Stop Overpaying on Cruises: 7 Extras You Shouldn’t Buy
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
We've completed 50 plus cruises in counting.
Most cruises are marketed as nearly or all-inclusive. And that's true to a point.
It surprises people a lot of times the big bills they get when they finally check out of their cruise.
Cruising is a phenomenal deal and it still continues to be.
Creator's Tips & Advice
🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:
Questions This Creator Answers
Topics Covered
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 methodologyYouTube Video Description↓
Think cruises are all-inclusive? Not quite. In this guide, we break down what your cruise fare doesn’t cover—by cruise line—so you can budget with confidence and skip the “end-of-voyage bill shock.” We cover gratuities/service charges, Wi-Fi tiers, room service delivery fees, specialty dining, drinks & coffee, private-island add-ons, spa/fitness, laundry, photos, shore excursions, and more across: Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian (NCL), Viking, Oceania, Explora Journeys, Silversea, Azamara, and Virgin Voyages (Base / Essential / Premium). 👉 Free, apples-to-apples cruise quote (with/without packages): https://digitalroamads.com/cruising What you’ll learn Inclusions vs. extras on mainstream and premium cruise lines New Virgin Voyages tiers (Base/Essential/Premium) and what they really change When Plus / Premier / Have It All / All Included / More At Sea actually save money How to build a real cruise budget (and avoid surprise charges) Quick line-by-line index (use as chapters after upload) Save on Excursions: https://youtu.be/WsTAeusbxOQ All-Inclusive Deal Comparisions https://youtu.be/pgJgPiK8D5Q 0:00 Hook & why cruises aren’t all-inclusive 0:40 What base fares usually include 2:20 Celebrity – All Included vs. à la carte 4:15 Princess – Plus & Premier (grats, Wi-Fi, delivery fees) 5:34 Holland America – Have It All value 6:14 Royal Caribbean – Common extras (VOOM, room service, CocoCay) 7:35 NCL – “More At Sea,” daily service charges, room-service fees 8:45 Virgin Voyages - New Tiers 10:35 Viking (Ocean) – What’s included vs. cocktails & gratuities 11:43 Oceania – Your World Included, wine/beer vs. excursion credit 13:25 Explora Journeys – Near all-inclusive; where you’ll still pay 14:15 Silversea – Fare families, what’s covered, expedition differences 15:05 Azamara – Gratuities & house drinks included; Wi-Fi note 17:35 Budgeting Templates 17:57 Recap by line Budgeting checklist (copy/paste to plan your trip) Base fare (incl. taxes/port fees) Gratuities/service charges × nights (or package inclusion) Drinks (package vs. à la carte; bottled water, specialty coffee) Wi-Fi (devices × days; streaming vs. basic) Specialty dining (covers × nights) Shore excursions (ports × avg. cost; private-island extras) Spa/fitness (thermal suite, classes), laundry, photos Our best money-saving tips If you don’t drink, skip all-in beverage packages—consider Wi-Fi-only or bundles that include gratuities and delivery fees. Port-heavy itineraries = less time to use packages. Do the math. Pre-purchase when on sale (Wi-Fi/beverage bundles often discount before sailing). Some lines include gratuities or wine/beer at meals—don’t pay twice. Work with us (free planning & perks) We’re Mark & Monica from Digital Roamads—cruise advisors who’ve sailed 50+ times. We’ll compare “included” vs. extras for your ship and dates, then hunt for perks to offset costs. 👉 https://digitalroamads.com/cruising