My recommendation is to read and do your research. Things can change and you don’t want to be caught out and disappointed.
If you’re reading this post, I’m assuming you are on a bit of a budget. With kids and yourself, things can get pricey.
Keep in mind that on all the below points, I’m talking about our experience with Royal Caribbean which is why I say to check against your chosen cruise company.
- The cruise fair covers your accommodation. Accommodation choices (at least on Royal Caribbean) are a variety of options for inside cabins, balcony cabins and a range of suites.
- Out of Australia, your cruise fare will also include tips. The last time we sailed out of the USA there was also an option to include gratuities in the fare price (tips). I find this useful as you know what you’re up for. You will still be able to tip someone on board if you believe they have done an exceptional job as well. I would probably put aside a little money for this so that you have a budget as you would be surprised at just how many people wait on you and just how good a lot of them are. My mother in law said they had been on a ship and a year later were on another cruise and the same person was serving the bar in a lounge they attend. He remembered what they were drinking! Now, either they drank way too much…… or that is exceptionally impressive.
- Meals – there are many places that you can eat for free. More free food that you can eat so you don’t need to worry about that. There are buffet style meals (how this will change after COVID I’m not sure) as well as sit down meals in the dining room where you are served individually. I swear on the last cruise my kids were lucky they didn’t turn into pizzas!
- Activities – there are also many activities included in the price of the fare that you don’t need to go looking. They range from theatre performances to bingo and napkin folding classes. There are movie nights by the pool, people playing music in bars, comedy nights etc. There are organised sporting activities and fun things like the belly flop competition which always seems to be a favourite.
- Kids Club – it doesn’t run day and night but is open most of the day from relatively early until dinner (ish) time. The best part is that as the kids get older, they can sign themselves in and out (with your permission). My girls didn’t always like it as they were a little shy but my son would get up in the morning, wake me up to tell me that he had activities booked and head on out. Most kids seem to really love it.
- Drinks – there aren’t many drinks included in the price. You may find special events here and there that offer a free drink but anything more than water, orange juice, lemonade (American Style) you’ll probably have to pay. Water is always available though. You’ll be able to get coffee in the mornings with breakfast. I don’t drink coffee but Pete isn’t keen on it (he’s a coffee snob though) so he prefers to buy himself a “real” coffee.
One thing to note here is that they do not allow you to take drinks (even water) on and off she ship in drink bottles. I think you can take sealed bottles but these will obviously cost you money to purchase. Something to be mindful of. We haven’t had any problems taking drinks on when boarding. We’ve never been quite clear on the rules for this but it seems to be ok. It might be possible to take water on and then it’s sealed for when you take it off (don’t hold me to that though, I’ve never tried it – will be a task for our next cruise) - Getting on and off the ship is included on shore days. Whether you need to purchase shore excursions (you can organise these via the ship) or if there is enough to do close by that you don’t need any additional expense depends heavily on where you are and also what you are looking to get out of your day (relation on the beach or full on adventure travel for example)
- Soft Serve Ice Cream – this is usually available. More recently, it has only been available during certain times and there is a staff member to serve you. I’m assuming this will be the case post COVID. Not all cruise ships offer this though and charge for it. Just double check when you’re onboard or when booking.
Additional Costs
- Drink Package – when booking your cruise you do have the option to buy drink packages. Both alcoholic and non alcoholic. This isn’t something I would personally buy for myself or the kids.
We have been sailing with Royal Caribbean for a while so we have moved up in their loyalty program. Part of the program gives you free drinks (selected few) between the hours of 4pm to 8pm each day. This is one of the main reasons I think they’re loyalty program far exceeds other companies. I’m not a big drinker anyway so this is more than enough for me (and sometimes I still only drink free Coke Zero during that timeframe). For Pete, this has reduced his cruise bill by $$$ (I’ll say no more here…..). Seriously though, outside of these times we just wouldn’t drink enough every day to warrant buying a package.
I’m quite lucky in that my kids are generally happy with water. They would like soft drink but again they can drink soft drink for free between the same hours so I don’t think they need anymore. Sometimes though they’re so busy they have 1 and forget.
I’m not saying don’t do it. I had a friend who said a whole heap of them had the drinks package and the ship ran out of some alcohol (something about Australians maybe). It might be worthwhile for you. Remember that if the ship is stopping every couple of days at an island, you can’t get free drinks there so factor that in when making your decision. - Photo package – This is something I don’t mind. If it has been a while since you’ve had nice family photos taken, this could be a great time to do it. They have photographers everywhere. If you get the package, make sure you jump in everything. You can get them all saved to USB (and also to your phone via an app throughout the cruise). I wouldn’t do it every cruise but it’s completely worth it if you don’t have nice pictures together or haven’t for a while.
- Specialty dining – There are other dining options where, for a fee, you can dine at a specialty restaurant. You can select to visit the restaurant just for one meal and pay one price or you can choose dining packages which allows you to eat at the restaurants more regularly. We have never taken a package but have paid additional to try some out every now and again.
- Decent coffee – if you’re like Pete, there are places to get coffee’s, milkshakes, icecreams etc. On our last cruise they had a Starbucks.
- Drinks – As mentioned above most drinks you will need to pay for
- Day spa, massage, beauty treatments, personal training etc. The gym itself is included but personal training and group exercise classes are usually not and will come with an additional fee. As will the day spa and beauty treatments.
- Personal instruction for things like the flow rider. The flow rider will have times when you can go and line up and try out body boarding or surfing but if you want private instruction, this will come as an additional fee.
- If there are any activities during the day where there is a fee, it will be detailed in your cruise compass (an information sheet placed in your room each night for the following day). Most activities are included but there will be some that aren’t (such as a cooking class, personal dance class etc). There is usually a $ sign next to things that require payment so that you are aware.
- Specialty food items in the main dining hall. Sometimes the main dining hall will have a specialty item (such as lobster) that you could purchase. Again, it is highlighted as an additional charge so you know prior to ordering.
- Shore excursion – on shore days you have the option of paying for a tour, organised through the cruise company and you can purchase this onboard. If you get off the ship, regardless of whether you pay the cruise company for an organised tour, organise a tour yourself with a local or just walk around, this will be at your cost.
- Internet – my one argument (constantly) when the kids are onboard. It’s not free! It’s also not cheap! My advice, prepare your kids for nothing and then if you decide to get it for a day or so then great. Again, not cheap. It does work well though. Another thing that I like about their loyalty program. They’ll give you a free days internet. Although telling a teenager they are cut off from the world for 13 of their 14 day cruise can apparently be quite a shock! On shore, you can sometimes find free internet spots but I probably wouldn’t rely on it working great
