I have never cruised before. My children have surprised me with a free cruise on Royal Caribbean. I am just looking into things a bit on the Internet and I am not sure how these excursions and Spa things work.<BR><BR>It looks like they cost extra, in addition to the price of the cruise. Is that true?<BR><BR>Also, it looks like I have to pay for every single coke that I drink. Is that true?<BR><BR>If so, then this is crazy. If I do all o fthe things that I was planning on (excursions, drinks, spa treatments) then I will be spending about $1000. Is this the way that it is? If so, how do average people go on cruises?

Vicky, welcome to the world of cruising. Yes, all of the things that you mentioned are extra. <BR><BR>As for how the average person affords it- they either save up the extra cash, put on credit card, or they do not cruise.<BR><BR>There is a whole thread about cruiselines nickle and diming passengers. The bottom line is if all of that stuff was included, the price of the cruise would jump, and only the rich would cruise. <BR><BR>The cruiselines have chosen this way to tack on extras so that they can attract the cheap people with low prices. A construction worker sees in the paper that he can go on a cruise for a few hundred dollars and he signs up. <BR><BR>This is why you will see some people on cruises who do not belong. I am talking about people in teh dining room with jeans or other clothing that is not appropriate.<BR>

You get nickle and dimed for everything on RCCL. You can safely bet that for a good vacation you are going to spend an additional 1/4 to 1/3 of the original cost of the entire trip to enjoy the extras.

Vicky, congratulations! You'll love cruising! You might want to avoid the Spa....facials and massages are expensive...and they really try to sell you their line of cosmetics, etc. Where will you be cruising? Ports? Folks on this board will help you decide what excursions you might want to go on. We enjoy taking a taxi (with a knowledgeable driver) around the Islands and being with the "natives!" You will meet great shipmates and I know you'll enjoy every minute! Bon Voyage!

Hi Vicky,<BR><BR>RCCL never served anything complimentary but iced tea and water at the buffet during the day but now they are offering juice (which most days tastes like Kool-Aid). <BR><BR>They did say they were not going to serve complimentary cola at dinner as in the past. They did do away with the pitcher of cola at your table but they now give complimentary glasses of cola - bottomless.<BR><BR>If you drink a lot of cola it would be best to purchase the soft-drink card.<BR><BR>Paul<BR><BR>

RCCL like most carriers charge for everything other than most food. Princess charges for ice cream. If you got kids that drink soda, make sure you get them a child cruise card with a pre set limit or you will pay dearly. We found shore excursion make the cruise so plan wisely and do your homework. I spend a great deal of time researching them and have only been burnt once. A cheap way is rent a cab and driver for the day. These men and women will stay with you all day and show you things many cruise lines never will. Barbados cabbies were the best. If you like booze, bring your own bottle in the suitcase and make some of your own. Yeah it sounds cheap but so what! All in all we love crusing and would take one very month if we could afford it.<BR>Oh by the way, I found Karoline at Cruise.com to be a super contact for cruises (NO I don't work for them)