Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, excursions, port fees, the pre-cruise hotel — all disclosed somewhere, almost none added before you book. Here's the math, line by line.
55–70%
advertised fare as a share of true landed cost on a typical 7-night cruise
37M+
global cruise passengers in 2026, most paying full sticker (CLIA)
$18–22
per person per day in auto-gratuities — quietly added to your folio on day one
The eight line items
Everything below is published. Almost none of it is included in the headline fare.
$18–22/person/day, charged automatically. $250–310/week for a couple before tips on drinks or spa.
$70–120/person/day. Breakeven is roughly 5 cocktails or 4 specialty coffees per day.
$15–35/device/day depending on tier. Some lines double-charge for video streaming.
$60–250/person/port through the line. Independent operators average 30–40% less for similar tours.
$140–260/night near port plus airport-to-hotel shuttle. Most cruises require an arrival the day before.
$20/day at most ports = $140 for a 7-night sail. Add another $80–160 for round-trip airport transfers.
$150–280/person, often broken out separately on the final invoice but never in the marketing total.
Easy $300–600 in incidentals over a week. Budget for it. Most cruisers don't.
Worked example
Mainstream line (Royal, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC). All numbers 2026 published pricing.
Final number ranges $2,800–$4,200 depending on choices. The Cruise calculator lets you swap in your real fare, cabin, drink plan, and excursion mix.
Run the numbers
Cruise
Fare + every line item. Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, excursions, port fees, hotel. Itemized.
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Comparison
Same week, same couple, two totals side by side. Which one actually wins?
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Timing
Cruise fares move on a published curve. Find the sweet spot for your sail date.
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Cards
The best credit cards for Carnival, Royal, and any line that earns transferable points. Three picks in 60 seconds.
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Questions cruisers ask
The advertised fare is roughly 55–70% of true landed cost. A 7-night Caribbean cruise on a mainstream line typically lands $2,800–$4,200 for two — fare plus gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, two or three excursions, port fees, and the pre-cruise hotel.
Worth it if you drink 5+ alcoholic beverages per day or 4+ specialty coffees. Below that, à-la-carte is cheaper. The calculator runs both scenarios.
For mainstream cruises, the fare is the fare — the line publishes one price across all channels. A good agent can layer on group rates, onboard credit, or pre-paid gratuities at no extra cost. For luxury lines (Regent, Silversea, Seabourn), the agent margin is real and worth shopping.
Two windows: 9–14 months out, before broad publicity kicks in, and 30–75 days out, when lines drop final-payment-period inventory. The When-to-Book tool maps the curve for your specific sail date.
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