What We Actually Spent: A Real Day-by-Day Budget for Our American Cruise Lines Grand New England Cruise
Hi again, friends. Cheryl here from Yellow Umbrella Travel.
If you read Part One of our Grand New England cruise recap, you know we had an incredible 15 nights sailing out of Boston with American Cruise Lines. Today I’m pulling back the curtain on the number everyone actually wants to know: how much does an American Cruise Lines cruise really cost, down to the dollar?
One quick note before we dive in: planning a trip like this with Yellow Umbrella Travel costs you nothing extra. American Cruise Lines pays our commission, not you, so you get an advisor in your corner at no added cost.
American Cruise Lines is all-inclusive. Your stateroom, all your meals onboard, gratuities, the pre-cruise hotel night, some daily excursions, and transportation to and from the ship are already built into your fare. Everything you’re about to see below, aside from the cruise fare itself and our flights, was optional spending: meals we chose to eat off the ship, excursions we booked on our own, souvenirs, and extra tips. You could absolutely do this cruise for a lot less than we did if you stuck to what’s included. We just like to treat ourselves a bit. We ate at nice restaurants, found some great bakeries, and want to show you what that actually looks like in real numbers.
How Much Does an American Cruise Lines Cabin Cost? The Big-Ticket Items
Item | Cost |
|---|---|
Cruise fare, 2 adults, Vista Balcony stateroom | $29,300.00 |
Round-trip flights (Delta Comfort, San Antonio to Boston, 2 people at $498.40 each) | $996.80 |
A money-saving tip: We booked the Vista Balcony category, which is on the 3rd level. After walking the ship and comparing, we realized the Premium Balcony category, one level down on deck 2, has the exact same square footage, the same layout, and the same view. The only real difference is the floor number. If we booked again, we’d choose Premium Balcony and pocket the roughly $700 per person difference. That’s a meaningful amount back in your pocket for the same room.
Day-by-Day Spending Onshore
Here’s exactly what we spent each day of the cruise on food, tours, and extras beyond what was included. Some of these were excursions booked directly through American Cruise Lines; most were things we chose to do or eat on our own.
Date | Port | What We Spent It On | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
June 14 | Boston (embarkation day) | Hotel breakfast buffet, with tip | $80.00 |
June 15 | Portland, ME | Lyft ($10.00) + couple’s massage ($345.00) + Lyft ($20.98) + lunch at Luke’s Lobster ($108.80) | $484.78 |
June 16 | Bath, ME | Bakery breakfast | $15.62 |
June 17 | Boothbay Harbor, ME | Independent puffin-watching cruise ($173.10) + guide tip ($10.00) + popcorn ($20.52) | $203.62 |
June 18 | Bar Harbor, ME | Guide tip ($10.00) + dinner out ($130.55) + Lyft ($12.95) + ACL excursion, “A Day in Bar Harbor” for 2 people ($230.00) + guide tips ($30.00) | $413.50 |
June 20 | Rockland/Camden, ME | Pastries at a cafe ($32.52) + small art piece ($15.81) + donation to Puffin Preservation Society ($20.00) | $68.33 |
June 21 | Portsmouth, NH | Bakery brunch | $53.60 |
June 22 | Gloucester, MA (Salem excursion) | ACL excursion, “Historic Salem / House of the Seven Gables” for 2 people ($190.00) + independent trolley tour ($50.00) + Salem Witch Museum ($50.00) + trolley/guide tips ($40.00) | $330.00 |
June 23 | Provincetown, MA | ACL excursion, “The Heart of Provincetown Walking Exploration” for 2 people ($60.00) + dinner out ($87.00) + cupcakes ($17.00) | $164.00 |
June 24 | Plymouth, MA | ACL excursion, “Historic Plymouth Colony Walking Exploration” for 2 people ($70.00) + lunch ($36.16) + guide tip ($20.00) | $126.16 |
June 25 | Newport, RI | ACL excursion, “The Breakers Mansion Experience” for 2 people ($90.00) | $90.00 |
June 26 & 27 | Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket (Sconset day) | Rental car ($300.00) + lunch ($60.00) + lobster dinner ($124.08) + lunch off ship ($56.12) | $540.20 |
June 28 | Boston (disembarkation) | Uber to the airport | $33.99 |
Subtotal, onshore spending: $2,603.80
Note on this table: the Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket line item is corrected here to $540.20 to match the four expenses listed for that day ($300.00 + $60.00 + $124.08 + $56.12). The original draft listed $520.20 for that row, which was a $20 typo. The $2,603.80 subtotal and every total below were already calculated correctly using the true $540.20 figure, so nothing else changes. Flagging this so the published version is fully consistent.
Extra Tips & Souvenirs
Remember, gratuities are already included in your fare, so none of this was required. It’s just how we chose to say thank you and bring a little bit of the trip home with us.
Item | Cost |
|---|---|
Extra tip to our housekeeper | $100.00 |
Extra cash tips to various waitstaff | $100.00 |
A sweatshirt and t-shirt | $181.00 |
A ship replica model, with shipping | $725.00 |
Subtotal, tips & souvenirs: $1,106.00
The Grand Total
Category | Cost |
|---|---|
Cruise fare (2 adults) | $29,300.00 |
Flights (2 people) | $996.80 |
Onshore spending (excursions, meals, extras) | $2,603.80 |
Extra tips & souvenirs | $1,106.00 |
Total | $34,006.60 |
Per person | $17,003.30 |
Remember, this is with us eating off the ship several times, booking an independent puffin cruise, renting a car for a day, getting a couple’s massage, buying a ship model, and choosing the pricier cabin category. If you stuck to the included meals, skipped the souvenirs, and booked the Premium Balcony instead, you could easily bring your own total down by several thousand dollars (over $5,000 in our case) and still have an incredible trip.
A Few Takeaways for Your Own Budget
- Book Premium Balcony over Vista Balcony if a step-out balcony matters to you. You get the same room, the same view, and a lower deck, but with real savings.
- The included excursions are great on their own. We only spent $640 total on ACL-booked excursions for both of us across the whole 15 nights, and every day had a complimentary option we could have taken instead.
- Off-ship meals add up fast, especially if you love trying local restaurants like we do. Budget accordingly if that’s important to you, or lean on the included onboard dining to save.
- Independent excursions, like our puffin cruise, are worth it if there’s something specific you want to see that isn’t part of the standard itinerary. Just know it’s on top of your cruise fare.
- Souvenirs can be the wildcard. We love bringing home art and sculptures from our travels, so our ship replica model might look like a splurge to some, but it’s something we don’t regret since we’d been looking for just the right one for years. It’s also the single biggest “extra” line item on this whole list.
Frequently Asked Questions About American Cruise Lines Costs
Our own 15-night Grand New England cruise for two adults came to $34,006.60 total, or $17,003.30 per person, including the cruise fare, flights, and every optional extra we chose to add. Your own total will vary based on cabin category and how much you spend onshore, but this gives you a real reference point beyond the base fare.
Your stateroom, all onboard meals, gratuities, a pre-cruise hotel night, some daily excursions, and transportation to and from the ship. Anything beyond that, like off-ship dining, independent excursions, and souvenirs, is optional spending on top of the fare.
On our ship, Premium Balcony (deck 2) had the same square footage, layout, and view as Vista Balcony (deck 3), for roughly $700 per person less. If a walk-out balcony matters to you but the deck number doesn’t, Premium Balcony is worth a look.
We spent $640 total on American Cruise Lines-booked excursions for two people across 15 nights, and we also paid extra for a few independent activities we booked on our own, like a puffin-watching cruise and a rental car day. Included excursions cover a lot; independent ones are worth it for anything specific you want to see.
No. Gratuities are already built into your fare. Any additional tips, like the extra cash we gave our housekeeper and waitstaff, are a personal choice, not an expectation.
Ready to Plan Your Own Cruise?
Ready to start planning your own Grand New England cruise, or want help figuring out what your version of this trip would cost? That’s exactly what I’m here for. Planning services at Yellow Umbrella Travel are completely complimentary. American Cruise Lines pays our commission, so you pay the same fare you’d pay booking direct, and you get an advisor who has actually done this itinerary.
Reach out to me at Yellow Umbrella Travel, book a free consultation call, or call us at 512-955-1320, and let’s build a budget and an itinerary that fits exactly what you’re looking for.
