How Much Do Cruises Cost?

Table Of Content

• BEVERAGE PACKAGES
• Five of the Best Mexican Food Dishes to Try
• Popular Farm Foods from Spain
• What's included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare
• Watch: The world's largest cruise ship just landed in Miami — here's what it's like on board
• The Best Cruise Restaurants Onboard Jewel of the Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises
• Best Comfort Food from Around the World

You can have gratuities pre-paid, where Royal Caribbean charges you the full amount up front with your cruise fare and then there's nothing more to pay once onboard. Other factors, such as inflation, better marketing, and interest generated by new cruise ships drive up prices. The prices above should be used as a guide, but actual cruise fares may be higher or lower depending on day to day pricing. Luckily, cruise vacations are quite affordable and cruise lines offer a variety of options at different prices that make a cruise economical for many families. A passenger staying in suites can get to the Diamond Plus level with just 13 seven-night cruises. Take a few longer voyages, like a transatlantic sailing, and you can reach it even sooner.

The Best Ways to Book a Cruise - NerdWallet

The Best Ways to Book a Cruise.

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:01:35 GMT [source]

BEVERAGE PACKAGES

Members earn points for every night they sail on one of the line's ships, with double points awarded to passengers staying in suites. It would take five cruises if you're doing seven-night trips (fewer if you're in a suite) to reach the second tier, Platinum (30 points). Royal Caribbean has one of the fastest Wi-Fi systems at sea — so fast that you're able to watch Netflix from your room on your mobile device. Pricing changes over time, but recently has been priced at $17.99 per day per device for a package that includes streaming. There also are multi-device packages that are less expensive on a per-device basis.

Five of the Best Mexican Food Dishes to Try

There are other costs to consider when calculating the overall price of a cruise. Cruise prices are also dynamic, meaning you can find a fantastic deal one day only to have the price increase the next. Knowing this, let’s take a look at a few sample prices of various Royal Caribbean cruise itineraries. If you're sure that Royal Caribbean is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand. You want someone who knows all 34 of those cabin categories that we mentioned above and, preferably, has done ship inspections to see them firsthand. As you might expect, pricing for all ships will generally be less during offseason periods such as September and October.

Popular Farm Foods from Spain

There is just one cruise terminal in Cape Liberty, so it's easy to find where to go. Unlike other cruise lines, Royal Caribbean sails out of New Jersey instead of New York City. When there are multiple ships, Royal Caribbean will use other terminals as well, such as Terminal 5. You can have French onion soup and pesto tagliatelle delivered one night and lobster delivered the next. Free room service is an awesome perk to staying in a suite, and what makes this benefit extra special is having access to not only Royal Caribbean’s standard room service menu, but the Main Dining Room menu.

Certain onboard activities

Likewise, shorter cruises have a tendency to have more of a party atmosphere than longer cruises. The drink package benefits will save the most money for folks that drink a lot during the day and spread their drinking out throughout the course of their day and night. None of the packages include mini bar items, Evian water, canned sodas, bottled juice and souvenir glassware, specialty beers as listed on bar menus, or super premium category beverages. Explore all the restaurants on the Perfect Day at CocoCay island and discover all the complimentary dining venues that offers loads of food and drink favorites that will fuel you up in between adventures. Relax and unwind with premium and frozen cocktails, domestic and imported beers, and a wide selection of wines by the glass. Stay refreshed and connected with VOOM, the fastest internet at sea, enjoy unlimited high-speed internet and stream all your favorite movies, shows and music while onboard.

What's included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare

Some recently built ships even have skydiving simulators — giant acrylic tubes where you get to experience the sensation of skydiving. The Oasis Class ships have three distinct pool areas, as well as a watery play zone for kids. A growing number of Royal Caribbean ships also have water parks with significant waterslides. Even more "wow," as Royal Caribbean executives like to say, are the ice skating shows put on at the ice skating rinks found on 14 of the line's ships. The rinks are in the interiors of the ships, surrounded by stadium seating for up to 775 people, and the shows are out of this world.

Watch: The world's largest cruise ship just landed in Miami — here's what it's like on board

But what about a port-intensive cruise in Europe where you are off the ship for long hours and likely to be sampling local beverages? In those cases, the ship's beverage package might not come through for you. When ordering an individual soda on the ship, your charge will be what you'd expect to pay at a land-based restaurant, plus an 18% gratuity added automatically. When you ask a bar server for a soda on the ship, you'll be charged just over $4 per soda with the tip, regardless of whether it comes in a can or from a fountain. The one-liter bottles in the Water Package cost roughly the same as a 12-ounce bottle from a bar. That makes this package a deal, but only if you prefer bottled water over taps or dispensers.

It has long dazzled customers with stunning, resort-like vessels full of every sort of amusement and activity you could imagine. Note that, unlike airline frequent flyer programs, cruise line loyalty programs do not require you to requalify for status every year. So, yes, the perks with lower tiers aren't great, but it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher-level tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot. During the evenings, there is an official dress code, but it only applies to passengers entering the main dining room. On any given night, one of three dress codes will apply — casual, smart casual or formal.

Best Comfort Food from Around the World

The price of a drink package can change many times before the cruise begins and this is because of various sales offered. Typically, there's a drink package discount every few weeks, although the total cost of the drink package may not actually change. The whole notion of not having to worry about receipts, gratuity or how much a drink costs holds less water for us.

The Royal Tots program (for ages 18 months to 3 years) offers 45-minute interactive playground sessions with age-appropriate activities and toys. On many ships, parents can drop off their babies at the nursery for short-term babysitting (this service comes with an extra charge). The key is to know how you like to cruise and which pros and cons of the drink package are more important to you. At worst, you are going to overpay for a drink package or for drinks on your own.

Enjoy an insider’s guide to the best places to eat on your cruise vacation while dining onboard Jewel of the Seas at its many restaurant options. Enjoy an insider’s guide to the best places to eat on your cruise vacation while dining onboard Serenade of the Seas at its many restaurant options. Sip, save and stay connected all cruise long with a bundle of two great favorites. But if you typically only drink a couple of glasses of wine at dinner, you aren't likely to break even — at least not on the Deluxe Beverage Package. In that case, skip the package that includes alcohol and do the math on the Refreshment Package.

Each Royal Caribbean ship also has a jogging track, which is available to use throughout the day at no additional cost. Other activities like pool games, movies, trivia, dance classes, and scavenger hunts are regularly offered on Royal Caribbean and have no additional charge. Children between the ages of 6 months and 36 months old can participate in the Royal Babies & Tots program. Most Royal Caribbean ships offer a nursery, where parents can drop children off throughout the day and evening. These drinks are available at a number of locations onboard, such as Cafe Promenade and the Windjammer. Water can be found at any bar onboard as well, and it’s safe to drink the tap water onboard, as it is of high quality.

Enjoy our vacation guide to the best places to travel for distilleries. Sink your teeth into tender succulent seafood in Maine, crave-worthy curries in Jamaica, French-inspired flavors of St. Maarten and many more indulgent dishes at these 16 Best Foodie Vacation Destinations. Encounter Indonesian food and how Indo Caribbean culture has influenced the flavors of Caribbean cuisine. Now that you know your choices and why you might want each package, let's get down to the nitty-gritty of whether these packages are worth purchasing for you or not. Passengers should follow the port’s digital signage upon arrival to guide them to the correct terminal.

Here are 11 cruise fees you should know about before booking your Royal Caribbean cruise, so you can appropriately budget. Getting to and from your cruise port is another added expense on your Royal Caribbean cruise. You’ll need to budget for flights, baggage fees, gas, parking, tolls, taxis, and any other transportation expenses needed to reach your embarkation port. You can book tours directly through the cruise line or through outside providers, with the latter often offering a lower price.

Instead, you get a physical card that will be punched every time you use the card. It is popular with adults as well as older children and those that like having juices, coffee and teas. Our tips and opinions are based on our first-hand experiences with the drink packages, and the current versions for this year. Here's what you should know to decide if a beverage package is a good choice for you. Indulge in your favorite brews any time of day with a card that entitles you to any 15 specialty espresso-based coffees throughout your vacation, all for one low price.