Savannah Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Hey Guys I will be leaving on the Gradeur on March 15 2018. Im so excited but a little nervous. Is there anyone going on this cruise too? Also is there any hidden fees I have to pay that isnt included in the price of the cruise! I have a budget and I feel like this going to be tough. Thanks -Savannah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose City Cruiser Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Gratuities are automatically added to your final statement. The amount varies depending on the type of stateroom you have on the ship. Savannah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trbayth Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 You can have the gratuities removed from your account if you'd rather tip crew members directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 2 hours ago, Savannah said: Hey Guys I will be leaving on the Gradeur on March 15 2018. Im so excited but a little nervous. Is there anyone going on this cruise too? Welcome to the boards! You can always check in "people connect" and the "master members cruise list" has members and sailings listed. 2 hours ago, Savannah said: Also is there any hidden fees I have to pay that isnt included in the price of the cruise! I have a budget and I feel like this going to be tough. Thanks Hidden fees might come from: - beverages like specialty coffee, alcohol, fresh juices, sodas, bottled water - shore excursions if you did not pre purchase - merchandise you might buy on board - specialty dining if you want to try it and did not pre purchase - every once in a while, there might be an activity on the cruise compass that requires an extra fee. It will be noted by a $ beside it I'm probably forgetting stuff but others will chime in. Gratuities is going to be one of your biggest chunks if you did not pre pay them. Whatever you do, don't remove them. It gets divided amongst many crew members even those who do not directly wait on you but play a role in making your vacation wonderful. If anything, bring a few extra bills to tip extra to the crew members who make your vacation extra wonderful. Geema, MikeK and LetsTryThisPlace 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monorailmedic Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Welcome! Costs you may not have yet paid for: gratuities alcoholic beverages/specialty coffees internet misc toiletries (aside from basic soap) shore excursions retail/merch specialty dining tastings spa treatments behind the scenes tours Side note and true story, when I was thinking of the above things, I thought, "I feel like I've read an article about this before." I googled, found an article...that quoted me after an interview. My memory may not be working well. Savannah, Skid, coneyraven and 2 others 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Other than the automatic gratuity others have mentioned, when you board they will be offering things that other's have mentioned for sale. You don't have to buy any of it. If you want to, you can prepay the automatic gratuities before sailing, this way you won't have any more charges on board unless you decide to buy something. The tap water offered in the dining rooms and on the pool deck is fine to drink. Bring a sports water bottle with you and fill it at the drink stations. They don't want you to fill your own water bottle directly from the water dispensers so just use one of their glasses and pour that into your water bottle. These drink stations also offer coffee and teas for free. You'll find them on the pool deck and in the Windjammer buffet area. Specialty dining carries an extra charge but I often cruise without it and eat in the included areas like the main dining room, the Windjammer buffet and Park cafe in the Solarium. Continental breakfast from room service is free but other items from room service have a $7.95 service charge. There will be a Captain's address in the Centrum lobby usually on day 2. They usually offer sparkling wine complimentary on this occasion. There will be other drink specials at times like $2 mimosas one day. Other than that alcohol does cost money and drinks are priced like in hotels bars. Put your phone on airplane mode or it might connect to the on-board cell tower and your cell company will hit you with expensive roaming charges after you get home. They offer 2 for $20 t-shirt events and other items for sale at various times. The deals generally get better towards the end of the cruise. Savannah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestingBird Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Try to prepay your gratuities, though it might be too late since you're past final payment. If you're in a non-suite room it's $14.50 per day, per person. Savannah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Nothing to add except do a little research and check out what's extra. Unless you want alcohol or to go on excursions there is no reason to spend any extra (beyond grats if not already paid for and extra grats if you feel inclined) money does not need to spent. If you don't want to book excursions you can taxi to a beach but I'd get recommendations here on where you want to go. The extra stuff is just that, extra. I wish I knew that on my first RC cruise - I was very overwhelmed by the extras. Years later with what I know (and the extra ton I've learned here) I've been able to budget and pick and choose what I want to spend extra on... Savannah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 I would like to add that if you booked prior to January 1st you will want to prepay grats because it would be at the old rate. If you booked after January 1st then it would be the same rate prepaid or not but is good to get it out of the way. If you do plan to do a lot of drinking then maybe consider the drink package but if not then like @twangster stated there are ways to find free or cheap liquor with different events. You also can bring 2x 750ml bottles of wine to help offset that spending. Savannah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 It is completely possible to leave the ship with a $0 balance. I've done it. Once. And it was on Grandeur ! Of course, we prepaid our gratuities so that was already taken care of. But if you don't buy alcohol or other specialty beverages and don't eat in the "pay" restaurants then it's really pretty easy to do. As long as you pay any additional tips in cash (but you're not required to do even that) then nothing will be added to your seapass account. If you have a question about whether there is a charge for something just ask before you do it and they will tell you ! Don't feel obligated to pay for ANYthing that is optional. Trust me, you will NOT go hungry and you will NOT be bored ! If someone asks for your seapass card just be sure and ask "Am I being charged ?". Then, either decide to go ahead or decline to proceed. coneyraven, LetsTryThisPlace, Boston Babe and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet -- you'll want to have some cash for the porters at the dock who get your luggage out of your car and onto the ship, and then again if you ask a porter to take your bag from ship back to your car when you disembark. Just a dollar or two per checked bag is enough. Savannah, Ray and Lovetocruise2002 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savannah Posted February 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2018 Guys thank you so much for all the information I have already learned so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweety Posted February 9, 2018 Report Share Posted February 9, 2018 Don't forget pictures. Pictures can add to a budget (embarkment, ports and dining room). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PG Cruiser Posted October 13, 2018 Report Share Posted October 13, 2018 On 2/8/2018 at 1:31 PM, JLMoran said: One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet -- you'll want to have some cash for the porters at the dock who get your luggage out of your car and onto the ship, and then again if you ask a porter to take your bag from ship back to your car when you disembark. Just a dollar or two per checked bag is enough. I've always struggled with how much tip to give the porters and bus drivers/conductors (airport transfers). They're quite vocal about it. You think a dollar or two is good enough? Since we're talking about tips, how much tip do you give the MDR waitstaff and the room stewards, over and above the prepaid gratuity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted October 14, 2018 Report Share Posted October 14, 2018 2 hours ago, RatedPG said: I've always struggled with how much tip to give the porters and bus drivers/conductors (airport transfers). They're quite vocal about it. You think a dollar or two is good enough? Since we're talking about tips, how much tip do you give the MDR waitstaff and the room stewards, over and above the prepaid gratuity? Two to three dollars per bag is customary in the US. A family of four with 10 bags should give more than one or two dollars. A solo traveler with 1 bag is good with a couple bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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