How Much Does It Cost To Go On A Cruise?

As you’ve already found out from our previous article, the average salary in the US is around $8,206. How is this relevant? Well by the end of this article, you’ll find out if the average Joe can go on a cruise or not and how exactly the cost of going on these kinds of trips will influence their salary.

In the past, you might have heard that cruise trips were too expensive for normal people and that only a few millionaires could actually go on one. Nowadays this is far from true.

Nowadays you won’t have to sacrifice all of your saved money to enjoy these types of delights and go on a cruise.

How Much Does a Cruise Cost?

The average cruise will cost anywhere between just $50 per day, per person, for most budget cruise lines, to over $1,000 per day, per person for ultra-luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas. The average 7-night cruise will cost around $1,130 per person, which translates into about $162 per person, per day.

The cost of a cruise trip will be influenced by many factors. Here are three of the most important ones:

Company – The company you choose may influence the final cost. It’s possible that two different companies offer the same type of package but at slightly different prices, so be sure to check all of the possibilities before choosing the company you want to use for your cruise trip. Look for cruises that have a larger number of passengers as they will offer lower prices for any package.
Cabin location – If you opt for an inside cabin you should know that you won’t be able to see the sea and you probably won’t have access to a private balcony, because this type of cabin is located towards the middle of the ship. If you have to possibility to choose, go for an outside cabin. It will be located on one of the sides of the cruise ship so it will probably have a balcony or windows that will open up towards the sea. Remember that outside cabins are a little more expensive than inside ones, but people say that it is worth spending a little more on a private balcony.
Features offered – If you picked a cruise trip package that offers facilities like shared-cabin, onboard entertainment, and up to three meals per day, don’t think you’re special. These are the basic facilities offered within most packages. These types of packages shouldn’t warrant prices of more than $100 to $400 per day for each person.

Check Out The Cost of a Trip To London

If instead, you wish to have features like shore excursions, a private dining room, high-speed internet, or a private cabin, then you’re actually looking for a luxurious cruise trip that can cost over $1,000 per day for every person.

What should be included in a cruise?

Buying a cruise ticket will usually get you a package that includes food and accommodation, as well as entertainment and even drinks. Of course, excursions, transfers, flights, wifi, casino access, spa services, gratuities, alcoholic drinks, and specialty restaurants for dining outside of the normal menu will cost you extra.

What’s included in your cruise varies for each cruise line. Many cruise lines include gratuities in the ticket price. You may also get a drinks package included at no extra cost. Sometimes, cruises come with free onboard credit, which you can spend on the ship.

Additional Costs Related to Your Cruise

Expect a lot of extra costs to add up when you figure out the final budget for your trip. You could even spend over 50% of the total cost of extra facilities. So for a package that costs around $500, expect to pay around $750 to cover some facilities you’d want.

Shore Excursions – The ports of call will be the places that sell guided shore excursions. Although these don’t always have a fixed price and will depend on whether there are meals included and the total length of the stay, you can expect to pay over $20 for such a trip.
Private dining room – You could find packages that have private dining included in the price, but most packages won’t have such a facility included so if you want such a facility, expect to pay for it. Usually, you will have to pay for this facility at the end of the cruise trip.
Alcoholic Beverages – You will have your meals included in the cruise package but don’t expect to have any free booze. You will pay extra for any alcoholic beverages and if you want to bring your own wine you will be able to bring one bottle but do expect to pay a corkage fee of $10.
Souvenirs – Most cruise ships have several souvenir stores on board. If you want to buy a few souvenirs to remember the trip be careful and be on the lookout for any inflated prices. You could end up spending a lot on a few souvenirs.
Photographs – During some of the most important moments of your trip, like when you dance, when you board the trip, or even when you enjoy a sunset, you will be photographed by a professional photographer. You can watch the photos for free but if you want them, expect to pay for each and every one that you will bring home.

Cruise Line Price Comparison Table

The cruise of your choice will be one of the biggest factors affecting the price as we said above. So let’s see how much would a cruise line affect the final bill.

Below is a table that shows the average prices of a 7-night Caribbean cruise vacation (without the cost of the flight) if you were to book a balcony cabin. The price is per person, on packages of two people sharing, booked at some of the most popular cruise companies.

Cruise line	Cruise fare	Drinks package	Gratuities	Total
Costa Cruises	$920	$320	$90	$1,320
Carnival Cruises	$990	$375	$120	$1,460
Celebrity Cruises	$1,690	included	included	$1,690
Disney Cruise Line	$2,550	not available	$102	$2,652
Marella	$1,690	included	included	$1,690
MSC Cruises	$1,000	$440	included	$1,440
Norwegian Cruise Line	$1,359	$693	$140	$2,192
P&O Cruises	$1,300	$375	included	$1,680
Princess Cruises	$1,175	$425	$120	$1,700
Royal Caribbean	$1,150	$483	$112	$1,745

Of course, the cruise prices can vary depending on the ongoing promotions.

Kids Fares By Cruise Line

If you want to take your child with you, here’s how much each cruise line charges for packages for your children:

Royal Caribbean – You will pay the full price for children except for when you can take advantage of a Kids Sail Free promotion
Princess Cruises – You will pay the full adult price for your children
P&O Cruises – Around $55 when in term-time and full adult price in the school holidays
Norwegian Cruise Line – Free for children during the Free At Sea promotion, full adult price in any other periods
MSC Cruises – When booking from the USA, your under 18 children will cruise for free
Disney Cruise Line – Discounted child rate for children between the age of 3 and 12
Cunard – You will pay the full adult price for your children
Costa Cruises – You will only pay service fees and port fees for children under 18, which will amount to about $175 per week
Celebrity Cruises – You will pay the full adult price for your children
Carnival – You will pay the full adult price for your children

Tips to Save Money on a Cruise

There are some things you can do to decrease the final cost of your cruise:

1) Avoid Alternate Dining –Try to avoid the private dining halls if you know you’re on a tight budget. These are known to have increased prices.

2) Self-guided Shore Excursions – You can try to take the shore excursions on your own each time the cruise ship will stop in ports, but be careful and don’t get lost. This will be a good idea only if and when you are familiar with the places.

Also Read: The Price of a Trip to Dubai

3) Avoid Spending Too Much on Souvenirs – Souvenirs will have inflated prices so only take home some little things to help you remember the trip.

Will The Average Joe Be Able To Go On A Cruise Trip?

The answer is clearly yes. If you do have a big family you will have to save some money and make some sacrifices to be able to take the whole family on a cruise but if you want to make it your yearly vacation, you can afford to get a cruise package.

One of the advantages of the cruise is that in a single vacation, you can visit many great cities around the world and everything without spending too much.

For a normal one-week-long cruise trip, a family of four will pay somewhere between $2,800 and $14,000, without any extra features. The extra features can take the final bill to $21,000 or more.

If you’re more into static vacations, where you spend the entire vacation in just one place, spending money on a cruise trip should at least be a one-time experience.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Disney cruise cost?

Depending on its type, a cheap Disney cruise costs $1,350 per person for a cheap 3-night Bahamas cruise with inside-cabin accommodation, while on the expensive end, $47,500 per person for a luxury 11-night Norway cruise in a concierge suite. The average cost of a Disney cruise is $3,000 per person.

How much does a cruise cost to the Bahamas?

When booking a Bahamas Cruise, you can spend around $52,000 for a 7-night cruise on the popular Symphony of the Seas, inside a Royal Soft, or as low as $99 per person for a 3-night cruise on MSC Armonia, in an inside cabin.

How much does an Alaskan cruise cost?

Alaskan cruise deals have similarly varied prices. You can spend as much as $75,000 per person when booking a 15-night cruise in an expedition suite from Crystal Cruises, or as low as $500 per person when booking a 4-night cruise with Princess Cruises in an inside cabin. The average Alaska Cruise costs around $1,500 per person.

How much does a cruise around the world cost?

The average cost of a cruise around the world will be somewhere around $33,000 per person. Of course, you can go on a world cruise for as low as $13,750 per person for a 99-night cruise on board Aurora from P&O Cruises, in an inside cabin, or as much as $225,000 per person for a 116-night cruise package onboard Crystal Serenity in a penthouse suite.

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Alec Pow

Alec Pow is a thorough and methodical Financial and Business Analyst with over 15 years of experience in financial statement analysis, Foreign exchange derivative hedging instruments analysis, modeling, and risk management, with a long history of writing for big news publications like Forbes, MSN.com, Washington Post, and many more.