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8 Sneaky Tricks Cruise Lines Use to Empty Your Wallet at Sea

Don't let cruise lines try to sell you more than you planned to pay.

By Michelle Smith

Edited by Kaitlin Milligan

Updated Jan. 5, 2026

Cruises often put a hefty burden on your vacation budget, sometimes costing hundreds of dollars per person per day. But cruise costs don't always stop with the price of a ticket.

Cruise lines also employ some clever tricks that can lead you to spend more than you've already planned on your floating vacation.

So, before you embark on your next voyage, stretch your travel budget by understanding these eight common ways cruise lines try to nudge you toward making unnecessary purchases.

Per-day instead of per-trip charges

When you see a large upfront sum, you can easily decide if that cost is too high. But if you see that same price broken up into smaller increments, it's easier to justify the costs.

Cruise ship lines understand this aspect of buyer psychology well, which is why they'll often try to sell you on daily drink or entertainment package rates instead of weekly or trip-long ones, which can quickly add up and stop you from getting ahead financially.

You might find that a reasonable-seeming per-day price is completely outside your budget once you've calculated the costs for the entire trip.

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Deceptive drink packages

Many popular cruise lines offer drink packages, which usually charge you a predetermined flat fee that entitles you to a set amount of drinks per day.

Before you sign up for a drink package, consider how much you'll reasonably drink on a typical vacation day. Then run the numbers to see if the cost of daily a la carte beverages is more than the cost of paying for a drink package.

If you're pretty sure you won't drink enough to make the package worth it, save your money for something else.

Escalating sales

The shops on your cruise ship will likely run sales throughout your trip. As the week goes on, those sales will increase in terms of both their frequency and their deals.

Don't be taken in by these sales, however. As with duty-free purchases, just because something's on sale doesn't mean you're paying the lowest possible price.

Always do your research before leaping headfirst into a cruise ship sale.

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Unavoidable malls

Pay attention to the layout of your cruise ship, and you'll see that stores, casinos, and bars aren't located around the fringes where you can easily avoid them.

Instead, a cruise ship's biggest money makers are usually located in a central area that most travelers will need to pass through at least once during the day to reach other popular areas.

If you know you'll be passing the ship's mall area at least once as you head to dinner, hit the pool, or unwind at the spa, decide beforehand that you aren't going to buy anything.

You may also consider leaving your cards securely locked in your cabin or strolling past the area with a set amount of cash so you can't accidentally overspend on a fun impulse buy.

The duty-free trick

Like airports, many cruise lines sell duty-free high-end goods that don't have any value-added taxes (VAT) built into the base price.

Since VAT can be up to a third of an item's price, duty-free goods often seem exceptionally cheap at first glance, especially for luxury goods like high-end watches or expensive alcohol.

However, just because an item is duty-free doesn't mean it's a bargain. Instead of assuming everything at the duty-free shop costs less, do your research before buying anything.

Maybe that bottle of wine isn't such a deal, and you can find something comparable for half the price at Trader Joe's. Either way, having the information empowers you to make confident decisions about where to spend your money.

Ads all over

Anywhere you look on a cruise ship — the backs of your menus, overhead at the bar, or on the insides of public bathroom doors — you'll encounter an ad for some service or shop on the ship.

Ads can deliver helpful information about what you can buy and where, but make sure you're being conscientious about which stores you want to visit.

Ship ads can also make you feel like a purchase is more time-sensitive than it is. When you see an ad on your ship, run a quick price comparison before wandering to the ship's mall.

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Onboard accounts

Some cruise lines no longer accept cash, credit cards, debit cards, or checks onboard. Instead, you'll need to charge every purchase made during your trip to your onboard account.

At the end of the trip, you'll be responsible for paying off the full amount of your onboard account and effectively closing out the tab. Unfortunately, onboard accounts make it easy to lose track of how much money you're spending each day.

If your cruise line only accepts payment via onboard accounts, write down every purchase you make (tips included) and keep a running daily tally of how much you've spent. Otherwise, you could end up with a massive bill well outside your trip's budget.

Overpriced everyday goods

In many ways, cruise ships operate like tiny, self-contained cities. You can't get off the ship unless you're docked, so while the ship is at sea, it needs to be self-sustaining.

That's why most cruise lines have malls with shops that sell basic necessities you might have forgotten to pack.

However, because you don't have any other options for purchasing essential goods, the cruise company can get away with charging a lot more than what you'd pay at Sam's Club or Kroger.

Before you leave for your cruise, prepare yourself financially or make sure to double (and triple) check that you've packed all of your essentials — from deodorant and toothpaste to pajamas and phone chargers.

Bottom line

Dream vacations can be expensive, cruises included. You've already paid for your trip of a lifetime. To avoid throwing money away, just make sure you don't pay more than you planned.

Once you're familiar with the ways cruise lines tempt you to spend more money, you'll be prepared to keep extra cash in your bank account where it belongs.

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