Free tool
What a trip actually costs
"From $899 per person" is an interior cabin, lowest season, double occupancy, before port taxes, gratuities, airfare, transfers, insurance and the excursions nobody skips. This works out the real number for your party — and shows every figure it used, where that figure came from, and which ones we couldn't verify.
Your trip
Every number below moves with these. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent to us.
Where the advertised price stops
Each bar is the whole party, low estimate to high. The vertical marker is what the advertised price would suggest — lead-in fare × 4 travelers. Everything to the right of it is real money that is not in the headline number.
What your budget actually buys, by region
Banded on true all-in cost for your party, not on the advertised fare. Click a cell to filter.
| Region | Under $5K | $5K-$10K | $10K-$20K | $20K+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | — | — | — | |
| Caribbean & Bahamas | — | |||
| Central America | — | — | — | |
| Europe — land tours | — | — | ||
| Europe — rivers | — | — | — | |
| Europe — seas & Med | — | — | ||
| Jamaica | — | — | — | |
| Mexico | — | — |
The catalog
How this is calculated, and where it's weak
Three kinds of number appear above and they are labeled separately on every line. Sourced means a figure published by the supplier or a government on a date we recorded — Carnival's $17 per day, AmaWaterways' $250 port charge, Alaska's $34.50 state excise. Modeled means the structure is real but we estimated the size — airfare bands, transfers, on-trip spending. Weak means we could not verify it and we are telling you rather than hiding it: Viking's daily gratuity, where two credible 2026 sources disagree, and Mediterranean port fees, where no sailing-level example is published anywhere.
Insurance is applied at 4.9% of insured trip cost for the 40-59 band, from Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip 2026 purchase data. Airfare is the only component that moves with your travel month — we do not model seasonal movement in the base fare, because no verified per-sailing source for it exists and the number would be invented. Flights are priced from South Florida to each gateway (Seattle, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dublin, Rome, San Jose, Punta Cana, Cancun, Montego Bay).
This is an estimate, not a quote. Fares move daily, itineraries differ, and government fees change — Mexico's cruise passenger fee doubled to $10 per passenger on 1 August 2026 and is legislated to $15 in 2027 and $21 in 2028. We re-verify the published figures behind this tool weekly; the current set was last checked 2026-08-28. A real quote prices your actual sailing, your actual room, and your actual dates.
The six things that turn a fare into a bill
Every trip in the calculator is built from the same six components. Only the first one appears in the advertised price.
| Component | In the advertised price? | Typical 2026 figure |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare | Yes — this is the advertised price | Lead-in category, double occupancy. Guests 3 and 4 in a cabin pay roughly 40–65% of the lead rate. |
| Taxes, fees & port expenses | No — added at checkout | $140–$200 per person, 7-night Caribbean. $200–$320 in Alaska, which carries a $34.50 state excise plus Juneau port fees. AmaWaterways publishes $250 per person on a 7-night Danube. |
| Gratuities & service charges | No — charged on board or pre-paid | Per guest per day: Carnival $17 (raised 2 Apr 2026), Royal Caribbean $18.50, Norwegian $20, Princess $18, Disney $16. Escorted tours run $10–$17 per person per day across director, driver and local guides. |
| Airfare & checked bags | No, unless the quote says air-inclusive | $0 from a South Florida home port. $250–$550 round trip to the Caribbean and Central America, $530–$1,270 to Europe, plus $70–$100 per traveler in bags. |
| Transfers & insurance | Rarely | Airport transfers $40–$190 per group depending on destination; Florida terminal parking $20–$23 per vehicle per night. Insurance 4–10% of insured trip cost, rising with the oldest traveler's age. |
| On-trip spending | No — and it is not a hidden fee, it is your choice | $25–$60 per person per day at an all-inclusive resort; $50–$100 on a cruise. Cruise Market Watch puts the typical cruiser at $82 per day; Royal Caribbean Group collected $99.38 per passenger day in Q2 2026. |
Two things this turned up that nobody advertises
The gap is widest on the cheapest-looking trips
A value-line 7-night Caribbean cruise at $599 per person works out to roughly twice the brochure math for a family of four in July. A premium cruise at $2,199 per person works out to about 1.15 times, because far more is already inside the fare. The advertised price is least representative exactly where price-shoppers look hardest — which means comparing two trips on their headline numbers systematically steers you toward the one that excluded more.
Several sailings carry no airfare at all
If you live in South Florida, a cruise from Port Everglades or PortMiami removes the single largest variable cost in the model. For a family of four that is commonly $1,200 to $2,400 of flights and bags, replaced by terminal parking at roughly $20–$23 per vehicle per night — plus you skip the pre-cruise hotel night that flying travelers are told to book against delays. It is the biggest advantage a South Florida family has and no brochure puts a number on it.
How we handle numbers we can't verify
Every line in the calculator is labeled sourced (published by the supplier or a government on a date we recorded), modeled (the structure is real, we estimated the size), or weak (we could not verify it, and we say so rather than hiding it). Two figures currently sit in that last category: Viking's daily gratuity, where two credible 2026 sources disagree and Viking's own FAQ will not render the number, and Mediterranean port fees, where no sailing-level example is published anywhere.
We do not model seasonal movement in the base fare, because no verified per-sailing source for it exists and the number would be invented. Airfare is the only component that moves with your travel month. We re-check the published figures behind this tool weekly, and the current set was last verified 2026-08-28.
Frequently asked questions
What is not included in a cruise price?
The advertised cruise fare covers your cabin, main dining, entertainment and most onboard activities. It does not cover taxes, fees and port expenses (roughly $140–$200 per person on a 7-night Caribbean sailing, more in Alaska), gratuities or service charges (Carnival $17 per guest per day as of April 2026, Royal Caribbean $18.50, Norwegian $20, Disney $16, Princess $18), airfare, airport transfers or parking, travel insurance, alcohol packages, specialty dining, shore excursions, Wi-Fi, spa or photos. For a family of four on a value-line sailing, those add up to roughly as much again as the fare itself.
How much more than the advertised price should I budget?
It depends heavily on the trip, and counterintuitively the gap is widest on the cheapest-looking trips. A $599-per-person mainstream cruise runs about twice the brochure math for a family of four once taxes, gratuities, transfers, insurance and on-trip spending are counted. A $2,199-per-person premium cruise runs about 1.15 times, because more is already inside the fare. Comparing two trips on their advertised prices systematically favours the one that has excluded more.
Do I need travel insurance, and what does it cost?
It is not required, but for a large deposit-and-final-payment purchase it is the standard protection. Comprehensive policies run roughly 4–10% of insured trip cost, and the figure moves sharply with the oldest traveler's age — roughly 4.3% under 40, 4.9% for 40–59, 7.8% for 60–79, and higher above 80 (Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip 2026 purchase data). Cancel-for-any-reason coverage adds a further 40–50% on top of the base premium.
Is it cheaper to cruise from Fort Lauderdale or Miami if I live in South Florida?
Substantially, and it is the largest single cost advantage available to a South Florida family. A sailing from Port Everglades or PortMiami removes airfare entirely — for a family of four that is commonly $1,200 to $2,400 of round-trip flights plus checked bags, replaced by terminal parking at roughly $20–$23 per vehicle per night. It also removes the pre-cruise hotel night that flying travelers are advised to book against flight delays.
How can I tell whether a travel quote is complete?
Check for the specific words rather than assuming. The two components most often assumed included and most often not are gratuities or service charges, and 'taxes, fees and port expenses.' Ask for both in writing. As a structural check, a genuinely all-in mainstream cruise quote for a family lands around 1.75 to 2.15 times the advertised lead-in fare times party size. A quote close to the advertised per-person price is almost certainly a bare fare.
Does a travel advisor cost extra?
Not for the trips in this calculator. Cruise lines, resorts and tour operators pay the agency a commission as the booking channel, so the price you pay is the same and the planning is free. That is also why the numbers here are worth showing publicly — we have no incentive to make a trip look cheaper than it is, because we are the ones who have to be there when the real bill arrives.
Keep going
Not sure which line or brand fits your group yet? Start with the cruise line matcher or the all-inclusive resort matcher, then come back here to price what they suggest. Wrangling a bigger party? The family reunion budget calculator splits costs fairly across households. Current offers are on the deals page.
Why we publish this
Nobody hires a travel advisor for a $9,000 multigenerational trip in order to find a trip. They hire one so the trip doesn't go wrong — it's infrequent, expensive, socially exposed and largely irreversible, and the organizer's standing in their own family is on the line. Showing you the real number before you commit is the same job. Cruise lines, resorts and tour operators pay us as the booking channel, so our planning costs you nothing and there's no version of this where making a trip look cheaper than it is helps us. Tell us about your trip and we'll price the real one.