You remember the days when cruising was indulgent? Sailing in a floating luxury hotel where “all-inclusive” actually meant it. Extra entrées, room service, even a glass of bubbly—all included in the cruise fare. But now? Nickel-and-diming has gone into overdrive.
Cruising has become less business-class Airbus A380, and more Spirit Airlines at sea—or Ryanair, Wizz, or Jetstar—take your pick. Every perk is listed on the menu of micro-charges with more add-ons than a Black Friday shopping cart. Let’s face it: we’re no longer being spoiled. We’re being upsold.
Here’s the real kicker—cruise lines are sucking us in with low fares, then slapping on a ton of surcharges. We’re talking common cruise fees and upsells that make budget airlines look generous.
Read on to discover how free at sea suddenly became fee at sea.
The $9 Egg That Sparked an Online Mutiny
“What! Nine bucks for Eggs Benedict?” Cruisers thought it was a joke, but P&O Cruises was 100% serious. It doesn’t stop there. NCL has slapped a $5 fee on a second entrée. Miss your Royal Caribbean dining reservation? Expect to cough up $25 per person. And forget about free donuts on Carnival Cruise Line—you now pay for them.
Reddit threads light up with disbelief at these dining surcharges. One cruiser shared they’d “rather eat ashore than bankroll breakfast.” Someone on a Facebook group posted, “It’s a blatant move to capitalize on a captive audience.” It enrages cruisers that they now have to splurge on basic options.
Not everyone agrees. Some say these service charges stop food waste; others point to empty specialty dining tables and shrinking menus.
The debate’s boiling hotter than the galley griddle—so where do you stand? Should cruise lines continue to offer an “all-inclusive” menu? Or is it a good move to cut down on waste and no-shows?
The Shrinking Buffet That Leaves Cruisers Shocked
You feel it the moment you walk into the buffet. Expect less variety, smaller trays, and desserts that look like their own knockoffs. Once the ship’s crown jewel, the buffet has quietly become a case study in cruise-line cost-cutting. Carving stations? Gone. Midnight snacks? Rebranded as “premium options.”
Cruisers on Facebook are furious. “It used to feel endless,” one wrote, “now it’s like they’re hiding the good stuff in a secret dining room.” Reddit threads call it “shrinkflation at sea gone crazy.” While others joke that the buffet’s new motto is “Pay more, taste less.”
Some argue it’s about portion control and food waste. After all, tons of food get thrown out on every cruise. Others say it’s greed, plain and simple. So, progress or profit grab—what’s your opinion?
Specialty Restaurants: The New Pay-to-Feel-Fancy Tax
Specialty restaurants used to feel indulgent. You know, a little splurge for steak and lobster under soft lights. Now, specialty dining options cost more than some fine-dining restaurants you skipped ashore to “save money.” Princess charges up to $60 a head, and that’s before the wine and the gratuity fee hit the table.
Charging over-the-top for dining on cruise ships sparks heated debates on cruise forums. Many cruisers feel entitled to lower prices after paying “thousands to be onboard.” Others say they thought it’d be “cheaper since we’re here already.” A minority defends the upsells as “paying for a premium experience.”
So where’s the line between fine dining and being financially fleeced by greedy corporations?
The Drinks Rule That’s Tearing Couples Apart
Cruise lines call it fairness. Cruisers call it daylight robbery. The rule? If one adult buys the beverage package, every adult in the cabin must buy it too. But what if one passenger doesn’t drink? The cruise line isn’t interested. In my opinion, that’s not policy—it’s a relationship stress test.
It’s easy to spot the frustrations on Facebook groups where annoyed couples post about paying over $1,000 for a seven-day cruise just because one partner wants the drink package. One frustrated passenger posted, “Why should I pay for cocktails I never touch?” Another joked, “We’re a water-and-wine marriage, but getting priced like tequila shots.”
What do you think? Is it fair that one person’s cocktail habit charges the whole cabin? Or should cruise lines get real and let couples share beverage packages?
The $13 Beer Shocker and Other Crimes
There was a time when ordering a beer or cocktail onboard didn’t feel like putting down a deposit for a loan. Now, $8-$13 for a beer on some cruise lines is slowly becoming a reality. What’s worse, prices can shift mid-season depending on demand. Yes, it seems that “menu inflation in motion” is here to stay.
One travel advisor on Quora calculated that individual drinks cost cruise lines just over $2, including the cost of the booze, wages, cleanup, and bartender. Add 18-20% cruise ship gratuities, and that’s a whopping markup of 650%! When you start thinking about it, that “casual cocktail by the pool” starts tasting like regret.
What’s your take? Are bar prices just something we have to accept? Or are they the sneakiest way for cruise lines to triple their revenue?
Room Service? No Longer Room. Barely Service
Once the ultimate cruise luxury, room service feels more like Uber Eats with waves than indulgent pampering. It used to be that you could order almost anything to your room. Of course, you still can—with a delivery fee slapped on your order.
It’s not just complimentary room service quietly chopped from cruise fares. Many guests say that there are fewer cabin cleanings, no more towel animals, and those delicious turndown chocolates have quietly disappeared. One Reddit contributor joked, “Soon, they’ll be charging for the air between courses.”
My theory is that cruise lines are just testing how far they can go before passengers push back. Or am I wrong, and is it fair to offer cheaper fares and let people pay for the luxuries they really want?
The Pool Chair That Suddenly Costs Peace of Mind
Here’s what I’ve noticed about cruise ships: they keep getting bigger, but the pools haven’t. More passengers—thousands of them—but the same square footage. Many cruisers have noticed that what was once a sea-day sanctuary now feels like a floating theme park. Goodbye to the hub of calm and welcome the new hub of chaos.
What’s the solution? Pay for it—so yet another service charge if you want to enjoy the vibes that cruise ships once offered for free. You’ll need to pay hundreds for private cabanas, “serenity zones,” or adults-only retreats. It’s true what one cruiser shared, “They’ve even found a way to monetize peace and quiet onboard.”
Be honest, is this just the natural price of bigger ships and busier decks—or have cruise lines turned tranquility into their most profitable upsell yet?
The “Free” Fun That Suddenly Comes With a Price Tag
Cruise lines love to brag about their endless onboard entertainment—Broadway shows, comedy acts, simulators, sky-high attractions. And all “included in your fare.” The reality? The “free” spots vanish as soon as you board. So, want to ride the North Star? Be quick to book, or you’ll be paying for it.
Get this: some cruise lines, like Cunard and Virgin Voyages, charge for certain shows—up to $50! Also, with limited theater space and thousands of passengers, there’s a chance your dream shows will be fully booked months in advance.
So what are cruisers most concerned about? One cruise blog posted, “The trend to charge for onboard shows is becoming the norm for premium and traditional cruise lines.”
What’s your opinion—limited freebies are just crowd control, or a clever way to turn your sea day into another money-grabbing exercise?
The WiFi Upgrade? More Like Expensive Downgrade
Who in their right mind would book a hotel that didn’t offer free WiFi? So why do we accept it on cruise ships? Yet, cruisers do. We’re prepared to pay a small fortune for internet packages to stay connected. Here’s the kicker: cruise lines brag about innovation, yet still charge for sketchy internet that’s worse than a cheap motel.
Sure, providing internet access at sea is more complicated. But did you know that cruise lines make 2–5% more profit than top hotel chains? Did you know that expensive internet plans are among their juiciest margins, after beverage packages?
Cruise lines have the cheek to charge over $200-$300 for streaming services for a week-long cruise. Want it cheaper? You’re limited to 30-75 minutes per day, at a cost of $20-$40. Comments on Cruise Critic include, “Woefully inadequate,” “Impossible to load basic pages,” and “Expect the screen to freeze constantly.”
So, what’s going on? Are we being fleeced for wanting to stay connected, or do you think that internet charges five times the on-land price of broadband are acceptable?
The Cheap Fare Pretending to Be a Bargain
We’ve all seen the promotional ads: “Four nights from $300,” or “60% off 2nd guest and kids sail free.” You think: “Wow! A cruise vacation is cheaper than staying in a hotel.” Do you know what? These rock-bottom fares make you feel like you’ve outsmarted the system. In reality, the system outsmarted you.
The low entry price is just the hook; everything else costs extra once you’re trapped onboard. Usually, the base cruise fare doesn’t include taxes, fees, and port expenses. Then you’ve got a ton of additional add-ons to navigate.
Cruisers on Reddit call it “the floating upsell.” One cruisers shared, “The fare looked cheap, but by day three, my onboard account looked like a mortgage.” Even basic comforts—WiFi, coffee, room service—now live behind paywalls.
What do you think? Should cruise lines be congratulated for the greatest bait-and-switch at sea? Or should cruisers fight back?
The Cruise That Forgot How to Feel Generous
Older cruisers remember a time when cruising felt personal. Towel animals greeted you in your cabin, chocolates miraculously appeared on your pillow after dinner, and stewards remembered your name. The small, human moments made cruising magical—something you never got in any hotel or resort.
Now? No chocolates, no turndown, just neatly folded towels. In general, service feels stretched thin. One long-time Princess Cruises passenger shared on a Facebook group, “It’s like they’ve removed the soul from cruising.” Others lament the passing of small cruise traditions that made sailing special.
Are you sorry to see these unique perks go, or is it just a fact of modern-day life where large corporations must maximize profits to stay afloat?
The “All-Inclusive” Illusion Everyone Keeps Falling For
“All-inclusive” would make you believe that once you’ve paid the cruise fare, that’s it. You could almost leave your wallet at home. The reality of cruising is totally different. You’re really buying a base fare that’s a ticket to a floating paywall. Service charge here, automatic gratuities there, and tips left, right, and center.
Reddit is full of comments from cruisers about cruise lines nickel-and-diming their “loyal” customers. One cruiser joked, “All-inclusive, my aft! The real spending starts as soon as you board.” Another lamented, “I spend more on board than I did on the fare.”
Let’s face it: cruise lines aren’t lying, they’re just redefining “included.” So why do we keep falling for it?
The Surprising Reason Some Cruisers Don’t Mind Paying More
Sure, there’s a charge for almost everything now. But many younger cruisers say there’s a flip side—cheaper cruise deals have made sailing more accessible than ever. What used to be a once-a-decade splurge is now within reach for millions.
Many travelers actually like the à la carte setup. “I don’t drink or gamble, so why should I subsidize those who do?” one cruiser wrote on Reddit. Budget travelers can stick with inside cabins and buffets; others can splurge on balconies, cocktails, and spa days.
Maybe this isn’t the end of “all-inclusive”—just the rise of “choose your cruise.” So what about you—do you like building your own cruise, or do you miss when everything felt truly included?
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