They aren't hidden. They'll be posted prominently. Yes, you have to pay extra for the wall, the virtual golf, the specialty oriental and steak restaurants - including Johnny Rockets entry fee and for some of their ice cream desserts.
When I said "hidden", what I mean is that I have never cruised before, and I was under the impression that food and ship activities are included. Now I am finding out that some aren't. So I want to be prepared, and not shocked that after spending $6,000 on a cruise that I will be charged $3.00 for ice cream or a sur-charge to get a burger from Johnny Rocket's. Also what about the arcade for kid's. Are there tokens that are given out, or do you have to pay for that too?
Kel,
I understand your confusion, but here are some specifics. Food in the main dining room, the Windjammer Cafe (standard buffet) and Jade (the Asian fusion buffet), the Promenade Cafe, room service are all included in your fare. There are 2 specialty restaurants: Chops (steaks, etc) and Portofino (Italian) that charge a $20 cover pp, specialty coffee's at Seattle's Best, Ben&Jerrys ice cream and Johhny Rocket's ($3.95 pp cover but you can order as much as you want + an extra charge for milkshakes/malts) are all extra. BTW, right next to Ben&Jerry's is a self-serve ice cream station (actually frozen yogurt) that is free and they serve burgers and fries not much different than those at Johnny Rockets in the Windjammer for free.
As for activities: Almost all activities are included such as, the rock climbing wall, mini-golf & ice skating. The Video Arcade takes tokens but they are purchased against your SeaPass card (no freebies).
I was mistaken about the rock wall. I looked back in our junk from the Mariner cruise we took in 2004 and the wall is free.
The reason for the $3.95 fee for Rockets is supposedly to better control usage - they tried it no-charge initially and the place was constantly overrun with teens who sat at the booths for hours eating fries and talking. As Nancy notes - once inside you can order all the food your want but some of the ice cream specialties cost extra (as do all sodas and bar drinks).
The arcade is located - conveniently (ahem) - next to Rockets. There are token dispensers which take your cruise card and charge it accordingly. Be aware of the arcade - it can get costly if your kids are like mine.
This is the nature of cruising these days. They hold down the basic fares by charging for things that used to be included. Sodas used to be included in most cruise fares, but they aren't anymore - at least with the mainstream lines. Included ice cream can still be found, but many of the lines push "premium" ice cream ala Ben and Jerry's or Baskin Robbins. Frankly, I like the frozen yogurt on RCCL better than the premium stuff.
The nickel and diming bothers me too, but then I realize that the basic per diem cost of a cruise today is not much different than it was in 1980, and when I consider inflation I understand why they are charging for ice cream and sodas. The cruise lines could still include all of this stuff, but then the per diems would be much higher and would reflect their costs today. Nowadays, only the "premium" lines include most things. But you pay for it one way or another. Most of the mainstream lines have adopted an ala carte theme, to a certain extent.
Dear Kel
The biggest savings is the purchase the soda card. I think it is around $40 bucks for unlimited soda. My husband and I bought one of these and just kept trading it back and forth when one of us wanted a soda. So basically it was $40 for 2 people.
Linear Mode
