Any cruise experts?! I need help!

[Pleasegotobed]

Looking at booking a 10 night med cruise for the summer and I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the options!

Do I need the all inclusive option? It’s me and 3 kids age 10, 12 and 15 so obviously only me drinking! I do like a cocktail and a glass of wine but I guess it’s best value if you’re all drinking alcohol and doesn’t seem to be an option to just buy it for one person. it’s a lot for what is basically juice and lemonade for the kids. BUT: I hate not knowing how much to budget for extras, the good thing about holidays for me is not stressing over spending so the kids being able to order what they want is a big draw. I don’t want to be caught out by everything being extra!

We would definitely use the inclusive a la carte meals part of the AI option and that’s something we would really like.

we have three favourite options:

• NCL - this is our favourite itinerary and the cheapest with “free at sea” included. But tips are extra and that only seems to cover the first two people which seems bizarre?! So probably ends up being more expensive than option 2!
• MSC - middle price for AI but that includes tips
• Princess - cheapest option for cruise only but when you add the AI package it becomes the most expensive.. all the cruise sites say they are really good at not charging for extras though.

help me! I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit looking at this and I’m going round in circles 🤣
I wondered about booking cruise only and then putting the 1k or whatever it is into a bank account solely for drinks and extras so that I don’t stress on the trip.. any tips would be so gratefully appreciated!

There’s a YouTube channel called Tips for Travellers almost exclusively on cruises ( both ocean and river ).

As well as trip reviews he also does a lot of ‘5 things to avoid’, ‘scams to avoid’ and such in the channel.

I’ve been on 1 so not an expert but I wouldn’t get the drink package again unless I became a big drinker. I went with MSC so you had to get the same package for everyone in the cabin (or minors package for kids). I couldn’t drink enough to make it good value. And on MSC there are hot and cold drinks available all day for free in the buffets. Slightly less convenient but I’d never spend enough on alcohol to make it worthwhile.

Have a look on here
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/?&_fromLogout=1
I've been on Celebrity Cruises , with teens and they had the best holiday ever
DH and I went , we did the all inclusive ( tips , wifi and drinks ) not sure if we drank our moneys worth , but it just meant we didn’t get a scary bill at the end

If you go with marella cruises they are AI anyway so that would help you budget. (They are also very good. Done several now(

We've cruised with Marella before - really enjoyed it. We've also cruised with MSC - really nice ship, but a word of caution about MSC - THey're a really multi national line. Whenever the announcements were made, they were repeated in about 5 or 6 different languages. Understandable, but SO annoying. Also, the evening shows - mostly dance shows ( probably due to the language situation ).
Just thought that may help.

I've been with Marella which is automatically ai, Cunard (don't bother with the drinks package as you can bring wine aboard for your cabin and free cloudy lemonade and hot fldrinks is available from buffet, just take thermos bottles and cups!) p&o, bit cheaper, didn't do ai. And Disney, stupidly expensive!

Ps off with Marella again shortly so can give up to date verdict

You need to think about how much time you will actually be on the ship. Eg if you plan on getting off at each port then you won't actually be on the ship to take advantage of the inclusive drinks for the maximum time.
Only done one cruise (MSC), but water, and coffee/tea freely available in buffet all day. Plus juice at breakfast
Advantage of msc is inclusive tips, others you mentioned I think you pay extra. Which I personally find quite stressful! You don't have to pay the tips and could refuse but it feels like an uncomfortable premise to book a holiday

Also no expert - only been on one MSC cruise. We didn't get drinks package. My 13 yr old son enjoyed tracking down a bottle of something fizzy in local shops when off boat. I bought a glass of wine if in restaurant for £8. Otherwise the permanently free water/fruit juice/teas/coffee and occasional hot chocolate were more than enough. I actually think you could end up stressing to get your money's worth if you get a package. Whereas buying a couple of drinks a day would work out cheaper for most.
And you can simply check your card allowance on board.

Totally off topics but can I ask you why you've decided on Cruising as oppposed to flying to the Med?

It takes so long to get to your destination which is great if you like the relaxation . But would your DC?

DH and I have just come home from a 12 night cruise /
Don't forget to add on the cost of trips if you want them , or if you don;t , and plan your own offshore trips be aware the ship won't wait for you if you're late (they will wait if it's one of their trips late back)

Check how much there is for your DC to do onboard
And the size of the stateroom/s

I Cruise with NCL often as think they are great for families with older kids/teens. Primarily Americans and brits, so very much English speaking.

The free at sea will give you drinks package for first two guests, you can then pay for a soda package for your two youngest. IMO, one of the nice things about a cruise holiday is being able to have a cocktail round the pool or wine with dinner and not need to worry about the extra cost. Effectively, in going for FAS you are already getting the best price as your 3rd and 4th guests in the cabin are free (you just pay taxes) which is why your overall price is lower. You could ask to remove the free at sea but would pay for your other 2 kids, so not really worth it.

The other perk is one specialty dining credit for guests 1 and 2. You would need to pay for your younger kids but this would likely be a reduced kids price. The food in some of the specialty restaurants is wonderful, and it is easy to get your moneys worth.

You also get basic WiFi included (don't get excited, ship WiFi generally poor) and £50 shore credit on excursions at each port (may be a saving, but shorex often more expensive through the ship than DIY).

Loads of videos on you tube, just search your line/ship. Which NCL ship are you looking at?

You can get the alcohol package and the children can have the soft drink package. Otherwise all get the soft drink package and purchase wine as you go.
Alcoholic drinks are normally around $10 to $13 a pop.
There are normally a selection of water/fruit juice/teas/coffee FOC on board.

I would go with your fav itinerary. Gratuities though not discretionary you can refuse to pay them. I would cap it at the two persons as the others are clearly minors.

This is amazingly helpful thank you all so much.

we are looking at a fly cruise so not too many days at sea. Means we can spend a few extra days in the city after too. I think we will want to get off on all the port days - which is a really good point about not being there to make use of drinks etc.

Does anyone have an idea of how much to budget for port stops? I think we will mostly do our own thing but might do a few of the organised ones - there seems to be no indication of costs on the website really!

With the gratuities - do people not pay them? I don’t want it to be stressful so didn’t really want that to be the premise I started from! I wish they’d just build it into the cost - for NCL the tips added are £660! Do you then get charged gratuity for each drink at the bar etc or is it a one off fee and done?

Thanks again and thanks for the website recommendations- will check those out

Oh one more question- are the drinks with dinner always included or do you sometimes have to pay for them?

I think the kids might appreciate a package ( they get the cheaper non alcoholic one). They are off with their mates after a few days and ordering non alcoholic cocktails is part of the fun.

Port stops totally depend on your normal habits. Allow £10 per person to shuttle or taxi out of the terminal. Many like Lisbon, Corsica, Villefranche won’t cost a penny because the town is right there. Others like Naples wouldn’t let you walk through the port.

You don’t have to pay cabin gratuities but you’ll have to queue in customer services on the last day if you want them taken off. Drink and food tips I think aren’t removable . P&O and MSC don’t do tips.

Dinner you get basic water or maybe juice coffee and tea , depending on line for free. No soda or alcohol.

Allowing 1k extra for drinks etc seems like an absolutely crazy amount
That's £100 per day. Surely you and your 3 kids won't drink that much.
Or were.you allowing trips/excursions into that £1000 too?

Yes watch this, and 'Emma Cruises'.

A cruise is my idea of hell - I can just about manage a cross channel ferry but I am fascinated.

GET CRUISE INSURANCE.

I believe MSC is aimed at a more adult passenger so I suggest having a look at what they provide for children. Some have kids clubs and activities, others have lectures and quizzes for adults.

Look at where you will stop and remember all ports can be cancelled due to bad weather or other reasons. It seems that no one actually docks at Rome - it's a 30 min train ride and a lot of ships are now banned from Venice.

Port stops are more expensive if you take the cruise line's tours but if you are late back the ship will wait for you.

Is there a stop you are not bothered about? That's the day to head to the spa as prices drop on port days.

I think everyone in the cabin has to take the same drinks package so maybe go for a soda package and buy your alcohol. You can also take a couple of bottles of alcohol on the ship.

How big is the ship? Bigger ships tend to have more to do.

I'd go AI and see if they do a soft drinks package (drinks will start to add up with the DC) then put a couple of bottles in your suitcase, don't carry it on.
You also can't bring alcohol onto the ship if you've bought it at one of the ports you stop off at, they take it off you and give it back when you disembark at the end of your cruise.
I've been on a few cruises but we did one where we didn't have a drinks package, on day three we checked our bill and we'd run up £350, we're not massive drinkers, it was a bottle of wine with lunch, cocktails etc in the evening.
There were only two of us!
Don't expect drinks to be cheap like they are abroad

A couple of extra points for NCL.

You can bring 2 bottles of wine onto the shop per adult but only if you have the drinks package.

Included drinks are tea, coffee, water, juice, milk and chocolate milk at breakfast, then juice drinks /flavoured water things from the machine all day. No extra drinks included with dinner if you do not have a drinks package.

Re: an earlier comment re ports you can walk into or DIY travel. Naples, you can absolutely walk off the ship, and easy to get train or taxi to wherever you want to go. Greek Islands, Balearics, Cannes, Sicily, Marseille, Barcelona, Croatian ports such as Dubrovnik and Split, all straightforward to get off.

If your itinerary includes Rome, Florence, Pisa or Venice you will need a tour. I would book with either the ship or another company who guarantees to get you back in time. The ports are a way aways from the city and traffic can be busy.

You can prepay gratuities. If you take a dining or drinks package your gratuities will be automatically added to your invoice. You can go to guest services on the first day and have them removed, but IMO this is poor etiquette as the staff are often low paid, and even if you choose to tip your room steward or waiting staff out of pocket, this then disadvantages all of the behind the scenes staff who keep your trip running smoothly.

Just come back from a Med cruise on Celebrity.

Naples we weren’t allowed to walk off had to get the shuttle. Dubrovnik again the shuttle as we didn’t dock near the Old Town. Corfu town again was a shuttle.

Rome we used the ships shuttle about an hour and half drive (I’m limited mobility so easier than train)

Ships Excursions are expensive so we tend to diy.

I use this to help plan and sometimes tours by locals.

https://www.whatsinport.com/

also cruise critic is invaluable for ports

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/8-europe/

We always get the drinks & WiFi package as I can’t be bothered stressing about extra costs.

Id not remove tips as it’s how a lot of the staff get their wages. I’ve only been on Celebrity and Disney - we have done about 9/10 cruises. Love them.

And definitely get travel insurance that includes cruises as not all do.

Re your 3 choices: MSC all inclusive is £29 pppn That’s for adults and includes tips I think that’s the cheapest.

Princess is £50 a night and NCL was that but have half price “ free at sea” AI offers regularly. Both Princess and NCL have a service charge on top of every drink you buy unless you have a package . So feels expensive.

I did MSC last year and the announcements weren’t in 5 languages all the time that people keep mentioning. It might depend on ship and if it sails from Southampton.

Good to know that MSC let you pick the boat up anywhere unlike other lines. So if it sails from Southampton you get the kettle in the room but you can skip the sea days and fly out once it’s near somewhere you want to and then sail back into Southampton. If you live in the south it can make a long cruise a bit cheaper.

In European cities DIY is easy enough. We’ve been in cruises where it’s very difficult to do this and trips off are a ludicrous price for half a day. We just encourage drinking water! When DDs were younger we did 3 cruises but I’m not a fan. It’s too regimented on vast ships. Food is average at best and we decided there were better holidays available for us. DDs enjoyed meeting other DC. Cruising provides a safe environment at a lowish price, until you add on the extras and realise you see next to nothing of the cities you visit and organised trips off are extortionate.

Don't remove tips - it makes up a big part of the staff wages.
Unless you are having 4 or more alcoholic drinks a day - a package simply isn't worth it. I'd imagine being a adult with 3 kids, you are probably not going to want to get lashed so I would pay as you go with the drinks. Most cruise ships have water stations so take some chilly bottles, squeeze juice and its free!

Yeah, don’t remove the tips, the staff rely on them.

We like all inclusive deals for ease. Our teenager loved them too so they could try everything. It’s worth working out if it works for you and your family though. Usually the DC non alcoholic packages are much cheaper than the alcohol one.

I really didn’t like MSC, it was so crowded and noisy with lots of queues. We were Yacht Club which is lovely but a completely different price bracket.

Sometimes in port we spend nothing at all just walk to town or a local site. Sometimes we go to a museum, sometimes go on a full on tour - snorkelling, wine tasting etc.

Sea days are good IMO you don’t need to be in port everyday, it’s exhausting. Nice to have some days just relaxing, floating about and enjoying the ship and its facilities.

Lots of cruise ship ports are nowhere near anything much. It varies hugely. Plus the main reason for being in that area might not be anywhere near the port.