Budgetting extra expenses info

[mikewdw]

Planning on first cruise ever next june. Trying to come up with a budget for the other expenses besides what you pay for just the cruise. We are family of 5 (3 kids 9 and under). We are planning to drive down (about 8 - 9 hours) in our own car and stay at a hotel the night before leaving. Only planning on a 4 day 3 night cruise leaving from Port Canaveral. Can someone help by listing what other cost and estimates for them that will come with the trip. For example, who to tip and how much, car storage rates and who will do it, and any other extra expenses that a newbie might not even know about or know how much to plan for. Any and all info appreciated.
Thanks
mikewdw

 

[maryszhi]

def. the port excursions, which can be expensive depending on what you do, as well as souvenirs.

 

[flynnibus]

Your big ticket items are your excursions - all excursion activity is not included in your booking. Excursions can be $40 a head or upwards of $200 a head per event. Look at the DCL site to see what items interest you and are in your budget.

You will pay for any specialty drinks (about $7) or alchoholic drinks on board (about $6-$9). Only you know how much you drink

You will pay for souvenirs of course. This is basically just like a WDW trip - only you know your spending.

Parking at the terminal for 4 night cruise should be $75

Tipping estimates are here - http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faqs/onboard-services/gratuities/ Plan also to have a few bills handy for curb side checkin of your bags.

Really those are the headlines. Of course you will pay for your hotel too.. that's pretty straight forward unless you are planning on taking a shuttle instead of parking at the terminal. There are all kinds of 'whats included' or not if you plan on doing a park/stay hotel deal. For my family of 5, I found all of it way too cumbersome and just parked at the terminal to save myself all the hassle.

Stayed at the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach which was decent for the money. Big big room which helped for the family of 5 and close to the beach if you wanted to be on the beach. We spend the morning before the cruise shopping at Ron Jon and then headed to the terminal.

 

[MITCH 112198]

Check to see if a Best western near by, they offer port shuttle service and free parking while away when you stay 1 night with them, that's what we did in Baltimore and in Jacksonville. Alcohol and soda are extra charges , Check on a soda card it's cheaper to pay by day then per drink. Don't forget pictures they take are add on also.

 

[tracyandalex]

Also, if you end up doing Palo (the adult only restaurant) that will cost $20 each plus tip or if you do Remy (the other adult only restaurant) that will cost $75 each plus tip, more if you get the wine pairings. Also, if anyone uses the spa there will be an additional charge for that.

DCL does not charge extra for soda.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

"Free" or included sodas are in the dining rooms (& Cabanas) and from the drink stations. If you get a soda from the little kiosk outside the theaters, the Cove Cafe, or room service you'll be charged for them. The Cove Cafe sells specialty coffee drinks that are an extra charge. I think in the dining rooms if you have some of the specialty drinks like the smoothies or coffees those are extra-costs.

We bring our own liquor & jumbo insulated tumblers to mix our own drinks onboard. I love that about DCL: you can carry your own liquor onboard. I don't have to get creative and try to smuggle it like on other cruise lines ((still formulating my plan of attack for RCI's Allure next year...)). Hubby & I are generally good for another drink or two from a bar at some point onboard so we realize it doesn't eliminate the drinky-drink cost but does greatly reduce it. If you are a wine drinker (I'm not) and you want your own wine poured at dinner there will be a corkage fee but I don't know what the amount(s) will be.

You can pre-pay your standard gratuity amounts per the link Flynn referenced. I'm a fan of pre-paying gratuities. Generally we add a little extra to the tip envelope when it's time if the service has warranted.

I liked the tip I got from my trusty-TA about bringing an envelope with a stack of single dollar bills. I use these for tipping porters at the curb and also tipping the servers who bring the room service items (helloooooo Mickey's Premium bars in bed!).

Specialty dining onboard costs extra. If you and the hubby want to go to Palo or Remy it'll be an additional cost as previously mentioned.

Also, if you're gonna do an onboard booking even if it's just a placeholder cruise to switch at some future date you'll need to think ahead for that as well.

Oh! And Shutters! Let's not forget buying the pictures that they take onboard the ship and CC! Some great shots. For the most part the photographers will take pics with your camera, too, but they always seem to be better at using their camera than mine (and mine's just a simple point & shoot). Hmmm....fishy! Anywhoo, if you don't want to be tempted, don't even look at your Shutters pics. If you're like me, best to set that budget before hand and force yourself to stick as close to that budget as possible.

Parking. I think you said you were doing a 3-night, right? 3-night parking at the port is $60. I think the Country Inn & Suites does the park-n-cruise thing. There are other off-site parking places if you don't want to stay out by the port the night before. Both times we've cruised we've parked in the structure at the port near the walk-across bridge thing into the terminal. Extremely convenient...one we pay thru the nose for. It's up to you, tho. There are options if the onsite parking is a pill you can't swallow. I understand.

So to recap:

-Gratuities
-Porter/Room Service tipping singles
-Drinky-drinks (optional)
-Excursions (optional)
-Souvenirs (optional)
-Specialty dining (optional)
-Spa services (optional)
-Shutters pics (optional
-Parking (optional)
-Deposit for your next cruise (I'd love to call this optional but, for some reason, it's not quite optional for me...LOL)

Thank goodness "Fun" is included, right?! LOL!

Have a fab time!

 

[flynnibus]

Check to see if a Best western near by, they offer port shuttle service and free parking while away when you stay 1 night with them, that's what we did in Baltimore and in Jacksonville

Here's the catch for many of the park/shuttle deals at Port Canaveral.
1) The room rate for those offers in PC are typically higher than the normal rates. The shuttle/parking offers are there for people booking on the special rate, and you possibly may not be able to get your discounted rate you get through AAA, etc.
2) The shuttle offer may be limited to 2 people, with additional people requiring additional charges

Alcohol and soda are extra charges , Check on a soda card it's cheaper to pay by day then per drink. Don't forget pictures they take are add on also.

Soda on DCL is free in the restaurants and at the 24hr food stations. Soda is only a charge at bars and at some of the specialty counters. There are no 'soda cards' on DCL.

Good point on the pictures - those are another souvenir people may be interested in... and are big bucks on DCL. About $13+ a photo if I recall(?)

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Here's the catch for many of the park/shuttle deals at Port Canaveral.
1) The room rate for those offers in PC are typically higher than the normal rates. The shuttle/parking offers are there for people booking on the special rate, and you possibly may not be able to get your discounted rate you get through AAA, etc.
2) The shuttle offer may be limited to 2 people, with additional people requiring additional charges


Good point on the pictures - those are another souvenir people may be interested in... and are big bucks on DCL. About $13+ a photo if I recall(?)

True on the park-n-cruise at local port hotels. It's a cruise package you choose as an option from what I recall seeing. No, it wasn't paired with the best rates either. Good catch on the additional charge for more than 2 shuttle passengers. If someone is going to do go that route they could drop the family & luggage at the port curb then return to the hotel to park & catch the shuttle to meet them. Where there's a will, there's a way! LOL!

We purchased 8x10s individually on our first cruise last September. Those were $20 each. The Magic cruise in May we bought the cd but I can't remember how much it was. I know we waited until the last night, gathered every pic of us, looked thru them, and made sure the ones we wanted would total more than the amount of the cd before we chose to purchase it. No, we didn't have a long wait to purchase the cd on the last night because we did this during the final show. Later after the show let out we passed Shutters and it was a madhouse. Soooo, if someone waits until the last night to purchase their pics/cd at Shutters either get ready to wait a long time or skip the show to take care of it.

 

[Phonedave]

Most on-board activities are free, or have a nominal charge ($5, $10). By activities, I mean things like classes, tours, shows, lectures, etc.

Bingo, if that floats your boat so to speak, does cost extra (and has cash prizes)

Float tube rental on Castaway Cay is also a charge (like $6 for the day or something)

-dave

 

[mikewdw]

thanks for info, besides budgetting stuff is there anything else a newbie should know? dont feel like i know enough to ask the right questions
mikewdw

 

[Phonedave]

My advice - don't overwhelm yourself.

1) You are not going to be able to see/do everything there is to see and do, so don't feel like you have to.

2) And this is for ME, you may be different, most of the *stuff* people recommend I find pretty much useless and more of a hassle to drag around. Fish hangers, shoe caddies for the door, night lights, etc. All stuff that to me is a waste of packing space. What does work for me is a power strip (because we have many chargers) and a beach bag / backpack (for Castaway Cay and excursions)

Of course some people swear by the other stuff. The thing to do is look at all of the things people recommend, and then THINK - will that be useful to you.

What you really want to do is make sure you have clothes, bathing suits, sunscreen, proper documentation, and necessary medications (including OTC motion sickness if you need it). Get to the port early, pack a carry on bag with a swimsuit, and read your Personal Navigator when you get into your stateroom.


-dave