Cruise cost guides

What each line really charges, what is included, and what is worth paying for.

Independent · Former Purser’s Office staff member · No affiliate links

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Start with your line

Pick your cruise line

Open your line’s guide, or see all of them when there are several.

Carnival Royal Caribbean Norwegian (NCL) MSC Princess Celebrity Holland America Disney Virgin Voyages Cunard More cruise lines: Azamara, Viking, Oceania, Windstar

Or start with the extra

Is this extra worth it?

Priced differently by every line, so the answer depends on yours.

Drink packagesMost lines make both adults buy it, so it has to pay off twice. GratuitiesWhat each line charges, and whether you can remove it. Wi-FiWhat it costs at sea, and when an eSIM is cheaper in port. Shore excursionsWhen paying more is the cheapest choice. Charges beyond the fareThe seven that come on top of your cruise fare.

Booking and payments

Booked, or about to pay?

Payment deadlines, card holds, and what happens when plans change.

Card holds and final paymentWhat each line holds on your card, and when you pay. Booking changes and unused creditWhat can change after you have paid, and what happens to credit you don’t use. Travel insurance for U.S. cruisersWhat Medicare won’t cover abroad, and how much cover you need. If you get sick or hurt on boardWhat the medical center can do, what it costs, and when you are taken off the ship.

International

Cruising from outside the U.S.?

Guides for readers whose health cover and consumer rules are not the American ones.

Travel insurance for AustraliansWhy a standard policy can leave you exposed at sea, and what Medicare won’t cover. Travel insurance for CanadiansWhy your provincial plan and credit card won’t cover a medical emergency at sea. All international guidesEvery guide for readers outside the U.S., in one place.

Tools

Tools to help you decide

Work out your own numbers, or look them up.

TOOLCruise Cost CalculatorSee your own cruise total TOOLCompare CostsTotal cost of two cruises, side by side REFERENCEOnboard Cost IndexHow extra charges add up over a week TOOLExcursion ScoreScore a port: ship tour or independent?

Also: What every line charges What changed

Worth exploring

Worth knowing before you sail

Why do cruisers spend more than planned?Ships are designed to make spending feel effortless. What is happening, and how to stay in control. Is a suite worth what you pay beyond the cabin?What the ship within a ship adds, and what it does not. Is room service still free?Which lines include it, and why a suite no longer guarantees it.

The full library

Browse every guide

Looking for something else? Search the full collection.

Topic Cruise line

Cruise booking changes and unused credit, by line What can change after you have paid, and what happens to credit you don't use.

Cruise credit card holds and final payment, by line Deposits, when final payment is due, and what each line holds on your card.

Cruise gratuities in Australia: what changes when you sail overseas? Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity, MSC and NCL: which gratuity rules follow an Australian booking overseas.

Carnival cruise pricing explained: what's included & what's extra What the base fare covers, what costs extra, and how the Cheers! drinks package works.

Celebrity All Included: what's covered, what's not, and whether it's worth it What the bundle covers, what it leaves out, and whether it is worth buying.

Celebrity gratuities 2026 — what you pay after July's rise What you pay each night by stateroom class, and what is added on top of what you buy.

Cunard drinks package & gratuities 2026: is it worth it? How the daily service charge, the bar charge and the drinks package add up, and when the package pays.

Holland America Have It All: what's included and whether it's worth it What the bundle includes, the catches worth knowing, and whether it pays for itself.

Is Disney Cruise Line worth it? What it actually costs What is included, what is not, and who the premium suits.

Is Princess Plus worth it? What the bundle really costs What the bundle really costs, what you would owe anyway, and when to skip it.

MSC Cruises: why the fares look cheap, and what happens next Why the fares look low, what the extras add, and how far the gap closes.

Royal Caribbean drinks package, gratuities & Wi-Fi: costs and whether to buy What the drinks package, gratuities and Wi-Fi cost together, and whether to buy.

Royal Caribbean pricing explained: what's included & what's extra What the base fare covers and what costs extra on top of it.

Cruise gratuities, explained What each line charges, why it works more like crew pay than a tip, and whether you can remove it.

Azamara review: cruising before it was dumbed down What the all-inclusive fare covers, what it doesn't, and who this small-ship line suits.

Princess Premier: is the upgrade worth it? What the upgrade adds over Plus, priced at real costs, and when it pays off.

Virgin Voyages pricing explained: simpler — but actually cheaper? How the Bar Tab, gratuities and dining add up, and when simpler pricing really is cheaper.

Cruise ship Wi-Fi: what it costs, what works, and whether you need it What it costs on every major line, what the connection can really do, and when an eSIM is cheaper.

Seven charges they count on you not to add up The headline fare is real. What it leaves out, and what a cruise really costs before you board.

Why cruisers consistently overspend onboard — and what to do about it Why spending feels effortless on board, and how to stay in control.

NCL Free At Sea: what's actually free? We did the math. Which perks are really free, what the service charge adds, and whether it pays off.

Are cruise drink packages worth it? Sea days, the both-adults rule and what you actually drink, compared across every line.

Cruise room service: what's included, what's now a fee Which lines still include room service, which charge for it, and why a suite no longer guarantees it.

Cruise shore excursions: when paying more is the cheapest choice Ship tour or independent: price is one cost, getting back on time is the one most people ignore.

Cruise suite enclave vs balcony: is the “ship within a ship” worth it? What the extra spend buys beyond a bigger stateroom.

Cruising with a wheelchair: what's free and what you'll pay What is free, what you pay for, and the costs that reshape the budget: equipment, tender ports and a caregiver's fare.

Does your travel insurance actually cover a cruise? What U.S. cruisers need to know What Medicare won't cover abroad, how much cover you need, and when to buy.

Does your travel insurance cover a cruise? What Australians need to know Why a standard policy can leave you exposed at sea, and what Medicare and reciprocal agreements won't cover.

Does your travel insurance cover a cruise? What Canadians need to know Why your provincial plan and credit card won't cover a medical emergency at sea, and what to check before you sail.

Premium cruise drinks packages, decoded: Azamara, Viking, Oceania & Windstar What is included on Azamara, Viking, Oceania and Windstar, and what the upgrades really cost.

What actually happens if you get sick or hurt on a cruise What the ship's medical center can do, what it costs, and when you are taken off the ship.

Bergen cruise port — walk the free old town, book the funicular online Easy to do yourself: what to walk, what to book online, and which fjord trip to pick.

Flåm cruise port — book the railway direct, and early Book the railway direct and early, because it sells out on cruise days.

Geiranger cruise port — where the best view is from your deck A tender port where the best view is from your own deck, and what else is worth your time.

Oslo cruise port — the best sights are free, so skip the city tour The best sights are free and walkable, so you rarely need the ship's tour.

Cruise price changes — what the lines changed in 2026 The old and new figure for each change, the date we read it, and what it means for a booking.

Onboard Cost Index — what a week on board adds to the fare A dated edition of what a week on board adds to the fare, line by line.

Onboard cost reference — what every line charges beyond the fare Gratuities, Wi-Fi, drinks packages and dining side by side, for every major line.

What solo cruising really costs — and why you pay extra to travel alone Where the extra goes, and the cleanest ways to cut it.

How to beat the single supplement: a solo cruiser’s savings playbook Five ways to shrink the single supplement: solo cabins, promotions, timing and loyalty.

The part of solo cruising nobody talks about — is it lonely? Why loneliness is a common fear, why it is normal, and what usually happens once you are on board.

What happens during your first solo cruise? Why the first two days can feel awkward, and what usually happens next.

How to choose the best cruise for solo travelers How guest mix, line culture and atmosphere shape the solo experience.

Dining solo on a cruise: how to feel at home at dinner How fixed dining builds familiarity, and how to recreate it if your ship doesn't offer it.

Can you enjoy a cruise alone? Why being alone and being lonely are not the same thing.

Solo cruise dining: fixed vs flexible vs specialty How fixed, flexible and specialty seating compare for meeting people, control and cost.

More guides

Cruising alone, or planning a day in port?

Solo cruising Port guides

Why you can rely on the numbers

We read each line’s own published prices and date every figure.

How we check What changed