Cruise Budgeting
Deciding whether a drink package is worth buying
A drink package pays off only when your real drinking covers its daily price. Learn how to estimate your drinks, compare per-drink prices and check the terms before buying.
The collection
Cruise Budgeting
The full cost of a cruise beyond the fare: onboard spending, gratuities, drink packages and excursions, plus how to set a budget and compare two sailings.
Cruise Budgeting
Gratuities on a cruise and when to plan for them
Learn how cruise gratuities are usually added, when you can change or pay them in advance, and when cash tips for tours or drivers are worth planning for.
Cruise Budgeting
Setting a cruise budget before you book
Set a cruise budget as a total for the whole trip. Build a worksheet of fixed costs, estimate daily variable costs and add a contingency before you commit to a sailing.
Cruise Budgeting
The extra costs that add up on a cruise
Cruise fares leave out onboard purchases, port-day spending and payment costs. Learn where these costs appear and how to estimate them before you sail.
Cruise Budgeting
Working out the true cost of two cruises
Compare two cruises on total cost, not fare alone. Put both prices on the same basis, list what each leaves out and compare the cost per night before you choose.