How much money do you spend?

[cruisepro19]

We are heading on a cruise in the near future for a 7 day cruise with only 1 day at sea. We are a family of 3 in one cabin. Here's how we've budgeted give or take, but no surprises:

 

1. Gratuities - $252.00 USD (total for 3 people)

2. ATV Shore Excursion we've already booked at a port = $354.00 (total for 3 people)

3. 2 Beach planned days in port - which based on research in these ports includes taxi ride at about $7.00 pp & $15.00 for 2 chairs (rental fee, one of us can manage without a chair) = $72.00 (total for 3 people)

4. Drinks onboard -we bring water and pop onboard so our drink expenses are very little and we don't drink much alcohol so we are typically about $80.00 in total for an entire cruise for the 3 of us.

5. Casino Money - $40.00 for 2 people for the entire cruise = $80.00

6. Less expensive shore excursion booked with the ship at around $55.00 per person - $165.00 (total for 3 people)

 

All of this in total would cost $963.00 in total. A lot of people spend more than us in the beverage department and sometimes we do get a wine package for dinner (set number of bottles for the week). If you take out the really expensive excursion (ATV) we'd still be at $600.00. This is also without any "paid restaurants", bingo, pictures for the ship staff. Hopefully this helps somewhat.

 

Cheers!

 

Alexa (aka cruisepro19)

[amstelncv]

Family of 4 (16, 15, 12 and myself) on Carnival Ecstasy Feb 3 going to Key West and Cozumel (4 days). I plan to put down $1000 cash on my Sign and Sail card. Do you think this will be enough for the trip? I only plan to have 2-3 drinks a day (wouldn't drink heavy around the children), i want to get them the soda card, i plan bringing soda/water for myself (i like pepsi) and a few dollars in the casino. Of course we'll purchase a few pictures and they'll get some souvenirs.

 

My biggest excursion (swimming with the dolphins) is already paid for and since we're docking early in Key West, i'm just gonna play it by ear. I do plan on having separate money for our port days.

 

Should i plan on putting down additional money, should the $1000 cover it?

 

Our gratuities are pre-paid

 

In my opinion I say forget the soda card for 3 kids that's going to cost you $84 bucks have them carry on the own 12 packs . unless the kid price is less I.D.K .you get water tea and lemonade anyways . and let them get a soda at diner . you can easily make $1000.00 bucks work.

my first cruise my and my wife put down $200 bucks a piece and had money left over and that was with the suggested tip taken out , we did tip a little extra in cash like $30.00, my wife bought some stuff on board and we had some drinks. I bet your kids would rather have $7.00 a day more to spend in the arcade than on soda. you could ask them, it would be a good time to teach them a little budgeting . don't

forget you can bring a bottle of wine for your room if you like.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise , also you could wait to buy a soda card the second day. and if you want to carry on less you can bring un opend soda back on at any port. any ways have fun .

[wichitastatecruiser]

I think the "average" person spends probably @ $100 a day and $100 per port day. You can lower the amount you spend by pre-booking excursions, drink packages, dining packages and pre-paying gratuities before you cruise. When I travel solo I and budget that way I usually have $100-200 extra when I'm done. However the one time I took a girlfriend I went over budget by $500 because I forgot to budget for her expenses!

[ducklite]

I think the "average" person spends probably @ $100 a day and $100 per port day. You can lower the amount you spend by pre-booking excursions, drink packages, dining packages and pre-paying gratuities before you cruise. When I travel solo I and budget that way I usually have $100-200 extra when I'm done. However the one time I took a girlfriend I went over budget by $500 because I forgot to budget for her expenses!

 

 

I disagree. It will all depend on the cruise line, the places they are visiting, and how often they have been there before. We typically spend $400 per person just for the cruise fare.

 

If we did another Venice to Athens cruise on a ship where wine was included or we could BYOB and pay a corkage, our spend would look something like this:

 

Laundry package $109

Glasses of house wine or beer at cafe in port x 5 port days $40

Rental car in Hvar or Split $100

Case of small production non-trade wine to bring home $175

Lunch or snack in port x3 $50

Various admissions to historic sites and museums $50

Corkage fees $120

Misc. including bus fare to Oia, souvenirs and gifts $200

 

Total for two people for a week, $864, and that's being generous and including the wine we bring home and assuming wine isn't included with the cruise. I would also probably have a massage that would add $150' but that still brings it to well under your average.

 

Keep in mind that many ships don't charge extra for alternate dining, include all beverages or at least all non-alcoholic beverages or wine, and many ports can easily be seen just by getting off and walking around town or paying a buck or two for the local bus.

 

I honestly don't believe that anyone can give an average as a general rule if thumb, there are just too many variables.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

Edited January 10, 2014 by ducklite

[cdnphotogirl]

I only bought one photo 5 x 7 and it was $16.95 USD.

 

Who knew there was more than one type of pirates on the high seas?:eek: A 5 X 7 print should not cost more than $1.50 at a photography shop and that is if you can't get it on sale (I buy my 8 X 10 prints when they are on sale for $1.00 and I usually buy 50 or so at a time) I think I should set up shop on my cruise; take pictures and charge $10 for a 5X7 with emailed copy so you can make more prints. I would make enough to pay for another cruise.:D

[Gm1979]

1000not counting the casino money

[smtcan]

We do not gamble or buy any photos, and our drinking is mainly wine. We do not do ship's excursions and often just explore the ports on foot - we try to walk as much as possible the counteract the food! The last couple of cruises we have taken, our bill was $100 more than the cost of gratuities, which we always pay.

 

However, when we go to the Baltic this year, we will book private tours in St. Petersburg and several other ports, because this is an area we will probably not visit again, so we want to see as much as possible. We will also be traveling with a family group, so expect our bar bill to be higher because we will do more socializing. We are budgeting around $2000 for expenses over and above the cost of the cruise and air fare, although we will probably not spend quite that much.

[sparks1093]

Just found our S&S invoice from the Pride- $703. We paid for our excursions and tips before hand.

[besth2oman]

We budget +/-$100 each day for the two of us not including casino which we don't do much of.

[sparks1093]

Who knew there was more than one type of pirates on the high seas?:eek: A 5 X 7 print should not cost more than $1.50 at a photography shop and that is if you can't get it on sale (I buy my 8 X 10 prints when they are on sale for $1.00 and I usually buy 50 or so at a time) I think I should set up shop on my cruise; take pictures and charge $10 for a 5X7 with emailed copy so you can make more prints. I would make enough to pay for another cruise.:D

 

You are talking about photos that you take yourself, not photos taken by a professional. When you consider that you may have unlimited poses taken without a sitting fee (or a committment to buy a certain amount) the prices really aren't that bad.

[CP Tech]

On our recent 7 day Caribbean cruise with the fiance and daughter, our on-board came out to about $3k. Take into consideration that we purchased 2 future cruise credits ($150 each after $100 OBC) and $1900 of artwork. :)

[cdnphotogirl]

You are talking about photos tht you take yourself, not photos taken by a professional. When you consider that you may have unlimited poses taken without a sitting fee (or a committment to buy a certain amount) the prices really aren't that bad.

 

Actually, I was joking. Those prices are crazy and I was sort of saying they need some competition to bring their prices to a more reasonable rate. There is no way I would pay those prices.

 

My camera and all the assorted equipment is prob at the same level as theirs and having had some pictures selected to be posted on CNN and some travel sites my photos aren't too bad.

[sparks1093]

Actually, I was joking. Those prices are crazy and I was sort of saying they need some competition to bring their prices to a more reasonable rate. There is no way I would pay those prices.

 

My camera and all the assorted equipment is prob at the same level as theirs and having had some pictures selected to be posted on CNN and some travel sites my photos aren't too bad.

 

We are a captive audience, of that there is no doubt;).

[iheartbda]

Actually, I was joking. Those prices are crazy and I was sort of saying they need some competition to bring their prices to a more reasonable rate. There is no way I would pay those prices.

 

My camera and all the assorted equipment is prob at the same level as theirs and having had some pictures selected to be posted on CNN and some travel sites my photos aren't too bad.

How would you propse they have some competition?

 

There are plenty of people who DO pay those prices, there's usually a line of people waiting to pay.;) Like someone else said, no sitting fee and no committment to buy for some nice pictures they may not take the time or have the opportunity for some professionals taken. Maybe they are with extended family and it a good time to have everyone together, lots of reasons to buy the pictures.:)

[amstelncv]

How would you propse they have some competition?

 

There are plenty of people who DO pay those prices, there's usually a line of people waiting to pay.;) Like someone else said, no sitting fee and no committment to buy for some nice pictures they may not take the time or have the opportunity for some professionals taken. Maybe they are with extended family and it a good time to have everyone together, lots of reasons to buy the pictures.:)

 

we are going with my dw family so we may buy one or two . we never have before but you are already dressed nice on formal night and every one is together whats $15 bucks. Now if your spending hundreds on carnival pics you either have tons of money or some other issue.

[AmoMondo]

Anything from €300 to 2500 (what can I say, that pink sapphire ring had my name on it!) for just me!

 

Things to consider that impact this. Are you going to book a lot of shore excursions? What about the Spa, are you going to buy photos? Do you have a drinks package or are you just paying as you go? Are you going to buy stuff in the shops?

[Steviewonder1]

Somewhere on CC there was a thread about How Much did the Whole 9 Yards cost including Air Fare and the cruise. Some were 4 days and some were 12-15 days. Ours was 12 days plus one day up front to arrive. Including all items with Pre-Purchased, Hotel in Barcelona and other items we came out at $1350 per person for 13 days. That included the PH Suite and First Class Air to/from Europe to Atlanta Ga. We save and budget for the best level we can get when we travel. My DW and I are going to see all these places we read about growing up in the History Books before we need cain's, walkers or Scooters. Our view is whatever it takes we will do it.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Steviewonder1

[Steviewonder1]

That was $1350 per person per day for 13 days. Not enough calculation in the process.

[AmoMondo]

That was $1350 per person per day for 13 days. Not enough calculation in the process.

 

Thanks for the clarification! I was just thinking how on earth could they have done that for that price....surely the air far would have been more!

[wassup4565]

No one has mentioned that it's useful to think separately about the money you will spend on board the ship, versus what you will spend when you get off the ship at ports.

 

The ship is cashless, except for the unofficial cash tips you choose to give to staff (in my case, usually for room service waiters and the room steward). But all other transactions onboard are added to your sea card which is secured by a credit card. That includes the official gratuities, and you can find out what those are for your cruise line on their website. Other than those gratuities, it's up to you how many things you "charge" to your card. If you order lotsa drinks, get spa treatments, buy stuff at the stores on the ships, go to special restaurants, etc., each of those charges is added to your account. I tend to be a bit of a cheapo about ramping up the charges on the ship card. The ships are magnificent, there is a lot of good "free" stuff to see and do, and I always get a really good meal, so why pay for a better one? Our bill for the sea card, excluding the gratuities (which I usually pay for in advance), is usually under $200 for a week.

 

Off the ship is another matter. There, you must use cash or or a credit card, depending. If you take a taxi or bus, and for cheap souvenirs, you'll pay cash. For restaurant meals, pricey tours or expensive shopping, you might choose to use a credit card. Although be aware that most credit cards add up to 4% for transactions outside the country. It's why I tend to pay cash when off the ship.

 

I usually allow $100 per day for days off the ship. We usually come home with some leftover cash, but I don't want to run out of sawbucks when I'm on land. We only take a few pricey excursions - maybe at one or two ports - and otherwise just take a short taxi tour, walk around, or take local buses. So one day, we may pay $75 each for a full-day, full-feature tour - over budget, right? But the next day, we may get a local taxi guy to show us around for $25, buy lunch and a couple souvenirs, for a total of $50 for the two of us that day. The $100 per day figure works out for me, all around.

 

Hope this helps!

[ducklite]

I always plan my budget factoring in everything, both in and off the ship. I have a spread sheet, and one if the columns is "cash needed" which is where I put the things I'll be paying cash for while in port. Helps figure out how much foreign currency I'll need to get before I leave.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[MaisonRose]

"Although be aware that most credit cards add up to 4% for transactions outside the country. It's why I tend to pay cash when off the ship."

 

Excellent advice.

 

Living in Europe part time, I discovered the benefits of the CapitalOne credit card, which has no surcharge on foreign purchases. It is the only one we use.

Also a warning: some merchants will offer you the option of charging in $USD ...INSIST ON EUROS because if you charge in dollars, you are allowing THEM to choose the rate of exchange.

Also, it isn't likely that you will have an opportunity, but use the POST OFFICE ATM in France: it offers the best rate.

Edited January 17, 2014 by MaisonRose
More information

[cruisescouter]

My bills usually range 500-1500 depending on how long the cruise is an excursions. I also usually get the drink packages and spa package.

[Sue Do-Over]

We budget $100/day per person to cover the soft drink package, one fancy drink a day, a photo or two (total), one or two budget shore excursions (total), a t-shirt or beach bag, and food/drinks while off the ship.

 

It's pretty accurate for us; we're not big drinkers and look for bargains for excursions. Averaged over the 5, 6 or 7 days we usually cruise, it's on target.

 

Our casino fun money is completely separate, and isn't considered part of the activity budget (although sometimes pays off the S&S card at the end!)

 

Most frequent travelers will tell you that your family at home is NOT going to be disappointed that you didn't bring them a t-shirt or a piece of junk to put on a shelf. If you want a memory - make it your OWN. (Really, do you cherish the fridge magnet from someone ELSE's vacation?)

[wassup4565]

Sadly, the Capital One Mastercard doesn't seem to have the same deal anymore, at least for Canadians. On my recent trip in December, I called to register the upcoming travel on the card and was warned that in addition to currency conversion charges, I could also be charged up to 4% on my foreign transactions on that card. Sure enough, when I got the bill, extra fees had been charged. So that free ride is over, for me at least.

 

Makes it all the more important to estimate how much cash to bring ashore.