Looking to book a cruise but want to know about the not so great parts of a cruise vacation? Read this post to find out the 10 downsides of cruising most seasoned cruisers wish they could change about the cruise industry.
While most people who go on a cruise love to share everything they love about cruising and the amazing time they had, there are some downsides of cruising.
Nothing is life is perfect, there will always be things we would change. When it comes to cruising, this is no different.
That being said, cruising is still a great way to see multiple destinations in one trip, they’re convenient, mostly all inclusive (room, food, basic drinks, entertainment, transportation and more) and overall the benefits outweigh the downsides.
After researching and polling experienced cruisers here are the top answers we heard across the board.
This post is all about the downsides to cruising.
Top 10 Downsides To Cruising
1. Hidden Costs
A lot of people feel like they are being nickle and dimed on a cruise. (Like anything, this varies based on the cruise line)
The base price for a cruise might be relatively low but once you factor in all of the additions you didn’t know you might get charged, it can really add up.
It is common to know about certain add ons people usually buy or are asked to buy by the staff such as drink packages, shore excursions, specialty dining and more.
First time cruisers might not be aware that certain activites they want to do on the cruise will come with an additional charge. MSC charges for billards, bowling, the F1 simulator and more. Royal Caribbean is charging cabanas/special seating on Icon of The seas.
Norwegian Cruise Line charges for the race track and Carnival Cruise Line chargers for the roller costter. The list goes on and on.
All of these things you might of booked that specific ship for thinking it would be included in the price and if you do them all, it could really add up. Cruisers don’t really appreciate this additonal cost.
2. Small Staterooms/Bathrooms
A common complaint among cruisers is how small the bathrooms are on cruise ships.
Of course you can have larger bathrooms in suites but in balconies, ocean view and interior rooms, they tend to be quite small.
Even the rooms can be on the smaller side. If you just have 1-2 people per room, you most likely can manage. Some passengers however will have 4 people in their room.
It is common for a family of 4 with 2 adults and 2 children to share one room to save a little money. However, since the rooms are only a couple hundred squre feet, it can be cramped.
3. Pricing Increases
It seems everything around us has been effected by inflation. Costs for everything never seem to stop going up. Vacation prices included.
Although cruise lines are trying to make up money they lost during the pandemic for years now, they’re also just raising prices because at the end of the day, people will pay it.
This is hard for people who do spend months or years saving to go on a cruise vacation. By making them more and more expensive just because they can, this will limit other customers from being able to afford it.
Gratuities
Cruise gratuities are also continuing to rise. If you didn’t know, cruise lines can raise the price of gratuities any time they want.
While I 100% believe the crew deserve these tips, they work incredibly hard, they still add a lot of additional cost to your cruise if you are in a country like the US who does not have them included in the base price of the cruise. (For most cruise lines, some, such as Virgin Voyages have them included)
If gratuties are $18/day per person and you are a family of 4 going on a 7 night cruise that is an additional $504 on top of your base cruise fare! (Even so I do not recommend removing these, tthe crew should be tipped for their service)
4. Drink Package
A drink package is one of the most popular add ons for a cruise vacation. A lot of seasoned cruisers will say you HAVE to get a drink package while on a cruise. (You don’t)
While this is a beloved addition to cruises here are 3 issues with buying a drink package a lot of cruises would consider a downside.
Price
It is common once your cruise is booked to go look through additonal add ons you can buy. Many first time cruisers will be shocked to see the price of the drink package.
Sometimes this cost can be as much or more than they paid for the cruise! Especially after the automatic gratuity is added on top of the daily charge. You will normally see drink packages anywhere from $55-110/day. That can really add up.
Do your research on your specific cruise line to see if it is actually worth you buying on so you don’t waste your money.
Everyone in the stateroom having to get the drink package
*This does have exceptions and does not apply the same to every cruise line so be sure to check the requirements or ask on a cruise Facebook page the rules about the drink package for your cruise.
A lot of cruisers consider it a huge downside that if one person in the room wants a drink package that contains alcohol, both adults of age are required to purchase it.
Why do cruise lines do this?
They made this rule to help prevent the sharing of a drink package. Cruise lines at the end of the day are a business and they do not want to lose money by people technically stealing by using just one package.
A way around this is to call the cruise line’s customer service line (you cannot book this way online) and tell them that one person who doesn’t want the package is sober, can’t drink for medical or religious reasons.
In this case they will allow the other person in the room to purchase the lower package that still includes all additional drinks except alcoholic ones.
This is still a downside for people who don’t want a drink package AT ALL, but it does save some money.
Not being able to use a drink package on every private island
One thing that can drive some cruisers crazy is having a cruise line’s private island on their list of port stops but not being able to use their expensive drink package on the island.
Don’t worry though! Several do allow them to use it.
MSC’s works on Ocean Cay. Royal Caribbean’s does on CocoCay and Labadee. The drink package is valid on Norwegian’s Great Stirrup Cay but it does not work on Harvest Caye in Belize.
You can use it a Princess Cay while on a Princess cruise but not through Carnival. Then at Half Moon Cay you can’t use the drink package for Carnival or Holland America.
This is a big upset for cruisers who have spent tons of money on their drink package. I personally think this is unfair of the cruise line and it should always be valid on a private island.
5. People On The Pool Deck Who Are Chair Hogs
A HUGE annoyance to crusiers is wanting to spend some time relaxing on the pool deck and not being able to find a chair.
It is common on a cruise for people to get up very early and go claim chairs. The unfortunate part is a lot of the time people will “reserve” these chairs and not use them for most of the day. This causes others to not be able to use them as well.
Cruise lines technically have rules about this that you can’t hog a chair or a statement saying they’ll move your things if you haven’t been using the chair for 30 minutes. This doesn’t seem highly inforced however, leading to the frustration.
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6. Not Enough Newer Ships That Are A Smaller Size
A hot topic on the cruise boards are the fact that cruise lines are making bigger and bigger ships constantly while not everyone wants to go on a ship of that size.
It is a big complaint, which I personally agree with, that cruise lines need to make a few mid sized ships that are brand new. Currently if you want to cruise on a ship that isn’t the largest in the world or close to it, you might be on one that is 20 years old.
In my personal opinion and many others, this is unacceptable and the cruise lines should consider a new line of smaller ships for those who don’t want to cruise with 10,000 other people.
7. How Easy It Is To Get Sick
A big downside of cruising is how easy it is to become ill.
Cruises typically have thousands of people all on the same ship coming from all over the world. Some people will still go on the cruise even if they are already sick, which in turn, gets other people sick.
The buffet is a huge breeding ground for illness. Some people do not wash their hands before touching all of the serving handles like they are advised.
It is a huge downside to wait for your vacation, have paid all that money and then end up getting sick onboard.
8. Not Enough Time At The Port/Always Going To The Same Ports
If you’re going on a cruise you really will only spend about 8 hours at the cruise port. (this varies)
Because of this, sometimes you can’t see everything you would like to see, usually you have to choose just one thing and then wait for another trip to do other excursions.
Cruise lines have started changing this though offering some overnight stays at select ports.
Cruisers also are disappointed by itineraries that always seem to be going to the same ports. Common complaints are cruises out of Galveston, Texas mostly only going to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan.
Others don’t love seeing Nassau on almost every quick Bahamas getaway.
9. The Internet Not Always Working Correctly
I do have to say cruise wifi does work A LOT better than it used to.
With the addition of Starlink on a lot of ships, it can be a great service.
Sadly, that is not the case yet on every cruise ship. Being well into the 2020s, cruisers can be disappointed with paying for an expensive wifi plan (most of the time more expensive than their monthly plan at home) and not having everything work well.
It can be a hit or miss for social media scrolling and streaming. Things that usually work the best are google, email and messaging.
10. Itinerary Changes
A big downside to cruising that is just part of the vacation is the possibility that your port stops will be missed or changed.
Cruises main priority is the safety of the passengers. Sadly, this can cause ships to not be able to dock at a port on the list.
You have to be prepared for this to happen on a cruise but it is still disappointing for those who maybe haven’t been to that port before, if it’s the whole reason they booked the cruise or if it’s their favorite port.
Final thoughts:
Even with everything listed above, a cruise is still a fantastic vacation full of new experiences, fun and adventure. I cannot recommend them enough and seasoned cruisers obviously still choose to go on them even with the downsides.
This post was all about downsides of cruising.
