10 Things Cruisers (Almost) Always Regret Buying 

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We were on the Voyager of the Seas Sept. 18-25. My wife was giving me grief about being 5 days into the cruise, and I hadn't been in the casino yet. So, we stopped, I put $20 into my casino account, and on the first spin on a penny slot, for a whole 88 cents, I hit almost $200. Cashed out immediately, and didn't play again the rest of the cruise.

We bought an Invicta watch for my husband‘s 50th birthday. The number etched on the back of the watch is even number 50 of the set. We don’t regret the purchase, even though we could’ve purchased it on land less expensively, because we had an absolute blast while we were contemplating the purchase. The Captain made an appearance at the sales event and he and I were bargaining back and forth on the price. I told him we would buy it if he threw in a tour of the bridge, and he did! Throughout the remainder of the cruise the Captain would wave hello and smile whenever he saw us. My husband’s watch has fun memories attached to it.

Being a (recently widowed) single cruiser, I do not buy the drink package. (It sells for $59/day) On my last 15 day Hawaii cruise, my bar tab was $210. And, that included a bottle of wine I bought on the ship!! ($59 X 15 = $885 vs $210. No brainer)

My hubby is an Invicta collector He found a watch on the cruise that was “75% off”. He went onto the Invicta site, found the same watch for $100 LESS than on the cruise ship. He ordered it immediately and it was at home when we got back! Problem solved!

The dumbest thing we ever purchased on a cruise was a painting. 1 year later it still hasn’t shown up so we cancelled but it took another 6 months to get our money back. That’s 18 months they had our money. We have never stepped foot in the art auction again.

Sooooo True about BINGO!!!! As someone who actually won a Free cruise on Anthem OTS from playing BINGO, let me tell you…..Nothing was more expensive than my “Free Cruise” that I won.

I enjoy the drink packages. It saves us from sticker shock at the end of the cruise. We can drink whatever we want in reson and no bill. The thing most don't account for is the included non alcoholic drinks such as bottle water and specialty coffees. With 3-4 water bottles daily, 2 lattes, some fresh squeezed juice in the morning, along with 3-4 alcoholic drinks the packages pays for itself. Especially for lines that include the package on their private islands.

My solution to the arcade thing with the kiddos. Don't take them to the arcade until the last couple days, as they will remember, and beg you to go. My plan, to show them all the other stuff first and go to the arcade on the last 2 days. Save it for a surprise.

Fully agree. I add one more - sitting in arts sales/auctions. Advertised to receive a $400 value arts gift for sitting the whole auction duration (approx 2 hours). At the end of session everyone was given a voucher to redeem the $400 art gift at night time. When I tried to redeem the voucher the staff tried a few technics to sell an expensive to me. I made very clear I just want to redeem the voucher. Then I was given a A5 (post card size) computer printed picture on glossy paper. This is a scam.

I fell in love with a multi-stone pennant that had a starfish in it. It was priced well over 4K, so it stayed there. Today I saw it on a Belk ad for

I never go to the salon. The last time I was there they would not stop with the high pressure sales. I could not wait to get out of there. Totally ruined my time. I told the girl over and over that I was not interested in buying anything, but that did not stop her. I did not tip her at the end and that is so not me, but I was so frustrated.

I drink a lot of coffee, tea, soft drinks, and no alcohol at all, so I always purchase the coffee mug showing the ship name, picture, and stats about the ship. I purchase these onboard, because it's part of my memory of the cruise and ship. Also, I always find a sense of security when going on a cruise ship excursion, no matter how much cheaper it would be going on my own. I must remember to always set my watch to ship time and never get back to the ship late. The ship will wait if it's a cruise line excursion, but not if it's an independent adventure.

There are 2 things I like to buy every cruise, and one is the souvenir drink cup. If you want, you can order it "on the side". That way you don't have to clean it, and sometimes it's still in the box, which keeps it from breaking. The other is a ship magnet... Since all NCL ships are painted different, then the magnets help keep track of the ships I've been on.

I am so glad I found you. I listen to you everyday a few times a day getting ready for my big Cruise

I love my sea day massages, I always tell them at the beginning that I won’t be buying anything extra; takes the pressure off for both of us.

I agree with you about the Inch of Gold. My husband's chain tarnished after wearing it only a few times. He had all the paperwork, and on a subsequent cruise, we were able to exchange it for a new one, but "only after consultation with the manager". My advice is to stay away and save up your money for something nicer.

Love your channel, Ilana! I actually love the Thermal Spa pass since I feel it really detoxifies me in between all of the indulging I do with food and drink! One tip we learned on our last cruise (Celebrity, Dec 2021) was that you can get a Thermal Spa pass for sea days only. It is not advertised, but it is significantly less in cost - you just have to ask for it. It worked out really well since we had 4 full sea days. In the past when we had purchased the pass for the entire length of the cruise, we felt that we didn't fully utilize the Thermal Spa because our days were pretty full with the various excursions we had already booked on the port days. Getting the pass for the sea days only works out beautifully because you feel like you are really getting your money's worth!

Hi Illana, I love your videos. They are always so informative. My husband and I did the excursion in Puerto Rico to the Fort. We found out when we got to the Fort that it's part of the US National Parks. My husband has the Senior National Park pass and we could have gotten in for free. Lesson learned.

As someone who cruises with a video game addicted child, we have a rule that we only go in the arcade if it's bad weather and we can't do anything outside - or if something else we really wanted to do got cancelled.

Had the soft drink package recently on Carnival Mardi Gras. By the end of the cruise realized it wasn't worth it since we were allowed to bring 24 cans of soft drinks on board. The lemonade and ice tea was good and 24 cans worked our perfectly for our 7 day cruise

I LOVED the refreshment package... totally worth it to me🤣. It makes the cruise for me. I don't do alcohol, but LOVE mocktails.

I bought a cross body bag, total touristy cutesy bag on our Mother’s Day trip. I LOVE using it, as a reminder of our trip and planning our next cruise. People always ask about it!! ❤

We like to get the drink package so we don’t have to be surprised with a huge bar bill at the end of the cruise. Even if we aren’t technically getting our money’s worth. It’s a set cost that we know about up front and it’s paid for before we get on the cruise.

Yup, totally agree about NOT buying the chain. It's extreeeeeeemely thin plating, and the gold or silver rubs off very quickly to expose the copper or whatever base metal is underneath. I'm absolutely sure the company counts on most people not bothering, or remembering, to bring their items and receipts with them on their next cruise. (I know I only bothered to do it once...) As for the massages ... Our friends decided to try a couples' massage session a few cruises ago. They told us the massage itself was quite relaxing but said it was spoiled by the hard sell aspect. They ended up forking out for some of the expensive products which they immediately regretted and still haven't opened many months later.

😊 my wife and I learned the hard way that not buying the alcohol drink package is a mistake. We can easily each put away 8 or 9 coctail drinks per day. Ever since then, we always purchase the alcohol drink package. I regret buying bottles of water to be ready for us at the room. When you have the alcohol drink package, you can pick up bottles of water throughout the day, and take them to your room. So there is no need to buy the extra water.

We always book the thermal suite for every cruise we go on ( we cruise about 10 times a year) But we will say that if the amount of people in the suite is not controlled it is a nightmare. As well if they allow people to put a towel on a heated seat and go have massages or hit the hot tub, not allowing anyone to use one of the 4 heated chairs. We personally love the thermal and sanctuary as we are in our 60's and prefer a quieter pool and hot tub experience throughout our cruise. The privacy and no children makes the whole cruiser worth it to us. We wont go on a ship that doesn't have one

I was borderline nasty with upselling after a massage once as the guy was quoting whatever price it was supposed to be at " home" (in his mind the US) and I kept telling him I did not live in the US and shipping products to Canada was going to be very costly between customs fees and sales tax added and the exchange rate of course on my Canadian credit card. It took a while to accept NO as an answer, so I vowed never to go to any of these demos of cosmetic/health products anymore.

I bought open the oysters on NCL for a pair of earrings on my Honeymoon. Don't regret it at all. I compared the pricing when I got home and the pricing was great! I think of this time every time I wear them 31 years later.

Your drink package comments were spot on, and for most people, it's not a money saver. However, though I am a "lightweight", I prefer to get the package because I enjoy the all-inclusive feel. I get to try tons of drinks (that I KNOW I won't like, LOL) and I don't feel guilty about them or feel a need to ask the bartender to substitute a drink.

We do fewer and fewer of these things as time goes by. Now we mostly just enjoy the trip!

Bingo packages were a tough sell for all of us. There were multiple price points which let you spend more than you would have. Side note I was lucky to win 4 corners twice in bingo, letting break even.

For a Jan 2023 Princess cruise booked in Oct 2022, I got the Princess Plus pkg which was about $500 more. Yes, it's a lot however it included all this: $200 credit for shore excursions (3 ports), crew appreciation (about $110) wifi for 1 device (about $70) and drinks up to 15 a day up to $12 per drink. For this cruise it seemed to be a really good deal.

Speaking of the fort in San Jaun I was reminded by a friend to pack my US senior citizens national parks pass to get in without paying the entry fee.

I didn't appreciate having to purchase a drink package based on my husband wanting it. Apparently if one person in the cabin buys alcohol package,everyone in the cabin room must also purchase the same package.

We don't drink enough (alcohol or soda) to purchase a drink package.

Love the full drink package. It takes all the second guessing away. No additional tips if you paid for gratuities. 🥃🥃

I mostly cruise for the opportunity to visit Caribbean islands that would be expensive to fly to and stay. Included on my bucket list is to visit all of them at least once, to actually step foot on them for at least a day. Not all Islanders are the same, but most islands in the Caribbean physically are the same: sand, palm trees, turquoise waters, awesome breezes, and the warm sun. The perk of the ship is that I have food and beverage taken care of without having to think about cooking or cleaning anything. I don’t do anything differently when I go on the ship; for instance, if I don’t drink a lot on land, I don’t drink a lot on the ship. I will buy maybe one unique local gift if I can find something. Otherwise, I try to take postcard-like images to share with family and friends. With all of that said, the ship serves as my ocean Uber or Lyft as I visit multiple ports on one trip.😂

We used the thermal spa every day during our Alaskan cruise. It was never too crowded. I found it quite relaxing going before going to bed.

Funny, most of what you discussed I've seen on board, and invariably, my reaction has been "Why would anyone waste their money on that..." My small regret was the sauna/steam package on Celebrity on our recent Alaska cruise. I'm a sauna/steam lover. The week's package wasn't overly expensive, and we had credit available. The steam room was very damp, but not exactly steamy, the sauna was beautiful and chilly. The heated lounges my wife loved, but not for the price. And the best sauna was in the changing room, free. No regrets, but I won't be doing it again. I enjoy purchasing a "high priced" drink. My bar tab usually runs about $30-40. Per cruise. Sure beats buying the package, AND, small print, when one buys a drink's package, the spouse/significant other in the room has to also. That is a hell of a lot of alcohol you have to get down your gullet to break even. Then there are the cruise shops for necessities. ANYTHING purchased there is a regret before you set foot in there. 3x the cost in port, but when your nose is running non stop and you didn't pack the antihistamines, what are you going to do? Excellent report.

I definitely agree that the salon and spa services are way overpriced on every cruise I have been on.. and the snacks and candy are too… avoid walking near the candy shop where you pay by weight… those lollies are really expensive!

Hey Illana, great video as always! Regarding the drink package, we do always book the drink package as its more about the peace of mind than anything else. We do enjoy our drinks but aren't necessarily going to have 8, 9, 10, etc. drinks per day, either. However, it's both the freedom of knowing we can order whatever we want and not have to worry about it as well as having the knowledge that we won't have a bar tab at the end of the cruise. Typically, we try to pre-pay as much as we can and make the cruise as "all-inclusive" as possible; that way, when the vacation is over we are left with limited expenses to pay off.

I purchased the non-alcoholic drink package on the Harmony of the Seas ship and absolutely loved it! The vitality spa had fresh vegetable/fruit juices and protein drinks that were delicious and I loved getting the lattes and fresh squeezed orange juices for breakfast. Not all ships have the vitality spa so I probably wouldn't purchase the drink package if that option wasn't available.

We actually love the Thermal Spa, especially on HAL. HAL limits the number of cruisers, so it is never crowded. We also enjoy using the Thermal Spa after a long day of walking and sightseeing. Using the spa and spa showers are great before getting dressed for dinner; you don't have to wait for your partner to get out of the cabin head and you can focus on dressing, makeup and maybe a pre-dinner glass of wine in your cabin.

My general consensus on shops on board, is don't bother. You can pretty much get it all on land and cheaper, with an easier to access warranty, usually. By all means look with your eyes, but not with your cruise card. If you like something, take note of it, and find it once back home. The only exception to this, is my partner like to collect souvenir bears, and as we rarely cruise...or holiday for that matter, the little ship specific bear is a nice little indulgence for her you can't get on land.

The soda package on carnival cruise was a waste of money for us. We typically just had the free juice and ice water during mealtimes or the free coffee in the morning or as a night cap. Future cruises we’ll be bringing refillable bottles or travel mugs to have more to drink at one time vs the 7oz cups they offer lol.

If you are planning a large purchase. Check your prices before cruise. Always shop for gifts and souvenirs.try to get a shirt or top with ship name. Inch of gold...not worth it but ok for a fun purchase.

I always get the classic non-alcoholic package since I can’t drink alcoholic beverages. Between the water, espresso coffee drinks and the occasional soda, I definitely get my money’s worth at ~$15/day.

We are booked on the NCL Joy for a 15 night Panama Canal cruise in January 2023. We got all the Free at Sea things, but this time we turned down the free drinks package, because you had to prepay the gratuities, which they calculated at almost $900 for the 2 of us! I drink very little, and a quick calculation made us realize that my husband would not be drinking almost $60 worth of drinks per day. We will pay per drink (and perhaps mention that you are automatically charged a 20% tip each time you buy a drink, so think twice before adding an additional tip). We cruised with Princess (12 day around the UK) for our 30th anniversary. One day my husband tweaked his back, and was unable to go on our excursion. He stayed back and had a massage, which helped, but he rather sheepishly then revealed the almost $200 worth of "products" he'd been talked into buying. They remain unused to this day!

I totally agree about the thermal suite. I LOVE the big therapy pool and generally having a daily sauna is wonderful. BUT the cruise lines over sell these passes and there is NO enforcement of the “quiet area” rule, so a time that should be relaxing and rejuvenating turns into an annoyance because there are so many people who just CANNOT be quiet for even two minutes, much less half an hour. Rude rude rude.

😮I bought a non alcoholic drink package on my first cruise 20 years ago, but a lesson learnt,so I never bought it again. I have bought Citizen eco watches on board as they are definitely cheaper than at home in Australia. I also buy some of my skincare products on board too, especially on cruises where I can buy duty free, travelling from Australia to New Zealand or the Pacific Islands. I always go on line first to check the prices at home before travelling.

The drink package needs to be thought about based on many factors. Number of ports, how many of those ports are private destinations where the drink package will be able to be used on the beach, What is also included with the package and if your ship offer those extras such as milk shakes or smoothies. You also have to consider if you get any drink rewards based on your loyalty tier. Finally, take into account your own personal habits and how you like to cruise. For us, when we are on an oasis class ship going to at least CoCoCay, we will consider a drink package. The morning specialty coffee, a protein shake or smoothie after a workout at vitality cafe, fresh pressed OJ at breakfast and a bottle of San Pellegrino during lunch and dinner, and a specialty coffee before we start our nightlife takes a huge chunk out of the cost before getting a single drop of alcohol for us. Oh also a couple of milkshakes at Johnny Rockets as a late evening snack is also nice for the wife and I.

On my first solo cruise (NCL Breakaway 2014), I purchased an opal/tanzanite/diamond ring for $99. LOVE it and wear it every day. Since I don't drink "adult beverages" I always get the soda package. Works for me. Have gotten the spa pass and love lounging on the heated loungers.

Drink packages that include specialty coffees and bottles water work out great for us. Definitely get our money's worth every time.

Regarding the San Juan excursion to the forts. The forts are free if you bring a Park Service Senior Pass. I used that the last time I was in San Juan and could even bring in a few friends as well for free,

I have a whole set of souvenir cups I use occasionally when having family over for an informal dinner. It reminds everyone of family cruises. Kinda fun

Never, never have we regretted drink package. On Celebrity having specialty coffee, water, sparking water in addition to alcohol has made it worth it for us every single time.

We did thermal spa suite and the thermal spa was included in our Alaska cruise The extra $200 that we paid for the cabin was well worth it

I actually stopped going to the spa JUST BECAUSE of the CONSTANT HOUNDING to buy a lotion or potion!

My regret was purchasing a Roman glass pendant with chain. No tarnish and a pretty necklace at a good price. The regret was I gave in to an impulse purchase!! Did I need another necklace? No, I did not!

We always loved the Thermal Spa Package. When the pool area is jam packed on sea days with a bunch of kids filling up the pool and hot-tubs, well we hated it. Not the kids fault, but we'll pay for the spa pool and hot tubs+ in adult only. What I really thought was a waste of $$ was the Vibe (NCL). Service was great, but only the jacuzzi pools to relax in. Thermal Spa has so many different options that are included in the price. So, yes, I 'm surprised too!

The souvenir glasses, definitely a regrettable purchase, I think we collected 10 on our first cruise. The drink pkg, 1st cruise we went on in '97, we got sticker shock when we saw our bill on day 4 & so now we budget for the drink pkg as part of our cruise cost & enjoy our frozen drinks, glasses of wine, bottled water, sodas, premium juices & speciality coffees without fear of going over budget. Spa: I've always enjoyed getting a massage on the first day of our cruises to unwind & start my cruise totally relaxed. But like many, I hate the pushy sales pitch at the end even when I've expressed that I don't have any interest in the products prior to my appt. I can't speak to all "Thermal Spa" experiences, but on the Royal & Regal Princess ships, I thoroughly enjoyed their Thermal Spas. They limit the Thermal Spa to the first 150 people to sign up, so the whole time I was on the ship & using the TS, it was never crowded. They have a huge whirlpool spa, hot chairs, a couple of steam rooms & a couple of saunas with different aromas. Plus you get to use the Spa's huge showers in the Spa locker room with upgraded bath products. I've had several back surgeries, so starting everyday with a soak in that whirlpool was absolutely worth the money. Plus the cost was $150 for the week with unlimited use which is what I would normally pay for a 1 hr massage. And I get to enjoy it without the sales pitch at the end. Thanks Illana for another great video🙂

I fear anything that resembles gambling in any of its forms. A few weeks ago my husband and I found ourselves on a Royal Caribbean cruise on the ancient Adventure of the Seas and encountered many creepy things on that ship starting with the scary Comedy and Tragedy masks embedded in the early aughts decor of the promenade. On deck 4 was the casino, and it stood in between us getting from the front to the back of the ship and both ends were guarded on either side by more of those creepy Comedy and Tragedy masks. The few times we did venture through the casino was an experience all its own - reminiscent of driving through scary and barren Nevada to get to beautiful Lake Tahoe. There was an interesting phenomenon we found as we weaved our way through the casino just to get the other side of the ship. The gambling tables were manned by those people dealing those stacks of chips. Every table we courageously passed without stopping, they would made some kind of noise to try and get our attention. Whether it was loudly dropping some chips on the table to loudly tapping the table, they were not happy we were willfully walking past without getting drawn into those temptations. But we felt neither guilty nor tempted taking their short cut to the Windjammer cafe and started to actually feel a bit insulted why should the cruise try to coral us into gambling just to get to dinner? It was yet just another reason why we became even more loyal to Norwegian where we have always been treated with respect and good options and good ship design.

We LOVED the first couples massage we had on a Carnival cruise in 2016, it was during a port day and there was zero upselling. We scheduled another couples massage on a Carnival cruise in 2022 and bought $200+ in lotions and potions and felt some serious buyers remorse. This time we booked separate massages and I booked a blowout for myself. I was able to get out without any add ons but the high pressure sales really ruined the massage and hair appointment for me. My husband again got pressured into $200+ of upgrades during the massage and lotions and potions after. Luckily I was able to return and refund the lotions and potions, but was stuck with the bill for the upgrades. I don’t think we’ll be doing any more spa appointments on cruise ships.

I am almost as excited by the unlimited Starbucks package I purchased, as for the cruise itself! I can’t wait for both, for 8 glorious days!

I guess it really depends on the person because I don't regret most of these! The souvenir cup we got was from Java blue Cafe and still used, love my watch, cruise & drinks with the casino....

We purchase thermal spa on every norweigian cruise and have never regretted it. Will never go on norweigian cruise without doing thermal spa for the week.

I am a victim of slots and bingo regret 😂😢 BUT I did have fun so that’s a silver lining

I always get the Thermal Spa for length of the cruise. I use it frequently, I don't go to the casino, play bingo nor usually play other games. I also don't get massages. But that Thermal Spa is always my treat.

I know the massages are overpriced, but it's an important part of the cruise for me. And I, too, say no to the upsells.

I loved the thermal spa on Norwegian. I used it every day but as noted in this video, I was cruising the Baltic countries. Definitely a cooler climate. It was a nice spa. Never crowded. I also liked the alcohol drink package

Bingo is being replaced by Deal or no Deal. It's so much more fun!

The thermal spas on the NCL Bliss. Escape and Encore are awesome. The escape faces forward and the other two are at the rear. Deck 25 or 16 and the stone beds look out over the water. Never very crowded but on drawback is the jerk who hang their stuff to “held” their couch while doing all the rooms (snow, sauna, steam, pool) was a problem. Signs everywhere that say it isn’t allowed. I even asked the staff to sort it out, 8 beds were reserved for over half an hour this way. They didn’t want to cause a scene I guess. Finally I just moved people towels to a table and when they showed, I pointed at the sign and then their stuff. I am a big guy so they didn’t debate me much lol. Thing is people are self absorbed the world over, even on cruises ships. That said those spas were terrific. Now princess royal class ships has their spa in the lower decks with no (as far as I can tell) windows so I will check it before getting a pass. As to the pass for a week. We enjoyed it. Up early, work out, shower spa breakfast start the day, worked great. At sea days were the busiest but after a total of 21 days in three ships only two day were what I would consider “crowded” not bad this was NCL of course. Alaska twice and Caribbean once (escape)

Cruises like Casinos aren’t in it to loose money. I found most of the stuff way too high. We took a few excursions which were very enjoyable. Again, many were way too expensive for us and/or things my late husband wasn’t physically able to do. The cruises we took were wonderful with many wonderful memories.

I buy a plush model of the ship as my souvenir. I do get WiFi. No drinks and this year will be my first one night at a speciality dining.

Re the drinks pkg, this is the one we usually buy, Beverage package incl Wifi Shore excursion credit 1 specialty dining Prepaid gratuities We use it for the alcohol, gelato, Wifi and reduction in gratuities. You do a lovely job with your coverages and descriptions, I really appreciate the time you put into this for my benefit.

Good tips except for the adult drink package. If you are a moderate or above drinker then get it. If you don't drink at home most days then skip it

😂😂😂😂 so glad you tackling this subject! I’m laughing because as soon as you showed the picture of Inches of Gold, I’ve heard good and bad stories about them! I never made a purchase but heard that they really do exchange items if the tarnish! But most people trash the jewelry and swear they are not worth the money! Thanks for sharing 🛳🛳

First cruise I went out I purchased expensive stuff from the spa. They push and push. Never again😊

I am not normally a drinker but on vacation I can drink. I did notice I was drinking more when I had the alcohol drink package (I got it free). I would Irish up my coffee in the am with whiskey, have a beer with lunch, a vodka by the pool at 4pm, wine with dinner at 8pm, Bailey's and coffee after dinner and two drinks at the disco. Yikes! I am an alcoholic!

We have been to several ports,several times. I enjoy staying on the ship and feeling the of the freedoms that goes with fewer people.

We don't buy drink packages. If we want a soda--which is a few times during any cruise--we buy it at a bar. MUCH cheaper than a drink package. We also take powdered flavor mixes to add to ice water, for flavoring, since I'm diabetic & can't have the lemonade.

On a Carnival cruise in 2029, I bought a Citizen eco drive watch, on their “last days” sale, their best 😢 that they had. It wasn’t the cheapest, but when I got home, I couldn’t find the same watch for less. This was my best cruise ship purchase ever. After over 12 years, it still looks brand new and only loses about 2 seconds a year and no batteries too replace.

I bought the inch of gold in 2013 seashells starfish sand dollar anklet and it still hasn't tatnished. I keep it in a plastic zip lock when not worn and it's not a daily item. Bought a bracelet and the clasp broke and was sent another. Got a silver ring in Mexico that was fake. I like the quarter machines. They're pretty fun.

Another home run with your video. We never purchase either types of beverages package but the last 3 out 4 cruises, it was a freebie perk. It was nice to have, especially with the specialty coffees. If we had to pay out of pocket, it would not be worth it. Our drinking habits is normally 1 cocktail a day and a glass of wine at dinner and coffee. I never purchased watches or jewelry onboard. I am a sunsglass devotee but I priced designer shades on all the recent cruises, and the price is inflated even though they claim it to be 30% less and duty free. I found the pricing to be 10% more than I have paid elsewhere.

I absolutely love the thermal spa, so I don't mind buying the package for the duration of the cruise. I use it daily, but I can see where it would be beneficial to other cruisers to be able to purchase it on a day by day basis. To me, this extra seems like a luxury I afford myself while on vacation. We also book a couple's massage that is pricey, but is almost always fantastic, I agree to avoid buying the products.

I'm good with the ones that are free because I like the tea and coffee which are included.

Soda package for me is a must. When you factor in the per drink ala carte cost and the mandatory per drink gratuity, after two to three days the package pays for itself. Also, many Ships offer great Spa specials on in-port days if you’re not interested in leaving the Ship.

I have upgraded to a spa balcony on Celebrity. Unfortunately very busy in Alaska. I didn't regret it but they did not have a thalassotherapy pool like Norwegian does. Really you are just paying extra for a steam experience and a warm tiled lounger. You do get the Blue Restaurant too but I'm not really into the limits on that menu. I won't upgrade again. Oh and then you are definitely really far forward near the spa. Lots of walking to get to your stateroom!

Nice to see an honest take on this.

I booked the thermal spa on my transatlantic cruise and loved it. This was the perfect time. Lots of sea days with cool weather. Now that I have done it, probably wont ever again.

I wish the specialty coffee was on the soda package instead of the alcohol package. Id buy the soda package if it was that way but since its not im not buying either since we're sober

Wholeheartedly agree with the spa package. I found that the smaller ships had nicer and more spacious spas. I loved NCL's jewel class spa's. Very nice and well put together. It's the bigger ships that are a problem, especially cruising out of NYC and Boston in the colder months. Over crowded and cranky people. Most of the people I see on cruise ships who are not enjoying themselves are the ones that forked out money for this service only to be met with lack of spa chair, crowded salt rooms etc. I think, if NCL was smart, they would make this a scheduled time just like a massage. Of course adding a little wiggle room. Say you book the spa, you should be able to go online and book your time frames or sign up so over crowding is not an issue. Don't tout a luxury service if it's gonna look like Walmart on black Friday each day.

I can relate to the Invicta watch purchase. I bought a really nice looking watch for my wife on a ship and later found that the tagged prices were so inflated, that even when I thought I was getting a great deal, I wasn't. It wasn't horrific, and the watch was still nice, but the price didn't represent a great discount.

I purchased the Spa Pass on NCL for $249.00 for the entire week and used it every single day. That was worth it for me and replaced the cost of one Massage. Bingo, waste of money, predetermined winner according to the card purchased. No drink package, lucky enough to get offers that include FREE drinks on Carnival.

I didn’t have a lot of extra money when I went on my cruise and I found that the chain per inch was an inexpensive way for me to treat my friends and I to a keepsake from the cruise. We all loved them!

The Inch of Gold products are as they state it is plated. This means they use electroplating process to make it. They add the gold and silver over tin or steal base. This is why it tarnished later the gold and silver covering is thinner than a hair. There is more gold and silver in the computer boards in the tvs then in a chain 3’ long.

Hi, Ilana!! 10 days to go and you just provided a tip for Puerto Rico. We didn't book an excursion and hoped we could just walk around and self-navigate. With luck, the devastation Ian left behind, hasn't hurt our chances to port there. It's the 1st stop on our cruise. Can't wait to go and try all your tips. Have a great day!!!!

SO EXCITED!!👻🍂🍁🖤🍂🍂👻🍃👻🍁🖤🧡🍂🍂👻🎃🎃🧡🍁🍁🧡🍂🍂👻🍃🧡🍁🍁🧡🍂🍂🍂👻🧡🍁🍁🖤🧡🍂🍂👻🎃🎃🧡🍁🧡🖤🍂👻👻👻🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️

I don't like having to stop what I am doing and go hunt down free drinks. Sometimes, they can be hard to find. That is why I do a drink package.