When you first start cruising, it's easy to assume that your base cruise fare is all you need for a fun and relaxing vacation. And for the most part, this can be true! Cruising is a fairly inclusive vacation with dining, entertainment, transportation, and accommodations all bundled into your cruise fare.
Even still, there are always opportunities to spend more money. From specialty dining to spa treatments and internet packages, you can spend hundreds to thousands more on your cruise with add-ons. In the end, how much you spend on these extra costs depends on your budget and travel preferences.
I'll be honest, it can feel like you’re being nickel-and-dimed with all of the add-ons beyond your initial cruise fare. This is especially true with mainstream cruise lines, which aim to offer affordable, family-friendly vacations. For cruises with more all-inclusive fares, you’ll need to spend more money to vacation with a premium or luxury cruise line.
As a budget-cruiser, I prefer sailing with Royal Caribbean. In particular, I find that Royal Caribbean offers a great vacation experience at an affordable price.
I've also earned a high loyalty status in their Crown and Anchor Society as a Diamond Plus member, which provides enticing perks when I continue cruising with Royal Caribbean.
I’m someone who likes to cruise a few times each year, so keeping costs down allows me to cruise more often. Instead of buying drink or dining packages, I could use that saved money for an entirely different vacation.
For many years, I resisted spending extra for add-ons and stuck to the basics. I would book the cheapest cruise fare available to stick to my vacation budget. Most of the time, this was a guaranteed interior cabin. I refused to spend more than necessary, even if it would enhance my cruise experience.
In recent years, I’ve started to splurge on a few extra costs that I had never considered purchasing before. However, these additional costs have truly amplified my cruise experience, and I think they're worth every penny.
Even though I’ve continued booking affordable inside cabins to save money, these extra costs have become must-haves for my Royal Caribbean cruises.
1. VOOM Surf and Stream Internet Package
Within the last five years, I’ve started to routinely purchase Royal Caribbean’s high-speed internet package for all of my cruises. With onboard connectivity improving drastically, especially with the introduction of Starlink’s satellite service, the added cost feels more worthwhile than ever before.
Internet used to be frustratingly slow on cruise ships, but now it's a luxury that I happily pay extra for. With faster speeds and better connectivity across the fleet, having an internet package is a must-have for my Royal Caribbean cruises.
In addition, I always purchase internet for the entire cruise, so I don’t have to worry about when or where I want to use the onboard Wi-Fi. For longer itineraries, I purchase the VOOM Surf and Stream package in the cruise planner online before embarkation. There are usually sales with discounts for pre-purchases, so this tends to be a better deal than waiting until I'm actually onboard.
However, as a Diamond Plus loyalty member, I receive two free days of internet on every Royal Caribbean cruise. In the end, this is about $55 off any internet purchase made onboard. For shorter itineraries, I will wait to purchase my internet until I’m onboard the ship, so I can apply this loyalty benefit.
Regardless, I never cruise without a Royal Caribbean internet package. Although some people prefer disconnecting entirely while cruising, that’s not necessarily practical for everyone.
I have remote work that needs to be completed each week, so having connectivity is vital for me. Whether I’m working remotely, messaging family, or updating my Instagram story with photos, having reliable internet adds real value to my cruise experience.
Read more: Do cruise ships have WiFi?
2. Specialty Dining
I've been cruising with Royal Caribbean for nearly two decades, and I've seen some noticeable changes with the cruise line recently, especially with their dining experience. For many years, my family dined exclusively in the main dining room, and for good reason! The service was always attentive, and the meals consistently felt special with their high-quality presentation and variety.
That said, I’ll be the first to admit that Royal Caribbean has been making obvious cuts to its complimentary dining options. For many loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers, the cost-cutting is notable in the main dining room experience and other complimentary restaurants. While I still enjoy the main dining room, it no longer feels as elevated as it used to.
Instead, I prioritize specialty dining more than ever to enhance my dining experience with Royal Caribbean. In fact, I'd argue that Royal Caribbean has some of the best specialty dining restaurants in the mainstream cruise industry. Before boarding, I will pre-purchase a few meals in the specialty dining restaurants. Although these meals are an added cost, I think it’s absolutely worthwhile for the top-notch dining experience.
Royal Caribbean's specialty dining restaurants offer a higher level of service and thoughtfully crafted dishes you won’t find in the main dining room. The ambiance also feels more intimate, setting the tone for a memorable meal from the moment you're seated.
On a 7-night cruise, I will usually reserve two different specialty restaurants. On longer itineraries, we might splurge for three specialty dining meals. In my experience, adding just a few specialty dining meals is an easy way to amplify your dining experience, without breaking your budget.
Some of my favorite Royal Caribbean restaurants include Chops Grille and Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, while my husband loves the sushi from Izumi. Specialty dining is available on every Royal Caribbean ship, even the older Vision Class vessels. However, if you’re sailing on a newer ship in the Oasis or Icon Class, you’ll find an even wider variety of options, which could make a specialty dining package especially worth considering.
3. Cruise-Sponsored Excursions
Although I love spending time aboard the cruise ship itself, I prefer booking port-intensive itineraries with exciting ports of call. I’m a destination-focused cruiser, so making the most of my time in each port is my highest priority while cruising. I spend hours researching the best excursions and tours for each port to optimize every hour the ship is docked.
For port-intensive itineraries, I always purchase some excursions through the cruise line. Although you can get cheaper excursions through independent vendors, there are major perks for booking directly with the cruise line.
First, the excursions offered through Royal Caribbean are thoroughly vetted, meaning you shouldn’t have to worry about an illegitimate or unsafe tour being operated. When visiting new destinations or unusual ports of call, I prefer booking excursions with Royal Caribbean for this added peace of mind.
In addition, you won’t have to worry about missing your ship’s all-aboard time, which could leave you stranded in a foreign country. With cruise-sponsored excursions, you’re essentially guaranteed to return to your ship. If your tour runs into any delays, you won't need to worry.
This is especially important when venturing far from the port where the ship is docked. It’s not uncommon to travel an hour or more to visit the main sights of a certain destination. This can make it risky to independently explore during a limited amount of time in port.
For example, I recently cruised on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas on a 12-night repositioning cruise to Asia, which included one day in Vietnam.
During our visit, we had to drive 90 minutes from the port in Phu My to explore the city of Ho Chi Minh City. On the way back, heavy traffic delayed many of the tour buses. Had we booked an excursion independently, I would’ve been anxious the entire time instead of enjoying the day.
Finally, you can easily cancel your excursions when booked with the cruise line. You can typically cancel your Royal Caribbean excursion up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund, which adds flexibility to your schedule.
Additionally, if a port is cancelled unexpectedly, you'll get an automatic refund without issue; this isn't always the case for independent excursions.
4. Choosing My Cabin Location
As a budget-conscious cruiser, I used to opt for only guaranteed cabins when booking a cruise. Instead of choosing your cabin’s specific location, you can save some money by allowing the cruise line to select your stateroom location for you. This is considered a “guaranteed” cabin, as you’re guaranteed a stateroom in the category you book (or higher, technically).
This can be a great strategy for saving money, and you might luck out with an excellent stateroom for your cruise. For example, I’ve had a few instances where I received a mid-ship balcony cabin after booking an interior stateroom! However, with cruise ships now sailing at or near full capacity, the chances of being assigned a desirable guaranteed cabin have become much lower.
Most of the time, you’re assigned the leftover staterooms that no one else wanted to book. Unfortunately, this usually means you’re likely to receive an undesirable location, such as one under the pool deck or above the nightclub.
For instance, when my husband and I cruised to Iceland on Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas a few years ago, we upgraded to a balcony guarantee stateroom. The price to upgrade was minimal, costing us only $300. We were excited to have a private verandah while soaking in the stunning scenery of Iceland throughout our cruise.
Once onboard, we realized why no one wanted to book this particular cabin; it was right above the nightclub. With loud music playing until midnight each evening, we couldn’t fall asleep until the parties were finished. This was extremely frustrating, as we were exhausted each night after spending our long days ashore exploring Iceland and just wanted to go to sleep.
Now, I always pay extra to specifically choose my cabin location. I refuse to gamble with my stateroom location when I'm already spending my hard-earned money on a vacation. In my opinion, guarantee cabins are too risky. As a light sleeper, being in an undesirable stateroom with loud noises defeats the purpose of going on vacation to relax and rest. The extra cost to avoid guaranteed cabins is absolutely worth it for me.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
