I booked a 7-day Alaska cruise for $799 but actually spent $2,800 with extras. Take a closer look at what made it so pricey.

• I thought I got a great deal this summer when I booked a seven-day Alaska cruise for $799 a person.

• I spent $2,800 on excursions, WiFi, a drinks package, port fees, and specialty dining.

• Even though I paid $2,000 more than the base price, it was worth it.

I'm an experienced cruiser who has sailed around the globe, so I was excited to take my husband on his first cruise last summer to celebrate his birthday.

We chose a seven-day Princess Cruise to Alaska in and out of Seattle on the Royal Princess. The ship would visit the Inside Passage with a day cruising in Glacier Bay National Park, two full days at sea, stops at Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan in Alaska, and a stop at Victoria in Canada.

I had cruised with Princess before and liked how it offers a sweet spot between casual and luxurious. It was also the first time we had visited Alaska, and since seven Princess ships sail there, I felt confident that they were experts in cruising America's last frontier.

The base price for the cruise was $799 a person, which included an interior stateroom, all meals not served in specialty restaurants, and entertainment.

I thought that was cheap, but as an experienced cruiser, I knew there would be extras, such as WiFi, beverages, excursions, and upscale dining.

In the end, I spent just over $2,800 a person — $2,000 more than the base price. While it wasn't the cheap deal I originally booked, considering our fabulous trip, I thought the price was well worth it.

Here's a closer look at how we spent our money.

The base price included many things on board the Royal Princess.

The Royal Princess is a large ship with 1,780 cabins for 3,560 guests. There are 19 passenger decks, eight with guest accommodations.

Our stateroom was 170 square feet, which felt compact but was just right for two people. We had a queen-size bed and a bathroom with a shower.

The ship felt like a gigantic floating hotel and most amenities and activities were included in the fare. That included access to two swimming pools, eight hot tubs, a spa, a fitness center, and a variety of dining venues, from buffets to a pizzeria. Specialty and upscale dining cost extra, but more on that later.

My first purchase was the Princess Premier Package, which cost $80 a person a day.

Along with my base fare, I purchased the Princess Premier Package for myself for $80 a person a day.

The package includes WiFi for up to four devices, alcoholic beverages and wine by the glass worth up to $20, unlimited drinks from the juice bar, specialty coffee, and premium desserts such as gelato.

Crew gratuity, room service, fitness classes, and two meals at specialty restaurants are also part of the package.

You have to purchase the package for the duration of the cruise, which totaled $560 for me for seven days.

My biggest additional expenses came from shore excursions.

The cruise had stops in Alaska in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

As much as I enjoy shipboard life, to really experience Alaska, I knew I wanted to disembark and explore each port.

While it's free to simply leave the boat and walk around each port, with only a day in most locations, I thought I'd get a better sense of the destination by booking official shore excursions hosted by the cruise line. These excursions are soup-to-nuts packages that take care of all the details and make the most of the time in each port.

You can still book excursions with local tour operators unaffiliated with the cruise line, but I preferred booking all of mine through Princess because I knew the day would be tailored around when I needed to be back on the boat.

I booked each excursion in advance — I know from experience that popular shore excursions tend to sell out — and spent $930 total a person on all three of them.

I spent $480 a person for a luxury whale-watching tour in Juneau.

Our first port of call was Juneau, Alaska.

There, I booked an all-inclusive, four-hour luxury whale-watching group tour on a yacht with room for eight passengers. It cost my husband and I $480 each.

Once off the ship, a representative greeted us and drove the group to Auke Bay to board our yacht, which felt swanky with its leather seats and polished chrome.

Our crew included the captain and Emma, a naturalist, who helped us spot wildlife. Emma encouraged questions and was a wealth of information on all things Alaska.

The yacht brought us incredibly close to orcas, humpback whales, harbor seals, and sea lions. Champagne, Alaskan beer, and a big charcuterie platter were included in the price, too.

It was a once-in-a lifetime experience, and well worth the $480-a-person cost.

I paid $210 to kayak in Skagway, Alaska.

I love kayaking and didn't want to miss the chance to paddle in Alaska, so I booked Princess' Chilkoot Lake Kayak Experience for $210 a person.

We joined 20 other passengers on a high-speed, 45-minute ferry ride to Haines. As our ferry journeyed through a deep fjord, we saw whales breaching, eagles soaring, and bears along the shoreline.

When we arrived in Haines, a bus drove us to the lake, where a guide gave us a brief lesson on paddling technique before we hopped into double and triple kayaks on blue water surrounded by tall peaks.

We paddled for about 90 minutes before the coach brought us back to the ferry. A simple picnic lunch of sandwiches, chips, and hot coffee awaited us as part of our rate.

A tour of totem poles, a salmon cannery, and a rainforest walk cost $240 each.

Ketchikan was our last stop in Alaska. It's an excellent destination to explore Native Alaskan culture, particularly to learn about totem poles.

I booked the Best of Ketchikan: Totems, Wildlife Cruise & Alaska Appetizers excursion, a four-hour tour for $240 a person.

Our group of 16 began the trip with a narrated wildlife cruise to a former salmon cannery where a guided tour and interactive exhibits helped us understand the importance of salmon canning to the state's growth.

Next, we snacked on locally made reindeer sausage and wild-berry cookies.

Well-fortified, we took a short walk through the rainforest before getting on a bus to Saxman Native Village to watch totem poles being hand-carved and to view a collection of them.

Back on board the ship, I paid $60 for access to an adults-only space.

The Sanctuary is an adults-only, outdoor area at the ship's bow where you can reserve a chaise lounge for a half or full day for $20 or $40, respectively.

It's the only section of the ship where you can have a tranquil, adult-only outdoor experience, with room for approximately 30 people.

We went once, on our scenic-cruise day — the day the ship traversed Glacier Bay National Park.

I knew the ship would be hectic on this day because every passenger was on board and wanted a good view of the passing scenery.

As such, a half day in the Sanctuary cost $60 — more than any other day.

But our access provided us with a front-row seat as we sailed by breathtakingly beautiful glaciers.

Plus, there were only a few dozen other passengers there, and the helpful staff kept bringing us extra blankets to offset the chilly air. A breakfast buffet with fresh fruit, smoked salmon, croissants, and more took the experience up a notch.

I happily forked over $22 for sushi in a specialty restaurant.

Many restaurants, including the three main dining rooms with waiter service, buffets, and a pizzeria are included in the base cruise price, but several upscale-dining spots incur an extra charge.

But because I'm a sushi fanatic, I knew I'd pay extra to eat at Ocean Terrace, the ship's sushi bar.

We ordered an assortment of sushi, sashimi, and edamame for lunch. It was extremely fresh, and I thought it was well worth the $22 a person we paid. Unlike some other upscale dining options, my meal was not a flat fee, but based on what I ordered.

Considering other sushi meals I've had, I thought it was inexpensive and had I discovered it sooner, I would have eaten at Ocean Terrace several more times.

For my husband's birthday, I booked the chef's table for $130 a person with wine pairings.

On my husband's actual birthday, I wanted him to have a VIP culinary experience.

I booked the upscale chef's table for $130 per person with wine pairings. The chef personally greeted us to discuss the menu and how he chose and sourced ingredients, making it an interesting experience for foodies like us.

The intimate dinner took place in a private section of the dining room at a table set with fine china and crisp linens.

Two other couples we didn't know joined us, but by the end of the meal, we'd forged a casual shipboard friendship. There's no dress code, but it was a great opportunity to wear our fanciest outfits.

We started with Champagne and hors d'oeuvres before a feast of ceviche, creamy risotto, tender filet mignon, and an individual strawberry cake. The food was luscious, though it was the presentation and service that made it truly memorable.

I paid $35 for a repeat meal at Sabatini's Italian restaurant.

While most specialty dining incurs an extra fee, two meals at premium restaurants were included as a perk my Princess Premier Package.

One was at the ship's steakhouse, Crown Grill, and another was at the Italian restaurant, Sabatini's.

My husband is Italian, and I lived in Italy for many years, so we are tough critics when it comes to Italian cuisine. But we liked our meal so much that we returned a second time and paid $35 a person to do so.

We enjoyed paper-thin slices of tender veal topped with a rich tuna-and-caper sauce that gave my favorite trattoria in Milan a run for its money. Other standouts included spaghetti in a briny sauce of scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, and baked striped bass with polenta.

Finally, port fees and taxes cost an extra $272 a person.

New cruisers might not realize they'll always have to pay for three things, even if they skip all specialty experiences and excursions: gratuities, taxes, and port fees.

My gratuities were included in the Princess Premier Package, but port fees and taxes cost us an extra $272 a person. These are for the charges your ship pays to dock at various ports of call. Passengers pay these fees, which are not included in the base price of the cruise.

My total cost for the cruise was $2,808 a person, and I have no regrets.

All of my cruise extras came to $2,009. With the $799 I paid when I initially booked the cruise, the grand total for just me came to $2,808. For both me and my husband, it was $5,616 in total.

While it was a lot more than initially advertised, it was an unforgettable experience that was worth every penny. I would spend it again in a heartbeat.

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