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Cruise questions, answered
What a cruise really costs, which cabin is worth the upgrade, and what the brochures leave out. Written for people deciding, not for people already booked.
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The short version
Every guide opens with the answer. The detail comes after, for when you want it.
On a mainstream cruise, wear casual resort clothes by day and smart casual in the evening, such as slacks or nice jeans with a collared shirt, or a sundress. Most seven-night cruises add one or two optional dressier nights where passengers wear cocktail dresses and suits, though smart…
Read the full answerPack for a cruise in two parts. Your carry-on holds everything you need for the first afternoon: travel documents, medications in original containers, a swimsuit, a change of clothes, chargers and any wine you are allowed to bring. Your checked bag holds the rest of your clothes, toiletries…
Read the full answerA mainstream cruise fare includes your cabin, meals in the main dining room and buffet, most casual food venues, basic drinks such as tap water, coffee, tea and lemonade, the theater shows, pools, fitness center and kids clubs, and transport between ports. Gratuities, alcohol, soda on most lines,…
Read the full answerCruise fares are priced per person based on two people sharing a cabin, so a solo traveler booking a standard cabin pays a single supplement, often up to 200 percent of the per-person fare, which means paying for both berths. You can avoid it by booking a dedicated…
Read the full answerBefore you book
Your First Cruise
On a mainstream cruise, wear casual resort clothes by day and smart casual in the evening, such as slacks or nice jeans with a collared shirt, or a sundress. Most seven-night cruises add one or two optional dressier nights where passengers wear cocktail dresses and suits, though smart casual is still accepted in the main dining room. Swimwear, tank tops and bare feet are not allowed in dining rooms at dinner.
Planning a Cruise
Pack for a cruise in two parts. Your carry-on holds everything you need for the first afternoon: travel documents, medications in original containers, a swimsuit, a change of clothes, chargers and any wine you are allowed to bring. Your checked bag holds the rest of your clothes, toiletries and extras. Leave behind irons, steamers, candles, CBD and marijuana, and on most lines surge-protected power strips.
Costs & Money
A mainstream cruise fare includes your cabin, meals in the main dining room and buffet, most casual food venues, basic drinks such as tap water, coffee, tea and lemonade, the theater shows, pools, fitness center and kids clubs, and transport between ports. Gratuities, alcohol, soda on most lines, specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi, shore excursions, spa treatments and often room service cost extra.
Cabins & Ships
Cruise fares are priced per person based on two people sharing a cabin, so a solo traveler booking a standard cabin pays a single supplement, often up to 200 percent of the per-person fare, which means paying for both berths. You can avoid it by booking a dedicated solo cabin, such as Norwegian's Studios, Celebrity's single staterooms or Holland America's solo ocean view cabins, or by watching for reduced-supplement promotions.
Planning a Cruise
US citizens on a closed-loop cruise, one that starts and ends at the same US port and visits Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, can legally re-enter with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID instead of a passport. You do need a passport book for one-way cruises, some ports such as Panama, Colombia and Martinique, and any flight home from a foreign country.
Planning a Cruise
Most big lines accept babies from 6 months old, or 12 months on longer ocean crossings and itineraries with several sea days in a row. Daytime kids clubs are free, typically from age 3 and often only for toilet-trained children, with separate teen clubs. Children usually pay a reduced fare as third or fourth guests, but they still pay taxes, port fees and, on most lines, daily gratuities.
Planning a Cruise
Cruise travel insurance reimburses non-refundable costs if you cancel or cut the trip short for a covered reason, and pays for medical care and emergency evacuation while you are away. It usually costs 5 to 10 percent of the trip price. It matters on cruises because Medicare and most US health plans rarely pay for care abroad, onboard medical bills are charged to you, and evacuation can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Costs & Money
Cruise ship Wi-Fi costs about $20 to $40 per device per day on the major mainstream lines in 2026, so roughly $140 to $280 per person for a seven-night cruise. Social media plans sit at the low end and streaming plans at the high end. Buying before you sail is usually cheaper, and most ships now use Starlink, so the connection is fast enough for video calls.
Your First Cruise
Most passengers on a big modern cruise ship feel little or no motion on a normal itinerary, but the CDC says seasickness still affects up to 25 percent of cruise travelers despite stabilizers. Your odds drop with a midship cabin on a lower deck and a sheltered route such as the Caribbean outside hurricane season or Alaska's Inside Passage. Meclizine and prescription scopolamine patches work best when taken before symptoms start.
Costs & Money
Cruise port fees and taxes, usually shown as "taxes, fees and port expenses," are pass-through charges for head taxes, dockage, pilotage, customs and agriculture inspections and similar costs at each port. On a seven-night Caribbean cruise they typically run about $100 to $250 per person, and more in Alaska and Europe. They are mandatory, they rise with the number and type of ports, and they are separate from gratuities.
Costs & Money
Book cruise excursions through the ship when timing is tight, the sights are far from port or the ship tenders, because Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess promise to wait for their own late-running tours or get you to the next port. Book independently or explore alone when the sights are close and you will be back well before all-aboard time. You usually save money, but the risk of missing the ship is yours.
Planning a Cruise
For most people, the best time to book a cruise is 9 to 18 months before sailing, when choice of cabins is widest and early fares are competitive, ideally during wave season from January to March, when lines run their biggest promotions. Last-minute deals appear after the final payment deadline, usually 75 to 120 days before sailing, but mostly on Caribbean and short cruises, and cabin choice is limited.
