Thank you for the responses to the balcony vs. inside cabin. There is so much to consider the first time around:-) We unlike most people need to budget for our cruise. Which is hard when you've never been on one.
Can someone give us an idea of how much we can expect to spend on things like tipping, drinks ( a typical beer) or any unknown costs that we might not know about being first time cruisers. Thank you, Wendy

Wendy,
Also consider that I have travelled on an inside cabin once.....once. I swore that I would never do it again, no matter the cost. It is like living in a closet. I know others may have different opinions, but it drove me absolutely crazy not seeing outside.
Other costs... I know others will chime in but,
the tipping is at $10 per day per person in your party. Beer about $5 with 15% tip automatic. Shopping, excursions, etc off the ship. Gambling, shopping, drinks on the ship. Sodas and booze are not included in the price. Coffee, juices, hot chocolate, iced tea, etc are and are mostly available. All food is included except for maybe a specialty restaurant or specialty coffee. I'm sure more thoughts will come. But, you will love cruising. It is easy to get addicted. It is the best way to see the world at the best price, even on a budget.

Baldwin5-welcome to cruise chat!
You will find that many people here are or may be travel agents, and, through work, cruise alot more than people like you and I who do take almost a whole year to save up and pay for our cruises. Don't feel wierd for having to budget expenses-many of us are in the same boat.
Now, our first 7 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, being very careful with money, we spent about $900 extra (we do NOT drink, so that saved us much). The typical trinkets you'd buy on any vacation should be expected on a cruise. Almost every port you stop at will have locals trying to sell you almost anything, some forcefully. If you know the word "NO", you'll do fine.
On board, photos are taken all over the ship of you and others, and are available to buy somewhere on the ship in the camera shop. There are many on board shops too, where ytou can shop and buy things, some expensive, and other things VERY expensive! Tips can be pre-paid (there are basic prices that RCCL asks for it's crew-your travel agent or RCCL's travel planners can explain them. For a standard 7 day cruise, the basic tip expense for two people is $136.50. Travel insurance is a very good idea, and is $118.00 for two. (These are our expenses for a 7 day Mariner cruise in September this year.)You can also spend money in the casino-how much is up to you. There is a "drug store" type shop on the ship with basic medications,etc.
For your first cruise, I'm a big fan of paying for your shore excursions through RCCL. They may be a bit more expensive than a port vendor(not THAT much), but you ARE guarenteed that the ship will NOT leave without you if something happens on your outting, and they are late to get back to the ship. Our first Captain, Iask Olsen, stressed the need to be back in time, lest you become a new resident of whichever island you were visiting that day.
We like to book our cruise a year in advance with a standard $500 deposit for two ($250. each), and then pay $250. per month until the trip is paid. This way doesn't make it SEEM so expensive.
I'm sure there are other costs I haven't thought of, and other people will inform you of them here.
Enjoy yourself! You're going to LOVE crusing, and I can almost bet you'll be hooked like the rest of us here!

If you order room service, tips are usually $1-$2 dollars per person. Depending on what you ordered. Also if you have an inside cabin, my girl frind, who is also on a budget, turns her TV to the station that has the outside cam on, thisway you will know if the sun is out or raining, or if it is night time!

quote:

You will find that many people here are or may be travel agents, and, through work, cruise alot more than people like you and I who do take almost a whole year to save up and pay for our cruises.

Jim, sorry but that's just not true. As a travel agent, I have paid the same for every cruise I take as you or anyone else pays. If we take cruises "through work," it's because we are escorting a group (which is work, not a vacation) and we still pay airfare and taxes, just as you would pay if you were escorting a group. And at a travel agent's so-called salary, believe me that agents who want to cruise have to save up just as much as anyone else.

You'll find that the folks on this forum who do the most cruising have nothing to do with the travel industry, and are employed in some other industry, or are retired and able to cruise.

There are a very few travel agents on the board. Currently, I don't think there are more than 3.

Sandy

Traveling on a budget has helped my wife and I vacation every year to warm weather location.
1) limit your drinking, as drink prices are expensive.
2) do not go to Chops or Portofino as they are extra.
3) excursions can get pricey, there is no need to book an excursion at each stop. Some stops have excellent shopping or site seeing by using a taxi and driving around.
4) at an island when others are on an excursion it is fun to have the boat all to yourselves.

Hope this helps. Enjoy the trip.

Jim, Sandy is right-on…there's only a few travel agents on this board. I'm not, nor do I ever intend to become one.

There's probably a lot more people on a budget than you think. Wendy, paying an extra grand for a balcony isn't going to help your budget. This is your first cruise and you're going to be in total awe even in an inside cabin. I've been in several inside cabins and still enjoyed my cruise. I use the cabin as a bedroom with a bathroom. At home I don't spend much time in my bedroom when I'm awake—same thing on a ship. Even when I'm in a balcony cabin or suite I don't spend much time in my cabin. Oh, sure, it's great to have a bigger cabin with a balcony, but is it worth the extra $ if your on a budget?…I don't think so. Other's will probably disagree with me, but I've been on over 40 cruises and can give you my opinion with experience. It really depends on how tight your budget is.

Sonny

Right now, I think we have three full-time cruise specialists as members (including the staff) and a couple more who dabble in the biz part-time like me. Plus I am recently retired but that also means I have a fixed income.

I like to go with at least a balcony cabin, and lately have gotten into the suite life although I know it is probably not a sound financial decision. We've had one inside cabin in our cruising history. It wasn't bad but I still like some natural light so we haven't returned to an inside. I am a bit claustrophobic so having at least a window makes me feel better.

Value-wise it is hard to beat booking an inside cabin. As Sonny notes, the primary things are a bed and your own bathroom. Once you leave the cabin it doesn't matter. And booking insides (or lower level outsides) means you have more money left and that means you can cruise more often. I have an owner's suite for our upcoming Alaska cruise. For the price I am paying we could have taken two Caribbean cruises in regular cabins. This is our first time to Alaska and I wanted something special (plus the extra cruise credit for booking a suite!).

Hi Wendy,

We've taken 19 cruises and MOST have have in inside cabins....Windows are great, but for the extra dollars, I would rather spend it on excursions...you will remember them long after the cruise.....we take at least 2 cruises a year and thru our agent have gotten some great last minute deals...$299-$499 for 7 days with airfare....We don't drink much so we save a lot of money there...and after one or two cruises, we decided we didn't need ship pictures...another saving...I do like some of the higer end excursions but am willing to pay for them with some of the money I saved:-)...

Happy cruising no matter what you decide...I think cruising is still the best vacation buy..

Bob E

You really can cruise, have a great time and do lots of things without spending a lot of money after you pay for the cruise and get to the port (which can be costly if you fly in)Pre cruise or post cruise hotel and meals.

All of the shows are free. If you are on a Voyager or Freedom class then there are the ice shows. There's minuature golf, dancing, ping-pong, rock climbing wall and all sorts of poolside events that are free. Pictures can get costly if you go overboard on them. Also, you can keep tabs of your account on most newer ships(not sure about Explorer) by checking on your TV daily. That way it won't sneak up on you at the end. Cruising on a budget is just like being on one at home. It takes disipline and I know from experience that you can get caught up in the moment Enjoy your cruise.

I am not a drinker so I cannot tell you how much drinks cost. I think beer is around 3 to 4 bucks a bottle and virgin drinks are not that bad. I don't think it is that bad, seems like the drinks are mighty popular on the ship so you should be ok.

Sorry guys-what I ment was that TA's MAY cruise more BECAUSE of work-I DID think that there were more TA's on board here than apparently there really are-no harm, no foul; I submit.
IS it really going to cost an extra $1000.00 for a balcony over an inside cabin?
If it's really budget time, maybe an inside cabin IS the way to go then. Maybe one of the cabins that overlook the Prominade area would be nice too. Either way, we can all agree that you're going to LOVE crusing.

I have been on three cruises so far. All have been inside cabins. The thing that I noticed was that when the light is out it is DARK, I mean pitch black, in there. I have never slept in a place like that and found that I slept soooo much better. Other than sleeping, we were not in our room. I have found that with more outside and balcony cabins it seems like more people are staying in their rooms freeing up the rest of the ship for me. Since I have not had an outside cabin I have nothing to compare with, but for the price difference, I'll stay inside.

We used to book the lowest fare possible, then one cruise had a balcony. It's very hard to go back to an inside or even an oceanview, however, it's better to be inside than not on a ship at all. If you drink, book excursions that offer drinks included in them. Most snorkeling excursions will give you rum punches on the way back, there are some "party boat" excursions that the rum punch flows freely. If you prefer beer, purchase them in port where they're $1-$2, you can't take them back on board, but you can drink them while you're exploring the port. Most crise lines offer bucket-o-beer, where you purchase 5 and get 6 or 4 and get 5. It's served in a bucket, helmet, some type of container of ice, so you can take them back to your room. Some cruise lines offer a drink of the day, if you don't get them in the souvineer glass, they will be less expensive. Some cruise ships have penny slot machines, almost all of them have nickel slots. You don't have to purchase every picture they take, so only get the ones you really want. You don't have to purchase them at all, but they do a great job. I like the ones they do with the intinerary on them. There's plenty to do without spending a ton of money. Read through our port section for ideas on excursions. I do suggest going through the ship for anything other than going to a beach or shopping. That way, you are sure you'll be brought back on time and that the vendors have been checked out. Best wishes and have a wonderful cruise!

quote:

I DID think that there were more TA's on board here than apparently there really are

And that would be a very reasonable assumption, but my experience with running travel forums (I work at another one too) shows the opposite to be true these days. Years ago it was common for many agents to actively work the boards but not anymore. The cruise specialist I am affiliated with hasn't visited a forum in probably 7 or 8 years.

Back to the topic at hand...

I have been tempted by the promenade cabins on the Voyager and Freedom class ships. Of course there is the Ben & Jerry "sweet" among these cabins and those lucky people get free ice cream all cruise long!

The promenade cabins are nice, but almost as much as an outside or balcony at times. It would be worth another $100 to be to have a promenade over an inside cabin.

Sonny

We travel as a family of four and get the balcony cabin. The third and fourth person have a somewhat discounted fare which helps with this. Should my husband and I return to those earlier days of cruising just the two of us we will probably look to inside and go more often. Just trying to figure out where we will pin the wet swimsuits with no balcony.

Budget: Drinks are expensive. Specialty restaurants are expensive. I save my money for the excursions. Even if I couldn't afford to "excurse" I would still want to cruise, there is almost always a beach just a cab ride away at most ports. I also prefer experiences to "things" and when on a budget I limit shopping. The thing you acquire as a remembrance will be long worn out, dusty, or discarded and you will still be remembering the great fish you saw, the white sand, the river you tubed down, etc.

Please Please Please don't try to make your budget by thinking you will short the gratuities. These people work their backsides off--well, you will see when you get there!

And check the brochures for where you want to go next, because you will be hooked.

Also, for your next cruise: as soon as this one is paid for start an envelope or a separate account. However much you can possibly part with take out of EACH paycheck and put it aside for the next adventure. You will notice we cruise annually: That's a lot of twenties in a #10 business envelope, but it is a lot less painful that way!

quote:

Just trying to figure out where we will pin the wet swimsuits with no balcony.

On the clothesline in the shower.

Sandy

Good idea sphoheat, I have a cruise jar and a piggy bank. The cruise jar gets whatever I have left at the end of the week from my paper money, my piggy bank gets all of my change. The cruise jar is for the cruise fare and the piggy bank is for my spending money.