Cruising has always been a favorite among people who enjoyed long, leisure holidays. Earlier, a cruise holiday meant cutting off from the world for several weeks and sometimes months, discovering several countries and continents. While long cruises still are prevalent, several new cruise lines have come with shorter cruises, lasting anywhere between 2-15 days. This has attracted more people, especially families to cruising in the recent years.
One of the advantages of going on a cruise is that a lot of things are included in the cruise fee. When you book a cabin on a cruise, it not only includes your accommodation but also food (three meals and snacks), entertainment, and amenities like access to swimming pool, sun deck, and more. But what many do not know is that most cruises have hidden charges for things that one may take for granted. To ensure that you do not get rude shocks while sailing on the cruise, it is important to know about the common hidden cruise fees 2025.
Gratuities and Service Charges
If you have ever tried to book a cruise, you would have read the word ‘gratuities. Gratuities are actually charges that we pay for the different services we enjoy on the cruise. For instance, restaurants would add a service charge to your bill that would be distributed among the culinary and waiting staff. Gratuities are also levied on services offered by stateroom attendants. Most cruise lines specify the percentage of gratuity you will need to pay at the time of booking. This will help you to be prepared, as there is no way you can escape this fee, as it is equivalent to tipping the people who ensure that you have a comfortable stay on the cruise. Some cruise lines may add the gratuity along with the cruise holiday packages.
Specialty Dining
All your meals are included in your cruise package. This includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with snacks. Beverages that go with these meals like water, juice, tea, and coffee (no alcoholic drinks) are also usually complimentary. The complimentary meals happen at the main dining room. Most cruises have other restaurants which do not serve complimentary meals. These specialty restaurants may include Italian eateries, steakhouses, sushi restaurant, and the likes. If you do not want to spend any extra money on food, it is best to stick to the complementary restaurants.
On the other hand, if you do not want to miss on the experience of dining in a specialty restaurant, limit to these special experiences for once or twice. You also need to be careful while ordering food the main dining hall. Some cruises may charge you for some special dishes on the menu. So, it is important to be careful while placing your order.
Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ones, are not free on most cruises. Surprisingly, many cruises have charges for bottled water. You will have to pay money to indulge in non-alcoholic beverages like sodas and mocktails. Similarly, cocktails and other alcoholic drinks also come with a hefty price, which includes around 18% gratuity. One of the best ways to avoid spending too much money on drinks would be to get a drinks package. This works for people who would like to drink more than a glass during their cruise holiday. On the other hand, if you are a light drinker, the drinks package would be a rather waste of money. If the ship you are sailing with has happy hours, you can make use of that.
Corkage Fee
One of the ways of saving money on alcohol is getting your own drinks. Most cruise lines allow the guests to get their own alcohol (limited bottles) onboard. But this is not as easy as it sounds. You may still have to pay some money depending on where you want to enjoy the drink. For instance, you can open the bottle in your room or cabin and drink it there for free. However, if you want to open the bottle in a restaurant or some other public area of the cruise, you will have to pay a corkage fee, which can be anywhere around $15. So, it is important to enquire about the corkage fee before you take the bottle with you onboard, to avoid unexpected cruise charges.
Shore Excursions
The advantage of going on a cruise is that you get to visit different port cities and explore the place. But this is also where you could be losing money. All cruise lines offer shore excursion packages, which include sightseeing and transportation. But it is a norm that these packages are exorbitantly priced, much higher than the packages offered by local travel agents. Plus, they may also not include entrance fee for tourist spots and equipment rentals for some activity you want to try. The solution here is to either explore the place on your own. With the internet, getting information like the places to visit, ways of traveling from one spot to another, restaurants and cafes where you can dine, is easy. Another way to cut costs is to book a tour with a local operator. This would be much cheaper than the shore excursions offered by the cruise line.
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Entertainment and Activities Onboard
Entertainment and activities come with your cruise package, but not all. Cruises are packed with entertainment programs and activities, and most of them free. However, many cruises levy an additional charge on exclusive activities and programs, somethings that are not commonly seen in most cruises. For instance, you may have to pay an extra cost for exclusive shows like may be a famous play, a talk by a renowned personality, and more. Some group activities like cooking workshops, yoga and fitness classes, kids’ clubs, etc., usually come with an extra price. The same goes with adventure activities. Most cruises have sports arena, swimming pool, and activity centers that are open for all guests. But unique attractions and activities like ziplines, surf simulators, mini-golf arena, go-karting arena, rock climbing wall, rollercoasters, laser tag arena, ship tours, etc., would come with an extra cost.
Wi-Fi and Internet Access
Today, cruising does not mean you have to cut off from the world entirely. Most cruises offer Wi-Fi and internet access to help you connect with the outer world. But Wi-Fi onboard is not free, unlike the ones we get at the hotels and resorts on land. Moreover, they are quite expensive and offer only limited data, making it one of the cruise expenses to avoid if you do not want to spend extra money. If you have to work while sailing on a cruise ship, getting an internet package would be advisable. But if you want internet for scrolling on social media, it is best to avoid it. You can wait to reach a port, where you can visit a cafe that offers free Wi-Fi when you order a cup of coffee. Some cruises also offer social media internet packages, where you get to access your social media apps.
Spa Services
A well-equipped spa with multiple beauty treatments and massage packages have become a norm for most cruise lines. In fact, enjoying a relaxing spa while sailing on the vast ocean seems quite poetic. But this can put a huge dent in your pockets. Apart from massages, simple beauty treatments like facials, pedicure, and manicure are also expensive on a cruise. Moreover, you may have to pay a hefty fee to access thermal suites, heated lounges, steam rooms, snow rooms, and relaxation areas. One way of making use of the spa services without burning your pocket is to book one on port days. Cruises sometimes offer special discounts on these days to retain guests on the cruise.
Additional Hidden Charges on a Cruise Ship
Apart from the ones mentioned above, here are some other hidden charges you may have to encounter on a cruise holiday.
- All ports levy port charges on the cruise lines, who in turn levy it on the guests. In most cases, the port charges are included with the cruise package.
- Cruise lines arrange shuttles that will take you from the port to the city center and back. This may not be a free service. Enquire with your cruise line before hopping onto the bus.
- You may feel the need to order room service sometimes while cruising. While the food you order would be free, the room service would be chargeable.
- All cruises have laundry services, but it can be quite expensive, as they charge for per clothing. Hence, it would be better to carry additional clothes when you are doing your cruise holiday packing rather than paying the extra fee. You can use the laundry services for emergency purposes.
- If you are driving to the port from where you are boarding the cruise, you will have to pay parking charges for the days you are parking the car. To avoid this, it is best to take a cab.
- If you want to play arcade games or try your luck at the casino, you need to pay from your own pocket.
- Professional photographers are available on the cruise and are ready to click your pictures at a premium. Check out the rates before you decide to hire one.
Knowing about the hidden charges is as important as knowing about the dos and don’ts on a cruise ship. This will ensure that you have a carefree cruise holiday, where you are not worried about being charged more than your expectations.
