Stop Overpaying on Cruises: 7 Extras You Shouldn’t Buy
October 16, 2025
1.2K views
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