Watch out for these 6 fees and 1 sneaky trick that could make your cruise vacation more expensive

• Traveling on a cruise ship can be cheaper than replicating the itinerary with flights and hotels.
• But small fees can quickly increase the cost of your vacation at sea.

If you're not careful, you could easily blow past the base fare of your cruise vacation.

Compared to recreating a cruise itinerary with airfare and hotels, booking a vacation at sea could be an economical vacation option. After all, the ticket includes accommodations, access to the pool deck, food, and entertainment.

But on top of the price to sail, you could find yourself dishing out more cash than you initially anticipated. And it's not just for the fun excursions at port: Expect to pay up for comforts like WiFi, nice restaurants, and booze.

If you're new to cruises, these are the six fees to watch out for and one sneaky psychological trick that could get you to spend more, especially if you're traveling on a new ship filled with attractive and expensive amenities.

1. Flights

Budgeting for the cost of flights is an obvious must-do when planning a vacation. But for travelers interested in taking a European cruise, Patrick Scholes, an analyst at Truist Securities, suggests booking airfare before the cruise. If not, your flight could be more expensive than the sailing itself.

Let's look at an example: From May 10 to 12, Royal Caribbean says its Anthem of the Seas will sail two nights roundtrip from Southampton, England to Le Havre, France starting at $366 per person. But roundtrip flights can easily match or exceed that price, more than doubling the cost of the entire trip.

2. WiFi

Spending days without internet connectivity may seem impossible to some travelers. And cruise lines know that — WiFi on ships can range from about $10 to well over $20.

With Carnival, the ability to browse social media sites like Instagram and Facebook starts at $12.75 a day. But for people who want access to all of the internet, it'll be $17 a day. And this still doesn't include streaming or video calls, which is an additional $1.70 daily.

With Norwegian Cruise Line, be ready to pay $30 a day for one device. Again, this doesn't include streaming, which is an additional $10 daily.

3. Specialty dining

Cruise fares generally include access to venues like the buffet and the main dining room. But if you want to splurge on a sushi or steakhouse dinner, you'll have to pay up.

For example, a teppanyaki dinner at Royal Caribbean's Izumi restaurant starts at $46 per person. But if you plan to hit at least three specialty restaurants during your cruise, you're better off buying the unlimited or three, four, or five-restaurant package starting at $75 per person for three venues.

4. Alcohol

Be prepared to pay for the luxury of sunbathing on the pool deck with a piña colada in hand. Many major cruise lines sell beverage packages for soda and alcohol drinkers.

With Carnival, this starts at $60 a day — not including the 18% service charge — for spirits, sodas, and caffeine under $20 each with a limit of 15 alcoholic beverages daily. With Norwegian, the Premium Plus beverage package is $138 daily plus gratuity.

5. Onboard activities

Everyone knows excursions at port cost extra money to book. But on the ship itself, there are plenty of fun activities that could quietly drain your wallet as well.

From robotic rides to fancy spas to water parks at sea, several new cruise ships are decked out with enticing amenities. And of course, guests may have to pay to access some of them.

On the Norwegian Prima, it's $29 for one hour of unlimited play in the VR arcade. To go-kart, it'll be $15 per person.

6. Gratuity

On cruise lines like luxury newcomer Explora Journeys, gratuity is included in the base fare. But with lines like Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian, daily gratuity payments have been increasing. On the latter, this daily tip rate was increased from $20 to $25 in 2023 for passengers staying in the most expensive suites.

Increasing daily gratuities — while some companies like Norwegian have cut back on housekeeping services — serves as an automatic pay boost for the crew, helping cruise lines attract more workers, Scholes told Business Insider in early 2023.

7. Pre-booking activities before the cruise

Cruise lines have been making a "huge effort" to pre-book onboard activities, Robin Farley, a leisure analyst at UBS, told Business Insider. While not a specific fee, customers who tend to do this could find themselves splurging more during their vacation.

In the second quarter of 2023, about two-thirds of Royal Caribbean Group's travelers reserved some "onboard activities" before the vacation, "translating into incremental spend once on board," Jason Liberty, the cruise giant's CEO, told investors in a call in July.

Travelers tend to book their vacations at sea — and additional packages — six to nine months in advance. So when it's finally time to travel and those initial costs have been paid off, some end up boarding the cruise ready to spend as if they hadn't already, Scholes told Business Insider in early 2023. But as long as you're keeping a close eye on how much you've been spending, this probably won't be an issue.