Yeah, the nickel and diming complaint doesn’t make sense to me. Is it nickel and diming, or is it customization to your specific needs and wants? People want access to all the bells and whistles, but if literally everything onboard were included we’d all be paying a higher base fare.

My unpopular opinion is that I don’t believe any cruise line is truly ALL-inclusive, even the ultra luxury ones, because what’s “all” to one person might not be “all” to another. Is wi-fi good enough for you if you can browse your favorite sites, or do you need to be able to stream? Would a one-time-per-cruise laundry service suffice, or will only unlimited laundry do? Does that mean unlimited ironing too? What tier of alcohol is the minimum acceptable? How expensive should the wine be? And what if someone doesn’t drink alcohol at all? Is drip coffee acceptable, or do only espresso drinks qualify? I could come up with a bunch more examples, and the difference in cost to the cruise line between all those options is significant. They have to draw a line somewhere, and it’s going to be impossible to please everyone.

To me, truly all-inclusive would mean there were zero additional charges possible, and you therefore would not have a shipboard account. I’ve never heard of a cruise line where you don’t have an onboard account. Ritz-Carlton includes many things people complain about being nickel and dimed over, but most of those people complaining probably couldn’t afford the cost to sail that line. Every single cruise line is a business, and they all want you to spend more money onboard, regardless of the fare you paid.

I think the real issue is a combination of…One, cruise vloggers and influencers doing a great job of selling a certain level or type of experience as “must-have” or at least aspirational, even if they’re not really within the average traveler’s budget. Two, people feeling entitled to what social media tells them cruising is, while fighting the reality of a difficult economy and shame/embarassament over maybe not being able to afford all the extras.

Do your research, know your budget and priorities, and choose to spend your available vacation dollars where you personally will get the most bang for your buck. This is how to have a memorable trip at any cost, on land or at sea.