Experienced Dielmann Cruisers - $$ questions

[Suzanne123]

I haven't received final travel docs for Princesse de Provence yet so I'm hoping you can advise -- Will I have a shipboard account, or do I pay as I go for tours, tips, etc? I purchased their tour package. Do I tip the tour guides, and if so, how much? Is there an ATM on board, or should I find one before I board?
Is it safe to carry a small purse while on tour or what should I do with my money, credit cards and "stuff" while touring? Thanks for any suggestions.

[steamboats]

Suzanne123,

Sure you have an onboard account. Any tours (if not prepaid) and all onboard charges (gift shop, beauty shop, drinks) are put on the onboard account and are charged to your credit card.

Tips are cash only. I´ve been only on one tour and I didn´t see anyone tipping any guides. This is not very common in Europe. As for our cruise on the MV Mozart Deilmann is using one bus company and the buses come along with the ship. If you´re going on every tour with a prepaid package you might want to tip your bus driver in cash by the end of the cruise.

No, there are no ATM´s onboard. You´ll have to find one ashore but that´s usually not a big thing.

On the Mozart we had some kind of safe deposit box, a lockable drawer in the writing desk. For anything more valuable you should use the saftey deposit boxes provided at the reception desk. Anyway you should be fine carrying your credit cards and some cash in a purse on your tours. Anyway you might need your credit card for some souvenir purchase.

We haven´t been on the Princess de Provence but it should be the same there. You might also want to read my review of our Mozart cruise linked in my signature to get an impression of what to expect from a Deilmann cruise.

steamboats

[Suzanne123]

Steamboats - I have spent the last hour reading your reviews -- not just the Mozart, but all of them! Are you a travel writer by profession? If not, you should consider it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences.

[steamboats]

Suzanne123,

Thanks a lot. No, I´m no writer by profession (I´ve studied law working for the state of Bavaria). In fact DH is a journalist but I´m writing the reviews :D . I´m reading and posting on this board for quite a while and there´s a wide range of questions which are popping up let´s say every year. I tried more or less to "collect" these questions and write reviews answering - hopefully - most of them as most of the websites of the cruise companies aren´t very informative about what you´ll find in your cabin, shore tours, bar costs and all that stuff.

steamboats