My husband and I would like to take a cruise?

Question

But I am not all that well traveled so I am confused on how to go about it. When you buy your tickets, is it all inclusive (food, drinks)? Do you have to pay extra for the onboard or offboard activities??

Answer 1

Until you have some experience, go with a travel agent. You'll probably pay a bit more than contacting the cruise line, but the travel agent will probably make up the difference in a free upgrade (the higher the deck you're on, the more expensive), sign-n-sail credits, etc.

I've sailed on Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and on both lines the food is free (and oh-so-good). Any drink other than milk, tea, coffee, and water, though, you have to pay for. If the line you're looking at offers bar coupons, they're a good way to save a little bit of money. Same thing with soft drink cards if you drink a lot of soft drinks.

Onboard activities (shows, etc) are generally free. Some onboard activities like bingo you have to pay for. As for offboard-- well, it doesn't cost anything to get off the boat in port, but be prepared to pay if you want to actually DO anything. Still, there's a couple of advantages to taking the shore excursions that the cruise line offers, and they're probably as expensive or less than if you tried to do them yourself.

There's a wealth of information available at cruisecritic.com

Answer 2

We've always booked our cruises through the website (we primarily use Carnival, and we got hooked up with a special agent from there who gives us fantastic deals on the vacations). As far as Carnival goes, everything is included food wise, but not drink wise. You can purchase a soda card for sodas, and alcohol costs you money. Only lemonades/waters/fruit juices are free. ALL food is included.

As for onboard activities and offboard activities, the excursions that you do (if you choose to do one that's offered by your ship) you will have to pay for ahead of time, and depending on what that excursion is, it can cost either not a lot of money to a lot of money. If you just go off the ship and decide to have a taxi driver bring you to the beach, then it costs as much as the taxi drive (which is what we always do). Onboard activities should not cost you anything. The only thing on Carnival that cost us were the gym activities, but nobody really wants to work out on a cruise ship anyway ;-) All of the entertainment and activities that they put together were free for us to do.

If you are worried about anything, talk to a travel agent. Or call up a representative from the ship that you want to sail with and hopefully they can answer some of your questions. :) Good luck! And if you do go, enjoy yourself! It's a fantastic time!

Answer 3

Most cruises include food (some don't include alcohol). Onboard entertainment in included. You can usually get packages from a travel agent, or the cruise company, that include excursion packages.

On your first cruise, take it slow. Don't buy every package just because it looks like a "great savings," you will probably spend a great amount of time exploring the ship that you are sailing on - most are like mini cities.

If you really want to sit down and talk to someone about everything a particular cruise has to offer, I suggest going to a travel agent or a local AAA office. Since the introduction of the internet most agencies have gone the way of the dinosaur but AAA is usually pretty knowledgable.

Answer 4

You buy your ticket from a travel agent. They will get you a discount from the brochure price. Never, never pay the brochure price.

It is inclusive of all meals. Alcoholic and soft drinks cost extra. Iced tea, coffee, juices are all included in the price. Room service is included - you should tip the waiter who brings it.

Anything off the ship like excursions are extra costs. On board activities are included such as shows. Shopping on board and gambling is extra, of course.

There are a couple of the super-luxury lines like Raddison 7 Seas and Seabourne that include drinks and excursions but you pay BIG bucks for those cruises.

Answer 5

Once you decide where you want to go and for how long you can visit the cruise line web sites for info & pricing & order a brouchure. It is best to book a cruise as fas ahead as you can as they fill up fast. Most things on ship are included except drinks, casino's, gift shops and some of the fancy resturants. Everything off the ship is at your expense. They also have broucures that lists these as well plus cost. If you belong to AAA they can save you money plus set everything up for you once you decide. Cruising is a GREAT getaway.

Answer 6

I believe it varies depending on the cruise line you use, and the specific cruise within that line.

The one I personally have experience with all the food was included, along with the room. We selected activities beforehand that we pre-paid for as well, but the prices weren't included in the ticket price (such as scuba diving or parasailing). Then, anything we decided to do on the boat, like massages or shopping, we charged to the room and received a bill for at the end of the trip. Virtually anything off-board, unless it was an activity we pre-paid for, came out of pocket.

Answer 7

Cruise price should be inclusive except for booze and gambling and those silly excursion pictures they are allways snapping.
Beware of the lure of offseason pricing = limited entertainment, limited menu, limited everything. Still worth it if you have the right frame of mind about it, but as always, you get what you pay for.

Answer 8

Tickets include all your food, except in specialty restaurants. Drinks are not included, except ice tea, punch, lemonade, coffee or tea. Mixed drinks at the bar are extra. At the captains party drinks are free. Tours are extra, but shows on board are free.

Answer 9

I know about Greek islands cruises that all the meals and the entertainment are included, but drinks and shore excursions are not included. I recommend the Web Site http://www.cruise.gr

Answer 10

see a travel agent for travel answers