First time cruising, money question?

[camptalcott]

Woohoo, our excitement is building and I'm starting to cross my "t's" and dot all the "i's"

 

So, I've got my excursions picked and paid for

I ordered our drink package

I've ordered our on board entertainment.

I also pre paid for our tips.

 

What other things can I expect to pay out of pocket for?

 

We have the soda package, do I tip when we get refills?

We only booked on specialty dining, the rest we signed up for mtd, do I tip the waitstaff as in a normal land restaurant?

After an excursion is it customary to tip the tour leader?

 

I apologize if this is a nosey question, trying to get a roundabout budget. I was thinking ~250 bucks a day for three of us. I have flexibility just don't have any idea what to expect? We each also have a 100 on board credit, what can we use that for?

 

Thanks all,

Edited March 19, 2015 by camptalcott

[Sherri914]

Tipping is included in your drink package price (18%). You can certainly tip more if you want.

 

I don't do Specialty restaurants normally, but I have ready that many do tip as if on a land-based restaurant - although I believe the service fee is already included in either your pre-paid gratuities and/or the fee you paid for the specialty dining.

 

If you use room service, you'll probably want to tip as those are not included in your pre-paid gratuities. We use a $1/plate rule.

 

We tip the porters, cabbies, bus drivers, shuttle drivers, excursion leaders.

 

We tend to tip a little extra at the end of the week in cash - over and above our pre-paid gratuities - to anyone who has provided above-average service (usually our room steward, our MDR waiter/assistant waiter, and perhaps a favorite bartender).

 

We usually take 1's, 5's and 10's to cover all those tips. For the two of us, we don't bring anywhere near $250/day for tipping.

 

As for your OBC, you can use that for anything purchased on the ship. Purchases on the ship will be charged to your SeaPass card, and you can use that OBC to pay for those items. Examples would be for-fee food/drink purchases (cupcakes, candies, arcade, souvenirs, bottles of liquor purchased on the ship, merchandise from any of the shops, additional excursions, spa services, smoothies, specialty coffees, fitness classes.....).

Edited March 19, 2015 by Sherri914

[cb at sea]

No need to tip additionally...you've covered your bases! Your OBC will be used for ANYTHING you buy on the ship...it's simply a credit against any charges!

 

Specialty dining fee includes the tip. Your prepaid grats. cover the waitstaff for all other meals.

 

Room service is about the only thing NOT covered under packages or prepaid tips. $1-5 is common, depending on how much you make them carry to you!

 

Gambling...bring the cash you're willing to lose! Transportation in ports where you don't have excursions,....cash is easy and fast!

 

We usually take about $1500 for a week, and we rarely spend it all...it goes home and back in the bank!

Edited March 19, 2015 by cb at sea

[beachluver9]

Sounds like you are all set! Your gratuities are prepaid for MTD and your room attendant. If I get really good bar service (either a waiter person or bartender), I usually add $1 to my receipt. Some servers, etc don't even provide a receipt of you have the drink package. On our last cruise we had a really good wait person at the Champagne Bar (our favorite) who quit giving us drink package receipts after the second night. We gave her an extra $20 on the last night. With the exception of room service, I always tip using my sea pass card. Room service gets between $2-5 depending on the size of our order.

 

If you don't use all of your OBC, it will be refunded to the credit card that you used to secure your onboard purchases. So don't feel that you need to spend it all or give it all away.

 

As for tipping on excursions...if the guide openly solicits tips, they get very little or sometimes nothing if they are overly aggressive. I usually carry a bunch of $5s, 10s, and 20s for excursion tips and give it away based on who I felt went out of their way to make our day special. On our last cruise (Jan 15) our lead excursion guy was so aggressive sniffing out tips that I gave his to the bus driver.

[gms5002]

We each also have a 100 on board credit, what can we use that for?

 

It sounds like you've already got your major expenses booked. You might consider canceling your beverage package online and purchasing it aboard the ship instead (from any bar). That way you can use your OBC to pay for it.

 

You could do the same with your specialty restaurant and excursions but then you run the risk of not being able to get what you want on board if they are booked up.

[serene56]

I was thinking ~250 bucks a day for three of us. I have flexibility just don't have any idea what to expect? We each also have a 100 on board credit, what can we use that for?

 

 

WOW-- 250 a day? I dont even spend that for 3 in a week.

 

What about pictures did you budget for those?

[papaflamingo]

Likely you will find a way to spend $100 onboard. The OBC is just a part of your Account. Everything purchased on board, including any added tips, dining, drinks, souvenirs, etc. is charged to that account. The first $100 is deducted then it starts to add up. But if you end up not spending it, check that the OBC is refundable. Sometimes it isn't. If not, then go to the Casino and get cash. They charge a small fee (either 3 or 5%) but it beats losing it.

Since you are doing a specialty dining, you likely will be presented with a bill that has a zero balance. If they charge you simply explain you pre-paid. No problem. But since you sign a bill, if you want to add some tip, then you simply add it and it will be charged to your account and will draw against the OBC.

Not sure anyone said this, we usually tip the Shore Excursion Guides.

Tipping is always your choice. As mentioned Room Service is the one place that a small tip is fairly normal. We usually tip $3 for two of us for breakfast. But even that isn't necessary.

Since you have pre-paid for everything, $250 per day for 3 is probably overkill. But better to budget too much than too little. Enjoy the cruise. Hopefully you will feel as most of us do about it and will become a regular.

Edited March 19, 2015 by papaflamingo

[camptalcott]

WOW-- 250 a day? I dont even spend that for 3 in a week.

 

What about pictures did you budget for those?

 

Hey that's good to know. I didn't think of pictures. The 250 budget is what we spend at Disney. I know they aren't the same I was just trying to think of all the possibilities so I gave it the same budget.

 

Thanks all,

Camp

[serene56]

Hey that's good to know. I didn't think of pictures. The 250 budget is what we spend at Disney. I know they aren't the same I was just trying to think of all the possibilities so I gave it the same budget.

 

Thanks all,

Camp

 

 

LOL Not even close. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney--but a cruise is more for relaxing.

Pictures. (I dont even know if Royal does this) but every night before dinner we make our way around the various photographers - i prefer casual pictures and let them know this-- then on the last night we spend time gathering up our pictures and deciding what we want. No sitting fees no one is pressuring you.

But it will be hard to say no to all the ones that turn our so good-- so go in knowing what you want.. my limit is 2 pictures on any cruise.

[LeeW]

Most RCI ships also have a picture option where you can buy a DVD or DVD plus prints of every picture you are in for the cruise. Not a good deal for us, but price can be in the $250-300 range for a cabin. So you could put your one day budget into that and get photos taken every time you see a photographer.

 

You could also buy a ton of bingo cards or casino tournament entries with your budget. We usually take that much but around $200/day is our casino budget. And of course almost all shore purchases are either cash or credit card. Don't forget to let your credit card company know you will be out of the country.