs extra on a cruise.

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[PAWS-]

been on over 85+ amazing cruises and didnt really think any of it was a big deal as far as expenses but now this year 2021 its out of control. everything. and extra this and extra that!

[jasonpeterson]

Getting to the cruise ship: airfare, hotel stay, or parking at the terminal $15+ per day parking fees some ports charge for partial days as a full day.

[gwenmarshall]

I wish someone had told me ahead of time that it's appropriate and somewhat expected to give tips to the tour guide on short excursions and in my opinion at least five dollars a person. I didn't know that on my first excursion but luckily ran into a friend and could borrow some money to give to the tour guide and then pay them back when we got back to the rooms. And some trips you all so should be tipping a bus driver and possibly a boat that's separate part of your excursion but included in the excursion. It's a nice thing that we should be doing because those people are not making much money on this trip.

[mekasmith]

We didn’t feel like going out for dinner our last night so we ordered room service. We ordered a nice spread of food for the two of us. It took almost an hour but it was hot and delicious! We had some OBC left and it was totally worth it!!! Keep in mind…..The cruise line puts a gratuity on everything! So the $7.95 sur charge came out to be $9.38.

[bstaton]

I like The Key, and it includes the internet.

I noticed they even added a fee for casino table game lessons. You do get that back though in table credits. I didn't take the lessons last time. I was going to take them on the next cruise but I wasn't necessarily going to play there.

I have gone to casinos for decades, but I have never played Craps.

[fatrabbit]

Good info Matt! I passed this on the our friends going on their first cruise with us on Mariner in June 2022.

[Tianablue]

UK P&O cruise lines have now done away with gratuities. Believing that good service should be the norm. Not just given in order to receive a decent gratuity. Not sure why the US and other countries have this thing where the employers pay crap money and expect customers to make up staff wages in gratuities! Employers should pay staff a decent wage to start with.

[kionarandle]

For the soda they allow you to bring 12 cans per room so we just brought our own sodas between 5 rooms and that lasted the whole week, saved a lot of no money we didn’t drink it as much as we thought it would

[RockSimmer-galGod]

I’m glad we get the drinks package. Wifi is worth paying 4 wen on a vacation.

[leslockyer]

I found that our Soda package gave us post mix drinks at dinner, but my sister who had the premium drinks package received cans of coke. Big difference in taste and carbonation!

[rockandrollisyourmom]

The lead up to the cruise is the most irritating part of the costs. Then you get on the boat and you're glad you paid all the nickels and dimes along the way.

[joeo]

Matt, I just checked the C&A Society Member Benefits online and it does not mention Free Internet for any level. My last cruise (Feb 2020) got me to Diamond +. So I will test your statement on my next cruise in October, because, just because it isn’t written down, doesn’t mean it’s not a benefit. 👍🏻😎

[travelwithdebandnick]

also wanted to ask matt, with speciality dining, say i wanted to have a second dessert (im talking about the venues that charge a cost to eat rather than charge per food item.... would i be alllowed that second dessert for the one original cost? or is it just one portion of each serving per person? thanks heaps :)

[jucsmiles]

We were just thinking. Have you heard of anything how's Super Mario is doing since he can't live on the ship? And wondered if cruising for long-term passenger will change going forward..

[sharyncreswell]

Hi Matt, I'm from Australia and bot sure where you get the idea that we don't pay gratuities. Everytime I've cruised gratuities are expected. On rare occasions gratuities are included as a special but on the whole we are asked to pay them.

[bstaton]

Pictures are EXPENSIVE if you want a couple of those.

Sadly, and this really pisses me off, it seems Royal Caribbean got rid of the unlimited picture package. The unlimited picture package was the most fun thing we did on our last cruise.

[mekasmith]

What if your wine doesn’t have a cork? Will they still serve your wine to you if you bring it with you to the main dining room?

[travelwithdebandnick]

hi matt :) I just wanted to ask please, you mentioned gratuities were included in australia, im totally stoked to hear that as with watching all of your videos, i was thinking that we had to pay extra. Just wondering, would that mean for us aussies that if we buy a drink at the bar, that we are NOT charged that extra 17 or 18 per cent gratuities on top of the cost of our drink?? Are they already included?

[kathypreis]

MATT! Thanks for posting this video during your vacay! You forgot to mention how addictive the Bingo games are. My first cruise we spent a lot more than we had planned and the odds are that the house keeps most of the money. Seems like a “duh” thing but I’m not a gambler and felt like I had flushed $100 down the toilet after two sessions of playing. In 1985 that’s a lot of money. 😳🛳💕💕💕

[marianufkes]

I have never been charged a corkage fee.