- My family of four splurged on a seven-night Caribbean cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy.
- We stayed in an inexpensive class of stateroom, but paid $7,000+ to cruise during spring break.
- We didn't watch our onboard spending and money spent on excursions, which quickly added up.
My family of four – my husband, two teens, and myself – sailed on the Disney Fantasy this spring. Our cruise was seven nights and left from Port Canaveral, Florida, near Orlando.
Our ship stopped in Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Jamaica, Cozumel, Mexico, and Disney's island, Castaway Cay. This was our first time sailing on the Fantasy and our ninth Disney cruise.
Our trip cost just over $10,000. Perhaps surprisingly, this is on par with the higher end of what a family can expect to spend on a seven-night Caribbean cruise: about $270 to $2,600 a person.
Here's a rough look at what we spent:
Cruise: $7,300 (includes interior room, meals, and entertainment)
Excursions: $1,160
Spa: $846
Alcohol: $334
WiFi: $490
Bingo: $152
Here's the value we felt we got and what we might do differently next time.
We got the cheapest room type but would've saved by sailing at a different time of year
Even though we stayed in the cheapest stateroom category — interior cabins — our cruise was still pricey because we sailed during spring break.
We could've saved $3,000 on the cruise if we'd went in September, which is during hurricane season and while school is in session for our kids. In the end, we couldn't justify our sons missing that week of school.
Sadly, there's not much getting around this cost in the next few years. It's hard for us to travel during cheaper times since cruises almost always cost more during spring break, summertime, and over the winter holidays when most kids are out of school.
I don't regret our WiFi or bingo budgets
We bought an intermediate WiFi package for $490 and spent $152 on bingo.
We don't usually spend money on WiFi while cruising, but decided to get a package since this was a longer sailing. This allowed my kids to play their online games at night and me to keep an eye on my inbox.
No one was glued to their device, and even though this was quite a chunk of change, I'd consider it again for a longer cruise like this one.
The bingo turned out to be an OK investment since we won $145 and almost broke even. We usually play at least one round of bingo and usually don't win much, but my kids enjoy it, and it's something we do as a family.
Still, excursions, spa treatments, and drinks added up
We booked excursions in Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and Cozumel, and my husband and I had a couple's massage on the beach at Castaway Cay.
We didn't book super elaborate excursions, but costs added up for four people. Even so, I don't regret any of the experiences or the time spent with my family.
We could've cut back on our excursions budget by not booking directly with Disney Cruise Line or finding a spot to snorkel on our own, but I liked the ease and security of booking directly with the cruise line.
We've heard a lot of horror stories lately about cruise-ship passengers getting left behind in ports, and we always figure our odds are better if we're on an excursion arranged by the ship.
Next time, we might cut back on drinks and spa treatments
Since we're limited by when we can travel, we're honing in on alcohol and spa treatments as areas we can spend less money on.
We're not huge drinkers, but my husband and I enjoy having a glass of wine with our dinner and a couple of cocktails on deck or while lounging on the beach at Castaway Cay.
On future trips, we may cut back. When we looked at our bill, we saw that some of the wine we ordered was as much as $18.50 per glass!
And, as much as we loved the massages on the beach, they cost $289 a person (including automatic gratuity). Getting a massage in a beachside cabana while on vacation was super relaxing, but we can get massages at home for a fraction of that price.
Overall, we loved our cruise and have no regrets
The longer cruise with four ports of call was pricier than we realized, and we got a bit of sticker shock when we saw the final bill with our onboard extras.
I don't have any regrets since my family has always been more focused on experiences than stuff: We don't drive fancy cars or wear expensive clothes, but we prioritize nice vacations.
Although we know we need to curb the spending in a few areas and be a little more aware of what things cost when charging things to our room, we came away with fond memories that were worth every penny.