Trying to figure out how much spending money is needed on the ship.

[Crunchy Mountain Mama]

Hello,
We are taking a first cruise in just a few weeks. I am trying to figure out how much money we will need for spending. :confused:

What besides souveniers do you generally buy on the ship?

Do you bring cash on the ship and exchange it for ship credit?

What about spending money in ports? Is it better to bring travelers checks for everything? Or is cash better in ports?

How about tips? Can we pay those up front? Or do we need to have that set aside for the last day to tip out?

Anything else you can think of that has to do with spending money?

Thank you for any help!:D

[Host Mick]

Welcome, I'll take a shot at your questions.
On the ship, you can spend a fortune oe very little. The common expenses are spa treatments, wine served with meals, alcoholic beverages from the bars, shore excursions and tips. Lesser charges are child care at the nursery, bingo Palo's charge and photos.

For your onboard account, they want a deposit up-front. They take your credit card number or ask for $500 cash if you don't want to use a card. Once you run-up $500 in charges, they charge your card or call you for more cash.

Traveler's checks are getting harder to use because of counterfeits. All of the cruise ports serving U.S.-Based cruise ships take U.S. Dollars and nearly every store takes Visa and M/C so don't take much cash ashore. There's a safe in your room for cash.

You can pay up-front but how will you know how much to tip? I'm a believer in using the tipping guidelines as guidelines. Tip more for exceptional service and tip less for sub-standard service.
Most people tip directly using envelopes provided for that purpose, you can also room-charge your tips. Don't count on going to Guest Services the last evening, the lines are long. Plan ahead.

If you have kids, consider picking up some Disney Dollars at the Disney Store or a Disney gift card with their souvenier budget on it. They feel so grown-up when they hand-over that card and they can learn a little financial responsibility.

Enjoy your cruise.