5 Things a Veteran Cruiser Never Buys Onboard

Megan duBois has spent the last 15 years taking cruises, accumulating over 50 trips on nearly a dozen different lines. Based on this extensive experience, she has identified specific extras and experiences that she believes are not worth the price.

Her strategy focuses on avoiding premium charges for services that can be obtained more cheaply or conveniently elsewhere. The five main items she skips are drink packages, spa treatments, room service, lanyards, and official cruise-line excursions.

Most major cruise lines, including Carnival and Royal Caribbean, offer drink packages to passengers. These packages vary significantly between companies and tiers; some allow travelers 15 drinks a day, while others have no daily limit.

Prices also fluctuate, though duBois notes she has seen many cost about $70 to $100 a day. She skips these packages because she does not typically drink enough to get her money's worth.

A major restriction is that everyone in the same stateroom of legal drinking age must make the same decision. Even if a traveling companion does not drink, they are required to pay for a package if one person wants one. Instead, duBois orders beverages à la carte, which saves money and makes her consider each order.

Salon services, such as pedicures, manicures, and blowouts, are available on many ships, but duBois always skips them. She explains that the prices for these services are often at a premium, costing much more than she would pay at home.

She prefers to get pampered before the trip starts. This allows her to walk onto the ship already looking and feeling great. Additionally, she prefers to spend her time at sea enjoying the ship's activities rather than doing something she could easily do back home.

While duBois would take advantage of room service if it were free, she has found that it typically costs extra to have food delivered to the cabin. She describes these charges as getting "out of hand."

When she is hungry, she heads to included dining options, such as the buffet or the main dining room, to get snacks or meals. If she wants to eat in her cabin to get downtime or watch a movie, she asks staff about take-out options. She also takes food to quiet areas on the ship, such as adults-only pools, to find a chill spot that is not her room.

Cruise lines sell an abundance of lanyards to help passengers keep track of their room keys, which usually double as a form of payment and ID to get on and off the ship. However, duBois does not think they are worth the purchase.

Instead, she puts her key card inside her phone case. Since she always carries her phone, she ensures she always has her room key without needing to dig through a lanyard.

Excursions are one of the biggest expenses of a cruise, second only to the booking cost itself. Cruise lines offer dozens of tours at ports of call worldwide, but duBois finds them very expensive, particularly for solo travelers or families.

She prefers to explore ports on her own or with a third-party excursion company. These alternatives are typically more affordable and offer comparable experiences. She advises reading many reviews before booking third-party tours.

The biggest perk of booking through the cruise line is that the ship waits for you if you are running late. When going the third-party route, travelers must ensure they return to the ship at least an hour before departure to avoid being left behind.