So..what is and isn't included?

[RLA2010]

We're first time cruisers sailing on the Carnival Liberty soon & I'm very very excited! I'm trying to get a handle on all the extra expenses that I may not have thought would be extra but would creep onto our bill on the last day. I'm not the type to spend tons of money to have fun so I'm perfectly fine enjoying whatever is included on the ship and not spend extra $. We didn't pre-pay gratuities yet but I know it will automatically tack onto my credit card at the end and I'm fine with that. I also know I'll be shelling out some extra tip money for the crew on board the ship and I'm also fine with that but above and beyond tips, the ideas I have of extras (not included) are:

 

Alcohol (that's fine, we don't drink)

Casino (don't gamble either)

Any shop on board (I expect this to be extra, no surprise)

Soda (fine, we only drink water and juice anyhow lol)

 

Is everything else included? ALL food? room service? All activities on board?

 

Just trying to avoid a 4 page bill.

 

P.S. They would tell us if we were going to be charged for something, right? And not just smile & nod while we stand there as naive first timers? :p

[sparky-elpaso]

Specialty restaurants

Fancy coffees

 

If the waiter asks you for your seapass there's a charge.

 

Also, if you order room service it's customary to tip the delivery person - $1 to $5 depending on the amount you order.

[paul929207]

Nothing should sneak up on you. Other than the daily tip for the cabin steward, and waitstaff, everything else that is extra, you have to sign for.

[jsummerton]

They take lots of photos (if you don't turn them down) and the problem is, a lot of them are quite fun to buy.

[collegecruiser346]

But, you don't have to buy the photos. There will be an area on the ship that will have them on display, and you can buy them if you want. They are nice, but they are also pretty pricey...

[whciv]

You've got the major items that are going to hit you. Of course, any excursions you buy are not included. Your food is included, but don't forget tipping. Not only do you need to tip the major folks (waiter, cabin steward, asst waiter...) but don't forget a dollar or two for rooms services folks.

 

Here are a few money saving ideas we use:

 

1. Bring Soda - Carnival allows you to bring some soda on board in a luggage bag. We did and that saved me buying any on the ship. Granted, we drove to the port so it was easier. You can stop at a store before boarding your ship. Don't try to take a 50lbs bag of soda on the plane.

 

2. Bring Water - At least bring a few water bottles and refill them at the water stations on the ship. Cheaper than buying water before you head on shore.

 

3. Set A Budget - I know this sounds like common sense, but lots of folks don't set any kind of budget for casino play or alcohol. Its easy to lose track. Its your vacation so have fun, but keep track of what you do spend. Seen folks almost pass out when they settle there cruise accounts.

 

Have fun. :)

 

 

Smart-Travelers

www.*****

 

3.

[willersonm]

You are going to have a blast! Take you a bottle of coke or whatever. When you are in port you can bring one on. Room service is free, just give them a couple of dollars. Usually everyone's tips are on your card and they receive them on the last night. All the "fun" stuff on the ship should be included, almost anyway. They charge for bingo and stuff like that. You will be busy the whole time, if you want. You sure won't be hungry. If there is something you like, you can ask for more, or something you don't you can get something else. They will have a comment card at the end. This is how they keep up with them. Anything less than excellent is unacceptable. If you didn't care for a food for instance and you put fair or good, they get into trouble. Trouble means they lose tables in the dining room or something in your cabin, they lose cabins. It get into their money. The cruise lines do not pay them much, I heard 100. a month, they depend on their tips. The cabin and waiters are mostly from third world countries, not Americans for that money. They are trying to suppost their families and most are trying to build a home. They send their money home and only get to go a couple of times a year. They work very hard and very long hours. If the dining room for instance is closed you will probably see them in the buffet on top. They have very little time off. Tell your cabin steward if there is something you want, extra towels, etc. I always tell them the first day, extra towels and I'm good to go. I don't want to come in hot and not have enough. I don't care if they vacum everyday or any of that. I know they usually have about 14 cabins and are very busy. If I don't care for something in the dining room I ask for something else but that doesn't influence the comment card. It's not their fault if I don't care for something. It is different if you don't get good service. There has only been one person we gave a bad review on in 17 years and he was a bad cabin steward with a bad attitude. The drinks when you walk on, alcohol or not, they are NOT free and the drinks and bottled water in your cabin aren't either, J.F.Y.I.

 

Do you have any problems with motion sickness, the ships can rock, regardless of how large they are?

 

Ask Away,

Mary

[cruiserking]

Some of the other things not included are Bingo and any ship's excursions you might book.

 

Jonathan

[griffy116]

Things not included in the cost of the cruise:

 

Tips: Porters at Pier (customary is $1 per bag)

Tips: Dining Room Wait Staff (even if you only eat at buffet, as tips are divided)

Tips: Room Service ($1-5) - On RCCL there is a charge of $4.95 for room service between midnight and 5 a.m.

Gambling in Casino - Drinks in casino are not free either.

Bingo

Specialty Restaurants

Soda: (Soda Card can be purchased, but if not, charge per drink, even in MDR), alcholic drinks (pool, bars, etc). Drink price charged includes 15% tip when you give them your seapass card

Photos (optional to purchase - Taking picture doesn't mean you are charged)

Video Arcade

Yoga classes: Use of gym equipment is free, but any class has a charge

Wine Tasting

Art Auction: YOu can attend free, but of course would pay for purchase.

Excursions

Parking at the Pier

Specialty Coffees

Ben & Jerry Ice Cream (although there is free soft serve available)

[goatgoat]

You will easily be able to keep up with what is being added to your account. When they are going to charge you, they will ask for your seapass. They will bring you a ticket to sign (similar to what you get in a restaurant when you use your credit card). Hang on to those. You can also go to the main desk at any time during the week and ask for a printout of your account.

 

If you do order a drink, etc. from a waiter, the 15% gratuity will already be added in. There will be a line on the ticket for tips. Use that only when you feel someone deserves more than 15%. On my first cruise, I routinely added 15% to all drink tickets only to realize later that I was actually tipping a total of 30%!

 

If you have them automatically add tips to your account (for cabin steward, wait staff, etc.), you don't have to worry about that on the final evening.

 

The ports will often have many, many shopping opportunities. Some people go crazy. They will have "sales" all the time in the stores on the ship. If there are to be any true bargains there, they will likely be on the final day at sea.

 

If you don't drink, don't gamble, minimize shore excursions, limited the number of photos you select, buy only one great t-shirt for a souvenir, your account will be small at the end. I did a cruise in May with my sister and we each had our own account. I indulged in a couple of fruity adult beverages each day, rented a clam shell at the private beach, bought one photo ($20) and a couple of t-shirts and went snorkeling. That plus my tips for the week came to about $220 as I recall. I can't imagine any vacation where I wouldn't spend more than $32/day.

 

You will be fine! You just don't have to spend a lot of extra money on a cruise to have a wonderful time.

[kitty9]

If you order juices in the bars, there is a charge for that.

[Jimnbigd]

I'll add to the list:

Spa services -- hair styling, massages, stuff like that.

Medical services. This can be quite costly. Hopefully you won't need it.

Transportation to the cruise, of course.

Hotel the night before the cruise. It is best to not arrive the day of the cruise.

[RLA2010]

Wow you guys are wonderful! This website is helpful :D Thanks so much for all the tips (and yours are free, harhar ;))

 

I will be shelling out $1 & $5 bills like they're candy, I expected that. Judging from everything else though we should be a-ok since we aren't interested in really anything that takes extra cash (i.e. alcohol, soda, gambling, spa, bingo) and all our excursions are already booked!

 

I can't WAIT! :D

[willersonm]

RLA2010-- Your tips are the LAST night and are probably on your ship card. You do give a couple of dollars at the pier with your luggage, of course. BUT, on the ship, room service, yes. The buffet workers are the same as the dining room. You will see your waiters there when they aren't in the dining room. They work these guys all the time. AND GIRL'S. The tips they receive wil be what you do the last night. You don't tip everyday. If you have great service and want to do extra you can add it to your card the last day or give extra cash. If you order a drink or any kind, we don't drink either, it will be automatically added to your bill. You will catch on fast! You can't use cash on the ship, only your shipboard card. None of the shops, etc. accept cash. Did you join the roll call for your sailing. You can sign up for the party on here and meet a lot of people. Go to your sailing and you will find out when and where. We have met people through the years that we have become life long friends with. This is our 17th year cruising. You are going to have a wonderful time. Be sure and take something for sea sickness. I read last night someone on here that became very ill and had only taken the pills with them. Better safe than sorry, the transderm scope patches from the doctor are great, used for cancer patients. A time released over several days, they work for 7 days for me. It says change every 3, everyone is different. I know too many is bad, I tried that to. I get sick so easy you would have to throw me overboard. The sea bands help, ask in the pharmacy area, just a pressure point on your wrist. You will see all these things. A ship can rock regardless of how large it is. You won't spend that much unless you want to. Many do their own tours off the ship. You will see tour guides everywhere when you get off and ready to "make a deal". That is what we always do, just make sure their air works great and the vans have rear air. It gets very hot down there. It is usually less than half of what the ship charges.

 

Remember, you don't go through the buffets or wherever just handing out money, unless that is what you want to do. You won't see people doing that.

 

HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP.

 

Check out the ships and travel sites, they are all different and offer different things. You can get great deals and some with shipboard credits. We ended up with a huge credit this year. Join the Captain's Club on the cruise line, no charge and you will end up with savings certificate's$$$.:D

 

 

Mary

[xxoocruiser]

Other things that can add up in on oboard charges

• Dining at a specialty restuarant that has a surcharge
  
• Using the internet. Even if it's your personal computer you'll be charged for satellite time
  
• Using your cell phone on board ship. If the read out states Cellular at sea or something like that your phone is on the ship's satellite service and you will be charged . Think it's aropund $2.50+ a minute
  
• Calling ship to shore from the cabin phone
  
• Excursions booked through the Ship
  
• Bingo
  
• If on RCCL using room sevice after Midnight and 5:00 AM there's a service charge
  
• If you use the Luggage Valet Service at the end of the cruise.
  
• If you need to use the ship's infirmary other than sea sickness pills or to get a bandaid.
  
• Specialty Coffees
  
• Specialty Ice Cream other than that offered in the ship's buffet area or as dessert .
  
• Bottled Water
  
• Bottled Juices , any juice ordered a bar or a trhough a Drink waiter. (Lemonaide from the buffet is usually available throughout the day free on most ships. )
  
• Anything prestocked by the ship in the cabins fridge .
  
• Bottled water in cabin ( Many think this is free but it's not )
  
• Art auction
  
• Photos and cruise video by ship's photographer
  Wine tastings
  Spa Services
  Arcade
  Specialty exercise classes
  Hair Salon
  Special Ships tour
  Tips automatically added to the bill.
   
  

[RLA2010]

Thanks willersonm for your tips! Very helpful :)

 

Other things that can add up in on oboard charges

 

• Using the internet. Even if it's your personal computer you'll be charged for satellite time
  

I could have sworn I read somewhere on Carnival's website that on our cruise line (Liberty) the Wi-Fi was free if using personal laptop...of course now I can't find it. I think it was on the T&C somewhere. Nevertheless, we can live a week w/out the internet. I just thought it'd be useful if we wanted to look up our port or something while on board.

 

• If on RCCL using room sevice after Midnight and 5:00 AM there's a service charge
  

But room service on the Liberty is included except for tip right? I have a feeling we'll be using that a lot ;)

 

• If you use the Luggage Valet Service at the end of the cruise.
  

Really? :eek: So when they tell everyone to have their luggage outside the night before disembarkation they actually charge for that? I think we can carry our own luggage in that case...

[griffy116]

Sitting the luggage outside the room is standard and is not the luggage valet charge. Some cruise lines offer a service where you don't have to claim your luggage at the pier when you get off. You go straight to the airport and your luggage is checked and taken care of for you. There is a charge for that. We haven't used it and someone who has can give you a better explanation. We sit our luggage outside the room the last night, then at the pier, we have to sort through the luggage that has arrived (much like at the airport), pick our our luggage and either lug it ourself or get a porter to help load it into a taxi or shuttle for the airport or our car. Luggage valet means you aren't loading and unloading your luggage (air only) more than once.

[RLA2010]

Sitting the luggage outside the room is standard and is not the luggage valet charge. Some cruise lines offer a service where you don't have to claim your luggage at the pier when you get off. You go straight to the airport and your luggage is checked and taken care of for you. There is a charge for that. We haven't used it and someone who has can give you a better explanation. We sit our luggage outside the room the last night, then at the pier, we have to sort through the luggage that has arrived (much like at the airport), pick our our luggage and either lug it ourself or get a porter to help load it into a taxi or shuttle for the airport or our car. Luggage valet means you aren't loading and unloading your luggage (air only) more than once.

 

Ahh, I see! We do have the option of carrying our own luggage off the ship though, right? I'd prefer that actually. I imagine it'd make things go by quicker

[PokerStarNH]

Hi,

If you decide to splurge on the spa .. watch out for what's included in the service and what's extra. For instance, if they ask you if you'd like to try xyz, make sure it's not extra! My wife had a facial, they asked if she'd like some eye cream and she said yes. They gave her the rest of the little tube to "take home". We found the outrageous charge on our bill at the end of the cruise. They never told her it was $35!