Why are cruises so complicated?
 

I would like to go on a cruise. But I don’t want to schedule it weeks or months in advance, and I want to know how much it will cost. That includes the cruise fee, taxes, port charges, wifi, cable TV, drinks, mandatory “gratuities”, and anything else that I will need to pay for. I don’t want any surprises. Am I being unreasonable?

I know on Celebrity you can buy what you want. Everyones requirements are different but Celebrity allows you to get 1, 2 or even 3 "perks" and the pricing is adjusted. You can even find a travel agent that will throw in as part of your price 1 or even 2 perks. What you are asking is not unreasonable...Celebrity does it ...just get a good Cruise or travel agent.

travel, ships
 

Suggestion. My wife is very good at this. She does all the online looking on her own and then contacts RJFarmer45@hotmail.com ( A great agent for sure)
Ph 317 881 0676. My wife has coordinated with this lady for years, she is really good and reasonable and has a lot of good information. YOu can tell her that Becki in Florida, gave out the information.

bbbbbb :smiley:

No. But it has become the bait and switch industry. It will cost you more than 2x - 4x what they advertise for the original cost. The gimmicks - try items like drink packages when only 2 bars are open all day until happy hour - oh yea drinks are half price at the bar at the other end of the ship. Can't pour a double. Is the ice cream machine open - not until 3 pm. On and on and on. This industry has become worse than used car dealers.

travel agents are PAID by the cruise line threw a commission. you don't pay a travel agent.....there service to you is FREE.... I just wanted to clarify that fact....

usual commission is only on the cruise rate and the optional insurance. the commission is typically 10-18 percent depending on the cruise line.

True...but....the actual cruise fare is rather cheap for what you get...hotel..food..entertainment and travel.

The added fees are taxes..port charges...tips...optional insurance and parking..

don't get sucked into buying the drink package....you must drink alot to make that worth while.

No idea why you don't either get a travel agent or call the cruise lines direct. they will give you all that info(except the drinks because they don't know how much you will drink). Wifi usually costs depending on the time you are connected, but hey it's a cruise why the hell would you be on a computer???? The cable tv is included in the price of the room.

As to negative norm I've never had the issues he claims but I've always cruised on Norwegian or Royal Caribbean. I suppose their are cheap lines(like carnival)that might have issues. You get what you pay for. You pay cheap...well you get cheap.

No.

Try Cruise Critic Message Board Forums and ask your questions. It might be easier to call the cruise co and ask them the questions. Add what do they sell on the ships that is extra. Their are shops you can skip, excursions, and liquor for some items. Also their are two to a room so double room costs.

Been on 25 cruises.. mostly Royal Caribbean with several on Carnival and we always know what the cruise will cost us. Added expenses is totally up to you, casino, beverages and personal shopping is not included. The advantage in booking well in advance is cabin selection... We always want mid ship. Hope you find what you want for what you want to pay and enjoy all that cruising offers. We love it.

Contact Lynda Jackson with Cruise Holidays. Her and her husband Larry have been on over 80 cruises and cater to first-time cruisers. I have been traveling with them for 10 years. Larry even does a weekly radio program every Saturday morning.
Go to: Melbourne Travel Agent & Cruise Agency | Cruise Holidays of Viera. Tell them Vince & Camille referred you.

We have been on 60 plus cruises mostly Celebrity & Royal Caribbean. We think it's a great deal.
We have booked with agents & through the cruise line. Both have advantages.
You don't have to pay anymore once you get on the ship, except gratuities.
Of course there are extras if you choose. Casino, spa, shopping, specialty restaurants & coffees, wifi, shore excursions, photos & of course drinks.
Hubby & I always get the drink package. I like my premium martinis, scotch, Grand Marnier & the included fresh orange juice & specialty coffees. It is well worth it for us.
Cruise Critic is a great place to find info or talk to some of your friends that cruise.
Also, not all cruise lines are created equal. Some are better than others depending on what you like.

While I am sure you can manage to get the final cost up to 2x-4x the advertised cost, that is certainly not typical. With the exception of gratuities, you don't really need to spend an additional dollar over the price you are paying for the cruise (obviously excluding costs such as transportation to the dock). That is also not typical as most people do go on some excursions, buy some drinks, etc. While generating additional revenue is clearly the goal of the cruise lines, you are ultimately in control of what you spend.

I always use cruisecompete.com where many agents compete for your business. Full disclosure of taxes etc. but you may need to check individual cruise lines' web sites to confirm gratuities.

Prices change regularly - getting cheaper nearer sailing date if cabins remain unsold; getting more expensive otherwise - so keep checking. Most lines let you cancel up to 10 weeks or so beforehand, so if prices drop and your agent won't adjust your booking (which many will) just cancel and rebook.

I disagree costs escalate very quickly. You have to pay tax and port fees. These are usually several hundred dollars per person. Your expected to tip minimum of 20% of the entire cost of your cruise. They even charge now for soda on the ships. And if you are not going on excursions you must have been there before. If it's your first time in a new place most people want to see it. Most of these are not cheap. Next a good portion of people do the cabin upgrade. I for one won't sit in a 2 x 4 room in the bowels of the ship without the light of day. Start adding it up.

Port fee & tax you know those prices before you even make a deposit on the cruise.
You don't tip 20% of your cruise cost. Gratuities are about $11.00 per day for those that get them.
Drink tips etc. are 15 - 18 % of the cost.

Come on we are talking about the $499 4 night advertised cruise that fills the Sunday paper and your email. It's just like I said they have to put an asterisk next to that like the car dealers do - excludes tips, gratuities, transportation, etc. I'm not saying don't do it just don't expect to pay $499. I like a cruise. It's not my cup of tea to do it many times per year. We probably go once a year and when I do I don't watch what I spend with a calculator. I do what I want and enjoy myself.

Tipping is not a percentage of the cruise - it is a number of dollars per day per person - typically around $10 if I recall correctly.

Taxes and port fees are itemized when you get a price for the cruise and are therefore known and accounted for.

Regarding cabin choices, we have typically not spent a lot of time in the cabins so it isn't really that important. Be that as it may, we have avoided interior cabins. Regardless, the cost is known.

Try it....you'll like it.
 

Sit down with a travel agent. Talk these things over. Once I became a seasoned cruiser I often made my own arrangements, but I did my first cruises through AAA. There is an AAA office near Spanish Springs, and there have been some other suggestions in previous posts.

You will know virtually all of your required costs because the travel agent will compute them and want you to pay in full before receiving the package of tickets.

There will be other expenses because you will want to do optional things, such as drinks, use of wi-fi, alternate dining rooms, and especially shore trips. Shore trips vary greatly in cost but should be taken to get a taste of the foreign countries that are your ports of call. No one can give you an exact price because these offerings are at your option.

There has been lots of good advice on this thread. I engaged in forums on Cruise Critic for years. The Cruise Critic web site has an incredible wealth of information.

Once you make your first cruise you will better understand the entire process and you will probably choose to cruise every year.

Incidentally, Carnival Cruise Line targets a very young, and usually very noisy clientele. I prefer Princess and Royal Caribbean. Holland America targets the elderly and is very well run.

I will not book cruises that have anywhere in Mexico as a port of call, but that is a personal prejudice. I cruised the Eastern Caribbean, Eastern Canada, Pacific out of Los Angeles, and Alaska (Land and Sea.)

Sailing out of Port Canaveral will usually involve a stop in Mexico, or will be less than a week and go to the Bahamas. Longer trips into the Caribbean will often originate in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. Only medium sized ships sail out of Tampa because Mega-ships cannot sail under the Sunshine Skyway bridge at the entrance to Tampa Bay.

Your travel agent can explain all of this to you. Find one. Just sitting down and discussing a cruise should cost you nothing.

we just got off our 69th cruise. we have been on all the lines from carnival all the way to QE2.

the tips nowadays are $12 to $13 per person per day

We travel and meet people never even get off the ship because they have done the islands so many times.

They go for the food entertainment and the pampering.

The money you spend on a cruise it up to you. I don't encourage paying tips prior to the cruise..as it makes it hard to remove if things aren't quite the way you want them to be.

So if you spend nothing.....drink whats free....and do whats free....

you will get off the ship with only the tip fee.

Thanks everyone for all of the information. After reading it, I think that I will remove cruising from my list of things to do. As some have said, it sounds to me like a bait and switch ripoff. I was not looking for a discount cruise, just an honest company that had upfront pricing. I have plenty of money to spend and can afford any cruise, but I just don't like getting taken advantage of. The tipping, wifi charges, high drink prices, dishonest advertising, etc. are insulting to me. Why would a company expect me to tip their employees automatically, and why would they charge me for wifi that is free everywhere else? I think I'll do something else with my money instead. Why doesn't someone offer an upfront, fixed price deal with no mandatory tipping and other bogus charges?

I guess we have been lucky. In 60 plus cruises, there has never been one person that didn't deserve their tip & sometimes even a little bit more. :thumbup:

There are all-inclusive cruise lines where most everything is included in the price, such as Azamara, Crystal, Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, etc. They will welcome your "plenty of money" and you will have a great cruising experience.

Top 5 Luxury All-Inclusive Cruises - cruisecritic.com

You are a wise consumer. Independent of your choice it is obvious you did your homework before making a decision. One item we did neglect that is also not cheap and gets one to 2x-4x over the advertised price is insurance. Quick story - We were booked on a Canada/New England cruise Sept of this year. The day we were to board the ship hurricane Hermine hit NYC. The cruise company did not cancel the trip and had the right to reroute. I sensed that was going to happen. As result the cruise skipped three of 7 ports of call with no compensation to patrons. Rough seas and 42% of ports cancelled. As required by most cruise companies full payment in advance. They had our $12K. Got $11K back. Sure am glad we had insurance. I'll go this year and hopefully enjoy it the way I envisioned it.

One reason that cruise prices are cheap is that your tips effectively pay most of the crew's wages.

Rather than dismissing the idea of cruising altogether, just add $12 per person per day to the quoted cost and see how that looks to you.

The tip is automatically added to your bill, but you can take it off. However, that would not be fair on the crew as they receive very little in actual wages from the company.

We have done many cruises. Favorite lines are Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Holland America. We always work through the cruise line. We know what we are paying as we pay it all upfront. Never have a balance when we leave the ship. Always include gratuities upfront. We also own stock in both Carnival (owns Holland America) and Royal Caribbean (which also,owns Celebrity.). This entitles us to unboard credits of about $100 when we sail. That's our fun money for Casino.

our last trip on the Oasis Royal Caribbean.....which we have been on 4 times previously, we had a horrific cabin steward.

The first night we noticed our sheets were scratchy, we decided to sleep on the duvay cover and found another devay under the bed and used that for a top sheet.

The next morning we explained this to the steward and he went crazy, telling us the sheets are clean....we expained they are not dirty but someone maybe went heavy with the starch.
For the rest of the cruise...6 more nights he refused to make the bed, just threw the devay on top and went about his business. being experienced cruisers we knew how much trouble he could make if we told the hotel manager, so we put up with it. on the last night we went down to the desk and informed them of what was happening. They removed his tips....but we would have to remove all or nothing.....all meaning the restuarant workers a well. having no choice we removed them all. He didn't vacume the room either. sad..... we had never experienced this. we usually over tip..

I suggest you give Princess a try.....that is our favorite cruise line. Upscale and not as many children on board. Very seldom do you see a stroller.

These lines are excellent, but....they tend to have clientele that, we feel, sometimes, snooty....suits are required for dinner...ect.

I like to relax when we cruise...I lean toward the spa cabins with the thermal suites.

If I have to carry a gown and heels and get my hair done for dinner....the relaxation is lost.

It's become the new bait and switch industry. Do you remember when lobster was on the menu most every night? Remember when it became lobster night once per cruise ? Now your lucky if you find a lobster in the specialty restaurants that you pay extra for. To add insult to injury lobster may have a surcharge in the specialty restaurant you paid extra for. How about formal night. What a crock that is. Let's see I'm getting dressed up for my wife who seen me where a suit to work for 30 years. But I get to lug around extra set of clothes that I'll wear for a couple hours. Now I remember that was "the bait" the cruise line used to take your picture and sell them as memories at the end of the cruise. No wonder there is a surcharge on lobster now - everyone has a cell phone with a camera. Goodbye to that revenue stream.

cruising has changed since we started back in the 80's. Prom is so over for us....
But, we went on Carnival and sat next to the captains table. the older gentleman that we sat with ordered lobster and escargo every night for dinner, and they brought it. Who knew?

I ordered steak on the QE2 and they told me I would have to settle for Lamb.

So did no one receive their tips?

We always order escargot & shrimp cocktail. We just let our waiter or Maitre D know ahead of time. We also have ordered filet to have it a few nights a week. Never a problem.

The cruise evenings of big hair and tuxedos are on the wane.

From VacationsToGo.com - Azamara Club Cruises Dining Information
"Dress Code: The dress code is casual. Recommended attire for men is sportswear, collared golf and polo shirts, shorts, pants, and a sport coat if desired, while recommended attire for women is sportswear, casual dresses, skirts, pants and capris, blouses and knit tops. Bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, bathing suits, shorts or jeans are not allowed in the dining room or specialty restaurants. Formal evening wear is not expected nor required."

From VacationsToGo.com - Regent Dining Information
"Dress Code: Dress is informal. Men are expected to wear a jacket, with or without a tie, whereas women should don a dress, skirt and sweater, or pantsuit. No jeans, shorts, t-shirts, tennis shoes or swimwear are allowed at dinner. Casual wear (including shorts and jeans) is not appropriate after 6 p.m."

From VacationsToGo.com - SeaDream Yacht Club Dining Information
"Dress Code: The dress code is always casual. Appropriate attire for men is slacks and a sports shirt, while women are advised to wear slacks and blouse, a sundress or a pantsuit. Please bear in mind that jeans are not acceptable attire."

From VacationsToGo.com - Viking Cruises Dining Information
"Dress Code: For evenings, while there are no “formal nights,” the recommended onboard dress is "elegant casual" for most restaurants. Suggested attire for ladies includes a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; for gentlemen, slacks and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional but not required. Dinner in The World Café remains comfortable and casual, and daytime dress is appropriate here."

didn't work for us on royal caribbean. we asked for escargot because we had missed the formal night the night before and the waiter apologized and said NO.

If we wanted steak and escargot we would have to go to the specialty paid restaurant but we didn't bring formal clothes for that one. cant remember the name off hand. Did it a few cruises ago, never again, we didn't think the dress code and the food was worth the effort.

we also thought the brazilian steak house on Royal was awefull, we paid a lot to eat there and the meat only came med and well done. they refused to do medium rare for us.

The brazilian steak house on the NCL epi/getaway and escape was fabulous and the steak house was as well. the garlic french fries were awesome and the caesar salad in the shell.....couldn't eat there enough.

one more thing about royal carb.....when you buy the dinner package you can only go to a restaurant one time.....hated that. I would of rather skipped the Italian and eat at the steak more than once. too many rules...

But one thing royal has is the broadway plays. we saw hair spray, chicago and Cats.... kuddos to that. I still don't know what a gellico cat is...never got it.....but the singing and dancing was awesome.

A couple more add-ons to be aware of. Most cruise lines allow you to bring on board 1 bottle of wine per person. Don't be surprised to see a corkage fee of $10 for that privileged. Then on some cruise lines if you would like to drink that wine at dinner - well another fee. Best be a very good bottle of wine you are bringing. I made the mistake of asking for a bottle of water each day be put in my cabin. You know thirsty in the middle of the night. That little deal cost me $4.50 per. And the last cruise I went on now has a delivery charge of $7.50 for room service. Why are cruises so complicated ? So they can advertise $499 4 night bargains.

We always ask them at the beginning of the cruise if we want something special. They can't do it that day, just have to let them know ahead of time what night.

Usually when they charge for room service it's during the late night. They say it was a problem that people get to their room and order something, then fall asleep, or pass out. LOL Then back to the kitchen with the food.

We cruise HAL for ocean cruises, on the Grand World Voyage, 113 days, we had 23 Formal nights. Had Filet Migion and Lobster Tails each time in Main Dining Room. And a present in our cabin afterwards, last one were rolling duffel bags to carry all the stuff. I still pack my Tux for Formal or Gala nights now.

Book through a good travel agent who is part of a cruise travel group. Cheaper rates and they can get you perks. We are 5* Mariners so we get free laundry, two free Pinnacle Dinners a cruise, half price on Specialiity restaurants.

HAL has Indonesian cabin and dining stewards and they would never get away with the stunt on your sheets. They are overworked, doing twice the cabins as before so cabin not made when we return from Breakfast.