The REAL PRICE of Living on Cruise Ships – It's NOT What We Expected
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
The cruise fare is the easy part. It's the 6 hidden costs underneath it that will make or break your budget.
When you live on a ship, your internet is a negotiation, ship by ship, sailing by sailing, and it's expensive.
The nickel and diming has gotten steadily worse across almost every single cruise line. The things that used to be feeling included feel less included now.
Once you start thinking that way, once you stop comparing cruise life to a vacation budget and start comparing it to your whole month of cost of living, well, then everything looks different.
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↓
Three years ago, we sold our house in Canada and moved onto cruise ships full time. Since then, we've discovered something most full-time cruisers won't tell you: The cruise fare is the easy part. It's the 6 hidden costs underneath it that will make or break your budget. This is the real price of living on a cruise ship — and after 3 years and 73 ships, these are the numbers we wish someone had given us on day one. ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction: 3 Years, 73 Ships, 6 Surprises 1:18 - Is Full-Time Cruise Ship Living Actually Worth It? 1:44 - Hidden Cost #1: Internet & Wi-Fi at Sea 3:25 - The Starlink Myth (It's Banned on Ships) 3:38 - Hidden Cost #2: Excursions Add Up Fast 5:35 - Hidden Cost #3: Gratuities, Drinks & Dining Fees 7:40 - Hidden Cost #4: In-Between Day Costs 9:08 - Hidden Cost #5: Insurance & Claims 10:46 - Hidden Cost #6: The Lifestyle Trade-Off Nobody Mentions 12:11 - Fast Version: All 6 Hidden Costs in 60 Seconds 💡 The one that surprises people most? It's not the drink packages or excursions. Drop your guess in the comments before you watch — we read every single one. 🚢 We're Kirk and Tori — a Canadian couple who sold our home in 2022 to live full-time on cruise ships. We cover the real cost of cruise living, ship hopping strategy, and honest cruise travel tips so you can make smarter decisions. 💬 Which hidden cost shocked you most? Drop it in the comments — we read every single one. 🔔 New videos every week — Subscribe for honest, real-numbers content on full-time cruise living.