What is Included in Your Cruise Fare?

Cruises are some of the most all-inclusive vacations you can take, but what is actually included when you book that cruise?

While how much is included in the cost of your cruise will differ based on what level of cruise line you have booked with, all major lines will include the basics: a cabin, food, drinks like water, juice, tea and regular coffee, and even some form of entertainment. And of course they are all going to transport you to some amazing destinations. 

If you book a lower-tier, family-friendly line like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian or MSC, you are going to get the basics with some kid-friendly activities thrown in. These lines will offer kids’ clubs and, depending on the ship, will also have various water activities like kid pools and slides. Sports complexes are often included with places to play activities like basketball, ping-pong, mini golf and even an occasional ropes corse or climbing wall. There will be various forms of entertainment offered as part of your cruise fare from trivia and games to full theater productions. There is definitely enough included in your cruise fare that it isn’t necessary to to spend another dime onboard ship after that. 

So what isn’t included on these lines? Specialty dining and drinks are an extra cost. Most ships will have several specialty restaurants that are not included as part of your cruise fare. If you are interested in trying out some of these, I recommend looking into a specialty dinning package if the line sells one as it will save you some money. If you are looking for specialty coffees, fresh juices and smoothies, or any alcoholic drink you will have to pay extra for them. Most lines offer various drink packages that can save you money. Your ship may offer extra cost games, water rides, or even a roller coaster or race tracks! And of course, there will be shops, casinos and spas available to tempt you into spending more money while onboard their ships.

Mid-tier lines like Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America will offer a higher-end experience included in your fare when it comes to things like food, lodging and service. However, these lines are not going to have as many experiences geared specifically for kids, and they definitely aren’t going to have all the amusement park/water park type activities available like lines catering to families. While they usually have kids’ clubs, they often won’t be as expansive as lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Many will offer classes and courses that you will not find on the lower-tier ships. Newer ships in these lines seem to be offering more family-friendly experiences, but for the most part you will find cruisers to be older singles and couples who no longer have children at home. 

There will still be additional cost offerings on these lines similar to those already discussed, specialty dining and drinks, but with everything just being a little more posh. 

Both lower and mid tiers have ships that offer what is called a “ship within a ship” experience. This is where you pay extra for cabins in an exclusive location. This upgrade will often come with access to exclusive dining rooms, pools, bars and more. All at a premium of course! Also at an added cost on all these lines will be your connection to those back home with various wifi packages offered for purchase.

Lines like Disney and Virgin don’t really fit into any category. Disney costs about as much as most higher-end cruise lines, but you are paying for the Disney experience, not necessarily a luxury experience. They do include sodas and juices as part of their cruise fare, something other lines mentioned do not offer. And of course, Disney is very much a family line that caters to children, While they do offer plenty of adults-only spaces, they do not include any casinos. 

Virgin is almost the opposite of Disney in that it is an adults only line. No children allowed! One thing unique to Virgin is that their dining is basically all specialty restaurants except they are included in the cost of your fare. No buffet. No MDR. Virgin also does not add on gratuities, nor are they expected. Wifi is included as well. There are no traditional drink packages on Virgin, instead their drinks tend to come in at a lower cost than other lines, so maybe it evens out. They currently offer a pre-paid tab for $300 that gets you an additional $50 in drinks free. Most other drinks, however, are part of your cruise fare, so feel free to load up on soda, juice, and sparkling water.

If you are ready to drop some money on a luxury, or ultra-luxury line, you will find an entirely different kind of cruising experience. Lines like Regent and Silversea will offer an almost entirely all-inclusive experience that includes things like: gourmet dining, unlimited drinks, gratuities, shore excursions and even pre and post cruise hotel stays and flights. However, don’t expect any kids’ clubs or waterslides onboard these ships.

I hope you enjoyed this breakdown of what is and what isn’t included in your cruise fare. Comment below and let me know what line or tier bests suits your needs.