Costs of ‘Extras’ Could Leave You High and Dry

The cruise was over for all but one. A lanky young man with a bad sunburn squirmed uncomfortably at the accounting window on the Dreamward, one of Norwegian Cruise Line’s luxury ships. After seven days at sea, the ship was docked in Fort Lauderdale and the other 1,000-plus passengers were debarking, their on-ship accounts reconciled. This poor soul held his empty wallet in his left hand and gestured wildly with his right. No, he didn’t have any credit cards. Yes, he had already tried to get some money wired from home. Absolutely, he had every intention of paying off the nearly $500 in booze and other extras he had rung up. “I don’t know how I spent so much,” he said.

I do.

Cruise lines attract their passengers with discounted fares aimed at filling up ships. But amid the Broadway-style shows, midnight buffets and poolside lounging--that are included in the cruise price--there are plenty of opportunities to pull out the old wallet. On my recent cruise through the western Caribbean, with stops in Grand Cayman, Cancun, Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay, some fruity drinks cost $7.50 a pop, and an attentive waiter was always willing to quench my thirst. Tour directors promoted countless pricey adventures at the ports of call. How about a $295 ride on a minisubmarine to see the spectacular Cayman Wall 800 feet below sea level? Or $36 in Cozumel to get off one cruise ship and board another for an Island Adventure Party Cruise? The price tags for everything from bottled water to a telephone call raised my eyebrows a bit.

But there are ways to avoid an uncomfortable encounter with the on-board accountants. Here are 10 tips that the cruise lines would probably prefer you never read.

1. Shop before you sail. If you enjoy snorkeling, buy a mask, snorkel and fins at home to avoid the $25 rental fee that the ship charges for each use. And buy some bottled water at a supermarket before you set sail. Also purchase plenty of sunscreen and toiletries to avoid paying two or three times the regular price. If you are a wine drinker, buy a few bottles before the gangway goes up. My wife and I saved $40 by taking a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne that we had purchased at a discount liquor store. We also stocked our in-room refrigerator with some soda, juice and beer, which saved us from paying every time our mouths became a little dry on the ship. Some stores near the dock in Fort Lauderdale offer discounts to cruisers. Ask.

2. Use the on-board library. On the Dreamward, the library was only open for about two hours a day, but borrowing books sure beat the jacked-up prices you’ll find in the ship’s giftshop or at ports of call. Better yet, take your own paperbacks.

3. If you are adventurous, plan your own shore excursions. Instead of paying $26 for a 2 1/2-hour ship-sponsored tour of Grand Cayman’s highlights, we hopped on a city bus for $2 each and managed to take in the same sights. Besides the adventure, we enjoyed getting away from our fellow passengers for a while. Taxis prey upon cruise-ship passengers, so do not assume that they will shuttle you around at the cheapest price. One Grand Cayman taxi driver offered to take us “to Hell and back” for $30. We declined and discovered that Hell--an actual tourist stop that sells a unique postmark for envelopes--was on the bus route. After stopping at a supermarket along the way for snacks, we felt so good about our savings that we splurged by going para-sailing.

4. Go off season. As any travel agent will tell you, cruise ship prices vary widely. The prices quoted in the cruise ship brochures are greatly inflated. Make sure your agent gets you as many discounts as possible. And arrange your vacation when the ships are most desperate for passengers.

5. Do not forget to factor into your spending tips for waiters, cabin stewards, maitre d’s and busboys. Some of these workers receive rock-bottom wages and rely on tips to live. On my cruise, a 15% gratuity was added automatically for drink orders.

6. Control your urge to gamble. I spent some spare time at the blackjack table in the ship’s casino, but I played conservatively and actually took home some of the ship’s money. Some passengers were not so lucky. I witnessed one red-faced man lose $400 in about 20 minutes as he learned the ins and outs of blackjack.

7. Keep your tab receipts. Because drinks and just about anything else can be purchased on the ship by simply jotting down one’s cabin number, it is easy to lose track of spending. A stack of receipts serves as an ominous reminder.

8. Improvise. The on-board beauty salon offered a full range of services such as facials, anti-cellulite treatments, even reflexology. They are pricey. My cost-cutting advice: Give each other massages in your cabin.

9. Don’t phone home. Make any last-minute telephone calls before you sail. Aboard the Dreamward, calls to the U.S. or Canada cost $3.95 per minute, while international calls set you back $4.95 per minute. Believe me, AT&T;, Sprint and MCI can do better from the pay phone at the dock.

10. Participate in the ship’s lottery. Our ship offered a lottery with quite a generous prize--a free cruise on Norwegian’s Norway for 20 people plus $25,000 in cash. I did not win and, come to think of it, I do not recall any announcement as to who did win. If I had taken home the big prize, however, some of my friends would be getting surprises in the mail about now. The $25,000? I would have invested that in cruise ship stock.

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Lacey is an editor in The Times’ Washington, D.C. bureau. Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds is on assignment.