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5 Most Overrated Things About Cruising That Waste Your Money

Professor Melissa
Professor Melissa
🏅Authority
👁️ 20K views📅 1 months ago⏱️ 12:56
What This Creator Said
Creator Had Mixed FeelingsTips & Advice🏅Authority Creator
Veteran Cruiser

Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.

Creator's Key Takeaways

In my opinion, the drink package is the single most hyped on waste of money in all of cruising.

When you book an excursion through a cruise line, you are paying a significant markup for what is almost always the same exact tour you could book on your own for less money.

The ship is brand new to you. Some of the other areas of the ship aren't as crowded yet because everyone's out on the Leo deck.

Creator's Tips & Advice

Skip the sail away party and explore the ship instead.
Calculate if the drink package makes sense for your drinking habits before buying.
Get massages in port for lower cost and no upsell.
Use your phone for photos instead of buying expensive packages.
Book independent excursions for better value and experience.

🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:

Missing the sail away partyGo to the sail away party if it's your first cruise, but know it's repetitive for seasoned cruisers.
Booking independent excursions and being lateFor first-time cruisers, book cruise line excursions for the guarantee, but for others, go independent.

Questions This Creator Answers

QWhat are the most overrated things about cruising?
QAre cruise drink packages worth the cost?
QShould you book excursions through the cruise line or independently?

Topics Covered

Pool Deck2½ Sad BaconSpa Fitness1½ Sad BaconCrowd Capacity2 Sad BaconValue Pricing1 Sad BaconDrink Package4 Sad BaconExcursions3½ Sad Bacon

Port Highlights

Costaya, Mexico4 Happy Bacon
How to read the Trip Bacon Score
Happy Bacon — creators loved this aspect
Sad Bacon — creators took issue with this
Meh — no strong opinion either way

Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.

About our Bacon Score methodology
YouTube Video Description

Are some of the most popular cruise “must-dos” actually costing you more while giving you less? Professor Melissa breaks down five of the most hyped cruise experiences and explains where they fall short, who they might still work for, and what smarter alternatives look like. The goal is not to avoid fun, but to make better decisions so your cruise feels more relaxed, more personal, and better aligned with how you actually travel. ***FREE Casino Cruise** https://urcomped.com/Affiliate/LandingPage/60?src=profmelissa **Private Driver Recommendations** https://www.profmelissa.com/drivers **CHAPTERS** (0:00) Why are cruise “must-dos” often overrated? (0:58) Are sail-away parties worth the crowd and chaos? (2:54) Is the drink package really a good deal? (6:04) Are cruise ship spas worth the high prices? (8:25) Do onboard photo packages still make sense today? (10:46) Are cruise line excursions overpriced compared to independent tours? ----------------------------------------------- PODCAST Want this video in audio form? Stream my podcast: Spotify: https://profmel.com/spotify Apple: https://profmel.com/apple ----------------------------------------------- LINKS 🛳️ Get my Travel Insurance Guide for Cruisers: https://profmel.com/insurance 🛳️ Shop my favorite cruise outfits and essentials: https://profmel.com/shop 🛳️ Want to become a travel agent? https://www.profmelissa.com/travelagent 🛳️ Get my top recommended travel card: http://www.profmel.com/card 🛳️ Want to book a cruise or take a cruise with me? https://profmel.com/book 🛳️ Grab my FREE Cruise Packing List & Planner: https://profmel.com/subscribe 🛳️ Want to book my favorite private drivers? http://www.profmel.com/drivers ------------------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH ME TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@professormelissa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProfMelissaCruises/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/professormelissa ------------------------------------------------- Please note that sometimes, my posts contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a commission through purchases, but this does not affect you as a consumer or cost you more in any way. I appreciate your use of my links, as this helps support my channel. ♥️