Cruise ship’s hidden costs exposed – ‘Charge you for the privilege’

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Cruise holidays often include a lot of amenities. Many passengers will get their food and activities included.

However, there are a few hidden costs that passengers should be aware of. Cruise expert and Head of the Points Guy, Nicky Kelvin, shared his top tips with Express.co.uk.

Nicky said: “Although it’s true that when taking a cruise, many of the costs are included in the upfront booking fare, there are still some small, and sometimes big, additional costs that can build up and it’s useful for travellers to be aware of these.

“For example, in general, only the highest-end cruises in the world offer free internet.

“At many renowned cruise brands such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Princess, you’ll sometimes have to pay extortionate amounts of money for internet access.

“A top tip to avoid these charges is to wait until you’re in a port to check your emails, as you will often find free internet in the cruise terminal where your ship docks or at a nearby restaurant.”

If it’s possible to avoid using the internet on sea days, passengers could save a lot of money.

WiFi costs can quickly add up and passengers could end up spending a fortune to access the internet.

Nicky added: “A growing number of cruise lines are now charging for room service.

“Some of the world’s biggest cruises are charging a ‘convenience fee’ of £6 or more for room service, even for very small orders like a side of fries.”

There’s nothing better than waking up and enjoying breakfast on a cruise ship balcony while on holiday.

However, customers could end up paying an extra fee to have a crew member deliver breakfast to their room.

It’s important to check if there are extra fees as it could make a cheeky late-night cabin snack far more expensive.

Nicky said:“Another one to look out for is being charged additional fees for lounging in adult only areas.

“Several of the biggest cruise lines are home to adult only areas, but what they sometimes leave out is that they’ll charge you for the privilege of being in a kid free zone.

“Similarly, cruise passengers will often have access to large, luxury gym areas, but making use of the facilities and classes almost always enquires an additional cost.”

While family-friendly lines can be great fun, it can be nice to escape children for a little while at points.

However, cruise guests could end up being charged to access adult-only zones on the ship.

Guests could also have to fork out for gym classes on some cruise lines. If passengers want to save money, they could check if their cruise has any free exercise facilities.

Some ships have running tracks or free to use gyms which could help passengers save some money.

When it comes to adult-only zones, it could be a better idea to book a child-free cruise if passengers want their space.

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