Anyone that’s taken a cruise knows that your cruise fare is just the start of what you’ll pay. There are opportunities to spend day and night on the ship. And some spots are worth it, while others definitely are not.
As part of my job, I’ve spent literally tens of thousands of dollars across dozens of cruises over the years. There’s not much on a cruise ship that I haven’t experienced.
That means I can tell you firsthand there are some things that you need to splurge on during the trip to have the best time… and definitely some items to avoid.
Splurge: Highest-Tier Wi-Fi
Let’s start with something to splurge on that might be controversial, and that’s splurging on the wi-fi. I want to be clear here — many people don’t want to be connected while on a cruise. If that’s you, then no, do not buy the wi-fi. It’s expensive and can be spotty. Save your money.
But if you’re like me and make your living on a computer, or you just can’t go for a week without a connection, then you’ll want to splurge for the highest-tier service possible. Cruise ships usually have multiple tiers of connections, with a cheaper lower tier and a more expensive higher tier that’s faster and allows you to stream and have full web access.
There’s no arguing that the prices are insane. I recently spent $85 for a four-day cruise, and I’m still not over it. But even the best connections at sea are going to be slower than back home and those lower-tier services can be nearly unusable in some cases. If you don’t need wi-fi, then skip it. But if you do want it, go big.
Splurge: All-Inclusive Packages like Princess Plus
Another spot to splurge may actually take care of the wi-fi issue for you. Cruise lines know that passengers don’t like being nickeled and dimed, but it generates a lot of revenue for them.
But some lines like Princess and Celebrity have rolled out more all-inclusive packages. They can include the cruise, plus gratuities, drink packages, wi-fi, and more, though each line is different.
You’ll want to do the math, but if you’re planning to get the included items anyway, paying for these packages can often be well worth the money. For instance, I sailed Princess last year and with the Princess Plus offer with wi-fi and gratuities included — which I was going to pay for anyway — the drink package came out to only about $20 per day. That’s a steal.
Don’t just assume it’s a deal, but don’t instantly dismiss these offers either.
Save: Private Island Activities
One thing I will never get is visiting a spot like CocoCay and seeing all the cabanas. These things can cost thousands of dollars and yet so many times I see them with a sign welcoming passengers meaning they are booked, yet they are sitting empty.
Private islands are a big part of cruising. They are custom-made for cruise passengers and include the beach, a pool, and spots to eat that are all included in your fare.
The big ones — specifically Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay — offer tons more. There are cabanas, zip lines, waterparks, adults-only areas, private clubs serving lobster, the list goes on.
But these parts of the island cost more, and the costs can be significant. When there is so much that’s free, however, I think it’s hard to justify the added cost. I like to instead save my money here, enjoy the free stuff, and then use that money spend in other ports of calls to have a better experience.
Splurge: Shore Excursions
I’ve driven jet boats… panned for gold in Alaska… explored the Dominican Republic… swam in cenotes…
If you can’t tell, one spot that I think you should definitely splurge is with shore excursions. I make it a rule of thumb to pick at least one port to do a shore excursion every cruise. The reason being that while they can sometimes be pricey, they also offer the ability to do things you simply cannot do back home.
I’ve found that well after the cruise, the day-to-day of the trip can fade a bit, but the excursions stand out as some of the sharpest memories. I don’t do them every port simply because the cost would be too much. But to me, doing one or two a trip is a must.
Save: Balcony Cabins
I said before that I’ve sailed in every type of room from interior cabins to suites. No surprise, those high-end rooms are way nicer. But the trade-off is they are way more expensive. You can sail for a sharp discount if you book an interior room but having your own balcony is so nice.
To keep things simple, I always suggest that if you are sailing a trip of four days or fewer, then don’t splurge for the balcony. No argument, it is nice, but on these short trips you’re spending so much of your vacation around the ship and in port. There’s not much downtime that you’re actually going to use on the balcony.
In fact, overall I think people spend way less time on the balcony than they realize. It’s nice to be able to step outside, but if you look at other ships arriving or leaving port — a time when you’d expect lots of people outside — you can see that very few actually seem to be taking advantage.
Splurge: Balcony Cabins
Now, I just told you not to splurge on the balcony. But I’m also telling you that you should splurge on the balcony, and I promise you that I’m not talking out of both sides of my mouth.
You’ll notice that I just told you on trips of four days or fewer, you are good to skip it. But on trips that are longer than that, I think it’s a nice spot to splurge. When you start getting to five, six, seven days or longer, there is a lot more downtime on a cruise. There’s more time where you aren’t just going constantly around the ship or in port and just want to relax. That means you have more time to actually take advantage.
That’s on top of the idea that spending a week in a room without natural light or fresh air can be tough to handle… and I’m someone that regularly sails interior cabins.
So yes, it’s definitely worth the extra money for a balcony on those longer trips.
Splurge: Specialty Restaurants
I think one of my favorite aspects of cruising is that I don’t have to do the entire “what do you want for dinner?” back and forth with my wife. She likes fancy meals, and I’m more of a backyard cookout sort of guy. On a cruise, we can both find something no matter where we eat.
It pains me a bit, however, that I think one spot you should splurge is with specialty restaurants. I’ll admit, this one is hard for me personally when you have included options available at no extra charge.
But if I’m honest, the buffet on any line I sail is pretty “meh” to me. The main dining room is very hit and miss for my tastebuds with some dishes being amazing and others not so much. On most lines (outside of Carnival, which offers a lot of included food), the other free options are actually more like snacks.
That leaves specialty restaurants. Here, the food isn’t mass produced for thousands of people, and you can tell the difference. You can’t eat here every night or it would get way too expensive. A time or two during a week long cruise definitely breaks up the monotony of eating the same places over and over.
Splurge: Spa (Thermal Pass)
If you’ve ever looked at the price list for the spa, you might have gotten some sticker shock. Prices of $150 for a basic massage — plus a 20% gratuity — aren’t unusual. To me, it’s too pricey.
But one place I think you should splurge is with something that seems rarely advertised. On the ship, the spa will have something that’s called either a day pass or a thermal pass.
These passes give you access to the spa, but no treatments. But you get the thermal loungers, sauna, fancy showers, whirlpools, and you can spend as long as you want here. What I’ve found is they are reasonably priced, often as little as $40, making them definitely worth the cost.
Save: Casino Gambling
Want to know the definition of hypocrite? I’m going to tell you not to splurge in the ship’s casino, but when you see me on your cruise, there’s a decent chance I’ll be here. I don’t gamble a ton, but always spend a little time playing.
Here’s the deal, however. We all know that the odds are in the house’s favor. Anyone that plays, knows some casinos tilt the payouts to make things even more in their favor.
The top tier of video poker (which I love) are known as 9/6 machines. That means they pay nine credits for a flush and six for a straight. The expected payback over time is 99.5%. Most cruise ships have 6/5 machines that pay 95%.
Then there are rules around blackjack and craps that can reduce the payouts to be more in the house’s favor. And there are all sorts of offbeat games like skill cranes for money and coin pushers that I don’t even know how you’d calculate the payback rate.
Bottom line, have fun but I wouldn’t splurge.
Splurge: Upcharge in Dining Room
I mentioned specialty restaurants as being a place to spend a little bit, but there is no arguing that they get expensive. But here’s a workaround you can use if you splurge in the main dining room. You’ll spend less overall, but still it can be well worth it.
Remember, the dining room is included in your cruise fare. As a way to generate some money from eating here, cruise lines now have a free menu but also some higher-end options like filet mignon and lobster that are for an extra charge.
The trick is if you splurge here, then you can save some money. For instance, a recent Carnival cruise saw a charge of $49 for the steakhouse. But you could get surf & turf or filet mignon for $23 off the dining room menu. That’s about half the cost.
Sure, you don’t get the same atmosphere or full menu of a place like the steakhouse, but it is a spot where you can spend a little and save a lot.
Save: Faster to the Fun
For the last spot where I’d suggest you don’t splurge, I’m going to pick on Carnival a little bit. And frankly, this is one where I expect to see a lot of comments because it’s about Faster to the Fun.
Faster to the Fun is a service where you get priority service. You get priority check-in, bag drop off, a shorter Guest Services line, and more. The reviews from the service are generally pretty good. Look around online and you’ll see lots of people that say they love it. To me, it’s never made any sense.
Take priority check-in. Carnival has gotten so good at getting people on the ship that it’s rare to actually have to wait long at all to get checked-in and board the ship. In fact, most people just do it online.
Bag drop-off is nice. I recently had about two hours on a ship lugging my bag around before my stateroom was ready. But that’s not worth paying upwards of $100 or more for.
A shorter guest services line? After the first day, there’s usually no line at all. Priority water shuttle boarding? It’s very likely your cruise won’t have a port where it’s used.
I have a hard time seeing any perks that would be worth the cost and would rather save the money.
