Hidden Costs of Cruising
The Cruise Fare Isn’t The Finish Line
One of the biggest misconceptions about cruising is that it’s completely all-inclusive.
It’s easy to see why people think that. After all, you’ve already spent a few thousand dollars on your vacation. Your cabin is paid for. Your meals are included. Entertainment is covered. The ship itself feels like a floating resort.
Then you step onboard. Within the first hour you’re offered a drink package, a specialty dining package, faster Wi-Fi, spa specials, professional photos, and shore excursions. Suddenly that little cruise card in your pocket starts getting a workout, and you begin wondering if it has a spending limit.
Here’s the good news. Most of these aren’t hidden fees at all. They’re optional choices. The problem is that many first-time cruisers don’t realize just how many optional choices they’ll be presented within the first few days of their trip.
After more than 20 cruises, Susan and I have learned that cruising is still one of the best vacation values you’ll find anywhere. But like almost every vacation, it’s easier to stay on budget when you know what’s coming before you leave home.
The goal isn’t to avoid spending money, but to spend it on the things that actually make your vacation better.
Because there’s a big difference between happily splurging on an unforgettable excursion in Alaska and wondering why your onboard account somehow grew by several hundred dollars while you weren’t paying attention.
Let’s talk about where those extra costs usually come from—and which ones are actually worth considering.
Before You Ever Step Onboard
Ironically, some of the biggest “hidden” cruise costs happen before you even see the ship.
Airfare is the obvious one, especially if you’re sailing from Europe, the Mediterranean or Asia. Even when traveling to Florida or Seattle as your embarkation port, you may experience some sticker shock. Then there are airport transfers, hotels, meals while traveling, baggage fees, airport parking, or even parking at the cruise terminal if you’re driving.
We’ve become firm believers in arriving at least one day before embarkation. Sure, it means paying for a hotel, but we’ve also watched enough stories unfold on social media of travelers missing their cruise because of delayed flights to know it’s money well spent.
Sometimes that extra day even becomes part of the vacation. We’ve spent additional time exploring cities like Rome, Amsterdam, Singapore and San Juan before boarding, and looking back, those extra days became some of our favorite memories from the trip.
Then there are the expenses nobody thinks about until the week before sailing. Maybe it’s renewing your passport (too late if just thinking about it weeks before the sailing). Buying new luggage, replacing those bags that have finally reached retirement age. Picking up sunscreen, motion sickness medication, or travel-sized toiletries. If you’re like us, there’s also arranging for someone to stay with Tucker (but probably your dog or cat) while we’re away. Pet sitting isn’t exactly listed on the cruise invoice, but it certainly belongs in the vacation budget.
None of these costs should discourage you from cruising, as they are simply part of traveling, whether you’re boarding a ship or flying to a beach resort.
The Extras That Catch First-Time Cruisers Off Guard
Once you’re onboard, the spending opportunities become much more visible.
Cruise lines have become incredibly good at offering experiences that genuinely make your vacation more enjoyable. The challenge is remembering that just because something is available doesn’t automatically mean it’s worth buying.
Some extras consistently provide excellent value, while others…well, let’s just say the cruise line didn’t build that beautiful new ship by giving everything away for free.
Gratuities: The One Cost You Should Plan For
If there’s one charge that surprises first-time cruisers more than any other, it’s daily gratuities.
Depending on your cruise line and cabin category, these typically run somewhere between $16 and $20 per person, per day. While it may feel like another fee added to your vacation, these gratuities go toward the countless crew members working behind the scenes to make your cruise feel effortless.
They are typically split between your cabin steward, dining room staff, galley crews, laundry staff, and people you’ll probably never even meet.
Personally, we’ve always viewed gratuities as part of the cost of the cruise rather than an optional extra. In fact, we almost always prepay them before we sail.
For us, it accomplishes two things. First, it locks in the current rate in case gratuities increase before your sailing. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it removes one more expense from the onboard account so we can simply enjoy the trip.
If you’d like a deeper look at how gratuities work and where that money actually goes, we’ve covered that in our article on Where Your Cruise Gratuities Really Go.
Drink Packages: Not Everyone Needs Unlimited Margaritas
Few cruise purchases generate more debate than drink packages. Every cruiser seems to have an opinion, and somehow everyone is convinced they’re right.
The reality is much simpler. It just depends.
If you’re someone who enjoys specialty coffees or a London Fog every morning, bottled water throughout the day, a couple frozen drinks by the pool, wine with dinner, and maybe an evening cocktail during the show, a beverage package could easily pay for itself.
If your idea of a wild night is one Diet Coke and being asleep by 9:30…..probably not.
We’ve seen plenty of people buy the biggest drink package available because it seemed like the thing to do, only to spend the rest of the cruise trying to “drink enough to make it worthwhile.” Been there – done that.
Frankly, it’s exhausting. Vacations shouldn’t require math.
Before purchasing any package, estimate what you’d honestly drink during an average vacation day, not what you hope you’ll drink because you’ve already paid for it, but what you’ll actually drink. Factor in those morning “wake up” drinks, bottled waters, soda throughout the day and of course, alcohol.
If you’d like help figuring out whether the numbers actually work in your favor, we’ve put together a complete guide on Cruise Drink Packages: To Buy or Not to Buy?
Specialty Dining: Sometimes Worth Every Penny
One thing cruise lines have done exceptionally well over the past decade is expand their specialty dining options.
From steakhouses, Italian restaurants and French bistros to Sushi bars and Chef’s tables, the list seems to grow with every new ship.
The funny part to us, is that the food included in the Main Dining Room is often very good. So good, in fact, that many people never feel the need to spend extra.
But every once in a while, Susan and I like treating ourselves to a specialty restaurant. Not because the included food isn’t good enough, but because it’s nice to slow down for an evening, enjoy a quieter atmosphere, and make dinner feel like its own event.
One little trick we’ve discovered? Lunch.
Many specialty restaurants offer lunch menus that are nearly identical to dinner for a fraction of the price. It’s an easy way to experience the restaurant without stretching the budget nearly as much.
Staying Connected Comes at a Price
There was a time when cruising meant disappearing from the world for a week.
Today? Half the ship is posting sail-away selfies long before official “sail away.”
Wi-Fi has improved dramatically over the past few years, especially with Starlink becoming more common across the industry. The downside is that reliable internet still isn’t free on most cruise lines. Depending on your ship and package, internet access can easily add a couple hundred dollars to a week-long cruise.
The first question we ask ourselves before every sailing is simple. Do we actually need it?
Most of the time the answer is yes. Between MAK’n Waves and a few business and volunteer commitments, it occasionally requires checking emails, responding to comments, or making sure everything is working while we’re away.
For other cruises, it’s surprisingly refreshing to disconnect for a few days.
If you do purchase internet, I suggest you download movies, playlists, podcasts, books, and maps before boarding. A little preparation can save both money and frustration.
We also have a guide explaining How to Text for Free on a Cruise Ship, which is worth checking out before paying for an expensive internet package if those short “keep in touch” messages are your thing.
Now that we’ve covered the most common onboard expenses, let’s move ashore. Because if there’s one place your cruise budget can disappear even faster than the casino….it’s in port.
Why Port Days Can Become the Most Expensive Days
For many cruisers, port days are the highlight of the entire vacation. They’re also where it’s easiest to blow through your budget without even realizing it.
Think about it. You finally arrive in a destination you’ve been dreaming about for months. You’re excited, you’re on vacation, and suddenly that snorkeling excursion, beachfront lunch, handmade souvenir, taxi ride, and gelato don’t seem like major purchases. Individually, they’re not. Collectively, they can add up surprisingly fast.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, if I’m (and when I say “I’m”, “I’d”, or “I’ll”, I really mean Susan) going to spend extra money somewhere, I’d much rather spend it experiencing a destination than buying another over-priced cruise ship souvenir I’ll probably forget about six months later.
The key is deciding ahead of time what’s important to you.
Shore Excursions: Where We Usually Spend Our Money
If you’ve followed MAK’n Waves for any length of time, you already know we enjoy exploring the places our ships visit. Some of our favorite travel memories have happened miles away from the ship.
Cruise line excursions are certainly convenient. Transportation is handled, the itinerary is organized, and perhaps most importantly, if the tour is delayed getting back to port, the ship will wait for you. That’s a pretty valuable insurance policy.
But convenience usually comes with a higher price tag. Whenever possible, Susan and I compare the ship’s excursions with reputable independent operators. Many offer smaller groups, more personalized experiences, and lower prices.
That doesn’t mean we always book independently. If it’s a short port call, if the savings are minimal, or if we’re visiting somewhere with a significant language barrier, we’ll gladly pay a little extra for the peace of mind that comes with booking through the cruise line.
There’s no universal right answer, as it’s simply about balancing cost, convenience, and comfort.
One thing we’ve learned over the years is this: we’d rather spend money creating memories than collecting things. A great excursion is something you’ll remember long after you’ve unpacked your suitcase, especially if you remember to take pictures.
The Sneaky Spending That Happens Around the Ship
Cruise ships are incredibly good at creating little opportunities to treat yourself.
It’s not manipulation, rather vacation.
Professional photographers somehow appear every time you’re dressed nicely. Jewelry sales magically begin just after you’ve walked through the Prominade or central shopping area. The spa offers “today only” specials nearly every day. Art auctions promise incredible bargains, and somehow every watch being sold is “the lowest price you’ll ever see.”
We’ve laughed more than once about how cruise ships seem to operate on permanent Black Friday pricing.
Most of these extras are entirely optional, but they’re designed to feel spontaneous. That’s why it’s helpful to recognize them for what they are – temptations, not necessities.
Personally, we’ve never felt the need to buy the photo packages, at least in the last 10 years. Modern smartphones take incredible pictures, and half the fun is capturing those moments ourselves.
The casino? Well…let’s just say the beautiful ships aren’t funded by everyone walking away winners.
That doesn’t mean we never play, but until a ship’s casino can give me odds at the craps table even close to Vegas, we’ll stick to the occasional slot machine. We usually set aside a small gaming budget, and once that budget is gone, we’re done…unless of course you hear cheers from across the room about a “hot shooter”.
It’s really no different than buying tickets to a concert or a movie back home. The goal isn’t to make money, but to have fun.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Some expenses don’t show up in cruise brochures because they aren’t technically cruise expenses. They’re simply part of traveling.
For us, pet sitting is one of the biggest. Tucker gets his own vacation while we’re on ours, and making sure he’s well cared for is simply part of every travel budget.
Then there are laundry services if you’re taking a longer sailing, corkage fees if you bring wine onboard, over-the-counter medications because someone forgot Tylenol, or the occasional charging cable that somehow didn’t make it into the suitcase.
Medical visits onboard deserve a quick mention, too. Hopefully you’ll never need one, but if you do, they’re rarely inexpensive. That’s one of the reasons we’re such believers in travel insurance. We don’t buy it expecting something to go wrong, but hoping it becomes the most boring purchase we make all year.
In fact, one of the smartest investments we’ve ever made before a cruise isn’t onboard at all. It’s proper travel insurance. We dive much deeper into that, and several other items we never travel without, in The Smartest Money You’ll Spend Before Your Cruise.
Sometimes spending a little before your vacation saves a whole lot later.
Our Strategy for Keeping Cruise Costs Under Control
People occasionally ask us how we’re able to take longer cruises without feeling overwhelmed by the cost. The answer isn’t that we’ve discovered secret discounts that nobody else knows about, but it’s simply that we rarely pay for everything at once.
Once we’ve booked the cruise and paid the deposit, we almost forget about it for a while. Around six months before sailing, we’ll usually reserve our shore excursions. That spreads another piece of the vacation over a different month, while also giving us a better chance of getting the tours we really want before they sell out.
Final payment generally comes about four months before departure, and that’s obviously the biggest one. After that, if we’re planning to purchase internet, drink packages, or any specialty dining, we’ll typically pay for those around two months before sailing.
By the time embarkation day finally arrives, almost everything is already taken care of. Mentally, that’s huge.
Instead of feeling like every purchase onboard is adding to an already expensive vacation, we know the major expenses are behind us. That gives us the freedom to enjoy ourselves without constantly worrying about what the credit card bill will look like when we get home.
Ironically, planning ahead actually makes the vacation feel more relaxing.
So…Which Extras Are Actually Worth It?
If you’ve made it this far, you might be wondering whether I’m telling you to skip all the extras. Not at all.
Some of them are absolutely worth the money. For us, memorable shore excursions almost always make the list. Travel insurance is a no-brainer. Every now and then we’ll splurge on a specialty restaurant because it creates a fun evening we’ll remember.
Other purchases depend entirely on the cruise. A drink package may be perfect for one itinerary and unnecessary on another. Internet can be invaluable when you’re working remotely, but completely unnecessary if you’re looking to disconnect for a week.
That’s really the point. Don’t buy something because everyone else seems to be buying it. Buy it because it’ll make your vacation better.
Final Thoughts
One of the reasons Susan and I continue cruising year after year is because it remains one of the best vacation values we’ve found.
Could we spend thousands more on every sailing? Absolutely. Cruise lines give us plenty of opportunities.
But one of the best things about cruising is that many of those additional costs are entirely optional. You get to decide where your vacation dollars go.
Maybe that’s an incredible excursion through the Panama Canal, a perfectly cooked steak in a specialty restaurant, or maybe it’s simply enjoying a quiet morning on your balcony with a cup of coffee while the rest of the ship is still asleep.
Those are choices, and that’s very different from hidden fees.
The more you understand where those choices exist, the easier it becomes to budget confidently, avoid surprises, and spend money on the experiences that truly matter to you.
In 20+ years of cruising, we’ve found that the happiest cruisers usually aren’t the ones who spend the most but are the ones who spend intentionally.
So don’t let the phrase “hidden costs” scare you away from booking your next voyage. Go into it with realistic expectations, a little planning, and a budget that reflects the kind of vacation you actually want.
Because at the end of the day, the best souvenir you’ll bring home isn’t another T-shirt or refrigerator magnet, but the memories you made along the way.
And those are worth every penny.
