How much spending money for a 5 day cruise?

[michele54]

How much do the lanyards that hold your sea pass cost on the ship?

 

 

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[Mermaidhair]

Not sure how it works on every cruise line but on RC last year it was cheaper to get digital prints and they give you a USB drive than having pictures printed on the ship. Then we just took the USB drive to Walmart

 

 

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oh i wish they offered digital on Carnival. That would be a great option for sure!

[Mermaidhair]

Are you asking how much additional you will need beyond your cruise fare or how much actual CASH you will need for a 5-day cruise? If you are asking about money beyond the cruise fare then consider

 

• Daily service charges $13 x 5 persons x 5 days = $325
  
• Luggage handling at the port = $10
  
• Are you going to buy any additional beverages (soft drinks, specialty coffee, bottled water, etc) - I would estimate $2-$3 for each non-alcoholic and $8 per alcoholic for a drink. Let's say Mom & Dad each have 2 alcoholic drinks each over the course of the trip and each family member has one soft drink/specialty coffee per day. It is easy now to say, oh we won't drink that much, but you have very few ports are you going to be able to resist and just drink the included beverages of tea, drip coffee, fountain water and milk? If you go with the conservative that is $100 right there.
  
• Bingo sounds like a fun distraction, but it is meant to be a money maker. The cards are expensive and the games are over fast, so don't expect that this will be a cheap easy way to fill your afternoon. Packages start in the $25 range and only go up from there. How many are going to play. Let's just assume mom and dad each play one package - $50
  
• Will you be gambling at all? Let's assume Mom & Dad aren't big gamblers. Lot's of people just say, "Oh I will just play $20 in the slots" Again Mom & Dad only - $40
  
• Will you need a definite shady spot while at Half Moon Cay or are you okay with potentially not finding a shady spot and having to rent a clam shell. The shady spots go quick! - $25
  
• What are you going to do in Nassau. You can walk off the ship and hit several touristy shops and let each person spend $10 a piece on a souvenir. Are you going to eat off the ship or are you going to head back for before lunch? Nassau is one of my least favorite ports, but if it was one of only two stops then I would at least get off and find some conch fritters. Souvenirs and lunch - $100
  
• Are you driving or flying to the port? I am going to assume you have already factored in airfare, but if driving you will need to add parking at the port. I am not sure what the port parking fee is in your area, but let's say $10 a day or if you are flying you will need transport from/to the port so either way- $50
  
• There always seems to be other money maker things out there - hair wraps for girls, paint a piece of pottery, etc - 20
  
• Will you family do the Dr. Suess character breakfast? - $25
  
• Pictures Here is a money suck. Let's be conservative and say you get just a few - $50
  

Cruises can be deceptively expensive. Nothing I mentioned above is an excursion and all are optional, accept the daily service charge. For a family of 5 who was pretty conservative onboard would still be spending nearly $800. Take out the pre-paid gratuities and it is still almost $500. You need to ask how much willpower you will have (and have to tell your kids no) to avoid the above items

 

NolaTravelGirl thank you for all of the detail/hypotheticals! It really does put it in perspective so we know what to expect. There are several on here I thought of already but just as many that I didn't consider. I guess it'll be time to start writing out what we want to spend for the optional stuff and what we don't want to. I am definitely glad that we already paid for gratuities in advance as well. If there is any other thing you can think of, I welcome your comments! Thanks again