How much cash to bring.

I'm trying to decide how much cash to bring with me, mostly for the ports. We'll be using a substantial obc & I'll bring some $1 for room service, so on board is covered.

I'm thinking about taking a taxi (2 adults, one toddler) to a couple beaches on St Maarten & on St Thomas, renting chairs w/umbrellas & some light food & beverages. We are not big shoppers, so probably will skip that part f town.

So, how much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore? How do you keep it safe at the beach? Think $200 - $300 would be good for the week?

I'm trying to decide how much cash to bring with me, mostly for the ports. We'll be using a substantial obc & I'll bring some $1 for room service, so on board is covered.

 

I'm thinking about taking a taxi (2 adults, one toddler) to a couple beaches on St Maarten & on St Thomas, renting chairs w/umbrellas & some light food & beverages. We are not big shoppers, so probably will skip that part f town.

 

So, how much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore? How do you keep it safe at the beach? Think $200 - $300 would be good for the week?

St Maarten taxi will cost you $32RT and St Thomas will be about the same. Chairs and umbrellas will cost $5 each at both places. You can use a CC for your food and beverages. I'd bring $1 and $5 bills.

Even though we may not spend it all, we'd never travel away from home for a week with less than 7-800.00 in cash.

I'm trying to decide how much cash to bring with me, mostly for the ports. We'll be using a substantial obc & I'll bring some $1 for room service, so on board is covered.

 

I'm thinking about taking a taxi (2 adults, one toddler) to a couple beaches on St Maarten & on St Thomas, renting chairs w/umbrellas & some light food & beverages. We are not big shoppers, so probably will skip that part f town.

 

So, how much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore? How do you keep it safe at the beach? Think $200 - $300 would be good for the week?

You can never take too much cash. If you do not spend it, bring it home.

As for keeping it safe, that is what your safe is for.

Remember the mantra: Bring less clothes and more money.

I usually budget $100 a day.

I'm trying to decide how much cash to bring with me, mostly for the ports. We'll be using a substantial obc & I'll bring some $1 for room service, so on board is covered.

 

I'm thinking about taking a taxi (2 adults, one toddler) to a couple beaches on St Maarten & on St Thomas, renting chairs w/umbrellas & some light food & beverages. We are not big shoppers, so probably will skip that part f town.

 

So, how much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore? How do you keep it safe at the beach? Think $200 - $300 would be good for the week?

I'm not sure $200-$300 for the week is enough. We never go with less than $700 cash for a week-long cruise. It depends on how much you plan to spend, but we always use cash in ports and never our credit/debit card. We like to always have a little extra for that "just in case" moment.....

I would plan on at least 200 for each port. We usually take at least 800 for a week long cruise. If you can stay out of the casino you can probably manage with less. It won't matter if you take more but if you don't take enough the ATM fees onboard and cash advance fees on your sea pass card are alot higher than at home. better to be safe than sorry!!

Remember the mantra: Bring less clothes and more money.

 

I usually budget $100 a day.

That's pretty much what we budget as well. I like to get the spending money in traveler's cheques, and cash them at guest services (for free). We take out what we need and leave the rest in our safe. I like having the security of the cheques.

I find that $200-300 is usually good for us for a week. And, we bring a credit card for us for shopping. If you happen to drive to the port, then I would bring cash to pay for parking too ($20/day) just in case the credit card machine is not working. That has happened to us several times in the past with NCL, but never with Royal.

We never bring much cash, I just draw it from the Casino when I need cash, charges to my credit card and I get my rewards and then i pay it off when I get home.

We never bring much cash, I just draw it from the Casino when I need cash, charges to my credit card and I get my rewards and then i pay it off when I get home.

Royal Caribbean charges a fee to get cash on your credit card. Carnival did not -- at least not on my Carnival Ecstasy cruise January, 2010.

With a 3% fee, I doubt rewards are greater than the fee ... though I guess you could look at it like they cut into the cost of getting cash onboard.

I'm trying to decide how much cash to bring with me, mostly for the ports. We'll be using a substantial obc & I'll bring some $1 for room service, so on board is covered.

 

I'm thinking about taking a taxi (2 adults, one toddler) to a couple beaches on St Maarten & on St Thomas, renting chairs w/umbrellas & some light food & beverages. We are not big shoppers, so probably will skip that part f town.

 

So, how much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore? How do you keep it safe at the beach? Think $200 - $300 would be good for the week?

$1,000 on a 7-9 night (depending on how many ports), and $300 each time we go on shore to the beach. Knowing we will use a card for food and drinks if it is taken, we expect to come back to the ship each time with some cash, but never want to be cut short. We basically use a taxi to and from, rent chairs and an umbrella, eat and drink, not into typical souveniers and Im not accounting for $$ if we do shop, but again, those are credit card purchases.

We usually bring $1000+ spending money for the 5 of us on a 7 night cruise. This doesn't include cash that we may need to bring for a previously booked excursion.

Wow. You all bring a lot more cash than I have ever brought on a cruise. $1000 cash?! I'm a little surprised. I am not sure what we would buy with that much money. I'm thinking that $400 may be a more reasonable amount , although I am concerned about how to keep cash safe while we are at the beach.

1st, you don't bring ALL of your cash to the beach!!!! Your cabin will have a safe...use it! Only bring what you'll need...under $100 most likely.....

if you have a velcro pocket on your swim trunks, put the cash there. I just stick my room key and cash into the pages of an old book....you're never far from your "spot" on the beach...you can easily keep and eye on your stuff.

So, how much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore? How do you keep it safe at the beach? Think $200 - $300 would be good for the week?

I budget $100 per day in cash when cruising.

Google: Aquapac . Starting at about $20ish, they do an amazing job of keeping the important stuff dry no matter where you are... just put it in the Aquapac and keep that on/with you. I use one, and so do my parents.

You should bring EXACTLY $438 IN CASH for a 7 night criuse!!!

:D :p :D

(notice that I used ComicSansMS font for this post)

Now isn't "How Much Money Should I Bring" one of those really really really dumb questions that everyone says "There are no stupid questions" to?????

Should you use cash instead of credit for it being safer of someone getting your account info?

Should you use cash instead of credit for it being safer of someone getting your account info?

When I travel, I use cash because it is cleaner/easier.

Go to the bank before you leave and have them withdraw a bunch of differently denominated bills from your account.

Put those bills together in sealed envelopes in set quantities (ex: $100 per envelope). On the outside of each envelope, write down the quantity+types of bills in that envelope

(ex: $100 - 5x$10, 2x$20, 2x$5)

When you go ashore, simply guess at how much (and what types of bills) you want to bring with you, pluck only those envelopes, and leave the remaining envelopes safely locked in the room safe.

Quick. Easy. Painless.

When you get home, returned any unopened envelopes to the bank as a deposit.

..

if you have a velcro pocket on your swim trunks, put the cash there.

Hmm..Don't think I've ever seen a bikini with a velcro pocket. ;)

 

Now isn't "How Much Money Should I Bring" one of those really really really dumb questions that everyone says "There are no stupid questions" to?????

If you noticed, my orginal question was "How much cash do you bring with you on the cruise & with you on shore?" Not, how much money should I bring. Oh, and thanks for calling my question stupid. That was very helpful and kind of you.

Ok, lighten up. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.....

But you did notice there were answers from $100 to more than $1000 (Without reading back, was there a "Don't bring cash" answer?):rolleyes:

And for the record, I didn't call your question (actually as you pointed out you didn't even ask that question) stupid. ;)

I just thought it was funny.

Even though we may not spend it all, we'd never travel away from home for a week with less than 7-800.00 in cash.

Ditto!