Hidden Cruise Ship Charges and How to Avoid Them

Taking a cruise is a great experience. They really can offer an all-inclusive vacation in a luxury setting, that moves from fun location to fun location. While cruise companies like to promote their all inclusive fares, sometimes well under $100 per person per day, including room and food, the reality can be a lot more expensive if you're not careful.

Extras and upcharges can really add up, we've had cruises where the on-board charges and extras exceeded the price of the cruise itself. Here are some common areas where cruisers can get hit with extra charges and how to avoid them:

Tours and shore excursions
The cruise ship will take you to and from the city or dock area and you don't have to use their tours and services once on-shore. Some ports will allow you to simply walk off the ship, some require a small boat to get to shore. Research the port, so you know where to go and what you want to do. We like to research available tours and activities online and usually end up using someone we found through our own research instead of the cruise line's options.

Always be aware of the departure time and the time of the last tender back to the ship. If you are not back in time, the ship really will leave without you, leaving you the responsibility of traveling to the next port of call to meet it.

Food
Food is included in your cruise cost. This includes the buffet restaurants, casual restaurants and even room service. Cruises will offer many up-charge dining options. We been on many cruises and usually stick with the included food options. We will research the specific ship before the cruise and maybe book a night or two at the upcharge restaurants if we like the food. The last cruise we took had a steakhouse for a $25 per person charge, which was worth it, and an upscale, romantic Italian restaurant for $20, also worth it for a more intimate, upscale experience than the regular options.

Drinks
Drinks are where the costs can really add up. While food is included, drinks are not. So as you sit by the pool all day sipping Pina Coladas, you will be running up quite a tab. If you drink soda and soft drinks, they will usually have a all-inclusive price of $20-$30 at the start of the cruise, this is usually worth getting, especially for kids. If they have any specials to pre-pay wine or beer, these also usually end up being cheaper than buying individual drinks. Remember the cruise ship will not allow you to bring your own liquor on-board and they will also confiscate (until the end of the cruise) any bottles you try to bring aboard from any port stops.

When ordering drinks, remember the tip is already included in the gratuity, there is no need to add more onto the bill, even though a large space is provided to do so. To further remove the idea you are spending money, ships operate on a credit system, charging drinks to your room access card, eliminating the need for cash.

Photos
Shipboard photos and video have become very big money-makers for cruises, as evidenced by the number of photographers they have. There will always be photographers taking pictures of you and your fun, video too, and each night there are big displays of the photos, all available for purchase. Each time to get on and off the ship in a new port, they have a formal portrait with a backdrop for photos. If you do buy a photo, remember you can always scan and copy it at home, so even a small size will work.

We did like the formal portraits they did in the ship's lobby. They had professional studio lighting and backdrops and would take group or couples pictures, all available for purchase, but no charge to pose and then see the prints. We did get a nice, formal, posed family photo we probably would not have gotten if not on a cruise.

Conclusion
We always set a budget for each day of shopping, food and drinks, also gambling too. Monitor your drinking and eating and stay within the budget. Cruises are supposed to be fun, so ensure you allow yourself extras to enjoy your time on the ocean.

You can follow travel writer Ted Sherman on twitter, @travel4seniors and check out his blog, travel4seniors.com

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