Real cost of a cruise?

[Souschef]

I agree with Brett. If you go on Cruise Critic and find your cruise, there are always people putting together private tours. They are so much more rewarding than the ship's cattle call.
The one that stands out in my mind was Petrohue Falls in Chile. We took a private tour, and on the way back to the parking lot, 5 buses from the cruise line disgorged the people and we almost had to fight our way back to our van.

 

[brett]

We have returned for land trips to port stops we enjoyed so much that we wanted to return.

Three weeks in Sicily, ten days on Malta, numerous land trips to Italy, Greece and Turkey, etc. Earlier in the summer we had a week on Madeira as part of our Portugal trip.

Now retired, our habit is to pick up last minute cruises while we are on extended land trips.

 

[arcyallen]

The object for us is NOT all about the price, it IS about a hassle free vacation. We do not mind paying more, and do for a quality resort. So far we have not been disappointed.

All inclusive for us is the way to go, we do consider cost, but it is not a deciding factor. YMMV.

This may be a silly question, but what's the hassle you're experiencing? The actual physical presenting of payment for items, or? I find most all-inclusive options to cost more than if I handed them payment each time like I do in the rest of my life. Either way I have to pay my $x credit card bill at the end of the month. Is there a hassle I'm missing?

 

[cyber888]

Every cruise I've ever looked at always includes the food in the room price, just not the special restaurants (if any) on the ship. Also includes water, coffee, tea, juice. You can eat unlimited amounts of food.

I'm aware that food is included, but at that price, they may have mistakenly omitted the food price in the price breakdown, and added it later ?

 

[brett]

We do all three. Independent extended land trips, cruises, and AI's. They each have their own merits from our perspective.

They are all good. On our last snowbird trip to Mexico we picked up two five day last minute AI's. One in Playa, another in PV. During seven weeks of independent travel.

We had intended on flying home through FLL or MIA and picking up a last minute Caribbean cruise. Alas, covid shorted our snowbird trip so we flew directly home.

 

[Sunset]

We do all three. Independent extended land trips, cruises, and AI's. They each have their own merits from our perspective.

They are all good. On our last snowbird trip to Mexico we picked up two five day last minute AI's. One in Playa, another in PV. During seven weeks of independent travel.

We had intended on flying home through FLL or MIA and picking up a last minute Caribbean cruise. Alas, covid shorted our snowbird trip so we flew directly home.

Can you explain these last minute cruises ?
How last minute are they, what sort of discount do you find ?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

This may be a silly question, but what's the hassle you're experiencing? The actual physical presenting of payment for items, or? I find most all-inclusive options to cost more than if I handed them payment each time like I do in the rest of my life. Either way I have to pay my $x credit card bill at the end of the month. Is there a hassle I'm missing?

The Whole thing is a hassle for us. I want to pay a price and not worry about it again for the full cruise/vacation.

Seems like buying a cruise is like buying a car from a dealer, or booking a hotel room in Vegas, shady at best, with lots of hidden (or not so clearly advertised) costs (Fees in the case of Vegas) to "fool" the buyer and get more money out of them whenever they can.

Why cannot things be easier? I have found that All-inclusive resorts get about as close to this as one can. You pay your price, your airfare there and back, and everything and most gratuities included. You can book your excursions at the excursion kiosks that are in all hotel lobbies. Bada Bing. Done.

I do not make a hobby like some of trying to get the best deal, we are to old for that, we are more concerned with the best experience.

 

[brett]

We have never viewed buying a cruise (and we have done 20 plus) as buying something with hidden costs.

You pay cruise, port tax, gratuities. And some people actually reverse the gratuity charge. After that it is all optional. Drinks, optional dining venues, excursions, spa...whatever. The costs are not hidden from our perspective.

Now, we always check for hotel fees anywhere. Lots of hotels in FLL now have hidden 'resort' fees. Not a big issue once you simply factor this into the cost of hotel comparisons.

The trick, as in any other purchase travel or otherwise, is to understand what you are buying.

When we are traveling for 8 or nine weeks the very last thing we want is be on a cruise ship or in an AI for an extended period of time. The venue gets old and the food all starts to taste the same. That is why we mix it up a little.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

If you are a Costco member, they typically have good prices on cruises and they kickback part of their commission to you in the form of a costco gift card. We went on a Galapagos cruise (Celebrity Flora) and got $1,050 back from costco. FYI, they also have slightly better rates on car rentals.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Once I got a email from royal Caribbean offering a 8 day cruise for 500 each if we could leave in 30 days. They were trying to fill their inside cabins. It was their smallest oldest ship but still a great experience. We met many people that got the same email.

 

[brett]

Since retiring 10 years or so ago we have picked up a number or great last minute cruises. Anywhere from three days to 45 days of sailing. Some of them in the Xmas and March break timeframe.

 

[brett]

Since retiring 10 years or so ago we have picked up a number or great last minute cruises. Anywhere from three days to 45 days of sailing date.

Some of them in the Xmas and March break timeframe.

The challenge for us is that unless we are on an extended land trip, we have to shop air at the same time. Plus, we only want a balcony cabin.

Pre covid there were many excellent last minute offers if you knew where to look. No idea about post covid since we limiting ourselves to land travel.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Check UnCruise for Alaska. Pricy but virtually no add-ons to the quoted rate for the room except for a gratuity at the end of the trip and you tell them what it should be. It is not automatic. They're relatively tiny (under 100 passengers) but some of the more expensive lines have fewer add-ons.

Cruise Critic has a good discussion forum. I remember one mention of a line that charged you $40 to watch whales from the top deck if you didn't actually have a room on the top deck!

The OP's friend may have bought excursions in advance. Some of the more desirable ones fill up fast. The advantage is that they take responsibility for getting you back to the ship in time. If you book on your own (usually cheaper) you can be in deep trouble if you don't get back to the ship early enough.


And another thought on excursions: they're getting crazy-expensive and extravagant. I've taken UnCruise in Alaska 3 times. While in port before and after the trips I see all kinds of stuff advertised: "flightseeing" on small planes or helicopters, snorkeling. trips to camps where they train sled dogs, salmon-fishing (they ship your catch home), ziplining...hey, there's no money in it if you just hike in the forest! I think I did pay UnCruise $100 or so for the snorkeling but that included use of head-to-toe heavy0duty wet suit gear. That was the only extra I ever paid.

Thank you for your reply. I will look into uncruise for Alaska.

I must say that aside from uncruise your reply seemed to confirm every negative assumption I have about cruises. I live in Kona. The latest I heard prepandemic was that cruiselines were restricting how much alcolol (maybe understandable) and bottled water (what?) passengers could take back on the ship from Walmart.

Seems like they are just trying to rip people off.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Don't most of these cruise ships include a casino? Perhaps he was including gambling losses in the total price. Otherwise, I am hard pressed to imagine spending so much extra just to sleep and eat on a boat.

I am saving cruising for the time when I really, really NEED the elevators on the ship. It's fine for some, and I am glad they enjoy it. When I visit a city like Venice or Dubrovnik I want to spend a few nights in or at least near the city. YMMV.

Every Wednesday the cruise ship pulls into Kona in the wee morning hours. The cruiseline delivers the first load from the first tender around 9 AM. They have already had breakfast and wander around like lost sheep looking for a beach. Most locals just snicker.

More and more tenders dump marks off as the day goes on. Many jump on a bus up the hill to Walmart, buy their crap, and walk around for 50 ft each way lugging their bags because they need to get back in line to be on the boat by 4 or 5. They got their bottle of vodka and half case of bottled water but they have not been to Kona in spite of what they think.

But please keep coming and wasting your money but please don't do it at Walmart!

 

[athena53]

But please keep coming and wasting your money but please don't do it at Walmart!

A B&B owner in Wrangell, Alaska told me that becoming a major cruise ship port (they aren't one) is "a deal with the devil". It totally changes the character of the town and if you want your jewelry shop/souvenir shop, etc. to thrive you pay kickbacks to the cruise ships for mention in the "port talks" our a stop on the excursions, or having a coupon in the coupon books they have for sale.

On my walk through Juneau last year before I left, there were signs saying, "We are surrounded by receding glaciers". A poster in one shop window opposed new laws that would strictly regulate the number of cruise ship passengers in Juneau- they said it would remove $25 million from the annual city budget and endanger many businesses.

In the last port on my Hawaii cruise (Molokai, which rarely allows cruise ships) I went into town while waiting for a shuttle to the airport. I was looking for a healthy lunch and found hot dog and pizza places. I realized that's what the locals want. No Starbucks. No vegan bistros. I bought some jewelry from a local and went back to the restaurant of the hotel where we were waiting.

It's a dilemma. Some of these places are in danger of being loved to death.

 

[Aerides]

A B&B owner in Wrangell, Alaska told me that becoming a major cruise ship port (they aren't one) is "a deal with the devil". It totally changes the character of the town and if you want your jewelry shop/souvenir shop, etc. to thrive you pay kickbacks to the cruise ships for mention in the "port talks" our a stop on the excursions, or having a coupon in the coupon books they have for sale.

We visited Grand Cayman a few years back. We stayed a few miles up from the main cruise port, but drove by it when visiting other parts of the island. The whole area completely unlike the rest of the island. A total cottage industry to services those thousands of tourists every few hours. Totally artificial and sprung up obviously just for the cruises.

 

[Souschef]

I have a number of comments
My mind is blown to see people bringing cases of bottled water on a cruise when the tap water is OK
As alcohol sales are a good part of the profits, most cruise lines restrict the amount of wine you can bring on board. No booze is allowed
One of our really great experiences was to visit to the Bernese Alps using a tour company's itinerary on our own then taking a Rhone River cruise.
On Cruise Critic, two of the hot button topics are chair hogs and tipping. IMO, the tipping also pays for the behind the scenes people. But some people are just cheap

 

[livingalmostlarge]

Just went on Alaska cruise. Had no problems. It was super cheap for 7 days for a family of four $4200 with club balcony suite. Considering the hotel and food was covered, it was a deal. But was that the cost? Nope excursions added on some. We didn't do an excursion in every port but two out of four. The two we did was good. I think it ended up somewhere like $5500 with excursions.

Considering what a week at Disney would cost us. Or comparing what our flights at Thanksgiving are costing for Cancun? Or flights to Hawaii this summer. I spent more in five days in Toronto this summer when you consider all in good, hotel, tickets for cn tower and Niagara falls etc.

It's not cheap to travel if you actually track everything you spend. Cruises are a very good deal considering all in.

That being said I haven't ever been to an all inclusive because the ones I've looked at have been very expensive with kids and I wasn't sure we would drink or eat enough to make it worth it for the cost. Of course maybe I was looking at the wrong type of resorts

 

[Sunset]

..........

It's not cheap to travel if you actually track everything you spend. Cruises are a very good deal considering all in.

.....

So true, I now mentally figure traveling by car is ~$250 per day for us, once you count the hotel, 3 meals, and gas. Some places are even more.

 

[Sunset]

I have a number of comments
My mind is blown to see people bringing cases of bottled water on a cruise when the tap water is OK
As alcohol sales are a good part of the profits, most cruise lines restrict the amount of wine you can bring on board. No booze is allowed
...

When we did a Carnival Mediterranean cruise, I was suprised to see we were allowed to bring wine onboard, without limits at each port.
Of course Europeans have a different view on wine.
I don't know if this is regular or not, for Mediterranean cruises, but I ended up with quite a stash of nice wine in our room.
Thankfully we stayed on the ship for a TA , so there was time to enjoy it.

 

[Koolau]

Don't most of these cruise ships include a casino? Perhaps he was including gambling losses in the total price. Otherwise, I am hard pressed to imagine spending so much extra just to sleep and eat on a boat.

I am saving cruising for the time when I really, really NEED the elevators on the ship. It's fine for some, and I am glad they enjoy it. When I visit a city like Venice or Dubrovnik I want to spend a few nights in or at least near the city. YMMV.

The only cruise I have been on, several folks claimed that they were cheated in the casino. Sour grapes? Probably not. You expect to lose in a casino but not to have your chips raked in when you actually won (IIRC, the game was black jack - easy to know who won, so I'm thinking no Sour grapes.) YMMV

 

[Koolau]

A B&B owner in Wrangell, Alaska told me that becoming a major cruise ship port (they aren't one) is "a deal with the devil". It totally changes the character of the town and if you want your jewelry shop/souvenir shop, etc. to thrive you pay kickbacks to the cruise ships for mention in the "port talks" our a stop on the excursions, or having a coupon in the coupon books they have for sale.

On my walk through Juneau last year before I left, there were signs saying, "We are surrounded by receding glaciers". A poster in one shop window opposed new laws that would strictly regulate the number of cruise ship passengers in Juneau- they said it would remove $25 million from the annual city budget and endanger many businesses.

In the last port on my Hawaii cruise (Molokai, which rarely allows cruise ships) I went into town while waiting for a shuttle to the airport. I was looking for a healthy lunch and found hot dog and pizza places. I realized that's what the locals want. No Starbucks. No vegan bistros. I bought some jewelry from a local and went back to the restaurant of the hotel where we were waiting.

It's a dilemma. Some of these places are in danger of being loved to death.

We noticed these issues 40 years ago on our Caribbean cruise. All our ports were strictly tourist traps - staffed by local folks who depended upon the cruise traffic. I would guess that the pandemic devastated the cruise line ports of call.

I'm surprised that Molokai even allowed a cruise stop - I haven't kept track even though I see the cruise ships at Aloha Tower area all the time. I have thought about flying to Molokai, but realize it is NOT a tourist destination in the classic sense of the word. It only has about 7000 residents. I'd feel almost guilty going there, knowing that I was "intruding" on a tight knit community that avoided Covid for a long time - until it was nearly devastated by the disease (lack of herd immunity??)

For those who cruise, it's something else to think about - the two edged sword of tourism dollars. Hawaii has struggled with this and there is no easy answer. YMMV

 

[athena53]

I'm surprised that Molokai even allowed a cruise stop - I haven't kept track even though I see the cruise ships at Aloha Tower area all the time. I have thought about flying to Molokai, but realize it is NOT a tourist destination in the classic sense of the word. It only has about 7000 residents.

Well, I was trying to avoid being a commercial for UnCruise again, but... they actually sat down with the locals before and asked, "How can we make this work?". They said that one mega-cruise line had just pulled up one day and tried to disgorge its passengers. Nope. Didn't happen. Activities included a walk with native people through a forest previously inhabited by early settlers, including a former burial ground (where, with their permission, I left some of DH's ashes) and luau in a building that had many pictures and stories of people who had lived in the leper colony. There was a hula demonstration but it was an older guy who did his from a chair and an attractive middle-aged woman who was more covered-up than the hula dancers in the usual tourist pictures- far removed from the "shake-your-booty" version.

I like using travel companies that don't bring in groups that overwhelm the local population and aim to educate.

 

[vafoodie]

We have done both AI and al la carte cruises, each has their advantages.

Since we don't booze up, paying for booze in all included is an expense we shouldn't have to pay.

Sounds like OP's friend was talked into lots of upgrades and extra's. The booze package is $60 per day x 2 = $120/day x 6 days = $720 just for that.

I know they did not do the booze package. Maybe some other stuff though.

 

[vafoodie]

I suppose the $798 is the bare minimum for an inner cabin. But it may not have included the Food, Drinks, and other luxury services. They may have upgraded to a better cabin too.

798 is for a balcony room. I thought food was included on a cruise, but I am learning from this post that there is a basic level of food and that one may have to pay for the better food. Was skeptical about cruising before. Now it looks like I'll never be going.