Cruise Airfare

cruise airfare

Airfare Questions:

what is included when you go on a cruise? Do you just pay for airfare and drinks?

All food and routine beverages such as coffee, tea, water, and ice tea are included in the cruise price, but soda and alcohol are not. Purchasing soda by the glass through a waiter at dinner or from one of the bars runs about $2. To a couple who doesn’t consume soda, this is no big deal, but a family with children can run up a staggering bill by cruise end. After embarking, you can pay a flat fee, around $25-30, and have unlimited soda the whole trip. A sticker is placed on your ship card and any bar or waiter will then supply it for free. Since there is no checking of the card after the sticker, other family members can use the card without notice. The flat upfront fee is a huge savings to an avid soda drinker.

Most ships now have automatic tipping that they claim is added for your convenience. They have decided up front that each guest will be charged $10 per day. For a couple on a seven day trip, $140 is charged to the cabin on the first day of the trip. They offer that this will be split among various service employees like your cabin boy and waiters. If you are like me and feel the cost of the cruise and the additional cost of the onboard charges is high enough, then consider handling the tipping yourself and award good service at the end of the trip, on your own terms. On day one, right after embarking, go to the business office and simply ask the clerk to remove you and all others in your cabin from the automatic tipping. They gladly do it and you are now free to tip at your own rate and to those providing the best service. With automatic tipping, a family of four would be billed $280, and a much less figure still rewards the better service with substantial savings. I tend to tip about half of their suggested amount as tips are built into other areas as you will see.

The ship photographers will take pictures of you at every turn and offer them for display at a gallery location. An 8×10 photo will run about $20 and the combination packages don’t really provide a better bargain. Stay away from spontaneous purchase and wait until the end of the trip to really sort out the best photos to take home. Remember that a good quality camera will produce just as good results and at a much cheaper price.

It sounds like this is your first cruise so you should consider buying the Intelligent Cruiser Guidebook that is recommended by The Last Minute Cruise Blog. I put a link to the guidebook and the blog in my resource box. I cruise lots, but I still like to refer to the guide before I go so that I’m ready for any unexpected charges. Hope this info helps and I hope you have a great cruise!!
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