Total Cost of Cruise
Hey everyone,
I'm totally in love with the idea of going to see my favourite performers on the second Joco Cruise Crazy, and I'm interested to know approximately how much I'm going to be spending on the Cruise itself. I'd be interested to know what the average person spent on the trip, so I can save up accordingly
Thanks a ton!
I'm totally in love with the idea of going to see my favourite performers on the second Joco Cruise Crazy, and I'm interested to know approximately how much I'm going to be spending on the Cruise itself. I'd be interested to know what the average person spent on the trip, so I can save up accordingly
Thanks a ton!
Comments
The following numbers are guesses at this year's costs, extrapolated from what I paid last year;
Or perhaps there are Coulton-cruise-friendly banks that provide low-interest, low-monthly payment loans, a.k.a. the JoCo LoMo loan?
Of course, there's always the Millionaire Girlfriend option, I suppose.
* Cruise: $2300
* Travel/cancellation insurance: ~$200
* Hotel booked through HAL: $300 per night for 2 people
All numbers are per person, except where noted
I would not recommend booking hotels through the cruise line. It was much more expensive than booking directly. It did include full transportation between port and airport, but they forgot to send anyone to pick us up for our flight home. They also booked us in a hotel quite far away from the port and airport. Looking at hotels near the port/airport, I could have booked a nicer hotel and paid for a taxi for 2/3 the cost. Lesson learned...
So if you stay on the boat and don't drink alcohol (except at the exclusive first-250 welcome party, where there was free alcohol) or use the internet then there are no additional costs on the cruise itself except for the default tip of $11 a day. The food and everything else you need on the ship is free, even if it's 4a.m. and your only option to get food is to send some poor guy to his room to play Rock Band while waiting for room service to bring to the game room.
I would recommend bringing $55 to get your hair braided on Half Moon Cay, if you have long hair, because it means you don't have to comb it for the rest of the cruise, and you'll look more like a typical tourist during the cruise and more like that rich asshole that just went on a Caribbean cruise afterwards. (It's cheaper and quicker in Jamaica, but we may not be going there, and if you're going to stay on the boat, that's the island to stay on the boat for. Booked shore excursions are fun but just wandering around being harassed for tips isn't.) Apart from that, just budget for airfares, hotels before and after if needed (maybe shared with other sea monkeys), and I guess something for whatever food you need before and after and whatever souvenirs you would typically buy, and even if you don't have a cent to spare you'll be set to have an awesome time. But this is partly speculation since I in fact did book shore excursions and use the internet. If I recall correctly, HAL recommends pre-authorising $60 a day on your credit card for such additional expenses, and they don't expect many people will spend more than that (although this only counts for purchases on the boat or on Half Moon Cay, which is owned by the cruise line so you can charge everything there to your ship account.) On the other hand, Paul did joke at some point that the noise we hear just before the concerts on port days is them throwing overboard the 100 people who spent the least that day, so be careful.
Here are the prices for the internet, copied from an email about the last cruise:
Here's the deal: You can purchase WIFI onboard, albeit at a more expensive rate, so don't feel compelled to pre-purchase a package. The WIFI service is available in virtually all of the cabins and virtually all of the public spaces throughout the ship. The least expensive (by the per-minute charge) package you can purchase onboard is 250 minutes for $103.95 (that's over $0.41 per minute). They also offer, onboard, 100 minutes for $78.95. If you're looking to save a few bucks, I can get the following WIFI plans for you:
250-minute plan at $90 ($0.37 per minute)
500-minute plan at $140 ($0.28 per minute)
1,000-minute plan at $240 ($0.24 per minute)
Plus a $3.95 credit-card processing fee.
-Kate
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Pricing
There are two elements to the JoCo Cruise Crazy price: the cruise and the entertainment. Weve divided them this way in
case anyone wants to go on the cruise but doesnt want to attend the shows/eventsmaybe you want to bring Grandma
along so she can watch the kids, and she absolutely HATES songs about monkeys.
Entertainment Pass Cost
The entertainment pass grants you access to all concerts and JoCo-related shipboard events (see Entertainment). If you book before October 1, the entertainment pass fee is $320; if you book after October 1, this fee increases to $375. This portion must be paid in full within 30 days of booking, or by October 1, whichever comes first. (see FAQ)
Cruise Cost
The cruise cost itself varies, depending on how fancy a room you get. Prices range from $599 to $2399. Click here to jump down to the complete Cabin Pricing Table. If you still have questions, dont hesitate to contact us. You must pay a minimum $350 per person deposit on this portion at time of booking; the balance of the cruise cost must be paid in full by October 1. (see FAQ)
Early Booking Bonuses
If you book soon enough, you can enjoy the following discounts and privileges:
*Everyone who books before October 1, 2010 saves $55 on the entertainment pass fee ($320, vs. $375 after October 1)
*The first 250 people to book their cruise/entertainment pass may attend the exclusive First Night Cocktail Party with Jonathan and Friends
*The first 250 people to book their cruise/entertainment pass also receive preferred seating at the two Jonathan Coulton shipboard concerts
Included in the Cruise Price
All your meals (excluding optional meals in the private shipboard restaurants)
24-hour room service
24-hour pasta bar
Tea, coffee, juices, and milk
Use of the gym
Top-flight Las Vegas-style entertainment in the large show lounge every evening.
NOT INCLUDED in the Cruise Price
The following are not included in the cruise prices listed below:
Government taxes ($76.80)
Gratuities (Holland America automatically charges your cabin $11 per person per day)
Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
Use of the spa
Casino action
Holland America shore excursions
Any expenses of a personal nature (purchases made in shipboard stores; travel to/from Ft. Lauderdale; pre- and/or post-cruise hotel; shuttle to/from airport; etc.)
NOTE: Taxes and fees are subject to minor change. Holland America also reserves the right to instate a fuel supplement charge for all guests up to $9 per person, per day, should the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) increase above $70 USD per barrel. (The fuel supplement is currently not instated on this cruise) And as mentioned above, the JoCo Cruise Crazy entertainment pass fee is not included in the cruise price.
Early Signup Bonuses!
Book before October 1 to save $55 on the entertainment pass.
Be among the first 250 to book for admission to the First Night Cocktail Reception with JoCo and Friends, plus preferred seating at both Jonathan Coulton shows!
Stop talking! I want on the boat! BOOK NOW!
Cabin Pricing Table
The following prices are per person, based on double occupancy, and do not include taxes (currently $76.80, subject to minor change).
For single occupancy of cabins with a balcony (all V and S cabins), there is a premium equal to 100% of the listed price (Example: a single-occupancy VF cabin would cost $899 + $899 premium, or $1573 total); for cabins with no balcony (MM through C cabins), the premium is 50% of the listed price (Example: a single-occupancy MM cabin would cost $599 + $299.50 premium, or $898.50 total). Third and/or fourth occupants of a cabin (where applicable) will cost $299 each (plus the $76.80 per person taxes, subject to minor change).
For details and virtual tours of each stateroom category, click here to view the ms Eurodam interactive deck plan (requires Flash); or click here to go to the ms Eurodam main page and select the Staterooms menu option. Alternately, contact InSight Cruises at [email protected] or 650-787-5665 and theyll be happy to answer all your questions.
Category Price Max Occupancy
MM $599 2
M $609 2
L $619 2
K $629 2
J $639 4
I $649 4
H $699 3
GG $719 2
G $739 3
F $759 4
E $779 4
DD $799 4
D $819 4
C $839 4
VF $899 4
VE $959 3
VD $1,019 4
VC $1,079 4
VB $1,139 4
VA $1,189 3
V $1,239 3
VQ $1,289 2
SS $1,449 3
SC $1,999 3
SB $2,199 4
SA $2,399 4
Over the course of the cruise, I would say we only spent $300/each, but we splurged on a nicer room, so we conserved in other ways.
The shopping was passe (we're not into jewelry or HAL sweaters), but the duty free shop was cool--I got a tremendous deal on a rather large bottle of whiskey! Just have to remember that duty free purchases like that are delivered the night before disembarking, so you can't enjoy it on the cruise (they want you to buy from their bars).
In other ways I'm really sad that I won't be able to go, again.
ttfn
I was one of the not very many people who traveled alone and didn't have Insight/the cruise line pair them up with a roommate. I don't know if the fee I had to pay was a flat rate or a percentage, but my cruise fee was $759 and my single person premium was $379.50. (The room I got upgraded to was in the $800 plus range.) I haven't had a roommate since college and am consequently kind of squirrely about sharing space, so I'll probably plunk that down again unless I'm traveling with a friend, sharing with one of last year's Sea Monkeys I already know and feel comfortable with, or magically acquire some kind of sustainable romantic entanglement between now and when it's time to buy a cruise. Which probably means I will have a room to myself again.
I had the cruise line set me up with a hotel beforehand, which wound up being the Westin Ft. Lauderdale, at $229. I know for sure I could have gotten something cheaper on my own, maybe even something cheaper at the Westin on my own since my company usually has negotiated rates there, but I also met very excellent new friends in the lobby while we waited for the shuttle to the port.
I'm frankly embarrassed to tell anybody what my final tally on shipboard incidentals was. It was inflated by a trip to the spa, which is not something I'd repeat. The spa was lovely, my therapist was lovely, and my treatment was lovely, but I spent five years as a professional massage therapist, three of them at one of the ritziest spas in the South, and as a result I am very, very particular. Plus I learned that one of those things they tell you in massage school is actually true: If you go get a massage on vacation after days of drinking, rich food and too little sleep, you might just feel like crap afterward. I had thought that was frou-frou MT B.S., but no! It is not.
I had a phobia of flying at the time and took a luxury bus service called Red Coach from Atlanta to Miami for a cost of $80 round-trip. The cruise line transferred me to and from Miami, although they forgot me in Miami on the way in. They made up for that with free wine and an apology. I think the only way I would do that again is if I paid for a hotel room the night after and took the morning bus up the next day. But I can get on an airplane now, so in spite of all the TSA things, I will probably fly.
- 6 Concerts (almost 18 hours or so of pure stage entertainment)
- 6 day Gaming/Geek convention (we set up some the "panels" and events on our own, but a game room is provided and other celeb hosted events will be had as well)
- 6 day cruise (If you've never been on a cruise, they are just great! Meals are paid for, and you pretty much can stay on the boat for the pool, "casino", ship events, just laze about in the sun with a terrific ocean view or...)
-3 days of shore excursions in the Caribbean (As long as it's not Jamaica... If you haven't been to a Caribbean island, they are a treat!)
Add to the fact that the "celeb" will pretty much be among us as normal folks having a good time and vacationing as well. It's one big fun party for fans and entertainers alike. To me, it's definitely worth the money and travelling hassle. You might ask Angelastic, as I believe she traveled the farthest of anyone that I know of. I mean, if travelling to the States before had not been hassle enough for any other reason before, this is worth it even more so.
I thought before the first one that it was just going to be a nice vacation with some shows every night and maybe I'd meet some nice people. But what really happened was that every minute I was awake was fantastically, mind-blowingly cool. And being asleep was also cool because (unless you're prone to seasickness I guess) sleeping on the ship is AWESOME, because you're being gently rocked and there's soothing white noise from the engines all the time. I met new friends I would not trade for anything, and I came home inspired to work on all kinds of creative projects I had been procrastinating over for ages.
I can't speak for every single person who went or anything, but zero people I have talked to put the cruise into the "meh, it was OK" category.
I second everything MJPM and vilicious said, and would add: 7 days of living inside the internet for realz in 3D, with 450* of the most awesome people ever**.
* chicazul's estimate for JoCo Cruise Crazy 2
** Actually, I believe that all people are created equally awesome, but the people on that boat were awesome in such a way that the projection of their awesome vectors on mine was particularly high.
As I said that, I was thinking, "OK, can I really use an entire $100 drink card by myself?"
I finished the last of my $100 drink card on Wednesday.
I'm still going to try to make it happen.
Things that happened on the cruise that have not happened to me at concerts:
The karaoke was so awesome that even I'm considering completely butchering a JoCo song next cruise. And I've barely sung in front of anybody since that time I sang 'Angel of Music' during morning tea at school when I was six and realised everyone was looking at me. Imagine you know a singer who has the best fans in the world. Now imagine you can borrow those fans for five minutes, and they'll love it just as much when you screw up as they do when he does. That's what it looked like.