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Cruise Tips
Cruise Planning 101: When to Book and What's Actually Included
Cruises look all-inclusive on the poster and rarely are. The fare covers the cabin, the main dining rooms, the buffet, the shows, and the kids' clubs. It does not cover gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi, port fees, or the excursion you came for, and those add 30% to 40% to the number you first saw. This is the planning sequence I walk every client through, with the 2026 figures.
When cruises go on sale, and when to buy
Cruise lines now open sailings 18 to 24 months ahead. Royal Caribbean released most of its 2027–2028 season between October and November 2025. Carnival opened its first 2027–2028 sailings in July 2025 and already sells 2028 dates. Disney Cruise Line opened fall 2027 through spring 2028 in the first week of September 2026, and Disney's prices only go up after opening day.
For most Caribbean sailings, Royal Caribbean's own guide puts the sweet spot at 6 to 12 months out. For Alaska and Europe, 12 to 18 months, because the balcony cabins on the scenic side and the Glacier Bay itineraries go first. Carnival Corporation told investors in June 2026 that 93% of its 2026 capacity was already sold, with a record $9 billion in deposits. People are booking earlier than they used to.
Wave season, January through March, is when the lines pile on perks: onboard credit, reduced deposits, kids-sail-free. Royal Caribbean's Kids Sail Free ran January 2 to February 2, 2026, and a summer 2027 version was on sale through September 14, 2026. If your sailing is 9 to 15 months away, wave season is usually the best time to commit.
Last-minute deals exist inside 90 days, on cabins nobody wanted. That works for two adults with flexible dates and no cabin preference. It does not work for a family that needs connecting rooms in July.
Deposits and final payment
The deposit is smaller than people expect and the final payment date is the one that catches them.
Royal Caribbean takes $100 per person on 1- to 5-night cruises, $250 on 6 to 9 nights, $450 on 10 to 14, and wants the balance 75 days before a 1- to 4-night cruise, 90 days before 5 to 14 nights, and 120 days before longer sailings. Carnival's refund cutoff is 76 days on 2- to 5-night cruises and 91 days on longer ones; its Early Saver fares have non-refundable deposits. Norwegian's penalties start at 119 days. Disney takes 20% down and wants the balance 90 days out on 1- to 5-night cruises and 120 days on 6 nights or more. Princess moved to $300 per person and 120 days in September 2026.
Miss the final payment date and the line can cancel the booking and keep the deposit. Every file I hold has that date on my calendar with a reminder two weeks ahead.
Watch the price after booking. Royal Caribbean's Best Price Guarantee lets you claim a lower fare any time before final payment. Carnival gives onboard credit for drops until final payment and 110% of the difference within 48 hours. I check every booking weekly.
What the fare includes
On every major line: the cabin, the main dining room, the buffet and casual venues, water, tea, basic coffee, the theater shows, the pools, the gym, and the kids' clubs for ages 3 and up. Disney also includes soda, juice, room service, and its rotational dinner shows. Royal Caribbean includes the FlowRider, the slides, the ice rink, and its Broadway productions.
What it does not include
Gratuities are added daily: $18.50 per person on Royal Caribbean, $17 on Carnival, $20 on Norwegian, $18 on Princess and Celebrity, $16 on Disney. For four people on a 7-night cruise that is $450 to $560.
Port fees and taxes run $100 to $200 a person on a 7-night sailing and are quoted separately from the fare. Drink packages cost $55 to $120 a day on Royal Caribbean plus 18%, and about $84 a day on Carnival's CHEERS with the 20% charge; every adult in the cabin has to buy one on most lines. Wi-Fi is $18 to $40 a device per day. Specialty restaurants run $38 to $56 a person on Royal Caribbean's newest ships, $52 at Carnival's steakhouse, $55 to $145 at Disney's adult restaurants.
Excursions are the biggest variable. A whale-watching tour in Juneau starts at $155 a person; a Chichén Itzá bus tour from Cozumel runs $85 to $140; a Perfect Day at CocoCay water park pass is extra on top of the free beaches.
Turning the fare into the real number
Take Wonder of the Seas, 7 nights in the Caribbean, April 2026: interior $749 a person, oceanview $899, balcony $1,199. For a family of four in a balcony, the fare is $4,796. Add $518 in gratuities, about $600 in port fees and taxes, $300 in Wi-Fi for two devices, one excursion at $100 a person, and a soda package for the kids, and the trip is about $6,800 before flights and the drive to the port. That is the number to budget, and it is the number I quote.
Which cabin
Inside cabins cost the least and are dark, which some people love for sleeping. Oceanview adds 10% to 25%. Balconies add 30% to 60% and are worth it in Alaska, where you will be on it at 6 a.m. watching a glacier, and usually not worth it in the Caribbean, where you are at the pool or in port. A guarantee cabin, where the line picks the location, saves money and can put you under the nightclub. Low decks and midship move the least.
Families of five need cabins that sleep five, which exist on every line in small numbers, or connecting rooms, which sell out first. That is a book-a-year-out situation.
Which line
Kids under 8 and a Disney household: Disney, at roughly twice the price of the others. Kids 8 to 15 who want slides and a surf simulator: Royal Caribbean. Budget under $4,000 for a family of four: Royal Caribbean or Carnival. Alaska with Glacier Bay: Princess, Holland America, or Norwegian, which hold the park permits. Adults without kids: Celebrity or Princess. My Disney vs. Royal Caribbean comparison goes deeper on the family choice, and my first-time cruise tips cover what happens once you board.
The planning calendar
12 to 18 months out: pick the line and itinerary, hold the cabins, put down the deposit.
90 to 120 days out: final payment, then the last chance to reprice.
45 days out: online check-in opens on Royal Caribbean (30 on Disney, 21 on Norwegian, 14 on Carnival); grab the earliest boarding slot.
30 days out: book excursions and specialty dining before they sell out.
The week before: passports, medications in carry-on, a watch set to ship time.
Tell me who is going and which month, and I will send you three sailings with the fees included, so the number you see is the number you pay.
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