FREE FAMILY CRUISE BUDGET CALCULATOR · GOOGLE SHEETS + EXCEL
A $3,000 cruise can become $7,000+ once you add flights, hotels, excursions, drinks, and gratuities.
Know what your family cruise will actually cost — before you book. Free spreadsheet, in your inbox in 2 minutes.
One email. No spam. Reply with questions and they come to me, not a help desk.
This calculator is built from four real family cruises — Royal Caribbean, Caribbean and Europe. Not estimates. Not generic line items. The categories are the ones I actually pay for.
What this calculator shows you
- Your true total cruise cost — base fare plus the 5 categories most people forget
- Cost per person, auto-calculated — split fairly or budget per kid
- Estimated vs. actual columns — fill in real numbers as you book and watch your estimate sharpen
- A clear yes/no on the trip's affordability before you put down the deposit
- Works in any currency — built by a Canadian cruise family, works for everyone
Get your cruise cost in 2 minutes
You'll get the calculator straight to your inbox, plus a few short planning notes from me over the next two weeks. Reply if you get stuck — it comes to me, not a help desk.
Want to see the math behind this before you download? I published our complete 7-night cruise costs — every category, in Canadian dollars — in How Much Does a 7-Night Family Cruise Actually Cost? Those numbers are where this calculator's categories come from.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 7-night family cruise actually cost?
Our most recent 7-night cruise cost $8,479.58 CAD all-in for the three of us — fare, flights from Ottawa, hotel, excursions, and onboard spending. Your number will differ by ship, season, and departure city, which is exactly why a calculator beats anyone's average. The full line-by-line breakdown is in this article.
Does it work in Canadian dollars?
Yes — and any other currency. Whatever currency you enter is what it totals. The paid version on Etsy adds a built-in currency converter for pricing cruises quoted in USD against a CAD budget (Google Sheets only).
Is it actually free?
Yes. You enter an email address and the calculator arrives in your inbox. No credit card, no trial, and unsubscribing is one click.
Google Sheets or Excel?
Both. The download works in Excel as-is; for Google Sheets, upload the file and use File → Make a copy.
What's the difference between this and the $19 version?
Free: 5 budget categories, one trip, estimated-vs-actual tracking. The paid version ($19 CAD): 25+ categories, a currency converter, a savings tracker with weekly or biweekly targets to your sail date, 3-cruise comparison mode, and real sample data from one of our actual trips.
What do families most often forget to budget?
From our four cruises with the kids: gratuities (per person, per day — they add up to hundreds), travel insurance, the hotel and meals the night before embarkation (flying in the day before is non-negotiable for us), and Wi-Fi. Independently booked excursions are also often cheaper than ship-booked — the comparison is here.