The golden age of the budget cruise is slowly sailing away.
For decades, cruising was synonymous with affordable, middle-class family vacations. In 2025, however, the industry is undergoing a dramatic shift upmarket. The newest and most celebrated ships are no longer designed for the budget-conscious traveler; they are floating luxury resorts with a price tag to match. While budget options still exist on older ships, the industry’s focus has clearly shifted.
The dream of an inexpensive week at sea is being replaced by a much more exclusive and expensive reality.
1. The rise of new, ultra-luxury cruise lines.
The biggest sign of the industry’s shift is the arrival of new, ultra-luxury players that are not cruise lines in the traditional sense, but five-star hospitality brands. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and the soon-to-launch Aman at Sea are designed to feel like private superyachts, with all-suite accommodations, a high crew-to-guest ratio, and fares that can be thousands of dollars per day, The Guardian reports.
This has created a new, top tier of cruising that is explicitly for the ultra-wealthy, and it is pulling the entire market’s perception of price and luxury upward with it.
2. The “ship within a ship” concept creates a class system.
On mainstream lines like Norwegian and MSC, the most coveted real estate is now reserved for their exclusive “ship within a ship” enclaves, like The Haven and the Yacht Club. These are private, keycard-access-only areas with their own pools, restaurants, and lounges. They offer a serene, luxury experience away from the crowds on the main decks, but at a price that is often double or triple a standard balcony cabin, as per The New York Times.
This creates a very visible class system onboard, where the best amenities are reserved for those who can afford to pay a premium, reinforcing the idea that a truly great cruise experience is now a luxury product.
3. Onboard “extras” now cost a fortune.
The initial cruise fare is often just the beginning. The real cost of a modern cruise is in the endless stream of onboard upcharges. Wi-Fi, once a simple add-on, is now often part of a tiered package that can cost hundreds for a week. Specialty dining restaurants, which offer a higher quality of food than the main dining room, can be an extra $50-$100 per person, per meal.
Even the drink packages have skyrocketed in price, turning an “all-inclusive” vacation into one where you are constantly being sold to, a model that benefits from a wealthy clientele, Los Angeles Times shared.
4. Shore excursions are becoming incredibly expensive.
The cost of the official shore excursions sold by the cruise lines has risen dramatically. A simple half-day snorkeling trip or a guided tour of a historic site can now easily cost over $150 per person. For a family of four, this means that a single day in port can add an extra $600 to their vacation bill, a massive and often unexpected expense.
This high cost of exploring the destinations has made the trip much more expensive for those who want to do more than just walk around the port. It puts the “adventure” part of the vacation behind a significant paywall.
5. Last-minute deals are a thing of the past.
There was a time when you could snag an incredible last-minute deal on an unsold cruise cabin. Those days are largely over. The cruise lines have become much more sophisticated with their dynamic pricing models, and the post-pandemic travel boom has meant that most ships are now sailing at or near full capacity, especially the newer ones.
There is no longer an incentive for the cruise lines to slash prices at the last minute. This means that travelers now have to book far in advance and pay a premium for the most desirable ships and itineraries, making a spontaneous, budget-friendly cruise much harder to find.
6. The industry is focusing on longer, more exotic itineraries.
While the classic 7-day Caribbean cruise still exists, many of the new, high-end ships are being deployed on longer and more exotic itineraries, such as 12-day trips to Antarctica or multi-week journeys through Asia and the South Pacific. These are, by their very nature, much more expensive, “bucket list” trips that are aimed at an older, wealthier demographic with more time and money to spend.
This focus on high-yield, long-haul itineraries is another sign of the industry’s move away from the budget-friendly, mass-market model that defined it for so many years.
7. Interior cabins are being phased out on some new ships.
The cheapest way to get on a cruise has always been to book a small, windowless interior cabin. On some of the newest and most luxurious ships, however, these budget-friendly cabins are being designed out of existence. The cruise lines are choosing to build more profitable balcony cabins and suites instead, effectively eliminating the lowest-priced entry point.
This is a clear signal that they are targeting a more affluent customer who is willing and able to pay a premium for a room with a view, making it harder for the truly budget-conscious traveler to get onboard.
8. High, mandatory gratuities add to the final bill.
The practice of adding a mandatory, per-person, per-day gratuity to your final bill has become standard across the industry. This fee, which is meant to cover the tips for the dining and housekeeping staff, can now be over $20 per person, per day. For a family of four on a week-long cruise, this is an extra, non-negotiable charge of over $560.
While this is meant to ensure the crew is paid fairly, it is a significant and often surprising cost that is added on top of the already high cruise fare, further pushing the total price of the vacation up.