Budget for 1st cruise

Hello all!!

I'm in the process of trying to plan our (the wife and I) first cruise to Alaska for May 2012 on Carnival. The problem is with all the extra fee's or what I think or heard are extra fee's. Could someone please deny or confirm what I've read about.

Cruise thru Carnival basic options:

about $1900 us currency

Airfare TBA

head tax????? I need some clarification on this.

our one excursion (I'm poor) ~350 alaskan canopy zipline Ketchikan

alcohol is extra

N/A drinks extra

Buffet included

tipping in cash

s&s card 11.50 per day per person tip atomatically charged

misc up to us obviously

sit down meals extra

room service extra

can bring wine on ship from home port Seattle

transportation to excursions booked thru CL included in ex fee?

cellphones searching for wi-fi could lead to large bill? Turn to airplane mode?

Any other fee's that I'm not listing here??

Thanks in advance!!

Wow my comp at work is acting out! Sorry for the double post

Hello all!!

 

I'm in the process of trying to plan our (the wife and I) first cruise to Alaska for May 2012 on Carnival. The problem is with all the extra fee's or what I think or heard are extra fee's. Could someone please deny or confirm what I've read about.

 

Cruise thru Carnival basic options:

about $1900 us currency

Airfare TBA

head tax????? I need some clarification on this.

our one excursion (I'm poor) ~350 alaskan canopy zipline Ketchikan

alcohol is extra

N/A drinks extra

Buffet included

tipping in cash

s&s card 11.50 per day per person tip atomatically charged

misc up to us obviously

sit down meals extra

room service extra

can bring wine on ship from home port Seattle

transportation to excursions booked thru CL included in ex fee?

cellphones searching for wi-fi could lead to large bill? Turn to airplane mode?

 

Any other fee's that I'm not listing here??

 

Thanks in advance!!

Soda,bottle water and alcohol is extra (coffee, tea, iced tea, lemonade, hot chocolate, juice at breakfast no extra fee)

Buffet, main dining room, deli, pizza included (only extra fee is steakhouse, chefs table and coffee shop, and those as optional)

Room service is not extra but a tip is appreciated(they are not included in the tip pool) couple bucks

The best place for this might be the Carnival board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

More people will have specific info there for you. For example, don't believe room service costs anything. Main dining room, which is about a "sit down" as anywhere else, in included. Fancier resturants, when available, can have an extra fee.

The "head tax" should be in your final cruise fare.

The fee for your excursion(s) includes all costs, excpet trinkets you might purchase.

Don't know Carnival's alcohol carry on policy- again, best to research over there.

I can't help you with Carnival-specific allowances. However, it looks as if you're going to take the plane to the port city? If so, don't forget about the daily parking fees or taxi ride to and from the airport if you're not being dropped off by family/friends.

Have fun on your cruise!

Hello!! Congrats on your first cruise....I am not an expert but I will help you a little as I have been on 3 cruises, one with Carnival and 2 with Royal.

Hello all!!

 

I'm in the process of trying to plan our (the wife and I) first cruise to Alaska for May 2012 on Carnival. The problem is with all the extra fee's or what I think or heard are extra fee's. Could someone please deny or confirm what I've read about.

 

Cruise thru Carnival basic options:

about $1900 us currency Is this the price of the cruise or the extra money you are bringing?

Airfare TBA

head tax????? I need some clarification on this. I am not sure what this is...never heard of it. You pay for your cruise, you can pay for your tips in advance or in cash at the end of the cruise and you can bring money for shopping at the port...if you want to buy an excursions or photos or shopping on the ship they will put it on your S&S card that you get when you board and they will charge your credit card that you used to board.

our one excursion (I'm poor) ~350 alaskan canopy zipline Ketchikan

alcohol is extra YES

N/A drinks extra

Buffet included YES

tipping in cash or in advance...whichever you prefer

s&s card 11.50 per day per person tip atomatically charged Never heard of this one....don't think this is true.

misc up to us obviously

sit down meals extra yes

room service extra NO only to tip the staff

can bring wine on ship from home port Seattle I think there is a $25 corkage fee if you bring to the MDR? Not positive how that works..never brought wine.

transportation to excursions booked thru CL included in ex fee? yes, when you buy an excursion the transportation is included

cellphones searching for wi-fi could lead to large bill? Turn to airplane mode? I leave my phone off until we get to a port and turn it on for a few to see if I have any important messages...I am not sure how the airplane mode works....just don't want to come home to a $500 bill :eek::eek:

 

Any other fee's that I'm not listing here??

 

Thanks in advance!!

Carnival allows you to carry on one bottle of wine per adult and 12 20oz or smaller sodas at the embarkation port.

Where does the cruise start. Look into a plane to Seattle and take a train to the cruise port. Photos will cost about 22. And really is a nice cheap soverneir. Only limit yourself to one formal and one non formal.

Bingo costs 20.. a game

You can get by with free iced tea and lemonade. My last cruise we spent a tad over 5.00

Where does the cruise start. Look into a plane to Seattle and take a train to the cruise port. Photos will cost about 22. And really is a nice cheap soverneir. Only limit yourself to one formal and one non formal.

 

Bingo costs 20.. a game

 

You can get by with free iced tea and lemonade. My last cruise we spent a tad over 5.00

Is 5.00 as total spending a typo? Seems tips should exceed that on there own.

Is 5.00 as total spending a typo? Seems tips should exceed that on there own.

no, i prepay tips right after final payment. I prepay as much as possible for a cruise

Where does the cruise start. Look into a plane to Seattle and take a train to the cruise port. Photos will cost about 22. And really is a nice cheap soverneir. Only limit yourself to one formal and one non formal.

 

I agree with the photos. Since this is your first cruise, it might be nice to purchase these as a remembrance. We've been on 14 cruises now and no longer purchase the photos unless we really want to keep a photo from a special group cruise or something.

You might also like to purchase the cruise video since it's your first cruise. I've forgotten how much those cost, but maybe someone knows?? $30??? :confused:

If you have prepaid these expenses, you are giving OP a misleading idea of what you spent.

If you have prepaid these expenses, you are giving OP a misleading idea of what you spent.

thats true-- i apoligize. I get ahead of myself sometimes.

You can prepay as much as possible-- those photos-- carnival sells photo coupons- 15.00 no savings - its dollar for dollar coupon but it prepaid for a photo.

Carnival also has bar coupons to prepay some of your bar bill.

Also funship dollars for prepaid onboard credit.

casino, bingo, specialty food ( expresso, cakes) stations, specialty dinning rooms and spa are all extra.

The following go in to the overall cost of the cruise experience:

• cruise price (which should include tax & port charges)
  
• tipping which as you figured out is about $11.50 pp per day or $161 extra for 2 people on a 7 day trip
  
• airfare to port of departure (don't forget costs to airport or long term parking)
  
• taxi to ship
  
• drinks on board
  
• casino
  
• excursions
  
• photographs from the ships photographers
  
• souveniers
  
• internet package if you need it; may be cheaper or free WiFi in some ports
  
• hotel for stay the night before; dinner & drinks
  
• specialty restaurants
  
• other tips for cabbies, tour guides etc.
  

We pay the cruise, the parking, the airfare & the hotel then budget $100 per person per day for everything else. We have always come in under budget but we don't do expensive excursions in every port. If there is something else we want we add a line item to the budget; for example DH bought my e-ring on a cruise & that was extra. We also bring a bottle or two of wine on board & pay the corkage when asked.

no, i prepay tips right after final payment. I prepay as much as possible for a cruise

That's the way to do it, especially for first timers. That way there are no surprises on the last day!

Yes

The drinks in tall glasses being offered when you first board are not free. Remember, if they ask for your ship's card (Seapass, Sign & Sail, whatever it is called on your ship), it is likely not free. Just tell them you did not realize there was a charge and you do not want it. They will take your photo several times -- You are under no obligation to purchase any. And you probably want to stay away from the casino -- It is easy to lose lots of money there.

I cruised on Carnival this fall,(5 days) there were 11 of us in our group and we drove to the port. The price of the cruise included port fees, Gov. fees and all taxes. That was all paid in June before we sailed in September. We each put $200 on our Sail & Sign card, this covered tips and extras we wanted on the ship. We paid cash, the last night on the ship, we all had a check slipped under our door for any money we did not spend. There was the automatic tip charge for $50. Alcoholic drinks, soda, internet, gift shop, Carnival photos, spa services, beauty shop were all extra. We did take a bottle of wine with us and opened it in our room, no extra charge for a corking fee. We kept all receipts for our purchases, to keep a 'ballpark' idea of what we spent. At any time during your cruise, you can go to guest services and ask for a copy of your expenses. The last night is the worst time to go there. That's when everyone gets their bill and swears they didn't drink THAT much! They also leave envelopes in your room, the last night, for extra tips for housekeeping. This is optional to use. If you are happy with the room steward or made a special request of them....use the envelope.

Keep some small bills in cash on you to tip the porters that handle your luggage or for cab fare.

We did our cruise on the cheap too. No excursions, I serfed the web and figured out what would work best for our group and we struck out on our own. Doing the same thing on our next cruise. We did buy some boat drinks, trinkets and pictures, but didn't break the bank. My sister bought an hour of internet time to keep in touch with her DH since Army wouldn't give him time off for this trip. It was $30-$35 for an hour, didn't have to use it all at once. She checked in with him a few minutes every night. Hope this helps you.

Alcohol and other things like premium coffee, soda etc. are extra, and expensive!

Tips are additional and required, really what pays the help. They don't have to be cash, can be charged and paid at the end with a credit card.

The sit down dinner in the main dining room IS INCLUDED, specaility resturants are not and cost extra. IMHO the sitdown included dinner are pretty good for first time cruiser

Excursions/activities in port can go from nothing, walking around, to a few tens of dollars for bus ride to a place, to hundreds of dollars or more per person for things like helicopter, whale watching etc. You can get a feeling for the cost by looking at the excursion available from your cruiseline's offered excurions. Be ready to be shocked :eek: many excursions and many also expensive!

Cellphone/internet, just turn it off and enjoy the scenery

Hello all!!

 

I'm in the process of trying to plan our (the wife and I) first cruise to Alaska for May 2012 on Carnival. The problem is with all the extra fee's or what I think or heard are extra fee's. Could someone please deny or confirm what I've read about.

 

Cruise thru Carnival basic options:

about $1900 us currency

Airfare TBA

head tax????? I need some clarification on this.

our one excursion (I'm poor) ~350 alaskan canopy zipline Ketchikan

alcohol is extra

N/A drinks extra

Buffet included

tipping in cash

s&s card 11.50 per day per person tip atomatically charged

misc up to us obviously

sit down meals extra

room service extra

can bring wine on ship from home port Seattle

transportation to excursions booked thru CL included in ex fee?

cellphones searching for wi-fi could lead to large bill? Turn to airplane mode?

 

Any other fee's that I'm not listing here??

 

Thanks in advance!!