Cruises ships tips and other money the need to pay out?

Question

my kids are wanting to take a cruise ,they read on here and talking to a friends that carnival would be the best for them,they are 19,20 and 22, i most likey will be going to they have been trying to find out how much to set a side for the end of the cruise they were also told 10.00 aday gas fee ,they want to go mexico,jamaica,bahamas, so were trying to find something that goes to all 3 were looking for a 4 to 7 day trip in nov 08 to feb 09 they also want to know if they have to have a credit card or can they pay with cash ect.. thanks for the help

Answer 1

Tipping is optional but is usually expected. When you book your cruise, you will get a packet of info that will list suggested tips for each attendant per day. Or you can go here to find suggested tips for various cruise lines:

http://cruises.about.com/od/tipsforfirst...

The last cruise I was on, I tipped $0 (ship's propeller broke, port of call was missed, had to wait hours in line to get off the ship, dirty rags were left in our stateroom, and more I won't bother to mention).

Each person will have an ID card (sea pass) that is tied to a spending account. Whenever you buy something, they scan your card and charge it to your account. You can put cash on the account, or you can have it linked to a credit card that will be charged at the end of the cruise.

For the specifics on the destinations you're interested in, I would consult a travel agent.

Happy sailing!

Answer 2

You probably won't find a cruise that goes to both the western Caribbean and Mexico. Usually the Mexican cruises go to the Caymans and Belize. Other cruises will stop all over the Bahamas/Caribbean.

You can usually get a cruise for just over $100 a day. You will have to pay taxes, etc. Plus, you are encouraged to tip the servers (3) and room attendant (1) a total of about $10 a day. Your food and soft drinks are included, but you will have to pay for alcohol and any excursions that you take.

We cruise at least once a year and think it is totally worth it. There's something for every age group.

Answer 3

You are up for a big task which I did 3-4 months ago. We finally ended up going Carnival Ecstasy and had great fun. Carnival is always a great cruise recommended by agents. But you have to look to see your needs and cost involved. Check out this website www.firsttimecruising.com which help a bit to make a decision.

For just cruise, you can get a 5 day cruise for less then $400 in offpeak time compared to $800 on peak times. They automatically add the tips of $10 per day to your onboard expense card. You can opt to take it out which i strongly recommend. Then you can tip the individual yourself personally. Because if you are going as a family, they charge $10/per person /day instead you can just tip the inviduals as a one amount..

You also will be charged for soda's you bought or you can buy soda cards. You also might need to spend for casino's or any  games like bingo you play. For kids, at the most soda's card is the best and casino they can use cash instead of ship sign card which will avoid over spending..

Answer 4

I'm not sure. I asked a travel agent last spring what's a good vacation for me and my teens. She said take a Carnival Cruise. She's taken her kids several times and they love it.

I'm going to do it this summer with my kids out of L.A.

Answer 5

After you pay for your/their cruises the only other mandatory cost is for gratuities and they amount to $10 per person per day.  The cruise lines are also now charging a 'FUEL SUPPLEMENT".  But this amount is added to the cost of each cruise fare and must be paid in advance before the cruise fare is considered paid in full.  Carnival is now charging $7. per person per day for the first two person in each cabin and then a lesser amount for the 3rd and 4th passengers in that cabin.

Here's what is on Carnival's web site about the fuel supplement.

"Fuel Supplement Increase

Effective for all new bookings on April 21, 2008, the fuel supplement will increase from $5 to $7 per guest, per day (based on double occupancy). In addition, a fuel supplement of $2 per guest per day will apply to third/fourth/fifth guests.

The fuel supplement was necessitated by significant rises in fuel prices which have dramatically increased Carnival’s operating costs. Unfortunately, we could not continue to shoulder this huge cost burden and it was necessary to implement a supplement to partially offset a portion of soaring fuel costs.

Implementing this fuel supplement was a difficult decision and we hope that our guests will understand that this is a necessary step in today’s challenging economic environment.

Voluntary Refund

Carnival announced a voluntary refund of the company’s fuel supplement on March 31, 2008 for applicable U.S. bookings that were made prior to November 7, 2007 under an agreement with the Florida Attorney General’s Office. The fuel supplement, announced November 7, 2007, was applied to all U.S. bookings for voyages departing on or after February 1, 2008.

The company will now refund the fuel supplement for those guests who were already booked at the time the supplement was announced. Refunds for affected guests will be implemented based on cruise departure date according to the following schedule:

- For cruises departing on or prior to April 4, 2008, guests will receive a refund in the same form they used to purchase their cruise;

- For cruises departing from April 5, 2008 through June 23, 2008, guests will receive an on-board credit;

- For cruises departing on or after June 24, 2008, guests’ bookings will be adjusted to eliminate the fuel supplement."

And here's some information about the other expenses to plan for:

Regardless of which cruise line or ship you go on, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided FREE but you must pay for soft drinks AND alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order. You can save on drinks by ordering them in a plain glass rather than the fancy souvenir glasses that they offer them in.

PHOTOGRAPHS: The cruise line will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most. Save your money and take your own pictures around the ship and just ask other passengers to take them for you; they are always glad to.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are not required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive. These are listed on your cruise line web site and you can reserve them well before the cruise and pay for them also.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that. If you need more cash dollars while on your cruise, instead of going to the ATM, go to the casino cage and ask for cash on your on bard account. They will give you the cash and not charge an ATM or other fee, but just process it as any other charge

OTHER: Most cruise lines have what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge. All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.

SPA SERVICES: If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. Spa services are not the same as the gym which is FREE. Spa stuff cost big bucks.

INTERNET: The ship will have internet cafe and maybe WiFi hotspots, but the there is a fee for internet access and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour). Skip the ship's internet service and just look for an internet cafe in your port stops. You can usually get internet service in the ports for $5 to $7 an hour.

You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them (but there is free room service 24/7).