Travel Tips

Cruise Ship Budgeting Tips

A cruise vacation my sound like a great deal, but the rate you’re quoted will never be the final cost. Here’s what you really need to budget for….

Cruise line business models aren’t structured to make money on their cabins.

In fact, they’ll drop their prices just to get you into one. Why?

Because they make their real money on something called “onboard revenue.”

That’s right, restaurants, spas, babysitting, shore excursions – and don’t forget the casinos.

One way to remove temptation is to book yourself on an older ship.

These vessels simply can’t add anymore on-board revenue generators, so you just get a ship that floats, with cabins. Wow! What a concept.

My advice to calculate the final cost of your cruise: take the base price of your cabin, double in, and then add another 50%.

Then you won’t be disappointed when the ship comes back to port.

And don’t forget about tipping: we’re talking about the waiter, the assistant waiter, the maitre’d … well, you get the picture.

Get more information with Cruising 101: How to Choose, Book, Budget and Enjoy Your Perfect Cruise.

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