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The brochure says “all your meals, all your entertainment, one price.” Then you order a Coke at lunch and get a bill. You order a burger to the cabin at midnight and pay a fee. On the last morning, a week of gratuities lands on your account.
A cruise fare covers more than most holidays do, but less than “all-inclusive” suggests. The good news is that the lines write down exactly where the line falls. We read the ticket contracts and help pages for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Princess and put the answers side by side.
What Is Included in a Cruise? The Short Answer
A standard cruise fare includes your cabin with daily housekeeping, meals in the main dining room and buffet, basic drinks such as water, coffee, tea and lemonade, the shows, the pools and water slides, the gym and the kids clubs. It does not include gratuities, taxes and port fees, alcohol, soda, specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi, shore excursions, spa treatments or medical care. Room service sits in between: breakfast is usually free, and most other orders cost extra.
What Do the Cruise Contracts Say the Fare Covers?
The contract is the place to start, because it’s what you actually agree to. They’re short on promises and long on exclusions.
Royal Caribbean’s ticket contract (section 1.a) says the fare “includes carriage onboard the Vessel, full board, and ordinary Vessel food and entertainment.” Then it lists what’s left out: “alcoholic beverages, specialized tea and coffee beverages, fresh or cold press juices, energy drinks, spa treatments and salon services, exercise classes, select premium dining and entertainment, internet access, casino and gambling activities, shore excursions, photographs, video arcade, phone calls, laundry services,” medical services, flights and hotels. Taxes, fees and any fuel supplement are excluded too, and the contract adds that the list “is not intended to be exhaustive.”
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Send me the free kit →Carnival’s ticket contract (section 1.b) is shorter. The fare covers “full board, ordinary ship’s food during the voyage,” but not “spirits, wine, beer, soft drinks or mineral waters, shore excursions, salon and spa services, room service or dining in specialty restaurants,” onboard medical care “or Service Gratuities.” Government taxes and fees are billed separately.
Princess’s passage contract says the fare does not include “beer, wine, spirits, sodas or other bottled or specialty beverages,” the crew gratuities, or service charges on optional purchases. Norwegian sets out its list on its fare inclusions page, which names “Sodas and some other non-alcoholic beverages,” specialty restaurants, alcohol, Wi-Fi, exercise classes and service charges among the extras.
The phrase that matters is “ordinary” food. Everything that’s on a menu with a price, in a bottle or behind a reservation desk is likely to cost extra.
What’s Free on Every Big Cruise Line?
Your cabin, cleaned every day. Royal Caribbean’s fare FAQ lists a “Comfortable stateroom with daily housekeeping” with a private bathroom, TV, safe and climate control. Norwegian’s inclusions page starts with “Accommodation.”
Three meals a day, and plenty of snacks. The main dining room and buffet are included on all four lines. Royal Caribbean’s guide to what’s included (updated September 4, 2026) lists free venues from the Main Dining Room and Windjammer to Sorrento’s Pizza and the 24-hour Café Promenade. Princess includes its dining rooms, buffet, deck pizza, burgers, hot dogs and soft-serve ice cream. You could eat for a week without paying for a single meal.
The shows and the fun stuff. Royal Caribbean includes “Broadway‑style shows,” live music and comedy, plus “rock climbing, mini golf, waterslides, FlowRider®, bumper cars and laser tag” on the ships that have them. Norwegian includes “All entertainment onboard (with the exception of dinner and lunch theatre entertainment),” the pools, the fitness facilities and the sports courts. The Points Guy’s guide to cruise inclusions confirms the pattern across the big lines: free shows, comedy, trivia, outdoor movies, pools, hot tubs and waterslides.
The gym, but not the classes. The fitness centre is free. Classes usually aren’t: Royal Caribbean’s contract excludes “exercise classes,” and Norwegian’s page lists them as extra.
Kids clubs, in daytime and evening. Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean program for ages 3 to 17 is free, according to its guide. Norwegian includes kids and teen programs for ages 3 to 17 “until 10:30 pm.” Carnival’s Camp Ocean, Circle C and Club O2 are included in the fare, The Points Guy reports. The late shift and the babies are where the charges start, as you’ll see below.
Which Drinks Are Free on a Cruise?
Water, basic coffee and tea are free everywhere. After that, each line draws its own line, and where you order the drink matters as much as what it is.
- Royal Caribbean: “Ice water, flavored waters, brewed coffee, assorted teas, iced tea, hot chocolate, milk, lemonade and fruit juices,” according to the line. Soda and premium coffee cost extra.
- Carnival: water, lemonade and iced tea are free, along with regular coffee and tea. Orange and apple juice are still free at breakfast in the dining room, but grapefruit, pineapple and tomato juice now cost about $3 to $4 a glass, Cruise Hive reported in April 2025. Carnival’s contract excludes “soft drinks or mineral waters.”
- Norwegian: “Iced Tea, some juices in the buffet (for breakfast), regular coffee, tea and ice water,” says the line. At the coffee bar, regular coffee and pastries are free, while specialty coffees cost extra.
- Princess: tap water, lemonade, iced tea, hot tea, brewed coffee, milk, hot chocolate and breakfast juice, Cruise Mummy found. Several are free only in the dining room and buffet: iced tea, for example, costs extra at the bars and the International Café.
Soda is the one that catches people out. It isn’t free on any of these four lines. One line that does include it is Disney, according to The Points Guy. A single soda typically costs “anywhere from $2 to $4,” according to The Points Guy’s list of extra charges. If you drink a few a day, a soda package can be worth pricing. For bringing your own, see our guide to bringing food and drinks on a cruise.
Included vs Extra: Four Lines Side by Side
Here’s how the four biggest lines sold to North Americans compare on the items people ask about most. Every cell comes from the sources in this article.
| Item | Carnival | Royal Caribbean | Norwegian | Princess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin and daily housekeeping | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Main dining room and buffet | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Water, coffee, tea, iced tea | Included | Included | Included | Included (in set venues) |
| Soda and bottled water | Extra | Extra | Extra | Extra |
| Alcohol | Extra | Extra | Extra | Extra |
| Room service | Continental breakfast free; other items priced one by one | Continental breakfast free; otherwise $7.95 per order plus 18% | Convenience charge of up to $9.95 per order | Door-hanger breakfast free; otherwise $5 delivery fee |
| Specialty restaurants | Extra | Extra | Extra | Extra |
| Wi-Fi | Extra | Extra | Extra | Extra |
| Gym / fitness classes | Free / extra | Free / extra | Free / extra | Free / extra |
| Self-service laundry | $3.50 a wash (none on Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee) | None on any ship | None on any ship | About $3 a load |
| Gratuities, per person per day (standard cabin) | $17 | $18.50 | $20 | $18 |
| Gratuities, couple, 7 nights | $238 | $259 | $280 | $252 |
The gratuity rates come from Travel Market Report’s July 2026 round-up, checked against each line: Royal Caribbean’s own guide, Carnival’s gratuities page, Norwegian’s 2023 increase reported by CruiseMapper, and Princess’s March 8, 2026 increase reported by Cruise Mummy. Laundry details are from Cruise Fever’s fleet-by-fleet list, which says Royal Caribbean and Norwegian have “no self-service laundry rooms” on any ship. That fits Royal Caribbean’s contract, which lists “laundry services” as an extra.
Is Room Service Free on a Cruise?
Breakfast usually is. The rest of the day usually isn’t, and each line charges in a different way.
Royal Caribbean delivers its continental breakfast free. Other orders carry a “$7.95 room service charge plus applicable fees,” says the line’s guide, and its room service FAQ adds that “An 18% gratuity is additional and will automatically be added to your check.” The Points Guy’s room service guide says Grand Suite guests and above don’t pay the fee.
Carnival charges per item rather than per order. Continental breakfast stays free, but Carnival moved to “an a la carte menu” in October 2022, The Points Guy reported at the time. Its later guide listed salads at $5 and sandwiches at $6 to $7. That’s why Carnival’s contract lists room service among the extras.
Norwegian says on its inclusions page that room service carries a “Convenience Charge,” waived for guests in The Haven and Norwegian suites. It doesn’t publish the amount there. The Points Guy puts it at $9.95. Cruise Fever reported the rise to $9.95 in 2020 and quoted the policy that continental breakfast was exempt. The Points Guy’s 2024 guide, however, describes a $4.95 fee on breakfast orders. The reports disagree, so check the menu card in your cabin.
Princess added a $5 delivery fee per room service order in August 2023, Travel Market Report reported, while “complimentary traditional stateroom breakfast room service using the classic door hanger menu” stayed free. Princess’s own Plus and Premier page still lists “Room service delivery” with the fee waived as a package perk.
What Costs Extra on a Cruise That People Don’t Expect?
The big extras are obvious: drinks, excursions, the spa and specialty restaurants. These are the smaller ones that surprise people.
Gratuities. They’re added to your account automatically, every night, for every guest. On a seven-night cruise, a couple pays $238 to $280 on these four lines before buying anything. Our guide to the cost per person goes through the full bill.
The service charge on extras. Most drinks and paid dining get a percentage added. Princess raised its service charge from 18% to 20% on March 8, 2026, Cruise Mummy reported. Carnival adds 20% to drinks, as we found in our booking guide.
Late nights and babies in the kids club. Carnival’s Night Owls late-night sessions, from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., cost $8.85 per child per hour, including an 18% service charge, according to The Points Guy. Royal Caribbean’s Royal Babies and Tots nursery for ages 6 months to 3 years costs “$9-$12 per hour per child,” the line says.
Some attractions. Most of the deck is free, but not all of it. Carnival’s Bolt roller coaster costs $15 per person, The Points Guy notes, and its extra-charges list prices Norwegian’s go-karts at $15 per eight-lap ride.
Doctor visits. All the contracts treat onboard medical care as an extra. Royal Caribbean’s lists “medical services,” and Carnival’s lists “charges for any medical services received onboard.” Our guide on whether you need insurance for a cruise explains why that matters.
Can You Make a Cruise More All-Inclusive?
Yes, at a price. Three set-ups are worth knowing.
Norwegian’s Free at Sea. The offer page lists an open bar with “juice and soda,” “3 specialty dining experiences on a 7-day cruise,” “150 minutes of high-speed Wi-Fi” and a “$50 shore excursion credit at every port” for the first guest. You must “pre-pay the gratuities,” and the open bar applies to guests 21 and over. So “free” here still means a gratuity bill up front.
Princess Plus and Premier. These are paid add-ons. On its package page, Princess prices Plus at “$65 per person/day” before the cruise and Premier at “$100 per person/day” for 2026 sailings (Sun Princess and Star Princess are priced separately). Plus covers “15 drinks per day (up to $15 each),” Wi-Fi on one device, prepaid crew tips and free room service delivery. Premier makes drinks and dining unlimited and adds up to $300 in excursion credit.
Virgin Voyages. Virgin says every voyage includes “all the premium dining at our 20+ eateries,” group fitness classes, Wi-Fi and “a soda and drinks package” of essential drinks, not alcohol. One correction to older guides: gratuities are no longer bundled for most new bookings. Under fares introduced on October 7, 2025, Virgin adds “$22 USD per Sailor” a day on board, or $20 a night if prepaid. CruiseMapper reported the same rates. (Travel Market Report’s July round-up still says Virgin includes gratuities, which no longer holds for these fares.)
Packages only save money if you use them. If you’re thinking about a drinks package, our guide to money on an “all-inclusive” cruise covers what you’ll still pay for.
What to Do Before You Sail
- Budget gratuities first. Multiply your line’s daily rate by every person and every night. Prepay them if you’d rather not see the bill at the end.
- Count your sodas and coffees. If you’d drink several a day, price a soda or coffee package against paying per drink.
- Order breakfast to the cabin, not dinner. The free version is breakfast, ordered on the door hanger or the continental menu.
- Pack for laundry. On Royal Caribbean and Norwegian there’s no self-service laundry, so bring enough clothes or budget for the laundry service.
- Read the menu prices. A charge on a dining room menu, a bar or a coffee counter is your cue that it isn’t included.
- Check your account on the app. Look through your onboard charges midway through the cruise, so mistakes get fixed before the last night.
Quick Answers
Is food included on a cruise?
Yes. Meals in the main dining room and buffet are included on every major line, along with casual spots such as pizza, burger and ice cream counters. Specialty restaurants, most room service and some premium menu items cost extra.
Are drinks included on a cruise?
Only the basics. Water, regular coffee, tea and iced tea are free on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Princess, and most also include lemonade and breakfast juice. Soda, bottled water, specialty coffee and alcohol cost extra unless you buy a package.
Are tips included in the cruise price?
Not usually. In a standard cabin, the daily gratuity is $17 per person on Carnival, $18.50 on Royal Caribbean, $20 on Norwegian and $18 on Princess, added to your onboard account. You can prepay them, and some packages include them.
Is Wi-Fi free on a cruise?
Not on the four big mainstream lines. Royal Caribbean’s contract excludes internet access, Norwegian lists Wi-Fi as an extra, and Carnival and Princess sell it as a package. Virgin Voyages includes Wi-Fi, and Norwegian’s Free at Sea offer includes 150 minutes.
The Bottom Line
A cruise fare buys you the cabin, the ordinary food, the basic drinks, the shows and the deck. The contracts are clear that almost everything else is extra, from soda to the doctor. Budget the gratuities first, decide about drinks before you board, and treat any price on a menu as a sign it isn’t included.
Cruise Chaos earns nothing from cruise lines, drinks packages or booking links. Every fact in this guide links to where we read it. Contracts, prices and policies were checked on October 6, 2026, and lines change them often. If something has changed, tell us and we’ll correct it.
Coming up on Cruise Chaos: what you need to know before going on a cruise.
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Keep Reading
- Do You Need to Bring Money on an All-Inclusive Cruise?
- How Much Does a Cruise Cost Per Person? We Did the Sums From the Cruise Lines’ Own Books
- 10 Things to Know Before You Book Your Cruise
Sources
- Royal Caribbean: Cruise/CruiseTour Ticket Contract (US), version R(US)OCT2026, section 1.a
- Carnival: Ticket Contract, section 1.b, and Carnival: Gratuities and tips
- Princess Cruises: Passage contract, Princess: Inclusive cruise dining and Princess: Plus and Premier packages
- Royal Caribbean: What is included in a Royal Caribbean cruise?, Royal Caribbean: What is included on a cruise (updated September 4, 2026) and Royal Caribbean: In-room food service
- Norwegian Cruise Line: What does my cruise fare include and Norwegian: Free at Sea
- Virgin Voyages: What’s included, Virgin Voyages: VoyageFair Choices FAQ and CruiseMapper: Virgin Voyages introduces new fare structure (September 2025)
- Travel Market Report: Here’s what each major ocean cruise line charges in gratuities (July 2026), CruiseMapper: Norwegian increases daily service charges (December 2022) and Cruise Mummy: Princess increases crew appreciation and service charge (March 2026)
- The Points Guy: Are cruises all-inclusive? (December 2024), Extra charges on cruise ships (May 2025), Cruise ship room service (April 2024), Carnival room service fees added (October 2022) and Carnival’s Camp Ocean kids club (May 2025)
- Travel Market Report: Princess adds fees for Medallion shipping and OceanNow delivery (July 2023)
- Cruise Fever: Norwegian ups room service convenience charge (January 2020) and Cruise Fever: Self-service laundry rooms by cruise line (updated April 2026)
- Cruise Hive: Carnival now charging for popular breakfast beverages (April 2025) and Cruise Mummy: Free drinks on Princess Cruises (November 2025)
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