We do not drink alcahol, how much will we spend on a cruise

Hi,

This will be our first cruise, I decided to do a cruise because the food is included and this would be fun for my family. I am on a budget, so I need to know how much I need to budget for added expenses. I already know gratuities are expected, but how much. Do we pay for soda? Do we pay for coffee? I have 3 teens, not sure if there are any expenses there?

We are going to do a 7 day Carnival Cruise out of Long Beach, California (our priority is really Disneyland) It will be Mexican Cruise, in August 2017.

Thanks,

Pamela :D

There are lots of other things you could buy, so it is difficult to predict what you will spend. Tips will run about $10 or 11 per person, per day. So you can do the math there.

You might want to check over on the Carnival board for key info, like sodas, coffee, etc. The Carnival board is here:

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

Do some research here on Cruise Critic and you will find a LOT of info that will help you.

You will love cruising.

Gratuities vary by Cruise Line. I think for Carnival the rate is $12.95 per person per day.

Sodas are an extra expense. I do not know the price but I can give you a tip about how to save on soft drinks. I always bring the single packs of Kool-aid for my kids and bring it with me during dinner. For lunch the kids normally just drink the lemonade that is free of charge.

On my very first cruise I spent an additional $700. On my last cruise I spent an additional $300. This is including tips and any OBC. I normally do not buy much in the cruise and only pay the gratuities and purchase some arcade credits for the kids... and maybe a photo.

The amount you spend will really depend on what interests you while on the cruise. Save your money for excursions, which you can book independently. Of course, the cruise line offers excursions but might be more expensive. You can also save money while on your stops by doing your own thing. Search ports of call in Cruise Critic and you will find many suggestions.

Good Luck

Also consider if you will want to do excursions, as those can be pricey. Carnival lists the costs of the ones through the cruise line, or you can book elsewhere.

Join your roll call, they may be able to help with cheaper non-cruise excursions and other tips.

Thank you! I will join my roll call:)

Soda is over $2 plus gratuity each unless you use the minifridge in the room then it is $1.99 plus gratuity, otherwise you can by the soda package (very reasonable). Drinks included in the cruise price is tea, basic coffee, iced tea and lemonade. You are also allowed to bring 1 12 pack of canned pop per person on board. They sell bottled water but heard that the basic water is fine to drink.

Gratuities are about $12.95 per person per day. You can either have that already in your cruise purchase or it will be charged to your sail n sign card. You can also adjust it up or down while you are on the cruise.

Best bet is to search in the Carnival Cruise forum as there is tons of info there regarding the cost of beverages, tip info, excursion info etc. If you want to keep low cost then see what beaches are at your ports of call or just stay on the ship and enjoy the amenities that stay open while in port otherwise look into the excursions but yes they can be pricey via carnival but when being a first time cruiser it has been suggested to stick to them (if you find an excursion the exact same as they do for cheaper they do a price match) it is safer as if there are delays getting back to port then the ship has to wait for their excursions otherwise you risk being left behind and finding your own way....Excursion info then look in your ports of call on here.

I will be cruising the first time in Jan 2017...Enjoy your cruise!

I recommend getting pictures of your family while on the cruise. While one picture is around $20 the value is priceless.

You really do not have to spend money beyond gratuities, but it is nice to get a little something to remind yourself of the cruise. If your kids like arcade games, they will need money for that. You should have some dollar bills to tip the port staff when you drop off your suitcases.

Daily internet costs can be expensive. Also, texting, data rates and phone calls from cell phones can cost several hundred dollars, as phone service on ships is incredibly expensive.

We love cruising for the family time as well as the ability for each person to enjoy themselves separately. Your teens will probably love being able to eat everything they could possible want. Yes, they can order multiples at every meal for no charge!

Not including gratuities, you can spend $0.00 p/d or up to $10.00 p/d, if you want a

few sodas, ect! Have a good cruise!

I would be more concerned about the cost of one day at Disneyland that the extra costs of a cruise. At least on a cruise, you can just go to the food venues that are included in your fare. When you go into ports, you can just walk around on your own or go to beach. I'm not sure about Carnival, but some cruise lines allow you to bring sodas and water on board (you can make a trip to a local store near your hotel the day before your cruise and do a little shopping).

The teen activities usually won't have any charge. I suggest you have your teens go the first night to the teen club to meet the others. That's usually when groups form.

As you've heard, the one thing you absolutely need to spend $ on during the week are the autograts.

I suggest you read the FAQs on the Carnival website and then anything not covered can be answered by the Carnival vets here.

If you're likely to drink a lot of soda, kids especially, I'd consider taking the Bottomless Bubbles soft drink package of unlimited fountain soda. For 4.50usd (for ages 17 and under) or 6usd per day (plus gratuity) it made sense for me as I drink of lot of diet Coke.

Also, internet access was mentioned but the basic package I had was about 5usd per day for social media access. Check if the Carnival Hub app is available for your ship/sailing.. as it wasn't on our in Oct last year. One way to stay in touch with the teens (that is if yours are of that age).

The daily service gratuity (dining room & stateroom attendant) just gets added to your account, like any purchases you make onboard (be it drinks, photos, excursions) and you can keep an eye on it with guest services, using self service booths and depending on the ship, the TV may be interactive to allow you to check your statement. You can always make cash payments to the account in guest services or by using the self-service booths on the ship.

And if you want to budget for the spend, you can buy Carnival gift cards/onboard credit pre-cruise and then apply that to your account once onboard.

Happy cruising!

Hi,

This will be our first cruise, I decided to do a cruise because the food is included and this would be fun for my family. I am on a budget, so I need to know how much I need to budget for added expenses. I already know gratuities are expected, but how much. Do we pay for soda? Do we pay for coffee? I have 3 teens, not sure if there are any expenses there?

We are going to do a 7 day Carnival Cruise out of Long Beach, California (our priority is really Disneyland) It will be Mexican Cruise, in August 2017.

 

Thanks,

Pamela :D

The range is very wide: if your children can be satisfied with the free lemonade or fruit punch, and you with the free (not very good) coffee in the Lido, you can hold down expenses significantly. If you give them free range on soft drinks and video games and you treat yourself to a couple of premium coffees per day, and then run up a bit of Internet time per - you could easily add $1,000 in expenses

It is up to you. s of ways to spend.

Excursions - 30 to 100 or more.

Sodas $2

Bingo $20 or30

Art Auction $$$

Photos $20

DVD $70

Specialty coffee - $3

Specialty Restaurants $30 and up

If you are happy with the tea lemonade, coffee available on the lido, (and any soda you carry on -up to 12 cans each), and photos you take with your own camera, and don't eat in upcharge restaurants or take paid excursions, you can spend ZERO on your onboard account with the exception of gratuities ( which you can prepay).

If you are happy with the tea lemonade, coffee available on the lido, (and any soda you carry on -up to 12 cans each), and photos you take with your own camera, and don't eat in upcharge restaurants or take paid excursions, you can spend ZERO on your onboard account with the exception of gratuities ( which you can prepay).

Hi,

This will be our first cruise, I decided to do a cruise because the food is included and this would be fun for my family. I am on a budget, so I need to know how much I need to budget for added expenses. I already know gratuities are expected, but how much. Do we pay for soda? Do we pay for coffee? I have 3 teens, not sure if there are any expenses there?

We are going to do a 7 day Carnival Cruise out of Long Beach, California (our priority is really Disneyland) It will be Mexican Cruise, in August 2017.

 

Thanks,

Pamela :D

I prepay my tips right after final payments. ( I think tips is now 13.00 pp per night which cover the cabin steward and your dining people.

soda is not covered but free iced tea and lemonade (mix it together for a different flavor (bring your own cup as those cups are very small Coffee is free unless you want the flavored stuff.

there are soda cards you can buy 6.00 per day for your cruise. (per person)

we carried our own 12 pack on and just drank free stuff

Photos are 22. for each 8 x 10. if this is your first sailing you might want to get a few of those.

Frozen foo foo drinks with no alcohol is about 5 bucks.

Milkshakes are 5.00

My onboard account is now zero. I don't want pictures. I don't buy anything on the ship.

You might want to consider turning those kids cards off for spending-- as you can use those in the arcade. and will rack up a nice sum before you realize it. Each cruise I turned off my kids cards. (you need the cards to get on and off the ship and its their room key so do not store them in the safe

$172.43

$172.43

Hahaha....right to the penny:p