What did you spend on your cruise?

[thickerson555]

I started tracking my spending a little better last year so now I can see exactly what I spent on my vacation. I logged everything we spent from a new suit coat for my son, new swim suit for my daughter, sunblock the kids got certified before we went so we could scuba and I included that. Added the eating out, parking, buying snacks for taking on excursions etc.

 

Basically I logged everything that went towards my vacation that I wouldn't of bought otherwise. It was an enlightening experience and I was curious if any other cruisers track their actual costs. I spent close to 7k for my 7 day oasis balcony trip for my family of 3. We flew to the port the day before. The scuba certification and stuff associated with that was 900 if you wanted to subtract that out.

 

So what do you guys spend on your vacation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[awestover89]

I started tracking my spending a little better last year so now I can see exactly what I spent on my vacation. I logged everything we spent from a new suit coat for my son, new swim suit for my daughter, sunblock the kids got certified before we went so we could scuba and I included that. Added the eating out, parking, buying snacks for taking on excursions etc.

 

Basically I logged everything that went towards my vacation that I wouldn't of bought otherwise. It was an enlightening experience and I was curious if any other cruisers track their actual costs. I spent close to 7k for my 7 day oasis balcony trip for my family of 3. We flew to the port the day before. The scuba certification and stuff associated with that was 900 if you wanted to subtract that out.

 

So what do you guys spend on your vacation.

 

I just started doing this as well, we spent $8,910.29 on our 7 night Alaskan cruise for 4 last May. This included a week in Alaska before the cruise, all excursions, on board purchases, pet boarding for 3 pets, train for all 4, and one way plane tickets for 2.

 

 

Our cruise next week I have estimated at $6,600 right now, 9 day cruise for 2, but that still has quite a bit not set.

[Wendyland]

I haven't tracked that closely for a cruise before, but we usually spend 3 to 4K on our family of five. We rented a house in Florida with a pool in June and I decided to track every single thing. It was our cheapest vacation at 2k.

[aubreyc1988]

So for this upcoming cruise, here's our budget

 

Flights for 2 - 400.00

 

Fare for a Boardwalk Balcony with port taxes and fees for 2 people - 1736

 

Onboard booking deposit took off 200.00, so brought that total to 1536 (essentially i consider that "money I found in my pocket" since i booked that deposit a long time ago and that money has been long gone from my budget)

 

Onboard booking OBC, with 50.00obc fare reduction, and a 50.00 obc from travel agent - 200 OBC

 

Paying gratuities for cruise with all of the OBC

 

Drink Package for me - 360.00

 

Drinks for my husband - 100 budgeted

 

Pre Cruise Hotels - going two nights in advance because my husband has the vacation this time around and we have one free night at Westin - 90.00

 

Pre Cruise Restaurants - 100

 

Pre - Cruise trip to Seminole Casino - 100

 

Uber Rides Pre Cruise - 50.00 (A HIGH estimate)

 

Kennel for my dog - 176.00

 

Mani Pedi Pre Cruise - 100.00

 

Cruise Excursions - 400.00

 

Money for Casino on Cruise - 1,000

 

GRAND TOTAL = about 4,500 for 2 people

 

This is a pretty expensive cruise for us, usually our cruise fare for 2 people is around 1300/1400 instead of 1736. But I am splurging on a lot of things this time around, and really 4,500 for 2 people for a week isn't bad :) And all of my estimates are high, so probably will be around 3500. Unless I HIT IT BIG at the casinos lol, which is not likely to happen haha

Edited August 20, 2016 by aubreyc1988

[rhuntington3]

$179 for a Royal Gift+112.50

$363.44 for the Premium Package

$156.94 for the Royal Replenish Package

$230 for an excursion at Roatan, Honduras

$118 for an excursion at Costa Maya, Mexico

$112.50 for our share round trip bus ride from the hotel to the terminal

$91.26 for the pre-cruise hotel

$1,381.40 for the cruise on Liberty, Promenade cabin including insurance

 

Total of $2632.54.

[oldmom]

Hi-thickerson555-( I grew up in KCMO and my Mom lives In Holts Summit-near Jefferson City). It will cost you guys alot more since you pretty much have to fly to get to the nearest ocean-or spend 1-2 days each way of your vacation driving. That does really almost double the cost. I agree though that the little things really add up for a cruise. But any vacation on the coast is usually pretty pricey. We usually spent at least 4,000-5,000 a cruise for 3 . But we drove to the ports-usually 5-9 hours for us-depending on which port we used. I used reward points for motels-saved cash rewards for extra expenses-we cruised the earliest time in May that schools were out, to save money, also booked most excursions ourselves to save some money,etc.- We can only afford to cruise every 2-3 years ,usually.

[Shenaz]

~2600 $ per person for our upcoming 16nt TA, everything included :cool:.

[kearney]

We are driving from Atl to Orlando, staying with a friend and then on to Ft Lauderdale. traveling on Allure.

 

Cost of cruise including taxes, for ocean balcony $2000

Gratuities $190

package of 4 specialty dinners $190

All access tour $150

est of drinks and misc spending onboard $175 (not big drinkers, plus we are diamond members)

one night at hotel in Ft Lauderdale $112

Parking/tip at park n go $72

travel insurance $112

misc meals coming and going to ship $250

Gas for drive (excludes other costs of maintenance) $240

roughly $3500 for the trip (excludes misc like sunscreen, OFF, any new clothing which is minimal)

[wilmingtech]

Great thread. You always forget about all the little details. Its great to see how others plan their trips and also to dream about how cheap it will be to cruise when the kids are out of the house ;)

 

Our situation is a little different as there are 6 of us (Mom, Dad and 4 kids) and we travel full time. We are planning on being on the east coast this spring so our travel costs to and from the port will be a car drive from where our RV is parked.

 

Currently planned budget if we are parked in Coastal NC - $5746.00

 

3690.00 for 6 of us in a 2 bedroom FO on an 8 day Caribbean on FOS out of Ft Lauderdale

 

(200$ OBC so no on board spending costs)

 

750.00 Gratuities (Pre pay plus additional cash)

 

200.00 in clothes... most we have to buy anyways as kids grow out of swimsuits like crazy and two or three of the kids will have to buy a nice outfit.

 

400.00 in fuel driving to and from Ft Lauderdale from NC.

 

158.00 one night hotel in Ft. Lauderdale

 

48.00 - Parking.

 

200 food and car snacks and miscellaneous items.

 

300.00 for port costs - Budgeting 100$ per port in San Juan, St. Martin and St. Kitts. We won't spend a dime in Labadee and will probably spend most of the 300 in San Juan.

 

------------------------

 

Our last cruise was to Mexico in the Haven on the NCL Jewel - 6994.76

 

6453.98 - Cruise Fare in 2 bedroom family suite in the Haven + Gratuities

150.00 additional gratuities (Butler and Room steward)

 

(400 OBC so no spending onboard)

 

Didn't have to buy any clothes for this one.

 

200 - Port Spending (got pesos and a little peso went a long way)

 

45 - Had lunch on the beach in Puerto Vallarta

 

41.50 - Fuel to and from campground

 

91.00 - Parking

 

13.28 - lattes from Starbucks on the drive into the port.

 

-Sean

[KeywestK]

Cruising costs us a lot less since we moved to Florida. When we were living in Maryland and cruising from Florida, we always flew in 2-4 days pre-cruise, so that meant airfare, hotels, car rental, restaurants & entertainment. That made for a costlier vacation.

 

For our upcoming Allure cruise, it's the cost of a CP balcony cabin, tax/tips/insurance, parking off-site, and gas for the 2-hour drive to Port Everglades. We'll taxi to Paradise Beach in Coz, Labadee will cost nada, and I don't plan to get off the ship in Jamaica. $100 OBC will cover extra alcohol (we bring 2 bottles of wine with us, and as Diamond, we have pre-dinner cocktails in the DL,) so minimal additional expenses, perhaps a specialty restaurant.

 

New clothes? Mani/pedi? I never factor that into the cost of a cruise. I do that regularly ;):)

[Doug S]

Certainly depends on the occasion.

 

Our usual Galveston trips for 2 can be really cheap. Under $2k for a Balcony, A few hundred for insurance, about $50 for parking, about $100 fuel/car expenses, maybe $300 for various non covered meals, About $200 for paid drinks, and less than $400 on excursions. Usually keep it around $3k total out of our home port, even throwing in an occasional retail therapy purchase. Great deal for a one week get-away.

 

Our Alaska trip was much more - Flights, hotels, extra meals, pre-and-post cruise activities, higher cruise cost (still in balcony), high end excursions (helicopters, whale watching, private coach tours, private wine tours), taxis, more onboard spending. I'd be shocked if we totaled less than $10k on that one but I really don't need to know. I'd do it all again.

 

Our booked TA and Panama Canal cruise will run a few more bills, but our 2 upcoming Liberty cruises will be cheapies. Sometimes we splurge, sometimes we don't.

 

Edit: Forgot tips - we always leave em on and figure on about another $100 or so in miscellaneous tipping.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Doug S

[fredflint]

I usually don't spend much money at all , priceline for a rental car 100.00, airfare using southwest points, priceline/hotwire for hotel another 100.00.

I go on relaxing vacations for the most part not exploring so we don't spend money on meals or drinks or tours for the most part.

[cincicruisers]

$2650 pp balcony rooms, 4 adults

Caribbean cruise 2017

Edited August 20, 2016 by cincicruisers

[STANMELB]

This year we have sailed 2 times on the Allure and 1 time on the Oasis.

 

As we live 165 miles from Fort Lauderdale we do not have any air or hotel expense. Following are the average of our 3 cruises.

 

Cruise fare including insurance minus our C&A discount--5466

Gas--24

Parking--105

Tips--500

Sub Total--6095

OBC--(450) 250 of our OBC is fully refundable, which we use for extra tips

Net Cost--5645

 

Using the Suite Lounge/Coastal Kitchen takes care of all our drinking and dinning needs. After 48 cruises to the Caribbean, we no longer go on excursions.

 

We are also sailing on the Oasis 8/27/16 and 10/8/16. Cost for those cruises will total about 5800.

 

All sailings were and are in L1 Crown Lofts.

Edited August 20, 2016 by STANMELB
spelling

[Trixie21]

Our 7day cruise on harmony this summer was the most expensive cruise we have taken.

We are from Northern Ireland so any cruise always involves flights and often an overnight hotel. This year we went from Rome and spent 4 days pre cruise in Rome which added A LOT to the budget. The cruise itself was £3200 for a balcony for 2 people ( harmony was commanding a premium price in Europe this year ) although this included free gratuities and a premium drinks package each.

We booked several private tours both in Rome and on the cruise which were quite pricey.

Essentially we splurged a bit on this one!

When all was added up ( including clothes , kennels for dogs , private transfers , onboard spending etc) it cost around £7500 for a week.

In comparison we have 12 nights booked on navigator of the seas for next June and I am working on a budget of £6300 in total - per night a much more reasonable spend.

We have a maximum budget of £9000 per year for holidays at present and this will usually involve a cruise and a land based holiday.

If we lived in Florida we could have several cruises a year - I am horrified when I see how cheap some of the cruises are from port canaveral and Fort Lauderdale .

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Paulette3028]

I started tracking my spending a little better last year so now I can see exactly what I spent on my vacation. I logged everything we spent from a new suit coat for my son, new swim suit for my daughter, sunblock the kids got certified before we went so we could scuba and I included that. Added the eating out, parking, buying snacks for taking on excursions etc.

 

Basically I logged everything that went towards my vacation that I wouldn't of bought otherwise. It was an enlightening experience and I was curious if any other cruisers track their actual costs. I spent close to 7k for my 7 day oasis balcony trip for my family of 3. We flew to the port the day before. The scuba certification and stuff associated with that was 900 if you wanted to subtract that out.

 

So what do you guys spend on your vacation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Maybe it is just me.....but nothing that is purchased in the way of clothes, is ONLY ever used for just one specific vacation. Even the scuba certification and related items are an investment that will be used/enjoyed at some time. I can see the specific airfare and the hotel needs with food prior to the departure or if adding days on the back end of a cruise to the costlist.

[hapster85]

We've already had one cruise this year, with another coming up soon. I'm afraid to go digging that deeply into the total associated costs. Some things are better left alone. Lol

[Lessa123]

Just worked it out with what we have spent or reserved so far.

 

One week on the Oasis

one night hotel

one day car rental

Airfare from Canada for two

Dog boarding

One excursion for two

Two premium drink packages

Voom surf and stream for 2 devices

Prepaid gratuities

KYSS bag

shuttle to airport

luggage fees

 

$7,500 (not including pre-cruise meals, tips for shuttle drivers, tour operators and porters, souvenirs/gifts, specialty dining, extra tips on board and shopping pre-cruise)

 

I figure it will cost us more than $8K total in Canadian dollars. Ugh

[Paulette3028]

Just worked it out with what we have spent or reserved so far.

 

One week on the Oasis

one night hotel

one day car rental

Airfare from Canada for two

Dog boarding

One excursion for two

Two premium drink packages

Voom surf and stream for 2 devices

Prepaid gratuities

KYSS bag

shuttle to airport

luggage fees

 

$7,500 (not including pre-cruise meals, tips for shuttle drivers, tour operators and porters, souvenirs/gifts, specialty dining, extra tips on board and shopping pre-cruise)

 

I figure it will cost us more than $8K total in Canadian dollars. Ugh

 

 

When listing all the directly associated costs to go on a cruise, the list can be pretty long, especially when the departure port is not near where you live.

[dpostman]

I started tracking my spending a little better last year so now I can see exactly what I spent on my vacation. I logged everything we spent from a new suit coat for my son, new swim suit for my daughter, sunblock the kids got certified before we went so we could scuba and I included that. Added the eating out, parking, buying snacks for taking on excursions etc.

 

Basically I logged everything that went towards my vacation that I wouldn't of bought otherwise. It was an enlightening experience and I was curious if any other cruisers track their actual costs. I spent close to 7k for my 7 day oasis balcony trip for my family of 3. We flew to the port the day before. The scuba certification and stuff associated with that was 900 if you wanted to subtract that out.

 

So what do you guys spend on your vacation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Did the same here, I got myself and my 2 kids Scuba Certified for our cruise next March.(almost $2000) I had seen on the royal web site about a Scuba excursion on CocoCay, problem is... I still don't see the excursion in the cruise planner yet. Lots of other ones available but not the scuba. It's driving me nuts. I assume it will open up eventually, and if I got through the Shore excursions list on the RC web site, that scuba excursion is listed as available on our cruise but if I click on " Book now" it brings me to my cruise planner and then it is not listed. :(

 

 

I know the scuba certification is not lost, but this cruise was definitely an important factor.

 

dp

[thickerson555]

Paulette, I included the suit coat and stuff like that because I wouldn't of bought them otherwise. My son might get 2 years out of the suit. Last year I bought a cheap tux for each of us and his didn't fit this year. It's near the end of the swim season here so I wouldn't of bought it otherwise. If I wouldn't of bought it I included it in my costs. Sure it's not fair to put 900 in scuba class's and equipment to the cost of one vacation but our next vacation wouldn't include that. Next year the kids passports expire (they only last 5 years) and the way I do it its included in the costs. It helps me plan the next vacation realizing how much money I need to set aside.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thickerson555]

Oldmom, We have driven several times even though it's a 16 hour drive just because it can save a lot of money. I cruised out of Galveston mobile and New Orleans because it's a lot closer drive. I used to do spring break cruises but it's a lot more limited on dates. The last two or 3 have been summer cruises in August. I'll check for ones in May next year because that would be nice to save some money on it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thickerson555]

Dpostman, Where else are you going. Cozumel has some really good diving.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[deepcman]

Cruise = $4000

Airfare=$400

People who share all their business on CC= priceless

[Lessa123]

When listing all the directly associated costs to go on a cruise, the list can be pretty long, especially when the departure port is not near where you live.

 

And the 30%(ish) conversion into Canadian funds. I think I was happier before listing it all out. Still, it will be worth it!