re: nickel and diming

This is all up to you, except for tips which are really de rigueur. And that's easy to budget for.

If you want to drink a lot of alcohol, you'll get stuck with pretty high costs per drink. There are ways around that for light drinkers.

The regular sit down dining has been very nice, I've never felt the need to pay extra for the fancier restaurants. I can't imagine them really being worth the extra cost. And the buffet and little specialty spots with hamburgers or pizza are free and open long hours when you don't want to be on a schedule.

Look into non-cruise line excursions and save 30% or more over the cruise line prices.