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Average Final Bill for On Board Purchases?


VickiVSN

What is your averege final bill for two on a 7 day cruise?  

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  1. 1. What is your averege final bill for two on a 7 day cruise?



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I had done this poll on the old site, but it disappearred. Since I have a link on my 1st Time Cruisers page for the results, I thought I'd repost so I can continue to provide the information to new cruisers. For poll, you can use your average per day to determine what the cost would be for a 7-days cruise. Example: $893 for a 12 days = $75 per day, or $521 for 7-days.

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I'm by myself so my tab is just for one but I usually spend $300-$400 for seven nights. (My Alaska bill was twice that due to a $400 shore excursion - helicopter/dog sledding - worth every penny) I don't shop that much but my bar tab is usually pretty high! :o

 

Amy

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Most of my charges are for internet time, emailing my husband every night! But I usually will have 1 cocktail in the evening, and I don't spend much (at all) in the ships stores. I've been on many cruises, so hardly ever do excursions any more--will just go walking on my own, or stay on the ship and enjoy a quiet day up at the pool. I never do the spa, as I feel they are very overpriced for what you get and I choose to have a massage or manicure here at home, where the prices are lower.

Now, I did not include tip money in that quote. I always pay cash to the room steward, waiter and asst waiter. They seem happy to get US currency!

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VickyVSN,

 

I really enjoyed your web site for first time cruisers. I am struggling with the passport issue. I know everyone suggests that you get one but I am cruising to the western caribbean in April with my husband and our 18 yr old son and our 15 yr old daughter. The cost will be $85 a person for us. My husband and I will probably go on another cruise but Im not sure that my kids will go agian. My son especially since he will be joining the Air Force after he graduates. Could we just go with our birth certificates or do you highly recommend purchasing passports? It's just a lot of money. Any advice would be helpful. We will be on the Radiance. I'm really excited, but have a lot of questions about excursions. Thanks

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My first 7-day cruise is coming up....less than two weeks and counting. On my two previous 4-day cruises we spent about $300. I'm assuming I can double that this week at least. I've already put putting money aside here and there specifically for onboard spending. I don't want to have to think twice when spending time in the casino or booking spa stuff. Having the money sitting here already makes me feel less guilty about my onboard spending. :p

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My final bill was for $722+ but they charged $878+ . I am trying to get with AMEX to get that corrected. RCCL told me that the excess was for a larger amount put on the card, which I was TOLD by RCCL that they had released. AMEX says no record. I have to wait until I get regular AMEX bill to file a complaint. (I always monitor my AMEX bills on line so I KNOW what has been charged. NO credit yet.)

I am glad that I watch my billings or I would not have realized the overcharge.

IMO no excuse for this.

Gene in Birmingham

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VickyVSN,

 

I really enjoyed your web site for first time cruisers. I am struggling with the passport issue. I know everyone suggests that you get one but I am cruising to the western caribbean in April with my husband and our 18 yr old son and our 15 yr old daughter. The cost will be $85 a person for us. My husband and I will probably go on another cruise but Im not sure that my kids will go agian. My son especially since he will be joining the Air Force after he graduates. Could we just go with our birth certificates or do you highly recommend purchasing passports? It's just a lot of money. Any advice would be helpful. We will be on the Radiance. I'm really excited, but have a lot of questions about excursions. Thanks

nbean38, My family and I are about to go on the Mariner next week. That's providing that Ivan doesn't cancel everything. This will be the 6th cruise for hubby and I. Third one for our teenage daughters. We've always used our birth certificates and have never had a problem. We'll probably look into getting passports for hubby and me before our Jan cruise, just because it's easier than always carring all the extra paperwork around. But for the kids it doesn't seem like a smart idea. They are almost 14 now and their passports would only be good for 5yrs. If we wait until they are 16 they will be good for the whole 10yr period.

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nbean98, I'd get the passports if I were you. They carry a bit more "weight" than driver's licenses and birth certificates, and they are good for ten years (at least for the adults) so even one more trip out of the country in that time would make it worth it. I think your son will end up needing one eventually anyway if he gets stationed overseas. I used to work in Europe with the Dept. of Defense and while they paid for my "official" passport, I still needed my blue tourist passport to tour around on vacations - you can't use the official passport for personal travel. I think the same rules would apply for using a military ID for personal travel (I don't know the exact rules on this, but that would be my guess).

 

There's a big wide world out there - see as much of it as you can.

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My husband, who is VERY generous (I do however keep his house clean, raise our children and cook our food so he better be : ) would have a heart attack if I spent 1500 on cosmetics... He would not say boo about it, just quietly fall to the ground clutching his chest.. I'm afraid to have him open the hospital bills (long explanaition available in other threads, let's just say I am pregnant and this child wants out too early)..

 

We usually spend about a grand on purchases on board and excursions. I drink, but I am a cheap date to three drinks a day on vacation is a lot for me. He does not drink at all but can ring up the bills on the diet pop.

 

We always get T-shirts and stuff for the boys from the ship. Matching if possible cause they all grump about it and we use the complaining for entertainment.. till we bring out the toys.. You would think they would be onto us by now.

 

Get a passport.. You never know when you may want it and I was once able to take advantage of a CHEAP last minute trip to London with a girlfriend because I had one.. My husband got a long weekend off and suggested that I take a break with a friend who was leaving on a trip to Europe. I thought he was joking but the tickets were in winter and very cheap. If I had not had a passport I could not have gone.. (when I say cheap I think the whole trip, food, hotel and meals, was under $500.00)

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Nancy,

This was our first cruise and we renewed our wedding vows after 32 years. This trip was my anniversary present to your for all of her support over the years. We are the old high school sweetheart story. Graduated from high school, joined the Marines and got married on boot camp leave. She was by my side through Vietnam and all of the years that followed. That included five years as a cop in southern California, layoffs in manufacturing and climbing the corporate ladder. I actually consider the cosmetics as a payment over due.

 

Whenever she goes on one of these spending binges I ask her "did we have fun?" If the answer was yes then I know that I am in deep trouble. We have an agreement, I make the money and she spends it.

 

November 26 will be our 33 anniversary and we fly that day to Miami for the Navigator of the Seas. I just hope she does not run out of facial cream before then.

 

Take care, Ron

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Your own preferences make such a HUGE DIFFERENCE in your final bill, so I think an average bill is almost impossible to predict.

 

Suppose one couple plans only private excursions, while another books all their excursions through RCCI. Though they might actually "spend" the same amount of money, their final bills will be very different -- the private excursion couple just paid theirs to individuals in the ports, while the RCCI couple paid theirs in one lump sum at the end.

 

Drinking habits vary widely. Some people drink $15 of alcohol on the whole cruise, while others spend $15 at breakfast.

 

Bottom line: I think you have to look at HOW people are spending as much as WHAT they're spending, then you can get to the real question: How much am I personally likely to spend?

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Thank you to everybody who has participated in the poll and discussion so far. This poll is turning out a bit different then the one I ran 9-months ago, that one had almost even answers across the board. But I'm not surprised by why I've seen so far. And its still early :)

 

nbean98 - Thanks for checking out the website. I don't have a strong opinion one way or another on passports. It was important for us since my husband in naturalized, but if we both had US birth certificates, I may have passed. On the other hand, I like that we have them. It is one less expense for our upcoming Med cruise. And like Nliedel, a friend of mine was able to go to London cheap for a long weekend at the last minute. Still waiting for my opportunity for that cheap last minute trip to London myself ;).

 

skybuffalo - Sounds like your wife is a lucky girl :D.

 

Mrs Pete - I couldn't agree more that the on board charges is highly indivdualized. That was one point I hoped the poll would highlight. And if you check out my website, I spell out the choices we made for our bill so other people might be able to kind of gauge if they'd spend as much or little based on comparing our preferences to what theirs might be. It is directly after the list of spending for our three cruises that I have a link to "poll results" so folks can see how others vary.

 

Keep 'em coming!!!

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Your shipboard account can be quite a bit higher if you book ship excursions and charge tips. I usually book my own excursions and pay cash for tips, so my balance is lower....but I'm still spending plenty!

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Last time I cruised was on the Nordic Empress to Bermuda. We tipped a little more generously than the "guidelines" indicated but paid cash. We took only one excursion, on the pink catamaran swim and snorkel, which I think was about $30 each (for my sister and me). Other than that, we spent a total of about $30 on board, of which $24 was owed by my sister and the other $6 by me for bottled water. I try to buy everything I need at home, such as toothpaste, deodorant, etc. so that I won't get hit with a big bad bill from my Visa!

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Nancy,

This was our first cruise and we renewed our wedding vows after 32 years. This trip was my anniversary present to your for all of her support over the years. We are the old high school sweetheart story. Graduated from high school, joined the Marines and got married on boot camp leave. She was by my side through Vietnam and all of the years that followed. That included five years as a cop in southern California, layoffs in manufacturing and climbing the corporate ladder. I actually consider the cosmetics as a payment over due.

 

Whenever she goes on one of these spending binges I ask her "did we have fun?" If the answer was yes then I know that I am in deep trouble. We have an agreement, I make the money and she spends it.

 

November 26 will be our 33 anniversary and we fly that day to Miami for the Navigator of the Seas. I just hope she does not run out of facial cream before then.

 

Take care, Ron

 

 

Congratulations! I am so impressed!!!! Sometimes the 10 we have makes me feel like a circus freak because no one stays married that long.. I would not trade a minute of it.. well maybe one here and there ; )

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I usually get a spa package and charge my casino money to my card. Therefore, our final bill will run a little higher than 1,000.00:( I really like getting the massages as it's part of my relaxation therapy. And, I don't like to carry a lot of cash while traveling. We don't usually book shore excursions.

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