How Much Does a Cruise Really Cost? Understanding the Real Vacation Price
You're comparing two cruises.
Cruise A starts at $3,999 per person.
Cruise B starts at $5,299 per person.
Which cruise costs less?
It seems like a ridiculously easy question.
Cruise A.
Except I don't actually know that yet.
Because you've told me what it costs to buy the cruise.
You haven't told me what it will cost to take the vacation you actually want.
Those can be two very different numbers.
It's why I use a concept I call the Real Vacation Price when I'm thinking about cruise value.
The goal isn't to find the cruise with the lowest advertised fare. It isn't to choose the cruise that includes the most things. And it certainly isn't to spend more simply because something is labeled premium or luxury.
It's to understand what you're actually going to spend, and whether you're spending that money on the things that matter to you.
How much does a cruise really cost?
The honest answer is: it depends on how you want to travel.
Your cruise fare is one piece of the cost, but your complete vacation may also include:
Airfare
Transportation to and from airports or cruise ports
Hotels before or after your cruise
Meals during those additional days
Travel insurance
Gratuities
Drinks
Wi-Fi
Specialty dining
Shore excursions
Onboard spending
Pre- or post-cruise sightseeing
You won't necessarily pay separately for everything on that list. Some cruise lines and fare types include more than others.
And you may not even want everything on that list.
That's precisely why comparing cruise fares alone can be misleading.
The three prices I want you to understand
When you're researching cruises, I think there are three different prices worth considering.
1. The advertised price
This is the number that gets your attention.
Cruises from $999!
Save 40%!
Second guest 60% off!
There's nothing inherently wrong with an advertised fare. It gives you somewhere to begin.
But the important words are often “starting at.”
That price may not represent the cabin category, fare type or experience you would actually choose.
So I don't want you building your vacation budget around it yet.
2. The booked price
Now we're getting closer.
We've selected the actual sailing.
We've chosen your cabin.
We've selected your fare type and any packages you want to purchase upfront.
Now we know what your cruise reservation will cost.
That's useful.
But I still want one more number.
3. The Real Vacation Price
Your Real Vacation Price is what you're realistically going to spend to take the vacation the way you want to take it.
Not someone else's version.
Yours.
If you want cocktails with dinner, let's account for them.
If you want Wi-Fi, include it.
If you know you're going to book excursions in every port, let's think about that before we decide one cruise is dramatically less expensive than another.
If you want to fly business class to Europe and spend three nights in Rome before your Mediterranean cruise, that's part of your vacation too.
This isn't about finding every possible expense and creating an enormous, scary number.
It's about creating an honest number.
Your vacation doesn't start when you step onto the ship
This is one of the biggest differences between shopping for a cruise and planning a vacation.
Imagine you're taking a Mediterranean cruise departing from Rome.
The cruise fare isn't the entire journey.
You need to get from home to the airport.
You need airfare.
I'd probably want you arriving before embarkation day rather than trusting an international flight to deliver you to your ship at exactly the right moment.
Now we may have a hotel.
Meals.
Transportation.
And since you're already in Rome, perhaps you'd actually like to experience Rome.
Then you transfer to the ship.
You take the cruise.
You explore the ports.
You get off the ship.
Maybe you're staying somewhere afterward.
Eventually, you fly home.
That's your vacation.
The cruise is the centerpiece, but it's not the whole picture.
This becomes even more important when we're talking about journeys farther from home.
Japan.
Egypt.
The Galápagos.
Antarctica.
European river cruises.
More unusual embarkation points can bring additional logistics and costs, but they can also create extraordinary travel experiences.
The point isn't that these journeys are “too expensive.”
The point is that we should understand the whole journey before deciding what fits your budget.
A cheaper cruise isn't always a cheaper vacation
Let's go back to our two imaginary cruises.
Cruise A is $3,999 per person.
Cruise B is $5,299 per person.
Cruise A appears to be $1,300 less.
But then you tell me you want a beverage package, Wi-Fi, several excursions and some specialty dining.
For this hypothetical example, let's say adding the things you actually want brings Cruise A to approximately $5,500 per person.
Cruise B includes several of those things. Maybe after adding the few additional expenses you want, your realistic cost is around $5,400 per person.
Suddenly we're not comparing $3,999 with $5,299.
We're comparing something much closer to $5,500 with $5,400.
Does that mean you should book Cruise B?
No.
It means now we're finally comparing the right numbers.
We still need to decide which cruise gives you the experience you prefer.
Included doesn't automatically mean valuable
This may be the most important thing I want you to remember when comparing cruise prices:
Something isn't valuable simply because it's included.
Let's say one cruise includes a beverage package.
If you enjoy cocktails, wine with dinner and specialty coffees throughout the day, that may have significant value to you.
If you barely drink?
Not so much.
The cruise line can assign whatever dollar value it wants to that inclusion. If you wouldn't have purchased it yourself, I'm not going to pretend you've “saved” that amount.
The same goes for Wi-Fi.
Specialty dining.
Excursions.
Laundry.
Transfers.
Room service.
Butler service.
Any inclusion you can think of.
They're not good or bad.
They're valuable when you value them.
So rather than asking:
Which cruise includes more?
Ask:
Which cruise includes more of what I would actually pay for?
That's a much better way to compare value.
Is an all-inclusive or more inclusive cruise a better value?
Sometimes.
For the right traveler, a more inclusive cruise can make excellent financial sense.
If the things bundled into the fare closely match the things you would purchase anyway, the price difference between a more inclusive cruise and a less inclusive one can shrink considerably.
You may also prefer knowing more of your vacation cost upfront.
But another traveler could look at exactly the same cruise and reach a completely different conclusion.
If she doesn't drink, doesn't care about Wi-Fi, prefers exploring independently and won't use several of the included benefits, paying more for those inclusions may offer very little additional value to her.
Neither traveler is wrong.
They're buying different vacations.
That's why “more included” and “better value” aren't synonyms.
When is it worth spending more on a cruise?
I don't believe the goal of good vacation planning is to make every decision based on spending the least amount possible.
Sometimes I absolutely want you to spend more.
Maybe a modest cabin upgrade gives you considerably more space or a location you'll enjoy every day of a two-week cruise.
Maybe arriving two days earlier gives you time to recover from an overnight flight, removes some travel stress and lets you actually experience the embarkation city.
Maybe a private excursion gives you the exact experience you've been dreaming about.
Maybe a different cruise line costs more but gives you the service, dining, space or atmosphere you actually want.
Those can be excellent places to spend money.
My test is simple:
Does spending more meaningfully improve something you care about?
If it does, let's consider it.
When should you spend less?
The same rule works in reverse.
If an upgrade gives you a collection of benefits you don't care about, don't automatically buy it.
If you're barely in your cabin and don't care about having more space, perhaps you don't need the larger suite.
If you don't drink enough to justify the beverage package, don't buy it simply because everyone in a Facebook group told you that you “have to.”
If you prefer wandering independently through a port, you don't need an excursion every single day just because they're available.
Luxury isn't buying every possible upgrade.
And value isn't getting the largest pile of inclusions.
Spend more when it meaningfully improves your experience. Spend less when it doesn't.
Why this matters when comparing different kinds of cruises
This becomes particularly important if you're comparing different cruise categories.
A mainstream ocean cruise, premium cruise, luxury ocean cruise, river cruise, expedition cruise and yacht-style cruise may package their pricing very differently.
One fare may initially look dramatically higher than another because more is built into it.
But that doesn't automatically make the more inclusive cruise a better deal.
And it doesn't automatically make it overpriced.
You need to understand what each price represents.
Then we can compare those costs against your priorities.
This is one of the reasons I don't love answering questions such as:
“Is small-ship cruising worth the price?”
My first question is:
Worth it to whom?
If the experience gives you more of what you value, perhaps absolutely.
If you're paying for things that don't matter to you, perhaps not.
Price tells us what something costs.
Value requires knowing the person buying it.
Don't forget the cost of getting to your cruise
Imagine you've found a fantastic cruise in Japan and the cruise fare fits comfortably within your budget.
Before you book, let's finish the picture:
What will your airfare cost?
Do you want economy, premium economy or business class?
How many hotel nights make sense?
Do you want to spend time in Tokyo before the cruise?
Will you add another destination afterward?
How are you getting between the airport, hotel and ship?
Now we're planning the vacation instead of purchasing one component of it.
This is particularly important with bucket-list and exotic journeys because the logistics surrounding the cruise can represent a meaningful portion of the overall investment.
I'd much rather know that before you book than have you discover months later that the vacation you expected to cost one amount has become something very different.
How I compare cruise prices for my clients
When I'm researching cruises for a client, I'm not simply looking for the lowest fare.
I'm listening to what she tells me:
What matters to her?
What is she likely to purchase anyway?
Which inclusions will she actually use?
What doesn't she care about?
Where would spending more significantly improve the experience?
Where would it be a waste?
What will it take to get her to the cruise?
What should happen before or after the sailing?
And which option actually delivers the vacation she's describing?
I don't want to find you the cheapest cruise. I want to help you understand what you're actually paying for.
Sometimes that means I'll suggest spending more.
Sometimes I'll tell you there's absolutely no reason to.
And sometimes the cruise that initially looks more expensive becomes surprisingly competitive once we're comparing the Real Vacation Price instead of the advertised fare.
How to calculate your own Real Vacation Price
You don't need a complicated spreadsheet to start thinking this way.
Begin with the cruise you're seriously considering and ask:
What will my actual cabin and fare cost?
Then think through the vacation you're realistically going to take.
What will it cost to get there?
Will you need hotels before or after?
Which onboard extras will you actually purchase?
What kind of excursions are you likely to choose?
What other expenses already feel like a given?
Then do the same thing with the other cruise you're considering.
Don't add every expense that could possibly happen.
Add the expenses that are reasonably part of your vacation.
Now compare.
You may discover the less expensive cruise is still considerably less expensive.
Great.
You may discover the difference is much smaller than it originally appeared.
Also useful.
Or you may discover that spending more gives you enough additional value that the higher price makes sense to you.
That's the point of the exercise.
Not to produce a winner.
To make the decision with better information.
Before you book the deal...
This way of thinking becomes especially useful when cruise promotions start flying...
A discounted fare.
Free drinks.
Onboard credit.
Reduced deposits.
Second-guest offers.
They're all pieces of information.
But none of them answers the question:
Is this a good deal for the vacation I actually want?
Before a promotion convinces you to book a cruise, figure out what you're trying to buy in the first place.
Choose the experience.
Understand the Real Vacation Price.
Then evaluate the offer.
Because a fantastic deal on the wrong vacation is still the wrong vacation.
And that's exactly what we're talking about next.
Want help comparing your options?
Not sure which cruise line fits you best? Take my quick Cruise Match Quiz to discover the cruise experience that best matches the way you want to travel.
And if you'd rather have someone look at the whole picture with you- the cruise, what's included, what you'll realistically spend and whether those choices actually fit the experience you want- that's exactly what I do.
Real Vacation Price FAQ's
What is included in the price of a cruise?
What's included varies by cruise line and fare type. Accommodations, many meals and entertainment are commonly part of the fare, while drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities, specialty dining and excursions may be included or cost extra depending on the cruise you've selected.
What extra costs should I budget for on a cruise?
Consider the entire vacation rather than only onboard spending. Your additional costs could include airfare, hotels, transfers, travel insurance, gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, specialty dining, shore excursions and spending before or after your cruise.
Is an all-inclusive cruise cheaper?
Not necessarily. A more inclusive cruise can offer excellent value when the included benefits are things you would otherwise purchase. If you won't use those inclusions, a lower-priced cruise with fewer inclusions may make more sense for you.
Why can a more expensive cruise be a better value?
A higher cruise fare may include expenses you would pay separately on another cruise or provide an experience you value more. Compare what you'll realistically spend on each vacation rather than relying only on the advertised fares.
How can I compare the true cost of two cruises?
Start with the price of the cabin and fare you would actually book. Then add the transportation, hotels, packages, excursions and other expenses you realistically expect for each option. Comparing those totals gives you a more useful picture of each vacation's overall cost.
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