Additional Cruise Costs

As my wife and I approach our holiday cruise (yes, I realize it is still three months away), I've jumped right into the only real aspect that requires any actual planning, shore excursions and shipboard extras. A week ago I submitted our final payment and also began to book the extras associated with cruising. In planning the financial end of a cruise, it is easy to overlook the additional costs, which include:
a) Prepaid gratuities ($11-$14 per person per day)
b) Supplemental dining cover charges ($15 - $39 per person, per meal)
c) Shore excursions ($10 to $5k per person per excursion, really the sky is the limit on the upper cost)
d) Pre-booked Spa treatments (massages, hair cuts, exfoliating treatments, etc...)
e) Pre-purchased wine/alcohol packages
f) additional ammentities/packages (unlimited laundry, suite treatment, spa packages, romantic packages)

All of these additionals can add up quickly, so I like to put a threshold value down for planning purposes. That way I reduce the potential for major surprises at the end of the cruise. I tend to alot $200 - $500 in incidentals in addition to pre-purchased items.

Before booking our shore excursions, I did some easy research on activities that are highly rated/recommended for a port. I started with the cruise line and checked what activities they offer for shore excursions. After, I checked TripAdvisor, looking specifically at the Things to Do category under each port. I also checked Cruise Critics forums and port reviews to find the top rated activities people talk about and recommend. Once I determined which specific activities looked interesting, I began attempting to locate private operators and their associated price.

What I found was that most private operators tend to be lower in cost and some, such as snorkel tours, offer more private experiences. The downside to using a private operator over the cruise line for booking excursions is that if the activity runs late, you run the risk of being held liable for missing the ship departure (and therefore you have to pay to get to the ship or next port of call). However, if you book through the cruise line, it becomes their responsibility to get you back on board. Ultimately, we opted to book two of our excursions through the ship, for a slight increase in price over the private operators, which will give us peace of mind (the point of the trip is to relax). The other two ports, we will disembark and wander around (Old Town San Juan) or relax on the beach (Half Moon Cay).

Our first excursion will be the Ultimate Snorkel in Grand Turk, which I've heard is an amazing experience. Our second excursion will be a Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel to St. John. As a huge snorkeling enthusiast (dived Cozumel, Key Largo reefs, Dry Tortugas, Wekiwa freshwater springs, and various Atlantic seaboard beaches), I'm really looking forward to the crystal clear waters of the caribbean. I may even bring my own dive mask and snorkel (I spent the money I might as well use them).

In addition to booking our excursions, we also made our reservations for dining in some of the alterate dining experiences on board. These dining experiences can be popular, so I did not want to risk not getting in by waiting until the last minute. The downside of making early reservations, is that you have to pay up front for the cover charge. We booked the Pinnacle Grill ($25 per person), Tamarind ($15 per person), and an Evening at Le Cirque ($39 per person, offered a single night in the Pinnacle Grill).