Cruise Budget & True Cost Calculator

Cruise Cost Guide

What's the key thing to understand about Hidden Cruise Costs?

The advertised price is just the starting point. Major additional costs: gratuities: £12-18 per person per day. On a 7-night cruise for 2 people: £168-252 extra. Most lines add this automatically — check if already included. Drinks: a glass of wine at sea costs £8-14. A daily cocktail habit = £25-40/day/person. Unlimited drinks packages: £45-75 per person per day — only worthwhile for heavy drinkers. Specialty dining: most cruises include a main dining room, but premium restaurants cost £25-75 extra per person, which can add up considerably across a week-long cruise if used more than once or twice.

What's the key thing to understand about Shore Excursions?

Official cruise line excursions: convenient, guaranteed return to ship, but significantly more expensive than booking independently. Example: a generic bus tour through a cruise line: £80-120 per person. Same tour booked independently: £25-50. Independent travel: at most ports, public transport or private taxis are perfectly accessible. Research in advance using TripAdvisor, independent travel forums, and GetYourGuide. Risk: you must return to the ship independently — if you miss departure, the

Drinks Package — Worth It?

The maths of drinks packages: standard package at £55/person/day. You need to drink: 5-6 standard cocktails (at £10 each). Or 8-10 glasses of house wine. Or a combination. If you genuinely drink this much: a package makes sense and reduces budget anxiety. If you drink 1-2 drinks per day: pay as you go is almost always cheaper. Tactics: some cruise lines allow splitting packages (one passenger takes package, one does not) — this rarely makes financial sense if they enforce the 'both in same cabin

What's the key thing to understand about Making Cruising Better Value?

Best value scenarios for cruising: shoulder season (May, September for Mediterranean) — 20-40% cheaper, less crowded. Repositioning cruises: ships moving between regions offer dramatic discounts (50-70% off). Limited ports, less desirable itinerary. Solo cabins: many newer ships have solo cabins without the solo supplement. Interior cabins: often 40-60% cheaper than balcony. Genuinely barely less comfortable on short cruises. Pay-as-you-go approach: skip the drinks package unless you are a heavy drinker, since most moderate drinkers pay less overall buying individual drinks than the flat daily package rate.