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Cruise cabins and suites

Cruise ship rooms, floor plans, photos.

CruiseMapper's cabin and suites section allows you to explore cruise staterooms by ship. Each page provides extensive information on all passengers accommodations on a particular vessel, including floor plans, room types and categories (grades used upon booking), cabin sizes, deck location. Also provided is an extensive review of all ticket price inclusive en-suite amenities, along with furniture details and additional / bonus perks (if available).  

Here you will find brief descriptions by category of all stateroom types that can be found on cruise ship deck plans . You will find more information and many useful tips on staterooms at our best and worst cabins article. Here you can search for a particular ship (via the above search bar) or you can skip the introduction (explanations) and go down directly to our list of large passenger ships' cabin pages .

Cruise staterooms booking rates are usually based on deck location. Lower-deck accommodations are the cheapest. Midship rooms cost more. Balcony staterooms and Suites located aft or forward are the most expensive. Most cruise companies (especially those with large-sized vessels in the fleets) divide the main cabin types into subcategories. These grades are marked with numbers (like for balcony cabins - B1, B2, B3, B4) and are displayed on the deck layouts with different colors.

Cruise ship suites

Cruise suite accommodations are premium grades cabins. They are usually larger in comparison to balcony staterooms and feature more amenities. As a rule, suites have a full-size bathtub, larger shower, bigger closets and balcony (some have 2 private balconies). Amenities include coffee makers, premium sound systems, large-size TVs, complimentary butler service.

Loft Suites (aka Duplex Suites)

Loft Suites are "duplex suites" (on two levels) and available on the world's largest passenger ships of Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class and Quantum-class. The following layout is of Harmony of the Seas and its largest accommodation - the Royal Loft Suite.

Grand Suite

Twin beds in this type of cabin can be joined in a king bed. Grand Suites have also a double sofa bed and large private balcony, sitting area with 2-armchairs and a coffee table, desk, dressing area with vanity, walk-in closet, safe box, TV, phone, refrigerator, mini-bar, private bath with whirlpool tub and shower, patio chair and table, balcony lounge chair, pillow menu, bathrobes, hairdryer. See below the magnificent Oceania Marina ship's Owner Suite plan.

Captain Suite

Captains Suite accommodations have a huge 220 ft2 (20,5 m2) separate bedroom, while the living area is sized 290 ft2 (27 m2). There are 2 upper beds and a sofa bed, private bathroom with whirlpool hot tub and glass shower, safe, TV and phone, mini-bar, bathrobes, hairdryer.

A table and 3 patio chairs are on the balcony.

Owners Suite

Owner's Suites are some of the most luxurious accommodations at sea. They usually feature two separate bedrooms, private balcony (with luxury lounge furniture, even dining area and hot tub), living room (with sofa bed), luxury bathroom (with whirlpool bathtub and separate shower), second bathroom (WC), dining room, dressing area. Some Owner's Suites (like NCL's) can accommodate up to 10 passengers when connected to an adjacent Suite.

Ocean Suite

OS stands for "Ocean Suite" and category SS is "Spa Suite", recently changed to Junior Suite. These cabins have: twin beds that convert to king, sitting area with armchair and coffee table, sofa, dressing area with vanity, large balcony, wall safe, 2 big closets, mini-bar, refrigerator, private whirlpool bath with tub and shower, television and phone, balcony lounge chair, patio chair and table, pillow menu, bathrobes, hairdryer.

2-Bedroom Mozart Suite (largest stateroom on a riverboat)

World's largest accommodation found on a riverboat is Riverside Mozart 's French Balcony Suite. The vessel has two such accommodations, each sized 885 ft2 / 82 m2. Must be noted, that the stateroom is combined with an adjacent French Balcony cabin.

Penthouse Suite

Penthouse Suites have a twin beds configuration (beds can convert to queen). The other features are a large balcony, dressing area with vanity, sitting area with armchair and coffee table, wall safe, mini bar, private bath with whirlpool tub and shower, television and phone, refrigerator, bathrobes and hairdryer. Some cabins are without whirlpool tub, sofa or coffee table.

Balcony staterooms

Most balcony cruise ship cabins feature floor-ceiling sliding glass doors leading to a private step-out veranda. The balcony also is furnished with a table and pair of chairs/loungers. Standard balconies are separated by dividers. As sizes, balcony cabins on cruise ships vary, with those on Princess and NCl ships being among the smallest compared to other big-ship lines. In our cruise deck plans, we also list room sizes and the size of the balcony. Balcony – Apart from the balcony they can offer You twin beds that can be converted to King-size bed. Balconies also provide sitting area with chair and coffee table and private bath with shower, as well as closet/wardrobe, electronic safe box, mini bar, television and phone, sofa, bathrobes, hairdryer. Most verandas are between 30-60 ft2 ( approx 3-6 m2). Below are shown the layouts of the Anthem ship's Deluxe and Accessible balcony cabins.

Premium Balcony

Premium Balcony cabins also have twin beds that convert to King-size, their wraparound balcony enfolds the stateroom. Balcony's windows are often floor-ceiling and wall-to-wall.

Cove Balcony Staterooms

Cove balconies, unlike Balconies, have two patio chairs and a table. The rest of the stuff is identical. First of all-balcony, and again twin beds that convert to king, sofa, private bath with shower, safe, closet, mini bar, television and phone, sitting area with chair and coffee table, bathrobes and hairdryer.

Cove Balcony rooms are CCL-Carnival's specialty, available on some of the "Fun Ships", and are interesting because they are located on lower decks (thus closer to waterline).

Oceanview staterooms

Oceanview cabins: as sizes are similar to Interior staterooms on cruise ships, but each of them has a Porthole or normal window (both types do not open). Their window sizes also vary by line and ship. On some ocean ships and some luxury river ships, such staterooms feature floor-ceiling windows. Oceanview rooms' window sizes are usually 4x3 ft (1,2x0,9 m). As furniture, Oceanview cruise cabins have twin beds that convert to King-size, sofa, TV and phone, sitting area, safe, mini bar, private bath with shower, and also a washroom with sink and a junior tub, bathrobes and a hairdryer and of course a picture window. You should take a look at the cruise ship deck plans again as Cabins of 5A category have two porthole windows. Unlike deluxe, there is no washroom with sink and junior tub. Below are the layouts of Ovation of the Seas Oceanview cabins (categories standard, large, and superior).

Deluxe Oceanview

These cabins have no balconies but still can offer a marvelous view through their picture window as well as twin beds that convert to King-size. However, beds in Category 6N can't be joined (to King) and sleeps max 5 people.

Other amenities include sofabed, TV, phone, seating, safe, mini-bar, a bathroom with shower, a washroom (with junior tub), bathrobes, hairdryer.

Scenic Oceanview

The interior is the same - twin beds convertible to King-size, picture window, sofa, TV, phone, seating, safe, mini-bar, bath with shower, washroom with sink and junior tub, bathrobes, hairdryer.

The difference is that Scenic Oceanviews are larger.

Inside staterooms

Inside cruise ship cabins' best feature is their price - you book them with the line's cheapest rates available. These cruise accommodations don't offer window views. Still, on some of the newest cruise ships of Royal Caribbean and Disney, there are categories Interior staterooms with a "virtual window", which is a large LED screen displaying outside cam views. The screen doesn't have TV functions.

On some Carnival ships, there are Inside cabins with a "French Balcony" (with opening glass doors). Also, some "interior staterooms" are actually Oceanview (with a non-opening window), but since their views are obstructed, they are booked as Interior. On Royal Caribbean ships, some Inside cabins have a window looking out to the ship's interior promenade (street)

Inside cruise cabins are fitted with twin beds (convertible to King or Queen), private bathroom (shower), sitting area. Next are shown the layouts of Interior rooms on Harmony OTS .

Small Interior Stateroom (as the name implies) is the least spacious standard cabin category on cruise ships. These cabins have two beds – (upper and lower), private bath (WC/shower), a small sitting area.

Single cabins (Studios)

Single occupancy staterooms could be either Inside or Balcony. Some river cruise lines even offer single suites (booking with single occupancy rates). The most famous liner having plenty of single cabins (designed specifically for solo travelers) is Norwegian Epic .

This huge vessel has a total of 128 "Studios".

Next are shown layouts of Quantum OTS single-occupancy cabins (balcony and interior).

Connecting cabins (for large families)

The next layout shows RCI's "Family Connected Junior Suite" plan ( Quantum OTS ). Ship's main cabin grades (Balcony, Oceanview, Inside) are all combined here into a 10-person "Family Suite". The layout also shows the exact positioning of furniture, 3 baths (1 with hot tub), large seating area, 2 double-sofabeds, 2 connecting balconies.

How to choose cabins on cruise ships?

If you are planning a cruise, booking a cabin is certainly as important as picking up the cruise line (brand) or the boat. Before you take that decision, consider some issues related to your own personality and the other people traveling with you.

• The first important thing you have to be honest with your conscious is whether you can get seasick .
• Secondly, what type of person you are and what exactly do you intend to do onboard? Are you a party type or you just would like to spend several calm days at sea, away from the office jungle on land. Would you enjoy the pool with its all opportunities for contacts or you would rather have a rest lying at a balcony?
• No matter the stateroom type, it could still be noisy or make you seasick. The more central and lower position your cabin has, the more stable it is.
• In case you and the rest of the family members / friends are thin or you just don't intend to spend too much time in the cabin, you can pick a small one. Usually, staterooms are able to house no more than 4 people. Two passengers pay full fares and the other receive discounted rates.
• If you need stateroom for 4+ passengers, connecting cabins are the best option, and it will cost you less than a suite. Bathtub-fitted cabins are not so many per vessel. All cruise deck plans show such information (bathtub, sofabed, double bed, bunk beds, etc).

Noise issues - which cabins on the ship to avoid?

If you are a party type and louder sounds are not bothering, everything would be OK. If you organize a family voyage, however, you should look for a cabin away from the noisiest areas in the cruise ship deck plans. The first thing to look for in the cruise ship plan is the engine room location. Along with the noises, there are also vibrations.

Staterooms under discos, sport playgrounds, gym centers are usually very noisy. Cabins under Lido Deck (aka Pool Deck) are also among those to avoid. The buffet restaurant on this deck generates noises from moving tables and chairs and tableware. Staircases are also very noisy.

Take a good look at the cruise ship deck plan - room location is crucial!

Cabin's deck location is of great importance. Lower and more central-positioned accommodations are more stable. However, "cool cabins" are usually on higher decks, which means spending more money won't necessarily save you from seasickness.

Stern cabins (aft) have the largest balconies. Forward suites provide the same view as from the Navigation Bridge (wheelhouse). Some cabins are with limited / obstructed seaview due to lifeboats or other equipment.

Guarantee staterooms - take your chance!

If you are not set on selecting something particular and location is not a priority, you should not investigate the cruise ship deck plan so cautiously. The so-called ''guarantee'' cabin grades can turn to be among the best booking options. The "guarantee stateroom" booking allows you to pick up a category, not a cabin. In case the category is sold out you'll be proposed a higher category lodging. The first cabins to be booked are both the cheapest and the most expensive ones, be aware when you choose to test your luck. However, it could be a bit risky so it's more reasonable to get back to the cruise ship deck plans.

Shipboard facilities

If want to cruise with your children you'd better book a stateroom close to kids entertainment facilities. Cruise ship deck plans can once again help you to choose from the many opportunities created to meet passengers' requirements. Spa cabins are recently available for instance. Passengers get free access to the steam room and other connected facilities. These cabins are of course close to the SPA and you can move between in your bathrobe only.

NCL's The Haven and MSC's Yacht Club accommodations are located within an exclusive complex and offer ''ship within ship'' amenities and services. Passengers (who can afford them) enjoy private sundecks with swimming pools and jacuzzis and exclusive facilities like restaurants, bar lounges, gyms and spas.

Prefabricated cruise ship cabin

On May 24, 2016, a new "Lightweight Composite Cabin" design was unveiled in Southampton, England. The innovation was funded by the UK Government. Involved in the cabin's designing, engineering, manufacturing and furbishing were the companies Carnival UK ( Carnival Corporation 's subsidiary), Gurit Ltd (global composite materials supplier), Lloyd's Register Group Ltd (technical / business services, maritime classification company), PE Composites Ltd (composite designer / manufacturer), Trimline Ltd (marine interior refurbishment specialist) and the University of Southampton.

The new modular cabin prototype is half the weight of a typical cruise room. It also fully complies with the FTP Code's requirements (International Code for the Application of Fire Test Procedures). Reducing the ship's topdecks weight is an important issue for naval architects as the trend for building large-capacity cruise vessels continues. The new (prefabricated) module's halved weight opens up opportunities for adding more passenger rooms to newbuild ships, without adding to the ship's DWT weight.

Note: The following list of cruise lines cabins (per ship) includes only CruiseMapper's largest companies' fleets and only ocean-going vessels. For all other vessels (including small-fleet shipping companies , cruiseferries and riverboats ) use the search box at page top .

List of cruise ships with deck plans

Carnival cruise line.

• Carnival Breeze
• Carnival Celebration
• Carnival Conquest
• Carnival Dream
• Carnival Elation
• Carnival Firenze
• Carnival Freedom
• Carnival Glory
• Carnival Horizon
• Carnival Jubilee
• Carnival Legend
• Carnival Liberty
• Carnival Luminosa
• Carnival Magic
• Carnival Mardi Gras
• Carnival Miracle
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Paradise
• Carnival Pride
• Carnival Radiance
• Carnival Spirit
• Carnival Splendor
• Carnival Sunrise
• Carnival Sunshine
• Carnival Valor
• Carnival Venezia
• Carnival Vista

Princess Cruises

• Caribbean Princess
• Coral Princess
• Crown Princess
• Diamond Princess
• Discovery Princess
• Emerald Princess
• Enchanted Princess
• Grand Princess
• Island Princess
• Majestic Princess
• Regal Princess
• Royal Princess
• Ruby Princess
• Sapphire Princess
• Sky Princess
• Star Princess
• Sun Princess

Disney Cruise Line

• Disney Destiny
• Disney Dream
• Disney Fantasy
• Disney Magic
• Disney Treasure
• Disney Wish
• Disney Wonder
• Queen Elizabeth
• Queen Mary 2
• Queen Victoria

AIDA Cruises

Viking cruises.

• Viking Jupiter
• Viking Mars
• Viking Neptune
• Viking Octantis
• Viking Orion
• Viking Polaris
• Viking Saturn
• Viking Star
• Viking Vela
• Viking Venus
• Viking Vesta
• Zhao Shang Yi Dun-Viking Sun

Royal Caribbean

• Adventure Of The Seas
• Allure Of The Seas
• Anthem of the Seas
• Brilliance Of The Seas
• Enchantment Of The Seas
• Explorer Of The Seas
• Freedom Of The Seas
• Grandeur Of The Seas
• Harmony Of The Seas
• Icon Of The Seas
• Independence Of The Seas
• Jewel Of The Seas
• Liberty Of The Seas
• Mariner Of The Seas
• Navigator Of The Seas
• Oasis Of The Seas
• Odyssey Of The Seas
• Ovation Of The Seas
• Quantum Of The Seas
• Radiance Of The Seas
• Rhapsody Of The Seas
• Serenade Of The Seas
• Spectrum Of The Seas
• Star Of The Seas
• Symphony Of The Seas
• Utopia Of The Seas
• Vision Of The Seas
• Voyager Of The Seas
• Wonder Of The Seas

Holland America

• ms Koningsdam
• ms Nieuw Amsterdam
• ms Nieuw Statendam
• ms Oosterdam
• ms Rotterdam
• ms Volendam
• ms Westerdam
• ms Zuiderdam

P&O Cruises

• Pacific Adventure
• Pacific Encounter
• Pacific Explorer

Costa Cruises

• Costa Deliziosa
• Costa Diadema
• Costa Fascinosa
• Costa Favolosa
• Costa Fortuna
• Costa Pacifica
• Costa Serena
• Costa Smeralda
• Costa Toscana

Azamara Cruises

• Azamara Journey
• Azamara Onward
• Azamara Pursuit
• Azamara Quest

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

• Seven Seas Explorer
• Seven Seas Grandeur
• Seven Seas Mariner
• Seven Seas Navigator
• Seven Seas Splendor
• Seven Seas Voyager

Norwegian Cruise Line

• Norwegian Bliss
• Norwegian Breakaway
• Norwegian Dawn
• Norwegian Encore
• Norwegian Epic
• Norwegian Escape
• Norwegian Gem
• Norwegian Getaway
• Norwegian Jade
• Norwegian Jewel
• Norwegian Joy
• Norwegian Pearl
• Norwegian Prima
• Norwegian Sky
• Norwegian Spirit
• Norwegian Star
• Norwegian Sun
• Norwegian Viva
• Pride of America

Celebrity Cruises

• Celebrity Apex
• Celebrity Ascent
• Celebrity Beyond
• Celebrity Constellation
• Celebrity Eclipse
• Celebrity Edge
• Celebrity Equinox
• Celebrity Flora
• Celebrity Infinity
• Celebrity Millennium
• Celebrity Reflection
• Celebrity Silhouette
• Celebrity Solstice
• Celebrity Summit
• Celebrity Xcel
• Celebrity Xpedition
• Celebrity Xploration

Marella Cruises

• Marella Discovery
• Marella Discovery 2
• Marella Explorer
• Marella Explorer 2
• Marella Voyager

MSC Cruises

• MSC Armonia
• MSC Bellissima
• MSC Euribia
• MSC Fantasia
• MSC Grandiosa
• MSC Magnifica
• MSC Meraviglia
• MSC Orchestra
• MSC Preziosa
• MSC Seascape
• MSC Seashore
• MSC Seaside
• MSC Seaview
• MSC Sinfonia
• MSC Splendida
• MSC Virtuosa
• MSC World America
• MSC World Europa

Oceania Cruises

• Oceania Allura
• Oceania Insignia
• Oceania Marina
• Oceania Nautica
• Oceania Regatta
• Oceania Riviera
• Oceania Sirena
• Oceania Vista

Silversea Cruises

• Silver Cloud
• Silver Dawn
• Silver Endeavour
• Silver Galapagos
• Silver Moon
• Silver Muse
• Silver Nova
• Silver Origin
• Silver Shadow
• Silver Spirit
• Silver Whisper
• Silver Wind

Seabourn Cruises

• Seabourn Encore
• Seabourn Odyssey
• Seabourn Ovation
• Seabourn Pursuit
• Seabourn Quest
• Seabourn Sojourn
• Seabourn Venture

Cruise ship room service: A line-by-line guide to in-cabin dining

There's no better place in the world to be when the pang of hunger strikes than on a cruise ship. Whether the buffet is packed with people or packed away, 24/7 room service is always available to fill your belly. It's one of the greatest amenities of cruising, and it is uniformly offered on all major cruise lines. No need to dress up for dinner – just call in your food order, flip on the in-cabin TV and wait for your meal to come to you.

Wondering what your cruise ship will deliver to your door and how much it will cost you? Here's a line-by-line overview of room service options and pricing across the major cruise lines, along with in-cabin dining menus.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

How do I order room service on a cruise ship?

You can always pick up your in-cabin phone and dial the room service number to order food. Some cruise lines offer the option to order your food and drinks through your in-cabin TV or smartphone, which populates photos of the menu items. Some cruise line apps even have location-specific features that allow you to order food and drinks to be delivered almost anywhere on the ship.

Breakfast is often ordered by filling out a pre-printed menu card left in your cabin and hanging it outside your door before you go to bed. Crew members collect the orders during the night and deliver your food the next morning at the time you specified.

Related: The ultimate guide to cruise ship food and dining

What types of food can I order to my cabin?

Most cruise lines offer a complimentary continental breakfast delivery from which you can select items that typically include pastries, bread, fruit, yogurt, and coffee and tea. Hot breakfast items like eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc. are available as well, but may incur an additional fee on select lines or in specific cabin categories.

After breakfast service ends in the late morning, all major cruise lines offer an all-day room service menu of salads, sandwiches, snacks and desserts. Most cruise lines have special in-room dining menus, separate from what you'd find that day on the buffet or in the main dining room.

However, some of the more upscale lines and some select concierge cabin classes offer comprehensive in-suite dining menus, often with the convenience of ordering off the menu from the main dining room or specialty restaurants onboard. This elevated in-room dining experience often includes a white tablecloth setup and your meal delivered course by course to your cabin or suite.

There are also specialty food experiences that can be accessed from room service operations, including fresh pizza delivery as seen on Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises, a cutting-edge app feature for Champagne delivery on Virgin Voyages , and luxury cruise lines that will bring you lobster and caviar, as seen on Silversea .

Is room service free on a cruise ship?

Whereas land-based hotels charge a premium for any food delivered to your room (as well as astronomically high minibar prices), cruise ships have a long legacy of including room service in their fares. Many cruisers' favorite amenity is the 24/7 complimentary access to generic yet classic menu items such as fresh fruit, a cheese plate or a club sandwich, not to mention continental breakfast.

Recent changes in the economics of cruising have sunset the glory days of unlimited, complimentary room service on several of the most popular cruise lines. Service fees and menus dominated by a la carte options are now the new norms across the industry. Still, the fees are often considerably less than at comparable land-based resorts, and continental breakfast items are most commonly free of charge (with the exception of MSC's lowest cabin class, which charges a per-item and service fee for breakfast service).

Related: Extra charges on cruise ships that will drive you nuts — and what you can do about them

How much does room service cost?

Depending on the cruise line and your cabin class, room service is either a complimentary all-inclusive service, billed per item or carries a flat delivery fee. Most lines will offer complimentary continental breakfast options through room service with no service fee, even if other options cost extra. Luxury lines including Seabourn , Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises always include 24/7 room service as a standard amenity.

Delivery service fees per order can reach up to $9.95, the per-order rate currently on Norwegian Cruise Line's non-suite class staterooms. A la carte prices average around $5 per item, whether that's hot breakfast or a midday sandwich. For example, on Carnival's new a la carte room service menu, salads now cost $4 to $5 (with additional fees for adding proteins), sandwiches $5 to $7, snacks like pizza and chicken tenders $6 to $8, and dessert $3 to $5.

Do you have to tip for room service on a cruise? 

On no-tipping lines, such as Seabourn and Silversea, crew members are compensated appropriately and you do not need to tip for room service. On lines where guests are expected to tip crew members, determine first if a gratuity is automatically included in your room service order or delivery fee. If it's not, a small tip is always appreciated.

Depending on what you order and the line, you might not have the chance to sign a bill for your room service order, which could be a missed opportunity to add a tip. Come prepared with small bills to offer as an appreciation of the service, as you'll find the room service deliverers work hard to expedite many meals around the ship.

Related: Everything you need to know about tipping on a cruise ship

Line-by-line guide to cruise ship room service

Azamara offers room service 24/7 at no additional charge for all cabins and suites. A full breakfast menu is available from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., while lunch, dinner and late-night snacks include fresh salads, soups, pizzas, burgers and desserts.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival's 24/7 room service is now an à la carte menu, with free continental breakfast service. Access the room service menu through the Carnival HUB app on your smart device or by scanning the QR code in your stateroom.

Complimentary continental breakfast can be arranged the night prior by calling the room service line from your cabin, and delivered to your room in the window of time you designate (6 a.m. to 10 a.m). The breakfast options include a selection of fruit, cereal, baked goods and yogurt, along with coffee, tea, milk and select juices. Four breakfast sandwiches are available for an additional fee, including a biscuit, egg, sausage and hash-brown sandwich ($5), and a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese ($6).

Daytime dining runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the salads, sandwiches, snacks and desserts are now priced entirely à la carte as of October 1, 2022. The menu includes a greek salad ($5) to which you can add grilled chicken ($3), a roasted turkey wrap ($6), a Philly cheesesteak ($7) and firecracker shrimp ($8).

Some of the late-night favorites include the wings ($7), a pan pizza ($6) and the devil's food chocolate cake ($5). Soft drinks as well as beer, liquor and wine by the bottle are available 24/7 with pricing based on the ship's bar rates and free delivery.

The Carnival HUB app features a bit more flexibility when ordering, allowing you to customize items like a free pizza, delivered to any place you pinpoint on the ship for a $5 service charge.

Celebrity Cruises

Room service on Celebrity Cruises is complimentary from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. for non-suite level and AquaClass passengers, and available to suite passengers 24 hours a day at no charge. Outside of the daily complimentary hours for non-suite passengers, room service orders incur a $9.95 service fee.

The standard non-suite room service menu includes the soup of the day, chicken skewers, seared salmon and warm cookies with milk. Breakfast room service for non-suite staterooms is complimentary and can be ordered ahead nightly with a breakfast order card. The menu includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns, along with coffee, tea and select juices.

AquaClass passengers have more expansive options on their breakfast menu, including custom omelets, French toast and pancakes. AquaClass also has a few more options on its room service menu including a chicken caesar salad, a Niçoise salad with grilled tuna and a Beyond Burger.

Top suites onboard offer an enhanced room service breakfast menu (New York strip steak and eggs, a black truffle omelet), along with a robust menu that includes shrimp cocktail, crab cakes, filet mignon and sea bass, along with canapes delivered each day.

Cunard's room service is a complimentary amenity, included in your fare. The 24-hour service includes a robust breakfast menu that must be ordered the night prior via an order card in your stateroom. The daytime room service menu is globally inspired with items such as chicken fajitas, a Mediterranean quesadilla, and chicken or shrimp Thai green curry; dessert items include comfort-food favorites, such as warm apple pie a la mode and vanilla cheesecake.

Passengers sailing in one of the Grill Suites can order from the full Princess Grill or Queens Grill menus, as well as request ensuite dining setups. A few traditional luxuries of cruising are available for an extra fee including caviar service ($60) or caviar service with a half bottle of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label Champagne ($100) and a gourmet canapes tray ($34.50).

Disney Cruise Line

Complimentary 24/7 room service is included with all fares on Disney Cruise Line , ending at 1 a.m. on the day of your departure. The extensive menu can be found on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App with plenty of food options for all ages, from mac and cheese, chicken tenders and burgers to more sophisticated items like a Greek salad, grilled salmon and New York steak panini.

Snack items like salted peanuts, M&M's and popcorn are available for an additional fee. Specialty coffee, sodas, bottled waters and all specialty juices and spirits are also available at an additional cost.

For in-room breakfast, complete the request card in your cabin the night prior and leave it outside your cabin for a complimentary continental breakfast with options that include bread, pastries and cereal, along with coffee and tea.

Concierge-class passengers have a special complimentary menu, with service from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. that includes a seared ahi tuna Niçoise salad, potato gnocchi and Mickey-shaped sandwich cookies.

Holland America Line

Holland America Line offers complimentary 24-hour room service for all staterooms and suites. The room service breakfast menu includes bagels and lox, a vegetable frittata, and an American breakfast that includes eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage. Premium a la carte options include lobster benedict ($12.50) and steak & eggs ($15), both subject to an automatic 18% gratuity. Fill out the breakfast menu in your stateroom the night before, specifying what you want and when you want it delivered, and then hang it on your stateroom door for collection.

Holland America's all-day 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. room service menu includes a cheese and fruit plate, three-bean chili, roasted chicken, a barbecue pulled-pork sub sandwich and freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. A late-night food menu from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. has select items such as a chicken quesadilla, a caprese panini and chocolate layer cake.

The room service menus also highlight a few dishes created by the line's Culinary Council, a group of six celebrity chefs. Items like a 10 oz. filet mignon ($15), a 12 oz. Maine lobster tail ($20) or a Japanese sushi bento box ($4.95 per item) can be ordered to your room from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. nightly.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises offers four tiered pricing packages, referred to as "experiences," which delineate service levels and additional fees for its Caribbean cruises. The base package, referred to as MSC's Bella Experience includes room service but at a charge of $3.50 per order and a tier system that charges $3 for one item or $5 for two items. The menu items include a grilled chicken sandwich, tuna sandwich, minestrone soup and chocolate chip cookies.

The room service menu is the same for all four sailing experiences, though MSC Yacht Club suites incur no fee for all room service items and room service delivery. The Fantastica and Aurea Experiences include complimentary delivery, with the same per-item pricing structure as the Bella Experience, $3 for one item or $5 for two items.

MSC Cruises is known for its Neapolitan pizza delivery service, with custom pizzas made to order and delivered to your stateroom. The Margherita pizza is $6 with a $3.50 delivery fee for Bella passengers, no delivery fee for Fantastica and Aurea Experience guests, and free for guests sailing in the Yacht Club.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line starts each day (except for the morning of your departure) with complimentary continental breakfast room service (fruit, pastries, bread, cereal, coffee and tea) from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Hot breakfast items, as well as room service ordered outside of those morning hours, incur a per-order $9.95 fee for guests not staying in suites. All items on the room service menu are available for no additional fee after the per-order service fee and include breakfast options like a spinach and tomato omelet and steak and eggs, along with all-day menu items with highlights that include chili con carne, a veggie burger and shrimp creole.

Guests staying in suites and The Haven do not have to pay the room service delivery fee. All non-complimentary beverages ordered through room service (alcohol, specialty juices, bottles of water) incur a 20% gratuity, as well as an additional service charge.

Oceania Cruises

Room service throughout the entire Oceania Cruises fleet is included in all fares and available 24/7. Concierge-level suites have the option of ordering room service off The Grand Dining Room menu for lunch and dinner, so favorite items like the line's signature rack of lamb and a molten chocolate lava cake can be enjoyed in the privacy and comfort of your own suite.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises offers 24-hour free room service delivery for a wide variety of food, drinks and stateroom amenities with the line's OceanNow feature on the MedallionClass app. When it comes to dining, the OceanNow feature lets you order food to your location anywhere on the ship, whether it's your stateroom or poolside.

Princess offers a mix of complimentary and à la carte menu items on its room service menu. The long list of no-fee items includes staples like burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, fries and a fruit cup; upcharges kick in for items like shrimp cocktail ($8), pizza ($3) and an 8 oz. steak filet ($19). The complimentary room service menu also includes a continental breakfast (fruits, breads and pastries, yogurt, coffee, tea and select juices). Order the service ahead nightly by filling out the breakfast card in your stateroom portfolio and leaving it hanging on the outside of your stateroom door.

You can also use the app to order extra towels, ice bucket refills or even aloe to soothe sunburns.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Regent Seven Seas' cruise ship room service is complimentary and offered 24/7 to guests in all suites. Highlights from the extensive room service menu include a charcuterie and cheese platter, beef medallions, grilled tiger shrimp and creme brulee. If you're dining during the operational hours of the Compass Rose, the line's main restaurant, you can order from that rotating menu as well, with dinners served course by course in your suite.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean offers room service 24/7 with complimentary continental breakfast (pastries, bread, cereals, fruit, yogurt, along with coffee and tea) service from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. If you're looking to add a heartier entree to the order, the American breakfast option (an assortment of eggs, buttermilk pancakes, sausage, etc.) on the menu is available for a $7.95 per-order charge plus an 18% gratuity, which brings the total service fee to around $9.40.

The daily room service menu is offered from 11 a.m. to 6 a.m. with meals for all times of day from grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, chicken tenders for an afternoon snack, grilled salmon or rigatoni bolognese for dinner, and fried chicken wings and chocolate cake for a late-night snack. Room service incurs a fee of $7.95 per order with an added 18% gratuity, which brings the total service fee to around $9.40.

Guests sailing in one of Royal Caribbean's Grand Suites or higher are able to order in-room dining from the main dining room during the hours of operation as well as order room service from the standard room service menu without a service fee.

Seabourn Cruise Line

Seabourn Cruise Line's gourmet dining experience extends to its room service with a menu of luxe delicacies available around the clock. Room service on board is always included and complimentary, with the option to order from the ship's main restaurant. Highlights from the room service menu include a shrimp cocktail, prosciutto and melon, a New York sirloin steak and homemade cookies. While it's not advertised, guests are also able to order complimentary caviar and Champagne anywhere, anytime on board.

Silversea Cruises

Silversea's butler service for every guest includes complimentary 24/7 room service. The line's room service menu is extensive with a wide variety of dishes from shrimp cocktail and spring rolls to New York strip steak, burgers, pizzas and ice cream. If you're looking for a more complete dining experience in your suite, multicourse meals (highlights include lobster salad, Chilean sea bass and hazelnut chocolate cheesecake) are available to order from Atlantide, the ship's main restaurant, during regular dining hours. Complimentary caviar and Champagne can be ordered any time by any guest. If you're looking for an upgrade, specialty-grade caviar tins are available from $40 to $75 for that spur-of-the-moment indulgence.

Viking provides complimentary 24-hour room service for all cabins on all of its ocean and expedition vessels. The room service menu includes a selection of cheeses, chicken consomme, New York strip steak, poached Norwegian salmon and a bourbon pecan brownie.

An extensive breakfast menu printed on an order card includes fresh breakfast pastries, custom eggs, pancakes, corned beef hash and smoked salmon. Grand suites have the option to order from the main dining room menu for in-suite private dining and dinner parties.

Viking does not offer room service for any stateroom category on its river cruises.

Virgin Voyages

Virgin 's 24-hour room service is an extension of the ship's on-trend cuisine with many contemporary food options you're not likely to find on most other cruise lines. Room service orders can be placed through the Virgin Voyages app or by dialing the room service extension in your stateroom.

Each room service order incurs a $5 delivery fee, though you can order as much food as you like. Certain items (like specialty coffee, alcoholic beverages and fresh orange juice) do carry an additional a la carte fee; if you spend more than $5 on these extra-fee items, your delivery fee is waived. The $5 fee is also waived for all RockStar Quarters suites.

Breakfast delivery starts at 5 a.m. and is available until 11 a.m., featuring a menu of contemporary food items like a Nutella-stuffed French toast, an egg white frittata and a house-made date and almond protein bar. The shipwide room service menu from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. has lunch, dinner and late-night options, with favorites that include a charcuterie and cheese plate, a New York strip steak, a blueberry-green tea vegan cheesecake and confetti cake pops.

Shaking things up, literally, Virgin's first-of-its-kind " Shake for Champagne " feature adds the convenience of Champagne delivery no matter where you are on the ship. Simply open the Virgin Voyages app, give your phone a shake, and a button will pop up to order a $95 bottle of Moët Chandon Impérial Champagne, with flutes delivered to you.

Windstar Cruises

Windstar's 24-hour room service is included with your fare. The line has a room service menu that includes a full breakfast, along with salads, burgers and sandwiches available until 10 p.m. nightly. The line also lets passengers order off the ship's main dining room's lunch and dinner menus during dining hours.

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How Much Does a Cruise Cost?

The average cost of a cruise varies by ship, destination, trip length and more. Use this guide to learn more about cruise costs.

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A cruise can be an affordable and fun vacation option – just make sure you understand all the variables that add up to a cruise's total cost.

With the rising cost of everything, including travel, cruise fares – some as low as $26 per person per night based on double occupancy – seem like an incredible bargain. And they certainly can be, but the fares you see advertised online often don't include extras like taxes, fees, port expenses, gratuities, shore excursions, specialty dining, alcoholic beverages, specialty coffees, room service fees and more.

Cruise pricing can be confusing with so many variables; unless you're sailing with a smaller luxury line that is all-inclusive , your bill on the day of disembarkation may be unexpected or even shocking. Small things like buying bottled water or renting noodles for floating in the ocean at a cruise line's private island can add up quickly. To help you plan better for a cruise vacation , U.S. News has broken down some of the costs and add-ons you need to take into consideration before booking your next getaway on the high seas.

How much does a one-week cruise cost?

A cruise can cost anywhere from about $171 per person for a four-night Bahamas cruise to up to $94,999 per person for a 154-night world cruise and anywhere in between. Cruise fares vary based on itinerary, number of nights, cabin type, amenities and cruise line. Here are a few examples of base cruise cost ranges on larger cruise lines for various regions:

• A seven-night Caribbean cruise in November costs approximately $424 to $1,158 per person.
• A seven-night Alaska cruise in May costs approximately $244 to $1,632 per person.
• A seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise in June costs approximately $439 to $3,218 per person.
• A seven-night Mexico cruise in January costs approximately $529 to $695 per person.
• A seven-night Canada and New England cruise in October costs approximately $470 to $954 per person.

What's included in the base fare with a larger cruise line?

Mass-market cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean International , Norwegian Cruise Line , MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line – and more upscale lines like Celebrity Cruises , Holland America Line , Cunard Line , Disney Cruise Line and Princess Cruises – advertise "starting from" base fares, which are for inside cabins. These are the least expensive staterooms on the ship, and they do not have windows. Staying in these accommodations still gives you access to all the complimentary dining venues, several types of nonalcoholic beverages (nonbottled water, iced tea, lemonade, juices, hot coffee and tea), the ship's pools, the gym, kids clubs and onboard entertainment.

If you want a room with a view – or a larger stateroom – consider booking an ocean view room with a porthole or window, or a cabin with a balcony or veranda. With these rooms, you'll have access to all the ship's included amenities and typically more spacious accommodations for the week. Of course, this option will come at a higher price point.

No matter which room category you choose, port expenses, taxes and fees are not included in the base fares, and they're automatically added to the cost of your cruise. The amount of these charges will depend on the length of your cruise and where you're sailing. Gratuities for the staff and crew are also additional.

Find the best value sailings on  GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

What if you want more amenities and perks?

If you splurge on a suite or a higher room category, such as Celebrity's Concierge Class, you'll get perks like priority embarkation, a Welcome Aboard Concierge Class Lunch, complimentary sparkling wine and daily tastings (upon request), concierge service, invitations to exclusive destination seminars, pillow selection and more.

With Disney Cruise Line's Concierge Staterooms and Suites, guests have a dedicated concierge agent offering personalized assistance for pre-arrival planning for port adventures, dining reservations, other onboard activities and special requests. You'll also have priority check-in and boarding, complimentary Wi-Fi, access to a private lounge, and other perks.

You may opt to stay within an exclusive area of the ship, such as MSC Cruises' Yacht Club, Norwegian's The Haven or Celebrity's The Retreat. These high-end private retreats offer an all-inclusive experience with additional features, while still including access to all the entertainment, dining venues and more on board. The accommodations can cost hundreds more dollars per day, but you'll have an experience similar to sailing on a small luxury vessel.

For example, the MSC Yacht Club offers an intimate all-inclusive space within its larger ships. The private area is accessible with a key card and features luxurious suites, a dedicated concierge, 24-hour butler service, a private restaurant and lounge, a rooftop pool, and other amenities. There are also additional dining and snack options throughout the day at the pool and lounge.

You'll find similar amenities in Norwegian's and Celebrity's private retreats, including priority boarding and disembarkation, exclusive sun deck areas, and priority access when boarding tenders for going ashore.

What factors determine pricing?

Base pricing and the additional components vary greatly among the cruise lines, so you'll need to determine what your budget is for the trip – and what you can and can't live without when it comes to accommodations and amenities. Travelers may also find that one cruise line has a deal or promotion with reduced pricing that includes airfare, specialty dining, a beverage package, free Wi-Fi or other perks in the advertised rate, while another line isn't running any specials for a similar itinerary. 

Voyages on older cruise ships tend to be less expensive, so if you're on a tight budget, consider a ship with fewer bells and whistles. If you're sailing on a short itinerary in the Bahamas and plan to lounge by the pool or on the beach all day, you may not be concerned about having high-tech onboard amenities, martini bars and several specialty restaurants.

Save the money to splurge on more expensive fares when you're planning to sail on longer voyages on larger and newer ships. You'll want several days at sea to enjoy the onboard amenities on some vessels, such as a three-level racetrack and a 10-story-tall slides on a new ship like Norwegian Prima or its new sister ship, Norwegian Viva, set to debut in summer 2023.

Another significant factor to consider is the time of year you want to travel. Better deals are available in the offseason, but the offseason varies depending on what part of the world you're traveling to. For example, May is a great time to find a deal in the Caribbean. The offseason – or shoulder season – in that market typically runs from May to November. However, keep in mind this period overlaps with hurricane season .

You also may be able to find last-minute deals in many other destinations if you're flexible. Working with a travel agent is an excellent way to learn of last-minute specials and cruise deals that offer add-ons like beverage packages, specialty dining inclusions, shore excursions and other perks. You can also check out the online specials that change frequently.

Read: The Best Cruise Lines for the Money

Solo travelers may pay more

If you're traveling alone , you may also need to factor in a single supplement, which can add up to as much as 100% of the cruise fare. To save money, bring a friend so you can access the lower double occupancy fare or consider lines that feature rooms for solo travelers; select Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity ships offer solo cabins.

These smaller accommodations – around 100 to 200 square feet in size – are priced and designed for solo travelers. Key card access to Norwegian's Studio Complex and Lounge is included with the line's solo cabins and offers a place to relax and mix and mingle with other cruisers. Other lines that offer solo cabins include Holland America, MSC and Virgin Voyages . While the price may not be as inexpensive as the double occupancy fare when traveling with someone else, these accommodations offer some savings over a typical solo fare.

Some lines often feature special deals on select sailings where the single supplement is waived or reduced. A knowledgeable travel agent specializing in cruises can assist in finding the best offers for solo travelers.

Read: The Top Cruise Lines for Solo Travelers

Kids cruise free promotions can help families save

If you're traveling with kids, many cruise lines – such as Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Princess – offer "kids sail free" promotions periodically throughout the year. You can also find discounted fares for the kids on select sailings. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has fares as low as $999 for children 17 and younger on a variety of select voyages whose regular fares are around $6,000 and up. This fare also includes unlimited shore excursions and all the benefits and perks of sailing with an all-inclusive luxury cruise line.

Read: The Top Cruises for Babies and Toddlers

Food and beverage packages are another expense to consider

Once you determine your total cruise fare with the taxes, fees, port charges and gratuities, you'll need to budget for the additional expenses you'll have on the ship – and these extras can add up quickly. Meals at specialty dining venues , alcoholic drinks and other beverages may not be covered in the basic cruise fare. You'll also have to pay for room service on most ships.

You can purchase specialty dining, beverage and Wi-Fi packages before or during your cruise. These packages offer savings over purchasing everything individually – and it's best to buy them once you book your cruise, as they're typically cheaper to purchase before you board the ship. For an example of the savings, Royal Caribbean offers up to a 40% discount with a dining package. This package includes reduced pricing for children ages 6 to 12, while kids 5 and younger eat for free. The cruise line's unlimited dining package also offers discounts on bottles of wine.

In addition to specialty dining venues that charge a flat fee – usually between $30 to $50 – there are also restaurants that charge as much as $75 or more for dinner. Other venues feature a la carte menus with sushi, bar food and even steakhouses that price out individual courses. Some of these may not include gratuity, so that's another add-on. If you decide to dine at any of these spots – and they're not included in your package – you'll have to budget for them in the total cruise price. Enticing dessert items in the gelato and ice cream shops on some ships also come with a price, including Coco's and Dolce Gelato on Norwegian or MSC's Venchi.

There are endless options when considering beverage packages, too, so you need choose what fits best with your interests and budget. Some of the package options are only for nonalcoholic drinks like fountain sodas, sparkling waters and coffees, while premium or deluxe beverage packages cover beer, wine and cocktails, so they are more expensive. Depending on the cruise line, most premium packages will usually cover drinks up to $15, but many craft cocktails on cruise ships can be quite expensive, costing much more, especially if you request a call brand for the liquor. If you have the premium package and want to splurge on the fancy beverage, you'll have to pay the difference.

Other lines have packages that cover top-shelf beverages of up to $20 each and include wine, large bottles of water and soda, and other perks. You'll need to budget around $85 per person per day for this option – and an additional 18% gratuity. This type of package can add up to quite a bit of money on a seven-day cruise or longer.

For additional savings, look into bundle pricing that includes specialty dining, Wi-Fi, photos and more. Purchasing them together may be more cost-effective. For example, Holland America offers a "Have It All" package that encompasses a shore excursion credit, a signature beverage package (including the service charge), one evening of specialty dining and Wi-Fi. If you're sailing on longer cruises of 10 to 21 days or more, the benefits increase. The line estimates savings of 50% when you purchase this bundle.

While these packages may not always work out in your favor, you'll at least know what your dining, imbibing, excursions, Wi-Fi and even additional activities on the cruise will cost.

Read: Cruise Drink Packages: Your Options by Cruise Line

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

Additional costs on a cruise ship

Cruisers will also incur additional fees from excursions, fitness classes, spa treatments, access to thermal spa rooms, babysitting services, ship tours, wine tastings, cocktail demonstrations, cooking classes, laundry services, and some entertainment venues and activities on the ship – such as Norwegian's racetrack and Carnival's first roller coaster at sea, BOLT. See some of the more popular added costs you'll want to consider below.

Wi-Fi access

If you need Wi-Fi during the cruise, that's another cost to factor into the total price. Here are two examples of pricing for internet plans for two cruise lines.

Carnival offers three options for Wi-Fi, using Starlink. The basic Social Wi-Fi Plan gives you access certain social media channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and more starting at $12.75 per day per person. The cost increases to $17 per day per person with the Value Wi-Fi Plan. This option gives you access to your email and to sites for weather, news, finance and more. It does not support Skype or music and video streaming services like Spotify and Netflix during your cruise.

Carnival's Premium Wi-Fi Plan starts at $18.70 per person per day and offers speeds up to three times faster than the Value plan. With this plan you can make Zoom calls and use Skype. For all three of these plans, you can save 15% off the total price if you book in advance of your trip.

Celebrity also uses Starlink. The line's "Always Included" fare includes basic internet, a classic drink package and gratuities. If you don't book that fare, Wi-Fi plans range from $20 per day for basic service to premium Wi-Fi at $35 per day.

• Shore excursions

If you're traveling to far-flung or new destinations, you'll want to book shore excursions. Cruise lines recommend that you book excursions directly with them rather than hiring an independent tour company or operator, but it can be more expensive to book tours through the cruise line.

However, if you experienced a delay on an independent tour and couldn't get back to the ship on time, there's a chance you could get left behind if you're not on a ship-sponsored tour. If you decide to go with a private tour guide, be sure to book an excursion where you'll arrive back at the ship with plenty of time to spare before the vessel departs for the next destination. Most tour operators in busy cruise ports work with the cruise ship schedules all the time, so you should be fine with a reputable independent guide.

Some trips last an entire day or are once-in-a-lifetime adventures like dog-sledding on a glacier in Alaska or taking a helicopter ride in Iceland. These types of excursions can be costly, ranging anywhere from hundreds to even thousands of dollars.

If these types of experiences are not in your budget, then look for historic walking or panoramic driving tours. These excursions are shorter in duration and typically the least expensive tours available on the cruise. Most of these types of tours will cost less than $100. And, of course, there are always other options available that range between the lower and higher price range of excursions.

If your ship is docked directly in the town or city, then you'll be able to explore off the ship on your own for free. Some cruise lines also offer complimentary shuttle buses into town, or a round-trip ride for a nominal fee, if it's not within walking distance of the ship. That's another less expensive option for you to sightsee, shop or grab lunch in town.

Transportation

Transportation is another expense that's often overlooked in the total cost of a cruise. Consider if you'll be driving or flying to the cruise port. If you're driving, you'll have to pay for gas and parking at the port – and maybe a hotel the night before the cruise, depending on when you arrive and when your ship is scheduled to set sail. Don't forget the meals or beverages you'll purchase on the way.

If you're flying to the port, especially on a long-distance flight, it's best to come in a day early. In that case, you'll also have to pay for a hotel, transfers from the airport to the hotel and then a transfer (private hire, Uber or cab) to the ship's terminal. There will also be meals to budget for while you're in town before the cruise and a ride back to the airport after the cruise.

Souvenirs or forgotten items

Don't forget to account for purchases on the ship. Items that you forgot to bring from home will be more expensive on the ship. It's also easy to run up the bill when buying souvenirs for yourself or the kids. It's a good idea to periodically check your bill online or with guest services to see the current balance. You can keep a running tab of what you've billed to your stateroom – and also make sure that the charges are correct.

Cruise pricing checklist

To sum it up, here's a checklist of major items that will help you to compare costs across cruise lines and tally up the total cost of a cruise:

• Base cruise price
• Taxes, fees, gratuities and port expenses
• Specialty dining
• Beverage package
• Optional activities
• Miscellaneous expenses
• Air or ground travel to the port
• Hotel prior to embarking

If you don't want to budget for all the individual expenses related to a cruise – and you don't need the over-the-top entertainment of a larger cruise ship – consider booking a mostly all-inclusive or fully all-inclusive cruise with a luxury cruise line . These cruise lines include almost everything in your cruise fare.

Mostly all-inclusive cruises

One option for a mostly all-inclusive cruise is Viking Ocean Cruises . The line's nine all-veranda ocean-going vessels accommodate 930 passengers – and all of Viking's ships feature the same categories of staterooms and suites, dining, lounges, and entertainment venues across the fleet. The ships offer an immersive cultural curriculum on board with regional dishes, destination performances and enrichment lectures.

Viking's fares include veranda accommodations, port taxes and fees, free Wi-Fi, access to The Nordic Spa and fitness center, 24-hour room service, ground transportation (if you book airfare with Viking), and one complimentary excursion in each port. You'll also have complimentary alternative dining options and free beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on board the ship. Specialty coffees, teas and bottled water are available 24 hours a day at no extra charge. Guests are also invited to a welcome cocktail party and farewell reception.

If you like to have an aperitif before your evening meal or an after-dinner cocktail, those beverages will be at an additional cost. You'll also need to budget for any optional shore excursions that are not included in the fare.

Keep in mind that Viking is an adults-only cruise line, so children younger than 18 are not permitted.

Read:  The Best Adults-Only Cruises

All-inclusive cruises

Silversea Cruises , Regent Seven Seas and Seabourn Cruise Line boast all-inclusive luxury experiences with shipwide amenities such as ocean-facing suites, butlers, premium spirits, fully stocked in-suite bars, no tipping and complimentary dining at world-class restaurants.

Additional perks with Regent Seven Seas include complimentary shore excursions, free two- or three-night land programs, a free one-night hotel stay before the cruise departure, transfers from the airport to the ship, and business class or economy airfare, depending on the destination.

Silversea offers door-to-door arrangements where everything is handled by the cruise line. You can also opt for a port-to-port all-inclusive rate if you prefer to make your own travel arrangements. If you're on one of the cruise line's expedition cruises, fares will include a pre- or post-cruise hotel stay. All Silversea fares cover a selection of complimentary shore excursions in each port.

If you're interested in an even smaller ship – and are sailing to the Caribbean or Mediterranean – SeaDream Yacht Club features an intimate luxury experience on its two 56-stateroom yachts. The fares include top-notch cuisine, open bar and gratuities, complimentary daily yoga, access to water sports activities and nightly movies under the stars.

Read: The Top Cruises on Small Ships

How much does a luxury cruise cost for two?

If you want to go on a mostly adults-only luxury ship, what can you expect to pay for two people? This will depend on the ship, where you want to sail and for how long – and what amenities are included in the fare.

For a seven-night cruise in the Baltic region in June with Regent Seven Seas, an all-inclusive fare with suite accommodations is $12,540 ($6,270 per person). There are also additional perks available, depending on where you book the cruise. Some of the extras include a cash-back offer, a two-category upgrade and shipboard credit.

Silversea has a similar itinerary in June, and the fare also comes with added perks for $13,860 for two people ($6,930 per person) in suite accommodations.

While the price tag may seem high, compare the total cost with the base fare on a larger cruise ship and then add in all the extras.

See the top cruises on  GoToSea .

The bottom line

The average cost of a cruise is all over the map – and there are many variables to consider. Hiring a cruise specialist to navigate the rough waters may be your best option. Cruise specialists are also privy to special deals and incentives that you may not be able to access on your own.

Travel agents can also advise you of promotions that may include free specialty dining, beverage packages, complimentary Wi-Fi, shore excursions, discounts on solo and family travel, and more. This approach will save you the hassle of searching online or calling the individual cruise companies to check on what specials are available.

If you'd rather have one price with everything included so there's little room for surprises at the end of the trip, consider a mostly or fully all-inclusive cruise fare. If you don't need waterslides for the kids, big Broadway shows and high-tech entertainment, opt for a cruise on a small luxury line.

When doing the math and comparing the costs, you might be surprised how similar in price cruising with a larger mass-market cruise line and a smaller luxury line can be. In the end, your decision will come down to your personal preferences and what you value most for your cruise vacation.

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Gwen Pratesi has been an avid cruiser since her early 20s. She has sailed on nearly every type of cruise ship built, including the newest megaships, paddle-wheelers on the Snake and Columbia rivers, and an 18-stateroom river ship on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Most recently, she traveled on a small luxury expedition vessel in Antarctica and crossed the notorious Drake Passage twice. She covers the travel and culinary industries, specializing in cruises, for major publications including U.S. News & World Report.

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Cruise Cost Calculator: See How Much Your Trip Will Cost

One of the big draws with cruising? It can be an affordable vacation that allows you to travel to distant ports, eat world-class food, and enjoy loads of entertainment for drastically less than you’d pay if you booked all these items separately.

But truth be told, the costs of cruising can add up quickly. Between getting to the port to excursions to the actual cruise itself, the costs can add up, making budgeting more difficult.

To help you out, we’ve created a cruise cost calculator. The calculator below offers a chance to estimate your expenses for your trip, with all the major spending areas you’ll find a cruise. Simply input details about your trip and see how much you should budget for your trip.

Need more details about what amounts to put in certain fields? Read below to learn more about each section and what you might spend.

Estimating Cruise Expenses

Transportation to the Port You can’t start your trip without getting to the ship first. Transportation amounts vary depending on where you are coming from and which port you are sailing from. Assuming you are arriving at an airport, you’ll obviously spend the greatest amount to get to cruise ports farther away. Ports like Galveston and Port Canaveral are located far from the nearest airports and you can expect to spend between $40-60 each way for the cheapest options. Ports like Tampa , Port Everglades , and Miami are just a short ride away and you can get to the port for about $10 per person.

Parking If you are driving from the port, then you don’t have to worry about paying for a ride to the ship. But you do have to pay to park your car during your stay. Parking at the port is the most convenient option, but also the most expensive. You can expect to pay between $10-$20 per day. Want to save? Look for independent parking lots with cheaper prices, or if staying at a hotel near the port, look for one that lets you park for free during your cruise in return for one night’s stay.

Cruise Fare Cruise fares are advertised with enticingly low headline fares. However, you will actually end up paying much more. First, that headline fare is for a single person. Right away you can double the price as cruise cabins are typically sold based on two travelers. Second, the headline rates are for interior cabins. Most people decide to upgrade to nicer cabin, increasing the price. Finally, quoted cruise fares don’t include taxes and port fees. In total, the price you actually pay can be double or triple that headline rate that’s advertised.

Be sure you include the total cost of your cruise when using the calculator — not just the headline price.

Gratuities Our calculator automatically estimates gratuities based on the number of days and people traveling. While gratuities can vary, they usually run about $13 per person, per day. So a couple traveling together can expect to pay $26 per day, total.

Excursions Unless you plan to hang out on the ship or find a beach nearby, then you’ll likely want an excursion when in port. Excursions can be fun and make a memorable experience when in port. They can also be expensive. Cheap excursions run about $50 while the most expensive can be $150 per person. If traveling with kids, their ticket is usually a little cheaper, but not by much. You can see excursions you’d like to book on your cruise line’s website to get a better idea of what you might spend on a particular outing.

Alcoholic Beverages Drinking is a big draw on a cruise ship. There’s lots of time spent on the ship and bars are abundant. You can either purchase drinks one by one (they run about $7 for a beer and $10 for a cocktail) or you can purchase a drink package what allows you to drink what you want for one set price. If you need help on estimating what you might spend on drinks on a cruise, you can try our Drink Package Calculator here.

Gambling Want to gamble on your cruise? Be prepared for some poor payouts. The casinos on a cruise ship offer all the games you’d expect, including blackjack, slots, video poker, roulette, and craps. But with a ship full of people and no other casinos around, the payouts offered aren’t that great .

Still, gambling is a fun way to pass the time if you like gaming. Just budget accordingly.

Specialty Dining One of the good things about cruising is that all the food you can eat is included in the price of the cruise fare. But in the past few years the cruise lines have started to offer specialty dining as well. These are separate restaurants from the main dining room that offer things like Italian food, Mexican food, or steaks. You don’t have to eat here, but compared to the prices you’d find on land, these specialty restaurants are a deal (think $35 a person for a steakhouse meal). However, they still cost extra and you’ll want to include the cost when budgeting.

Spa Treatments There’s not much that’s more relaxing than a spa treatment, but it can be expensive on the ship. Prices vary based on deals offered during your trip and the type of treatment you choose. As a rule of thumb, don’t expect to leave the spa without spending at least $100 per person — and possibly more if you decide to get multiple treatments.

Souvenirs/Miscellaneous: What’s a vacation without souvenirs? From professional photos taken by the cruise line to cheap trinkets sold in port, there’s always an opportunity to spend money on souvenirs. And don’t forget miscellaneous things like meals in port, duty-free shopping , and more.

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One thing to factor in is internet packages.

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How to Buy a Room on a Cruise Ship?

Cruises offer an excellent way to see an entire country or continent in a short amount of time. When booking your cruise, be sure to know exactly what type of cabin you would like. There is a dizzying array of cruise ship types to choose from, each with its own set of amenities and features.

Hotel rooms on a cruise ship are much more compact than hotel rooms found on land. You have a wide variety of room types to choose from, all of which come with a price tag.

Cruise ships come in all shapes, sizes, and designs. It’s rare to find a cruise ship priced at less than a few million. Just find your price range and you’re good to go! Cruise ships can be a great investment, especially if you’re looking to take a vacation.

Make sure to research the different cruise ships available before making a purchase.

Types of Cruise Ships for Sale

Five-star cruise ships are the most luxurious and often have the best amenities. 

Three-star cruise ships are the most affordable and typically offer lower-quality amenities.

Floating hotel ships are the most unique type of cruise ship and are like a hotel on land. They offer guests a variety of amenities, including restaurants, bars, and entertainment. 

Ocean liners are the largest and most expensive type of cruise ship. They offer the most luxurious amenities and often have a wide variety of activities and entertainment. 

River cruise boats are the smallest type of cruise ship and are often used for luxury river tours.

Luxury catamarans are a hybrid type of cruise ship that features both a luxury cruise ship and a catamaran. 

Casino ships are a type of cruise ship that is owned and operated by a casino. They offer a variety of entertainment options, including casinos, nightclubs, and theaters.

Passenger ships are the perfect size for family vacations or for small groups of friends. These are the types of cruise ships that you can find on the market that are designed for smaller groups. 

Where to Find Cruise Ships for Sale?

Here is a list where regularly advertise cruise ships for sale:

• Yacht World
• Boat Trader
• 1 UK Global
• Boats Online AU

Buy Your Next Home on a Cruise Ship with MV Narrative Cruise Ship

A new company called Storylines is now offering you a luxury dwelling on the water — on a cruise ship.

MV Narrative Cruise Ship

Storylines, a new luxury cruise line, is launching the MV Narrative in 2024. This will be a residential cruise ship that will allow people to rent a cabin for a designated length of time on a specified itinerary. The ship will be fully furnished one-to-four-bedroom residences that start at $ 155,000.

There are also mandatory all-inclusive living fees that range from $65,000 to $200,000 per unit per year. The ship has cabins that range in size from 237 to 1,970 square feet. This means that there will be a cabin that is perfect for your needs.

The MV Narrative has one-to-four-bedroom residences that are perfect for anyone. You will be able to find the perfect home for you on the ship. It was designed for luxury travelers. This means that you will be able to enjoy all the luxury that the ship has to offer.

The range in size for the one-to-four-bedroom residences on the MV Narrative is from 237 to 1,970 square feet. This means that you will be able to find a home that is perfect for you.

The five tiers of cabins condos are offered by MV Narrative Cruise Ship:

Tier 1 ($155,000 – $400,000) – The most reasonable cabin condos utilize space without forfeiting comfort, and outside choices are accessible that add normal light to the space. Area: 183 sq. ft. – 248 sq. ft. Month-to-month administration charge: Beginning at $4770 per individual.

Tier 2 ($345,000 – $515,000) – Tier 2 cabins on MV Narrative may be a good place to start. You will find nicely furnished living areas with large sash windows that offer a great view of the exterior. Some exterior cabins even have large windows that open for a breeze.

The monthly service fee begins at $5204 per person. Make sure to check the availability and pricing of Tier cabins on MV Narrative before booking your cruise.

Tier 3 ($415,000 – $580,000) – The midrange cabin-condos figure out harmony between them, with extra contacts like private balconies and full baths. Region: 301 sq. ft. – 355 sq. ft. Month-to-month administration charge: Beginning at $5479 per person (per cabin, in view of twofold inhabitance).

Tier 4 ($585,000 – $630,000) –These top-notch cabin-condos offer the vibe of a spacious urban studio apartment, with huge living areas, comfortable seating, and adequate stockpiling. Area: 366 sq. ft. – 452 sq. ft. Month-to-month administration expense: Beginning at $8928 per individual (per cabin, in view of twofold inhabitance)

Tier 5 ($990,000 – $1,400,000) – The most spacious and selective contributions, these expansive outside cabin-townhouse suites allow for maximum privacy and luxury, with living/eating areas separate from the dozing quarters.

There’s a two-deck duplex layout with a study, a main-level living/feasting area an upstairs room, and a large single-deck suite with a private terrace. Area: 570 sq. ft. – 624 sq. ft. Month-to-month administration expense: Starting at $9533 per individual (per cabin, based on twofold occupancy)

Types of staterooms

Picking the best rooms on a cruise ship involves more than just choosing a stateroom category.

First, let’s look at stateroom types and who they’re best for. Whether you’re on a family cruise, a romantic couple’s getaway, or cruising solo, we have a stateroom that’s perfect for you.

Inside Staterooms

Cruise lines offer a variety of room types and prices. The best inside stateroom deals are usually for lower-cost options. These rooms are located on the interior of the ship and don’t have any windows. These rooms are best for those who want to spend most of their time inside the ship.

These rooms are not the best option if you want to take advantage of the views of the ocean.

Oceanview Staterooms

If you’re looking for a room on a cruise ship with an ocean view, Oceanview Staterooms are ideal. Windows in Oceanview staterooms on cruise ships are not as large as those on staterooms with verandas, but they’re still sizable.

You’ll be able to sleep the same number of guests in an Oceanview stateroom as you would in a room with a veranda. Thanks to the spacious bed arrangement, Oceanview staterooms on cruise ships are great for groups.

If you’re looking for a room on a cruise ship that offers a unique experience, choose an Oceanview stateroom.

Veranda Staterooms

Cruise ships offer a variety of veranda staterooms that can give you a private outdoor space to enjoy the sea breeze and port views. You can enjoy a glass of wine and sunset views in the evening while relaxing on your veranda stateroom’s comfortable furniture.

Some cruise ships even offer veranda staterooms with glass walls that give you a view of the sea below. If you’re looking for a spacious and comfortable stateroom, a veranda may be the perfect choice for you.

Infinite Veranda’s veranda staterooms are perfect for guests who want a unique and luxurious experience. Veranda staterooms offer an infinite amount of space that can comfortably accommodate up to four people. If you’re looking for a unique and luxurious cruise experience, be sure to check out Infinite Veranda’s veranda staterooms.

Concierge-Class Staterooms

When choosing a cruise ship, consider the level of service you want. Concierge-class staterooms provide an elevated level of service with personalized concierge service. Concierge-class staterooms offer seating time preferences, so you can choose the time of day you want to board the ship.

Concierge-class staterooms are often near the front of the ship, so you can quickly and easily get to your destinations. Finally, concierge-class staterooms come with a variety of amenities, like a private balcony or a Jacuzzi.

AquaClass® Staterooms

Cruise ships offer a variety of room options to choose from. AquaClass® staterooms are located close to the spa and include spa amenities. Get unlimited access to the Persian Garden and exclusive onboard specialty restaurant, Blu. Cruise ships offer a variety of itineraries and ports of call.

Book your room now and enjoy a luxurious vacation experience aboard a cruise ship. Take wellness classes like yoga and meditation and get unlimited access to the exclusive SEA Thermal Suite on Celebrity Edge.

You can find AquaClass staterooms that come with like 10% off any pre-booked salon or spa. Treat yourself to a massage, a Pedi. Cruise ship rooms can be a great value for your money.

The Retreat®

The Retreat® is a suite that is located on the top deck of the Celebrity Edge cruise ship. It is one of the most exclusive spaces on the ship, and it features a private restaurant, Laminae, pool, and lounge.

The $300 per suite in onboard spending credit allows passengers to spend money in the suite without having to worry about spending too much. This credit can be used for anything from drinks to food to spa treatments.

Some suites on the Celebrity Edge cruise ship have multiple bedrooms. This allows passengers to have their own space and to relax in privacy.

The Celebrity Edge cruise ship has a variety of iconic suites which span massive 1,294 square feet. This space allows passengers to have their own space and to relax in privacy.

Eventually, price is probably the most important factor in the type of room you book on a cruise ship. By and large, standard inside and outside cabins will be your least expensive wagers, with overhang cabins costing a smidgen more and suites and anything higher being the costliest.

You can hope to pay something else for additional amenities and additions to administrations that you need. All things being equal, there are a couple of ways you can set aside cash before you book.

Ilana Kol is a Personal Cruise Consultant at Norwegian Cruise Line. She has been an avid traveler and cruise enthusiast since her childhood days. Kol graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in engineering. She began her career as an engineer but soon realized that she was not cut out for the profession, so she decided to work in a cruise ship company.

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Cruise Ship Room Service: Menus and Fees for Cruise Lines

Nothing says “I’m in vacation mode” quite like ordering room service on a cruise ship.

In this article we will see what you can get delivered to your stateroom and how much cruise lines are charging for those wonderful treats sent right to your cabin .

I remember the days when room service was free on every cruise line and the choices were practically limitless.

But rather than dwell on the glory days of endless food being carted to your cruise cabin, I thought we’d take a look at cruise ship room service today and how each line compares.

We will look at all the mainstream cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, in addition to premium cruise lines and even luxury lines.

How much does each cruise line charge for room service? What does the menu look like? And what can you still get for free?

We’ll compare some of the major cruise lines and so you can see the difference in room service policies between these companies. Many of these room service policies have changed in the last few months by the way. So if it’s been a while since you’ve gone on a cruise, you might be in for a surprise.

Be mindful that these menus and charges for room service are subject to change, and while we will try to keep this post up to date, you can check directly with the cruise line for any updates for your cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line Room Service

Carnival offers 24-hour room service with a breakfast menu and an all-day menu. While the continental breakfast is free, other room service items have an individual charge depending on what you order.

Breakfast :

The breakfast menu does include a continental breakfast that is free of charge, but it’s only available from 6am to 10am.

The free continental breakfast includes fruit, cereal, danishes, toast, bagels, muffins, croissants, and a selection of yogurts, including banana strawberry, raspberry, and plain.

There are also some drinks included like coffee, orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice, grapefruit juice, hot tea, milk, and chocolate milk.

There are no delivery charges but I do recommend tipping the room service attendant.

Check out our article on why I bring cash to a cruise to see more about tipping.

But what if you want a hot breakfast delivered to your door? For that you will have to pay extra but only $5 or $6.

On Carnival’s current room service breakfast menu are items like English muffin sandwiches with bacon and a fried egg, chicken and cheese in a sourdough sandwich, and a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese.

An 18% service charge is added to your bill for any of these breakfast sandwiches.

All-Day Menu :

The all-day menu is called leisure dining and is offered from 10am to 6am, basically any time outside of breakfast hours.

From sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and wings, the options are all priced individually ranging from a $3 order of fries to an $8 Spicy Fried Firecracker Shrimp plate .

Some of the dessert offerings are New York cheesecake, devils food chocolate cake, and a giant cookie.

The $7 wings and $6 quesadilla are some of my favorite choices, but keep in mind that all of these also come with an 18% service charge.

And while you can get coffee or juice for free at the buffet you will have to pay $2 or $3 to have it delivered to your stateroom. But you can get a whole pot of coffee delivered to your room for $3.

Royal Caribbean Room Service

Royal Caribbean International cruise ships also offer free room service but only for the continental breakfast. The line takes a different approach to room service fees than Carnival and simply charges a $7.95 “convenience fee” for each delivery.

Any guests in the Grand Suites or higher categories will not have to pay the room service charge.

Breakfast is served from 6m to 10am, and the complimentary continental breakfast includes toast, bagels, English muffins, donuts, baked pastries, cereals, fruit and yogurt.

The hot breakfast comes with the $7.95 charge and includes eggs cooked in a variety of ways (including omelettes), pancakes, hash browns, bacon, and sausage.

For times outside of breakfast Royal Caribbean has a nice assortment of pasta, burgers, salads, wings, and pizza.

This can be ordered between 11am and 6am and an 18% gratuity will be added to your bill.

Appetizers on the Royal Caribbean room service menu include chicken noodle soup, Cobb salad, Ceasar salad and chicken tenders.

The favorites section has some popular items cruisers love like Rigatoni Bolognese, Grilled Salmon, Grilled Quesadilla, pizza, and wings.

All of the sandwiches you can have delivered come with fries, and these include the Royal Burger, Grilled Cheese, a Hot Dog Your Way, and even a Classic Philly Cheesesteak.

Also, Royal Caribbean has a kid’s section on the menu as well.

Norwegian Cruise Line Room Service

Norwegian offers 24-hour room service and has recently added some changes to its room service fees. NCL has begun adding a $4.95 service fee for what was a free continental breakfast option before.

The continental breakfast includes the same kind of items on other lines like fruit, pastries, cereal, and yogurt. Breakfast can be per-ordered by filling out a door hanger which also allows passengers to specify a preferred time for their breakfast to be delivered. This door-hanger must be placed outside your cabin by 4am the previous day.

Some of the breakfast offerings by Norwegian include omelettes, steak & eggs, avocado toast, french toast and breakfast smoothies.

Norwegian has claimed to have expanded the options available on the room service menu including breakfast offerings, but a $9.95 convenience charge will be added to each order in addition to a 20% gratuity service charge. Only the continental breakfast will be exempt, although guests will still have to pay the $4.95 service fee. There are some reports that this is not fleet wide yet, so keep an eye out for news related to Norwegian room service.

Guests in the Haven will not have to pay the $9.95 charge.

The all-day menu will include items like chicken noodle soup, Caesar salad, Cobb salad, a cheese plates, BLTs, all kinds of sub sandwiches, and hot dogs.

Some entrees you can order to your room include Spaghetti Bolognase, Half Roasted Chicken, Skirt Steak, Grilled Salmon, Fish & Chips, and pizza.

For special occasions you can order a jumbo shrimp platter for $35 or even a selection of international cheeses with bread, walnuts and grapes for $32.

MSC Cruises Room Service

Room service with MSC comes with a $4.99 charge per delivery for those with the lowest “experience” chosen, the Bella Experience. With the Fantastica Experience breakfast is delivered for free, and with the Aurea Experience there is free delivery 24-hours a day.

Besides this delivery fee there is the cost of the options in the menu, and the room service menu has both free and paid options.

Some of the room service selections with MSC include garden vegetable soup, a variety of cheeses, Mediterranean salad, Caesar salad, veggie wraps, smoked salmon sandwich, a fruit plate, and even a fruit basket just to name a few.

The Italian cruise line promises to have a fresh-baked pizza delivered to your cabin within 20 minutes of ordering. This can cost around $11 or $12 depending on what kind of pizza you get.

And when it comes to pizza, MSC has a myriad of choices. You can get everything from Mariana and Toscana to Calabrese and 4 Formaggi. Even a Calzone Napoletano was available last time I checked.

If you’re in the MSC Yacht Club you will not have to worry about any room service fees as the service is complimentary as well.

Princess Cruises Room Service

Princess has 24-hour room service offered to all its guests. Breakfast is from 6:30am to 10:30am, you can get pizza from 5:30 to 9:30pm and the specialty dining menu is from 5:30pm to 9:30pm.

For the most part room service is free, but there are some items that will cost extra if you want to ramp up your cruise vacation experience.

You can actually order a selection of dishes to your room that are from the specialty restaurants on board. From appetizers to main entrees these fees can range from $5 to $20.

This allows you to have Filet Mignon, Rib-eye steak and Jumbo Prawn delivered from Crown Grill for about $19 each.

Even pasta dishes from Sabatini’s can be delivered through room service, and you can select from the many desserts as well.

Using the app or stateroom TV allows you to sort through the many choices you have, and you can see all the up to date prices there, as they may change by the time you go on your cruise.

Some of the categories of food you will find in the app are appetizers & snacks, hot food, sandwiches, sides, sweets, kids, pizza, and specialty dining.

To have a shrimp cocktail delivered to your room will cost $8.

Celebrity Cruises Room Service

At the end of 2022, Celebrity made a major policy change in regards to room service. Each delivery now costs $9.95 with an additional 18% gratuity charge on top of it. (So basically $11.74 for every room service order)

Prior to this change room service was free and cruisers were only charged $4.95 when ordering after 11 p.m.

In keeping in line with some of the mainstream lines, however, a continental breakfast is still free between 6am and 11am.

Additionally, Zenith-level members and suite guests will still be able to get food delivered for free.

Passengers staying in the retreat will get free room service for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Holland America Room Service

This is one of the last premium/mainstream cruise lines that still offers free room service. Only a few select items cost extra.

Breakfast is available from 6am to 11am and there’s more than just the continental breakfast that is complimentary.

Besides the usual cereal, fruit, pastries and yogurt, Holland America guests can have eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage sent to their staterooms for free.

If you do want to splurge for breakfast there is a Lobster Benedict for $12.50, a Steak and Eggs breakfast for $15, and breakfast smoothies for $4.95.

The All Day menu offered by Holland America is loaded with starters, sandwiches, entrees and sweets.

Starters : Quesadilla, Cheese and Fruit, Chicken Noodle Soup, Three Bean Chili, Caesar Salad, and Cobb Salad

Sandwiches : Caprese Panini, Roast Beef Panini, BBQ Pulled Pork Sub, Club Sandwich

Sweets : New York Cheesecake, Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Layer Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Entrees : Rigatoni, Oven-Roasted Chicken

From 11pm to 6am guests are able to have a smaller sampling of the above menu with foods like quesadillas and club sandwiches in addition to salads and some sweet desserts.

There’s also a kid’s menu available for room service that is available from 5:30pm until 9:30pm.  This menu for children includes quesadillas, fruit, salad, mac and cheese, spaghetti, hot dogs and even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Virgin Voyages Room Service

Virgin charges a $5 delivery fee for room service it calls “Ship Eats Delivery”. Virgin offers breakfast from 5am until 11am with meals like eggs, french toast, fruits, cereals, breads, and yogurt.

All day food offerings are served from 11am to 5am and include the following:

Starters : Chicken Noodle Soup, Wedge Salad, Braised Polpettine, Beet Hummus, Charcuterie & Cheese Plate

Mains : Roasted Cauliflower Steak, Cheddar Cheeseburger, Pappardelle Al Ragu, Slow Roasted Striped Bass, Roasted Chicken Breast, and Grilled New York Strip

Snacks : Popcorn, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Gummy Bears, Trail Mix

Desserts : White Chocolate Coated Confetti Cake Pop, Blueberry-Green Tea Vegan Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cookie Cake

Disney Cruise Line Room Service

With Disney Cruise Line room service is included on every ship for free, and you can see all of the available selections on the Navigator app.

The breakfast menu includes an assortment of cereals, juices, pastries, and breads.

The All Day menu has some of the following selections:

Appetizers : Cheese & Crackers, Greek Salad, Mixed Garden Salad, Grilled Salmon Salad, Creamy Tomato Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, and a Fresh Fruit Bowl

All American Fare : Baked Macaraoni and Cheese, Crispy Chicken Tenders, Grilled Hot Dog, Cheeseburger/Hamburger, Buffalo Chicken Wings

Pizzas : Pepperoni, Cheese, Magherita

Made to Order Sandwiches : New York Panini; Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Panini; BLT; Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich

Desserts : Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Oatmeal Rasin Cookie, Snacks, M&M’s, Slated Peanuts, Buttered Popcorn, Salted Cashews

Luxury Cruise Line Room Service

Luxury cruise lines still offer complimentary room service, and that hopefully will not be changing any time soon. Cruise lines like Viking, Seabourn, Silversea, and Regent Seven Seas all have a wide assortment of menu options for food delivery, and you never have to worry about a convenience charge, unless it’s a specialty item.

Read our article on the best all-inclusive cruise lines to see what else is included in a luxury cruise experience.

FAQ on cruise ship room service

Did carnival get rid of free room service.

Yes and no.  Carnival still offers free room service, but it’s only for the continental breakfast.  The rest of the menu is more à la carte and each item has a cost from $3 to $8.  This is in addition to the 18% service fee.

Does Royal Caribbean charge for room service?

Yes, but just like mentioned above, Royal Caribbean still offers breakfast room service for free if it’s a continental breakfast.  There is a standard $7.95 charge and additional fee of 18% for gratuities.

How much is room service on Norwegian?

Norwegian still does offer room service but you can’t get it for free any more.  Even the continental breakfast comes with a $4.95 service fee and the other select menu items will cost $9.95 plus a 20% gratuity charge.

Can I order room service any time of day?

Pretty much.  But the menu may be different depending on what time of day you decide to order.  Most cruise lines have 24-hour room service and breakfast is not offered until around 6am the next morning.  So for late-night snacks, room service is still the way to go.

How do I order room service on a cruise ship?

Each cruise line is different but most these days have an app that is the easiest way to order room service.  This will also allow you to see the complete menu and if there is any extra cost per item.  Some lines also let you order room service through the stateroom TV.  For breakfast many cruise lines provide door-hangers that you can fill out and place outside your stateroom before 4am each night.

How much should you tip for room service on a cruise ship?

It’s all up to you but I like to tip about $2 – $3 per item, depending on how large the order is.  This is also why I like to have some small bills in cash on me when I cruise.  If you order a lot of room service go ahead and let the delivery attendant know how much you appreciate their service.

Keep in mind that this also depends on which cruise you are sailing, as some luxury lines may include all gratuities.

Which cruise lines offer free room service?

Disney Cruise Line and Holland America Line are some of the only mainstream lines where room service is available for free.  And of course luxury lines that are all-inclusive also provide the service at no additional cost.  But even then, there may be some menu items that incur a cost.

• room service

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Live on a Cruise Ship: 100 Staterooms Now Open For Bid

Doug Parker

• November 7, 2020

Today is your day if you’ve ever dreamed of living or retiring on a cruise ship. Last month, we told you about a company that bought a cruise ship and intends to sell the cabins as permanent residences and offices. Their goal? To create an entire floating community just off the coast of Panama.

On Thursday morning, the first block of 100 cabins went up for public auction, and we’ve got what you need to know about how to bid, what’s included in the price — and what’s not.

Thanks to the international health crisis, which led to cruise lines raising money by selling off older vessels, Ocean Builders was able to purchase the former P&O Pacific Dawn .

The newly named ms Satoshi will soon sail from Greece to the western coast of Panama, where it will be permanently anchored unless it has to be moved due to weather or mechanical issues.

 How much does a cruise ship cabin cost?

Bids for stateroom ownership start at $25,000 per inside cabin, $35,000 for an ocean view, and $50,000 for a balcony.

Bidding for this first set of staterooms will run until November 29, with the winner being informed the following week. There are also buy-it-now options that let you bypass the stress of the auction. Inside staterooms cost $49,500, oceanview $69,500, and balcony cabins are at $99,500.

Future Prices Could Be Higher

During a recent video chat with potential seasteaders, Ocean Builders COO Chad Elwartowski indicated that the opening bid on future batches of staterooms might run higher.

He likened those who bid during this initial auction to people getting in on the ground floor of something that will only become more valuable as word spreads.

Monthly maintenance fees are determined by the cabin size and start at $570 per month. Plus, until metered service is set up for individual units, the utility fee (electricity and water) will run for $138 per month. This comes to $8,496 annually for an inside stateroom.

He also indicated that the larger suites on the 11th floor would essentially be for VIPs and, as such, would go for much higher prices. These suites would also pay higher fees, theoretically bringing down the costs paid by those in the standard staterooms.

Ocean Builders hopes to have a “Grand Opening” on or around January 3, although Elwartowski indicated there were still questions as to what Panamanian officials would require of would-be residents from the perspective of health-related protocols.

READ: You Can Live on this Cruise Ship Starting at $25,000

While the website has a dedicated FAQ page to offer details about pets, smoking, and other topics, there remain many unanswered questions.

During video chats, many questions regarding logistics, future fees, and how things would be decided once people begin moving in were answered in the vaguest of terms, with “probably” and “maybe” being the terms most commonly used.

Even the contracts which will bind the ship’s owners and its residents remain in a state of flux.

There was also a startling lack of knowledge about the ship and its operations, even with regard to whether or not staterooms had phone or Wi-Fi (both of which would seem vital given that Ocean Builders hopes to attract YouTube personalities and others whose livelihood would depend on reliable Internet access).

One thing is for certain: the world will be watching to see how this experiment in high-seas living ultimately plays out.

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What You Need to Know - Costs of a Cruise Ship Ticket (2024)

W ith all of the new cruise ships (and even some cruise lines!) over the past two years, you may be considering a cruise. Taking a cruise can be an effective and affordable way to see multiple destinations – you will travel to different ports of call as you stay in one room with no need to unpack. 

However, many travelers are worried about the costs of a cruise ship ticket. They may seem to be expensive. Luckily, many cruise lines and sailings are very affordable. Because most (but definitely not all) of the costs are included, they can be an easy thing to budget for as well. 

So, how much does a cruise ship ticket cost? This post will help you understand cruise prices on some of the most popular, mainstream cruise lines, as well as what affects the price of a cruise. There are also some optional add-ons that can add to the expense (as well as the fun!). For instance, a Virgin Voyages cruise fare includes WiFi, gratuities, and dining at any of the specialty restaurants at no additional cost. 

Typically, the base cruise fare includes things like your stateroom, meals (in the buffet, main dining room, and other included venues), government taxes, port fees, and most activities on board the ship. 

Note that we are only looking at mainstream lines, not luxury cruise lines. Prices and inclusions are always subject to change. 

How Much Does a Cruise Ship Ticket Cost?

What affects the price of a cruise.

There are so many factors that go into the price of a cruise. First, you’ll want to decide which cruise line you want to sail on. There are many benefits to each line If you don’t have one in mind, you should do some research in advance to find out what activities, amenities, itineraries, and general atmosphere are on the cruise lines you are considering.

The cruise line that you sail on is probably the biggest driver of cost. Some are most expensive than others. However, the inclusions may be different, so look at the add-ons in addition to the base cost to really get a good idea of what you’ll be spending. 

The itinerary that you are sailing on is another major price driver. This includes the ports of call that you’ll be visiting and the number of days of your sailing. In general, if you want to save some money on your cruise vacation, one easy option is to decrease the length of the cruise.

The type of stateroom that you choose will also affect the price. Expect to pay more for suites and balcony staterooms. The most cost-effective option of the cabin types is typically an interior stateroom.

Some cruise lines may offer you the opportunity to bid on a higher-level stateroom. It can be a great way to try for a suite or other concierge room that may have otherwise been out of your price range. To maximize your chances of getting the bid accepted, however, you’ll want to follow the cruise line’s recommendations. That won’t necessarily give you the best deal though. 

Another option to save money on your stateroom is to book a GTY stateroom (guaranteed). In this case, you’ll book your room without knowing the exact category or location. You are guaranteed a minimum category and can save money with this option. 

Add-ons To Your Cruise Price

It’s also important to understand what things can add to the cost of your sailing. Some of these are entirely optional, while others really aren’t. Be sure to have an idea of these costs so you can budget for them accurately.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is optional, but it is a good idea, especially for an expensive trip. This is an extra charge, and you can usually either purchase it on your own or through your cruise line. Check around for coverages and don’t just automatically go for the lowest price. Often, the cruise insurance won’t include coverage for flights purchased on your own.

Port Transportation 

Whether you are driving or flying, you’ll either need to park at the port or get there somehow. Some cruise lines will offer an option airport shuttle to the cruise port, but you’ll typically have to pay extra. In some cases, this will be the cheapest option, but that’s not always the case. Regardless of what you choose, you’ll need to include this cost in your vacation budget

Drinks packages or individual alcoholic drinks

Alcoholic beverages are not included with the cost of your cruise unless you’ve purchased an unlimited beverage package. Some cruise lines, like Disney Cruise Line, include soda, but others charge extra for some non-alcoholic drinks. It’s up to you to decide whether a package is worth it but plan on spending some money for drinks if you plan to have any soft drinks, specialty coffees, or alcohol during your cruise. 

Not all cruise lines offer unlimited beverage packages. Disney offers a beer or wine package, and Virgin Voyages offers a “bar tab”. Regardless, these can be the best deal if you will take advantage of them. 

Shore excursions

Every port of call will have some fun shore excursions that you can consider booking. Cruise lines offer these, or some guests choose to book them independently. Just remember that if you book on your own, it’s entirely your responsibility to make sure you get back to the ship on time. 

Shore excursions vary in price, depending on the activity. Some, like a helicopter ride, can be quite expensive, while others, like sightseeing tours, are more affordable. European and Alaskan excursions can be costly, so you’ll want to research before booking so you aren’t surprised. 

Spa treatments

Spa services on a cruise ship can be a wonderful splurge and luxury. These are not included in the cost of your cruise ship ticket, so if you do plan to visit the onboard spa or salon, be sure to understand the costs before committing. 

Specialty restaurants

While most of the main dining rooms on cruise ships offer excellent food and service, sometimes it’s nice to visit some of the specialty restaurants on board. These often come with an upcharge, although they are complimentary on Virgin Voyages where there is no main dining room. Some cruise lines may have a package where you can prepurchase from one to unlimited signature dining.

Gratuities are typically an additional charge on top of your cruise fare. Usually, you’ll tip individually when purchasing beverages or for room service. Then, you can leave a bigger tip for your server team and stateroom host.

Some cruise lines allow you to prepay your gratuities, which can definitely make things easier to budget. You can always add on at the end for excellent service. Virgin Voyages includes gratuities in the total price, so you don’t have to worry about them unless you’d like to add on. 

Cruising can be a great way to unplug and relax. However, sometimes you do need internet access to stay in touch with the real world. While WiFi at sea isn’t always great, it definitely has improved over the years. You can sometimes purchase a full cruise package and a daily package, which is a great option if you don’t need it for the entire sailing. 

Sample Prices:

Wondering about sample prices? These are just some examples of current prices of sailings on some popular newer ships and established cruise ships. Keep in mind that these prices are always subject to change, so this information is just informational. We looked at September 2024 dates for this analysis, for one balcony room with two guests:

Carnival Cruise Line:

• 4-Day The Bahamas from Miami, FL on the Carnival Conquest – $1,181
• 6-Day Eastern Caribbean from Miami, FL on the Carnival Magic – $1,625

Virgin Voyages:

• 5-Day Mayan Sol from Miami, FL on the Valient Lady – $2,128 (inclusive of tips)

Disney Cruise Line:

• 4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral, FL on the Disney Wish – $3,091

Royal Caribbean International

• 4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day Cruise from Miami, FL on the Allure of the Seas – $1,304
• 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day from Port Canaveral on the Icon of the Seas – $5,741

Celebrity Cruises

• 6 Night Bimini, Grand Cayman & Mexico from Fort Lauderdale, FL on the Celebrity Beyond – $2,248

Considering a family cruise? Check out our  guide to family cruising , with posts about popular cruise terminals, cruise ships, and cruise lines, as well as tips for cruising.

The post What You Need to Know – Costs of a Cruise Ship Ticket (2024) appeared first on Family Travel Magazine .

Baltimore bridge collapse wasn't first major accident for giant container ship Dali

Propulsion failed on the cargo ship that struck the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday as it was leaving port, causing it to collapse into the frigid Patapsco River. Its crew warned Maryland officials of a possible collision because they had lost control.

“The vessel notified MD Department of Transportation (MDOT) that they had lost control of the vessel” and a collision with the bridge “was possible,” according to an unclassified Department of Homeland Security report. “The vessel struck the bridge causing a complete collapse.”

An official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to USA TODAY that the DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with federal, state, and local officials “to understand the potential impacts of this morning’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

Clay Diamond, executive director, American Pilots’ Association, told USA TODAY power issues are not unusual on cargo ships, which are so large they cannot easily course correct.

“It’s likely that virtually every pilot in the country has experienced a power loss of some kind (but) it generally is momentary,” Diamond said. “This was a complete blackout of all the power on the ship, so that’s unusual. Of course this happened at the worst possible location.” 

The ship in Tuesday's crash, Dali, was involved in at least one prior accident when it collided with a shipping pier in Belgium.

That 2016 incident occurred as the Dali was leaving port in Antwerp and struck a loading pier made of stone, causing damage to the ship’s stern, according to VesselFinder.com, a site that tracks ships across the world. An investigation determined a mistake made by the ship’s master and pilot was to blame.

No one was injured in that crash, although the ship required repair and a full inspection before being returned to service. The pier – or berth – was also seriously damaged and had to be closed.

VesselFinder reports that the Dali was chartered by Maersk, the same company chartering it during the Baltimore harbor incident.

The 9-year-old container ship had passed previous inspections during its time at sea, but during one such inspection in June at the Port of San Antonio in Chile, officials discovered a deficiency with its "propulsion and auxiliary machinery (gauges, thermometers, etc)," according to the Tokyo MOU, an intergovernmental maritime authority in the Asia-Pacific region.

The report provided no other information about the deficiency except to note that it was not serious enough to remove the ship from service.

Follow here for live updates: Baltimore's Key Bridge collapses after ship strike; construction crew missing: Live Updates

Why did Dali crash into the Baltimore bridge?

Officials said Tuesday they’re investigating the collision, including whether systems on board lost electricity early Tuesday morning, which could be related to mechanical failure, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Accidents at sea, known as marine casualties, are not uncommon, the source told USA TODAY. However, “allisions,” in which a moving object strikes a stationary one with catastrophic results, are far less common. The investigation of the power loss aboard the Dali, a Singapore-flagged vessel, will be a high priority.

In a video posted to social media, lights on the Dali shut off, then turned back on, then shut off again before the ship struck a support pier on the bridge.

Numerous cargo and cruise ships have lost power over the years.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires all international vessels to have two independent sources of electricity, both of which should be able to maintain the ship's seaworthiness on their own, according to a safety study about power failures on ships , citing the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.

The Dali's emergency generator was likely responsible for the lights coming back on after the initial blackout, Diamond said.

“There was still some steerage left when they initially lost power,” he said. “We’ve been told the ship never recovered propulsion. The emergency generator is a diesel itself – so if you light off the generator, that’s also going to put off a puff of exhaust.”

Under maritime law, all foreign flagged vessels must be piloted into state ports by a state licensed pilot so the Dali's pilot is licensed by Association of Maryland Pilots .

Diamond described the incident based on information from the Maryland agency that licensed the pilot aboard the ship. His organization represents that group and all other state piloting agencies in the US.

“The pilot was directing navigation of the ship as it happened,” he said. “He asked the captain to get the engines back online. They weren’t able to do that, so the pilot took all the action he could. He tried to steer, to keep the ship in the channel. He also dropped the ship’s anchor to slow the ship and guide the direction.

“Neither one was enough. The ship never did regain its engine power.”

How big is the Dali ship?

The Dali is a 984-foot container vessel built in 2015 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. With a cruising speed of about 22 knots – roughly 25 mph. It has traveled the world carrying goods from port to port.

The ship, constructed of high-strength steel, has one engine and one propeller, according to MarineTraffic.com.

The Dali arrived in Baltimore on Sunday from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Before that, it had been in New York and came through the Panama Canal.

It remains at the scene of the collapse as authorities investigate.

Who owns and operates the Dali?

It is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd but managed by Synergy Marine Group, also based in Singapore. It was carrying Maersk customers’ cargo, according to a statement from the shipping company.

“We are deeply concerned by this incident and are closely monitoring the situation,” Maersk said in the statement. 

Synergy, which describes itself as a leading ship manager with more than 600 vessels under its guidance, issued a statement on its website acknowledging the incident and reporting no injuries among its crew and no pollution in the water. There were two pilots on board and 22 crew members in all, according to Synergy, all of them from India.

USA TODAY reached out to Synergy on Tuesday, but the company did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Contributing: Josh Susong

Billionaires are getting ready for summer with wildly spectacular superyachts

• Superyachts, the most expensive asset  a billionaire can own, are pushing the boundaries of luxury.
• The boats, which cost eight or nine figures, are getting larger and include more features than ever.
• From massage rooms to basketball courts, here's what the world's richest want on board.

For many wealthy boat owners, a private spa is a must-have on board. A sauna is a nice touch. A Jet Ski or two makes days at sea way more fun. And if you don't have someone on board who can whip up a Michelin-star-worthy meal , you might as well stay on land.

In the world of massive yachts , there's no such thing as too much. After all, if someone spends eight or nine figures to design the vessel of their dreams — or at least $500,000 a week to charter one — more is more.

"Yachting. It's not rational; it's emotional," Ralph Dazert, the head of intelligence at SuperYacht Times, told Business Insider at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, where dozens of superyachts — often defined as vessels over 30 meters in length — were on display.

And while there are certain classic features, such as jacuzzis and bars, what superyacht owners want is evolving, insiders at the show said. That might mean more crew members, more space for helicopters, or more water toys, but might also include manicure salons and putting greens.

"The bar of what is the baseline expectation has increased exponentially just over the last four or five years," Anders Kurtén, the CEO of brokerage Fraser Yachts, said. Clients are "spending more time on the boat and really wanting to extend the lifestyle they lead on the shore."

A lot of this can be chalked up to the pandemic. Superyacht purchases and charters spiked as life and luxury travel on land screeched to a halt. While the market has moderated slightly, the number of superyachts on order — 1,166 as of September, according to Boat International's Global Order Book — is still above pre-pandemic norms.

"What the pandemic really showed is that the appetite for being out there at sea, sort of living the marine lifestyle, is still as valid as ever," Kurtén said.

That means there's a lot of money on the water. The total value of the 203 superyachts over 30 meters delivered last year was $6.4 billion, according to data from SuperYacht Times. New custom builds from the world's most prestigious shipyards — Lurssen, Feadship, Oceanco , Benetti — can run into the hundreds of millions. Even used superyachts at the Palm Beach show cost as much as $75 million.

And it's not just traditional buyers like retired wealthy couples looking for a place to relax or celebrities looking for a place to party away from the paparazzi. New clients are often younger and have families, so want areas to work and watch movies . They also want pricey water toys, access to fitness equipment, or even pizza ovens for picky eaters.

"This would've never happened in the nineties," said Giovanna Vitelli, the vice president of the Azimut Benetti Group, the world's biggest producer of superyachts. "You would go with your beautiful woman, Champagne — the idea of yachting was much more showing off with your jacuzzi and things like that."

Pure opulence has made room for function.

When Benetti's Nabila set sail in 1980, its 50-person crew, gold-and-diamond-encrusted interiors, and lavish parties captured headlines and even inspired the Queen song "Kashoggi's Ship."(Seven years later, Donald Trump bought Nabila for $30 million , renaming her the Trump Princess.)

"Life on board was considered very formal — big formal dining rooms, boats were high on the water, you would be segregated from the rest of the world," Vitelli said, remembering another client who insisted on a replica of the Sistine Chapel above the dining table.

But the ostentatious, palatial-like interiors that used to be highlighted in yacht brochures have made way for lists of more functional features .

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Rather than esoteric novelties like an extra-large safe for rifles that one builder had to construct per a Russian yacht owner's request , the superyachts on display at the Palm Beach show featured basketball courts, saunas, and ice baths.

Owners want elevators and luxury gyms. Pampering options, be it a massage room, manicure station, or a professional-grade facial machine, are a dime a dozen. Some bathrooms have fancy Toto toilets, which can cost around $20,000.

Sterns (that's the back of the boat) used to be built high to guard guests' privacy. Now, they're built as "beach clubs" — an open swim platform.

And what good is a massage room if no one on board can give one? Many superyachts can hold twice as many crew members as guests, if not more. One broker, representing a boat that didn't have a masseuse, said it could be quite a "tricky" issue because if a charter wants one, they have to find someone who can massage guests and "pull their weight with the crew."

"It's not uncommon to look for a deckhand who can also mix a martini, play an instrument, maybe entertain the guests with singing, and ideally even give a massage," Kurtén said.

Of course, a crew comes at a cost . Most are considered full-time employees, requiring salaries and benefits like health insurance. Captains, first mates, and chief engineers often make six figures a year. That's without tips; a charter guest will typically spend six figures on gratuities for the crew who worked during a weeklong vacation.

For the superrich, there must be room for toys.

It's not just the onboard amenities that count. What's known as "toys" in the industry — water slides, eFoils, Jet Skis, and underwater scuba diving jets — are popular, and costs range from merely hundreds of dollars (banana boats) to millions ( submersibles , which are still popular despite the recent tragedy).

" Tenders and toys, the sky seems to be the limit," Kurtén said. "More is more."

If you can't fit all those toys in the yacht's storage space, you can just use another boat. Jeff Bezos' support yacht is a superyacht in itself, measuring 75 meters and costing tens of millions of dollars. (His main yacht, Koru , cost a reported $500 million.)

Support yachts are also faster, meaning the crew can get to a destination first and set up the Jet Skis, seapools, and the like, Dazert said. "By the time the owner arrives on the main yacht, everything's set up, and he can go and have fun."

Even tenders, the smaller vessel that brings guests from the ship to the shore, are getting glow-ups. The Nero, a 90-meter beauty available to charter for about $500,000 a week and modeled after J.P. Morgan's 1930s ship, has custom-built tenders to match the design. The most expensive ones often cost seven figures. Nero has three.

"It used to be a tender was a tender," Jeffrey Beneville, who handles yacht insurance at NFP, told BI. "Now they're called limousine tenders. Think of an incredibly luxurious gondola that's got a hard top so nobody's hair gets mussed when they're being dropped off at the Monaco Yacht Club ."

One thing that clearly hasn't changed in superyachting: showing off. If the boat next door at the marina has an indoor-outdoor cinema, it's natural to want one too. Ditto a wine cellar or helipad.

"It's a bit of a celebration of your success in life, of wealth," Vitelli, whose company is behind the Lana yacht Bill Gates chartered for a birthday party three years ago, said. "You push it a little more."

And that's a boon for yacht makers and brokers catering to the superrich.

"Our job is to make clients' dreams come true," Kurtén said.

Watch: Inside the world's biggest cruise ship that just set sail

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