I started cruising in 2007, and since then I have had a few cabin bills that I’d like to forget – sometimes we over indulge just a little too much, but I suppose some would argue and say that’s what cruising for some people is all about, enjoying themselves. With that said, I wanted to share some stories with you, stories that are 100% true!

I’ll start by getting on my mother’s bad side and telling you about something she did. My family went on a cruise last summer aboard Thomson Spirit, it was their second time aboard the ship, but they were visiting all new ports of call in the Mediterranean. When they returned home, they told me all about their adventure and how good everything had been onboard, but that maybe next time they would cut out flying and sail with a cruise line that offers no-fly options from the UK. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until I came across a bulging folder that was placed on the table in the dining room. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened it to find that the folder was full of pictures from their cruise, pictures that had been taken by the onboard photographer and there were NINETY-SIX of them! I didn’t know what to say, but surprisingly words just kept spewing from my mouth. I literally couldn’t help myself. I cringe at the thought of buying 1 photograph onboard because they are so over-priced, but NINETY-SIX!! I’ve never seen them since. I don’t know where they were “safely stored”, but I’m assuming they are still in the house, somewhere!

I met a gentleman on Britannia in 2015 who managed to blow £3,500 in the casino in one night. Needless to say, we didn’t see him for the following few days (his wife literally put him on cabin arrest), but when he finally did emerge, he was on his best behaviour – for about 5 minutes. There were several of us that became friends during the cruise and as we sailed away from our final port, we all bought him a drink, which in hindsight was probably not a good idea because a few drinks later and there he was, at the bar, buying a round for all of us. He was a nice man, but he always pushed the boundaries and I expect he got on his wife’s bad side more than once during the cruise!

My cabin bill from hell isn’t because of over-indulgence (I know, I can sense your shock) as the only time I have had a cabin bill that really did make my stomach turn was when I had the pleasure of an audience with the onboard Doctor. I had to have a piece of grit removed from my inner-eyelid, I tried everything I could to get it out myself, even my friend that worked on reception had tried and soaked me with water in the process, but it was no use and off I went down the stairs to THAT dreaded deck. The nurse filled my eye with fluorescein (that bright orange stuff that hangs around for about a week) and she and the doctor did what they needed to do. By the end of the procedure I had a bright orange, swollen eye. I must have sensed what the doctor was thinking though because just as he was about to speak, I looked at him and said don’t you even think about giving me an eye patch, I’ll NEVER live that one down! He smiled and said OK. My eye was quite swollen for a few days (I had to use drops twice a day for a week) and I couldn’t wear make-up, so I lived in my sunglasses day and night, good job I was in the Caribbean! My Deck 4 visit cost me £300, but I dread to think what some people have had to spend on medical treatment onboard.

Have you had a cabin bill that you’d like to forget?