Spending money?

How much spending money do you typically take with you on a cruise? We are a family of 6, (myself, DH, DD16, DD13, DD7, DS6). We've never been on a cruise before. In discussing, I have $400 set back so far for "nothing" (excursion already paid for). Someone suggested to have at least $1,500 spending money. :eek: Am I being unrealistic for a first time cruiser? How much do you anticipate a family of 6 would spend on their first cruise?

How much spending money do you typically take with you on a cruise? We are a family of 6, (myself, DH, DD16, DD13, DD7, DS6). We've never been on a cruise before. In discussing, I have $400 set back so far for "nothing" (excursion already paid for). Someone suggested to have at least $1,500 spending money. :eek: Am I being unrealistic for a first time cruiser? How much do you anticipate a family of 6 would spend on their first cruise?

We are a family of 4 and we usually take around $100 per day on any of our vacations, land or sea. I use my credit card for on-board purchases, pre/post cruise spending at the embarkation port (we usually stay the day before/after at a local hotel...sometimes longer for an extended vacation.) I use cash for port stops. What isn't pre-paid by credit card for excursions is paid with either cash or credit depending on what they require. Taxi's and tips(except tips on S&S card) are all cash. I am one of those people that purchases as much as possible on credit card and then pays off the bill in total each month. The rewards points get turned into vacation dollars before a trip. It usually accounts for 1/3-1/2 of our spending money. We usually come home with a couple hundred dollars which gets put back into the checking account to help pay the credit card bill when it arrives.

You won't have to pay anything additional if you don't want to.

How much do you drink? Will you let the kids spend money in the arcade? Will you drink soda? Will you buy photos? Will you gamble? Will you go to the steakhouse? Will you go to the spa? Will you play bingo? Do you need the Internet?

For our family of 3, we usually spend about $700-$800 onboard. We don't drink much but we do play bingo, lose some in the casino, go to the Steakhouse, buy a few souvenirs and the occasional spa special.

Personally, IMO, $400 for a family of 6 is pretty low but is a doable amount of you don't do any of the above :)

How much spending money do you typically take with you on a cruise? We are a family of 6, (myself, DH, DD16, DD13, DD7, DS6). We've never been on a cruise before. In discussing, I have $400 set back so far for "nothing" (excursion already paid for). Someone suggested to have at least $1,500 spending money. :eek: Am I being unrealistic for a first time cruiser? How much do you anticipate a family of 6 would spend on their first cruise?

$1500.00 may be a bit much in my opinion. I think I'd carry $7-800.00.

Just because you'd take that much doesn't mean you have to spend it all.

I'd also allow the kids so much each day. When they go through it, they're done ... for the day.

Hope you enjoy your 'first' cruise. ;)

We're a family of 3, me and 2 boys. We usually spend between $400 and $600, depending on the length of the trip. This includes money for photos, soda packages, internet and arcades for the kids. I'm not much of a drinker (maybe one with dinner each night), but my kids like to get milkshakes at least twice a day. The last couple of days, they also like to visit the fun shop and get a couple of things.

You can watch what you spend by checking your account on the TV in your cabin. That's how I keep track of our spending and make sure we don't go to crazy. :)

How much spending money do you typically take with you on a cruise? We are a family of 6, (myself, DH, DD16, DD13, DD7, DS6). We've never been on a cruise before. In discussing, I have $400 set back so far for "nothing" (excursion already paid for). Someone suggested to have at least $1,500 spending money. :eek: Am I being unrealistic for a first time cruiser? How much do you anticipate a family of 6 would spend on their first cruise?

We do a little bit a gambling (maybe $20 each) and then we use cash for tipping the tour guides or perhaps for a crew member who did something special for us or if we made a special request and it was fulfilled. If you want to buy some local crafts as souvenirs you would need cash for that. Everything we can charge, we do.

There are two of us and we typically withdraw $200 from an ATM before we leave, and we tend to come back with at least half of it. However, we use our credit cards 90% of the time.

My typical onboard bill (except gratuities) is about $10, my husband's is about $50. We average about $30 per person in each port, some ports spending nothing, others a bit more. Our most expensive shore excursions have always been booked and paid ahead of time.

totally depends on your spending habbits. We don't gamble, and usually do BV liquor so our S&S bill is pretty minimal. We pay for shore excursions ahead of time. We bring $500 cash for tips, cabs, trinkets in port, etc. More than enough for a week of little extras.

Me, Hubs and 20 year old son= $650 for sign and sail, $150 per day on port days. This is what I have budgeted. Private excursion not included. 2 bottles purchased from Bon Voyage. We'll have a credit card too just in case. :)

Don't forget to budget for gratuities on the cruise ship, especially for a family of 6.

We are a family of 3 - myself, DH and DD(4)...this is the first time going with our daughter (the first time for DH in general!). It's been a few years since my last cruise, but we're thinking about bringing $400 cash for our trip (we've already prepaid our gratuities and will obviously charge alcohol, purchases on board or any shore excursions with our s&s card). Any thoughts on if the $400 will be not enough or too much in terms of spending $ in ports (souvenirs, trinkets etc.)?

1st cruise 7 days 2 adults 4 kids I think you will need more than $400.00

If you haven't already done so Pre-pay your gratuities. $11.50x6x7= $483.00

If your kids drink sodas all the time, you will want to get them the bottomless bubbles stickers that is going to add up too 4.50x7=31.50+15% 4.73 = 36.23 x 4 kids = 144.92

adult price is

6.50x7=45.5 +15% 6.83 = 52.33 x 2 adults = 104.66

Each photo they take is 15.00-22.00 they take photos all the time, embarkation, dining room, lido deck, at each port, elegant night. I suggest you plan on at least $100 for photos

Bingo is $20 each time you play and offered many times.

 

Each photo they take is 15.00-22.00 they take photos all the time, embarkation, dining room, lido deck, at each port, elegant night. I suggest you plan on at least $100 for photos

 

Just to clarify this as you are first time crusiers - you don't HAVE to buy the photos. There's embark, dining room photographers, everytime you disembark and then the ones you can pose for set up all along the promenade (most obvious on elegant night). You can bring disposables - let your kids take pics, or your own camera, but if you go look and find one you like, you may be tempted! Fortunately we didn't feel like we had the time to look through thousands of pics - we did spy one of us - and it wasn't one we wanted :p

We spent a lot less than I thought we would. No steakhouse on the Fantasy so all the dining was free. We weren't tempted to buy specialty coffees or desserts - the buffet and MDR and room service - between those we were always stuffed. When we went the espresso and capuccino were free after dinner in the MDR - not sure if that is still the same or not. We also bought a couple bottles of wine and the only thing I will do different this next time is buy a bottle from BV of some liquor for cocktails.

I did buy a cocktail or sometimes two each day. Came back with $100 on the SS. We didn't do bingo. I spent maybe 2.35 in the slot machines and won that back. We did buy a t-shirt in the souvenir shop only because I didn't bring enough - I bought all these fancy clothes but no t-shirts!

In port I had a souvenir budget and haggled so only spent about $30 for a couple of t-shirts and a woven basket tote.

This time we are prepaying tips and I'm budgeting cash for additional tips. That's what you have to think about - you aren't required to tip over - but there are those shore excursions, drivers on shore excursions, porters and you may find you want to tip for exemplary service - room service, waiters in the mdr, etc. Our steward was great. MDR we never had the same waiters as we did ATD and didn't have anything stand out. But this time if we find a good team the first night we may decide to always ask for those or a window table (tip maitre'd etc,)

And I'm also budgeting more for souvenirs. I want some special things this time. We're also doing "onboard excursions" - Chef's table and and maybe Behind the Fun - so have to budget for those as I can't pay in advance. Same ship so we want to have some new experiences.

I guess I'd research in advance so you know what the kids might see and want and then set their expectations. Okay you can have a milkshake once if they have that on your ship or just say no, that's off limits but there's plenty of softserve (free) to make your own and bring some candy to make stir ins :-)

That's what I love about cruises, plan, know what's available, know what your budget is, and then you have the right expectations based on what makes sense to you. If it's your first cruise you can probably just stick with all the free stuff like we did and be plenty entertained and happily fed!! We were :D

We are a family of 3 - myself, DH and DD(4)...this is the first time going with our daughter (the first time for DH in general!). It's been a few years since my last cruise, but we're thinking about bringing $400 cash for our trip (we've already prepaid our gratuities and will obviously charge alcohol, purchases on board or any shore excursions with our s&s card). Any thoughts on if the $400 will be not enough or too much in terms of spending $ in ports (souvenirs, trinkets etc.)?

I think you may be fine with this.

You're lucky your daughter is only 4. If she were older she'd more than likely cause you to spend more money.

Hope you all have a great time. :)

When me and my BF go, I take $1,000. But that's for everything - taxis, excursions, additional cash tips, casino $. If I feel like I am running low, I will start to use my debit card for souvenirs. However, my sign and sail is usually around $400 (for two), and includes auto-tips, maybe 2 drinks a day, some photos and usually 1 carnival excursion each.

We've been on 4 day cruises where as a couple spent in excess of $4000 and on 8 day cruises where we spent under $500 on board and in ports. It all depends on our budget and mood. On the $4000 cruise it was our honeymoon (23 years ago) and we splurged on purchases (photos, jewelry, fashions, & electronics) and consumed way too much alcohol plus spent an excessive amount of time in the casino and playing bingo. The inexpensive 8 day cruise (in 2010) was planned last minute (DH's company moved to a use or lose it policy on vacation time) and our budget was not that fluid at the time, but we refused to stay home for the entire 2 weeks and cruising was less expensive than several day trips or flying somewhere.

It's completely up to you as to how much your family should spent. Just so you know you can limit unexpected spending by your children by setting a daily limit to their S&S card (at Guest services), revoking their charging privileges (again @ GS), or denying them the ability to charge anything from the start (when doing you online check-in). Also you can start your on board account in cash then have a credit/debit card as back-up for over spending. Conversely you can start w/ a credit/debit card then pay off any amount in cash during the cruise. Any changes to any on board account can be made at any time (at least till the wee hours of the night before disembarking), some can even be done at kiosk machines instead of going to the Guest Services desk.

If you're trying to figure out how much the "extras" on board a Carnival ship are and what you could spend in port to develop a budget here's a partial list. Though this might not completely up to date or cover everything that can be purchased it should give you a general idea of what things could cost on board should you choose to purchase them.

Included with each passenger's fare price:

All food and snacks from the buffet, room service (cash needed for tips though), and main dining room. Specialty dinning is extra and the more expensive ones generally require reservations or other arrangements.

Assorted drinks - Self service coffee, hot tea, iced tea, hot chocolate, lemonade, and water are free at the Lido deck buffet 24/7, with boxed milk available at meal times and juices are available during breakfast gratis. There are also water fountains near most of the public areas for tap water. Iced tea, milk, water, coffee and hot tea (juices at breakfast only) are also served without a charge in the MDR during sit down meals, but other drinks will be at the "bar" prices. You can bring a travel mug or your own capped tumbler to fill up gratis drinks at the Buffet drink stations or water fountains ( use the plastic cups to fill from the dispenser then pour into you own cup). Any drinks ordered from any bar, lounge, or wandering server, even soft drinks (including the ones you could get at the self service area of the Lido) will be charged to your S&S account with a 15% auto gratuity added to the menu price.

All the lounge shows and entertainers, including the comedy shows (but not the CD/DVDs the comedian may try to sell). Though there are a few activities that do have a participation fee which will be charged to the S&S account (like bingo, the martini tasting, these will be noted w/ * or + in the FunTimes schedule (delivered to you cabin daily), most activities are free to join in or just watch.

All the pools, hot tubs, loungers, gym equipment, and sports equipment are free to use. Some things may require a "deposit" on your S&S card to ensure equipment return (like the towels from the pool towel hut, mini golf equipment). Some things are popular so there may be a wait to get the equipment or time on the sports area.

All the standard children's supervised camp & club activities are free to use if needed and registered for. There are extended services like late night babysitting that do have a charge, but anything with a extra fee will be explained in the orientation kit.

Items that have a charge and must go on your S&S account once on board:

No cash accepted at time of purchase, you must pre-fund the account w/ cash, travelers cheques, or a credit/debit card for last day of cruise billing. A few costs maybe pre-paid prior to boarding so you final S&S bill does not seem so large.

Auto- gratuities are $11.50 per person per day. These can be pre-paid or left to be added to your S&S account. This may come out as early as your 2nd day on board or as late as the 2nd to last day on board if not prepaid. On some ships, if you prepay these, you may see an immediate OBC on your S&S account in the amount equal to the pre-payment with the actual charge for the gratuities coming out on a later date.

Excursions (perhaps the biggest non-included expense) = With Carnival anywhere from $30 to $300 per person. These can be pre-purchased prior to boarding to reduce charges to your S&S account. Do read the cancellation and refund policy if "on the fence" about a particular excursion, as many popular ones tend to sell out before the cruise and may be worth booking then cancelling if you change your mind.

Drinks (I have included the auto gratuity as part of the total):

Sodas, basic bottled water, and glasses of juices (from a lounge or bar) = $2.24. Available for those that drink a lot of soda or juices (bottled water is not included) is the Bottomless Bubbles sticker at a charge of $6.90 (adult) or $5.18 (17 & younger) per day + possibly the departure port's local tax for the length of the cruise. The BB sticker may also be purchased on board the day of embarkation and the first full day of the cruise only.

Powerade & Vitamin water= $3.39

Imported & sparkling bottled water = $3.73 -$5.46

Espresso = $2.01 - $2.30 + flavor shots @ $0.58 each

Iced Coffees, Lattes, Cappuccino, and Chai = $2.88 - $3.74 + flavor shots @ $0.58 each

Liquored Coffee = $5.17

Milkshakes = $4.54

Smoothies and virgin drinks = $5.46

Beer = $4.54 - $7.76 per can/bottle you can save $2 off buy purchasing a bucket of 4 at a time (mix and matching allowed)

Cordials & Shots = $5.68 - 11.44

Mixed drinks normal glass = $8.34 - $11.44

Souvenir glass drinks both the virgin and DODs types = $8.62 - $16.04. Refills can be less if you re-use the souvenir glass, most of the time for a couple of dollars off the original price but sometimes close the normal cocktail prices.

Wine per glass= $6.33 - $12.08

Wine per bottle = there are many choices but they tend to start at around $32 per bottle and go up from there. Depending on the cruise there are 3 & 5 bottle wine programs that can be purchased the first day aboard, this generally saves 25% off the per bottle price, but you are limited to picking wines from a pre-set list at each price point.

There is the Cheers program available at $42.95 + 15% grat (+possible port taxes if purchases before "international waters") per day per person for all people over 21 in a cabin . The program is great for those that know they will drink more than 5-6 cocktails or 10 bottles of beer or a mix of various alcoholic and other at cost bar drinks every day including port days. This covers up to 15 drinks per person in a 24 hr period, and does include sodas, virgin blender drinks, wine by the glass, single beers, single shots, and mixed drinks that are listed at $10 or less on the bar menu (it does not cover souvenir glass drinks, bottled waters, mini bar offerings, energy drinks, specialty coffees, or shakes). The Cheers program can be purchased on board the day of embarkation and the first full day of the cruise only and is retroactive to previous covered bar orders prior to the day of purchase.

Specialty Food:

The Chef's Table = $75 per person a great time if your a gourmand.

The steakhouse (if available on your ship) = $35 per person (and well worth IMHO for a special occasion or romantic evening)

Snacks and sweets from the coffee shop, the FunShops, and Formalities = $1 (a big cookie) to $65 (canapes & wine in cabin)

Anything taken from the mini-bar/fridge that the room steward can not reconcile between Carnival stocked & passenger carried-on items. A price menu is provided though on a few occasions we had to hunt it down as it was not where it should of been (in the mini-fridge).

Photos:

5x7 = $9.99

6x9 = $11.99

8x10 = $19.99

Portraits 8x10 = $21.99

Reprints = $9.99 per full sheet after buying the original picture

Touch-ups and special effects are available at an extra charge as well as special photos like a 16x20 canvased portrait. Also you can have you own film printed from your camera (sorry don't have the prices for these other services).

Frames and other photo equipment is available for purchase at various prices, the novelty frames & single use cameras cost as much as any land side resort area shop and the scrapbooking supplies are not too badly priced but sometimes they have decent deals on the electronic equipment. Scrapbooking classes are also offered through the gallery for a fee.

Spa and Salon:

Any where from $45 - $345, and they could pester you when having certain treatments (and afterwards) to buy the (overpriced IMO) products they just used. I've seldom used the services since the on board price is double or triple what I pay near home but they will run some sales or specials for appointments while in port. Do look for flyers to be delivered w/ the FunTimes listing special, if looking for a "deal". Some of the services can be pre-booked under "My cruise manager" but I'm unsure if payment is require by credit/debit card in advance or if they wait to charge you once on board.

Exercise classes, instructor lead = $10 - $12, but use of the gym equipment on your own is free to use. The standard sauna & steam rooms in the changing areas are also free to enter. The specialized therapy pool and aromatherapy heat & steam rooms on Cloud 9 equipped ships require the purchase of a spa pass. Also available on some itineraries is personal trainer sessions at something like $85 per hour

Bingo = a 3 board card $20, and I have heard there are 1 board cards available for $10 but have yet to attend any game when this was offered. Also available is the Carnivals versions of "scratch off" lottery tickets and win a cruise raffle tickets.

The "Fun Shops" = These are the on board stores and many times the gift/souvenir prices are better than in the USA and Canada, but not always as inexpensive as in port (especial the Caribbean islands). A few things are outrageously price like toiletries ($15 for aloe) and sundry goods ($2- $5 packaged snacks you could buy at a convenience store for a $1-$3) w/ souvenir prices about what you would expect them to be ($20 graphic tees, $3 keyrings), but you can find decent buys on jewelry, liquor, and tobacco. They do run sales and specials while at sea so look for them in the FunTimes or in any flyers you receive in your cabin .

Internet minute packages. The most current prices can be found in the Carnival's FAQs

Cabin to land phone calls which I believe are now $1.99/ minute. For some this price is better than the combined price of their carrier's contract per roaming minute rate plus the extra fees charged by the CellularAtSea for the use of the satellite transmission.

The Park West Auctions = These are the on board art & collectible "sales" that get you to attend by offering free champagne. We have done some with out purchasing but that was only after attending in the past and getting caught up in the bidding. Prices can be as low a $35 for a small print to several thousands of dollars for original oils or autographed sports memorabilia. But where they really get you is on the framing, insurance appraisal certificate, and shipping, which has the potential of doubling some purchase prices.

Places you could need cash (sometimes you have the option of using your S&S card or a credit/debit card):

On board:

Casino

Slots and Poker Machines = Start at a penny per play and go upto $5 machines. Remember to insert your S&S card because even though you can pay in cash to play, the pay out is cashless and tallied as a Player's Bank. You will need the S&S card to withdraw any funds from the Player's Bank from the casino cage cashier. Funds may also be withdrawn from your S&S account w/ no fee, instead of carrying cash in to the casino, but I have heard there is a daily limit as to how much. (open only while at sea)

Casino Tables = Some start at a $5 minimum, but like w/ roulette you can spread the bet around as single $s (inside #s only). You purchase the chips at the table and cash them out at the casino cage. If you pull money from the S&S account for the tables will will be charged a 3% premium, additionally cash advances from a credit/debit card can be made at a fee from the casino cage. (open only while at sea & available to those 18 & up)

The arcade (some of the newer ships this must go on the S&S account)

Like many land based arcades they use tokens and most games are 2 to 5 tokens per play. On many ships machine will exchange cash for the tokens for 4 for $1, but some of the newer ships only take the S&S card. There are bonus token deals for higher amounts bought in a single transaction. Not refunds given for unused tokens.

Room service and scattered tips on board =we always tip the room service people a $1-$2 per plate of food delivered and $1 per carafe of hot drinks. At fee drinks will be billed at the normal bar price & have the normal 15% added.

On occasion we receive (or want to receive) extra service so we will tip drink waiters an extra $1 or $2 as we travel (especially at the free drink events/parties). The same for the lounge entertainers that take our request for a specific song(s).

Another area that has conflicting reports of sharing in the tip pool is the children's camp counselors. Some passengers always tip in person on the last day a child attends others forgo the gratuity feeling that the activities provided there are a trade off for other entertainment venues that children can not go in to because of their age.

In port:

Independent tours &/or transportation around the port. Some companies can have their tours pre-purchased on the web via PayPal or credit/debit card, but inspect their refund/cancellation policy carefully, they may require 24 hours or more notice if you will be late or not making port. Some independent tours may take credit/debit cards once in port but others will require cash (paid at the time of the tour), but his should be spelled out on their website. Don't forget that most tour guides will expect a tip at the end of the tour. These independent tours can be as inexpensive as $1.75 (ex bus fare to a free beach) to costing in the thousands (ex. private air tours). A third option is to arrive in port and go with the flow and just see what's available to do within your $ and time budget for the day. Taxis do tend to be available for hire right at most docks but do try to investigate public transportation options ahead of time as well in case there are problems finding transportation back to the dock.

Shopping and food on land. Some of the "chain" style retailers and restaurants will have the capability to accept credit/debit cards (double check w/ your bank for any associated processing fees for foreign currencies), with the smaller shops, artisan/straw markets, & local food vendors expecting cash. But if you prefer haggling cash will be the easiest to deal with, though prepare to receive change the local currency. Purchases can range form $1 decorated sea shells to several thousand for jewelry, high fashions, &/or artwork.

Also be aware many free beaches refer to just the fact that there is no beach badge or entry fee. If you want a beach chair, lounger, hammock, or an umbrella there will be a charge. Many of these beaches also allow roaming vendors to walk around selling their wares.

If you opt for a resort, private, or at fee beach some of the optional activities (like water bikes or snorkel equipment) will be an additional fee but most include beach chairs/loungers and towel service with a few adding in food or drink vouchers.

Other notes to remember:

Additionally try to return/exchange the beach towels & robes to the same location they were taken from, so the towel hut/cabin steward doesn't mistakenly charge the room (the booking party) for a missing items that were actually returned to a second location. Learned this one the hard way when we found out our DS's BFF was leaving "his" pool towels on "our" side of a connected balcony to dry. The room steward inventoried as us using and returning towel to the cabin, while showing their cabin as being short the towels and providing replacements. We were able to catch the discrepancy before the final charges were recorded because by our 3rd day into the trip we had 8 beach towels for a cabin of 2.

After cruise unexpected billing may include a large mobile phone charges for texting &/or data.

For the cell phones try to keep them in airplane mode w/ the data service shut off and preferable in the cabin's safe while on vacation . In airplane mode w/ data off you can still use the phone's camera. MP3, &/or apps that are fully installed in to the phone/memory card (as opposed to ones retrieved from a "cloud") & don't require an uplink. Do take them in port along w/ the port agent's phone number in case anything unexpected happens (turn off airplane mode but leave the data off so you are not flooded w/ updates @ international data rates). DO check with your carrier for specific port international calling rates under your plan. DO NOT rely on the phone to stay on ship's time.

Wow, Maryred, that was really great of you to take the time to type all of that information out for less experienced cruisers. It's nice for those of us that have cruised before, but not regularly to reminded of these tips and see the prices all in one place, too. Thanks a bunch!

1st cruise 7 days 2 adults 4 kids I think you will need more than $400.00.

When I took my kids on our first cruise there was nothing extra to be bought when we sailed.

We did away with soda-- they carried on their own soda- if they ran out they drank the free iced tea, lemonade. (we had ton of soda at the end of the week

Free ice cream and pizza is available 24/7

video games-- they are for home not on vacation.

we prepaid all our tips after final payment.

we prepaid excursions.

We had a wonderful time-- and spent nothing extra.

I'm not sure if Maryred's post is from a sticky or not, but if its not, it certainly should be. Well done Maryred, and thank you.

Wow. Mary. AMAZING. That was, by far, the most informative answer I've ever received. That was awesome, has answered many questions and some I never even thought of. Definitely should be a sticky.

After everyone's helpful replies, I am shooting for around $800 total (with a backup plastic).

Gratuities are prepaid. Excursion is prepaid. I plan on getting the cheers program for myself (DH doesnt drink and wont be required as we had to book him in the 2nd cabin with 2 children). Only 2 of 4 children drink soda, so we will be good with what we bring on board.

DH will use the casino, not excessively, but he likes to gambe a little in slots. We plan on the steakhouse one evening just the two of us (DH birthday is while we are on board) .

Other than that, it will just be extra tips, souveniers and pictures.

Thanks so much

My rule of thumb use to be is $100 per day, per person; however it is now easy to pre-pay items.

The items I cannot pre-pay I buy carnival cash. I allocate these funds for soda cards, steak house, photos, and the drink of the day. When I Broad I have most everything paid for. I put $500 cash on the sail and sign account in case something comes up I would like to do; at the end of the cruise I usually have a refund.

How much spending money do you typically take with you on a cruise? We are a family of 6, (myself, DH, DD16, DD13, DD7, DS6). We've never been on a cruise before. In discussing, I have $400 set back so far for "nothing" (excursion already paid for). Someone suggested to have at least $1,500 spending money. :eek: Am I being unrealistic for a first time cruiser? How much do you anticipate a family of 6 would spend on their first cruise?

Just a suggestion - from your budget you may want to give each a set amount of spending money (for souvenir) for the week. When it's gone, it's gone. IF you don't, they nickle and dime you to death.

For my first cruise, an experienced cruiser friend that I was cruising with told me to take "$100 per day per person." Like others have said, that amount will vary based on how much you drink, whether you do excursions in the port, whether you are driving the port (parking fee?) or flying (expensive airport food/snacks, taxi from airport), how much gambling you do, or how much gameroom money the kids are going to need, how much shopping you do on the ship or in port, etc.

In my experience, based on mine and my DD's spending, drinking, gambling and excursion habits, and factoring in taxis, tips and extra tips for crew members, I will say that this estimate is a good one FOR US. We do a little shopping in the ports, try to play some sort of activity in each port - even if it's just taking a taxi over to a free or cheap beach, we both drink, gamble, play bingo, tip generously, may visit spa once during trip, etc.

If we start with that amount, we have always come home with money in our pockets. Obviously for your group of 6, $600 per day is ALOT, but hopefully everything in this thread gives you some things to keep in mind when setting a budget for the trip.

Have fun!

Thank-you everyone for the kind words. Honestly though, I'm my extended family's cruise detail "planner" so it's actually a word file that I update as needed to send out to any of them upon request. Most of them hate to do research but wants these answers in a summary form (so why shouldn't I share it).

As for it becoming a sticky, I do hear by grant permission to Admin to do so if they deem it reasonable (just give me a byline).

OH, one thing I left out of the list ....

Pre/post cruise transportation &/or parking fees:

Private car fees can range from a mere $20 (tip included) each way by taxi from airport to port in San Juan or as expensive as $600 + tips round trip from Atlantic City Airport to the cruise terminal in Manhattan by limo. Carnival also has a shuttle from most airports local to a cruise terminal aka Carnival Transfer Service. Again there is a range of prices and this could change frequently with gas price fluctuations, but can be found under "Manage my cruise" tab for your particular booking. Another option (especially if more than a few people or lots of luggage), if flying in, is to rent a vehicle one way at the airport and drive to (without parking at) the cruise terminal. But only do so if the car rental company can pick the vehicle up at the cruise port & meet you upon your return w/ a new rental or transport your group to/from the cruise port from/to their nearest office (a shuttle). Regardless of which way you pick to get from point A to B read all of the terms and conditions, some have a pay up front policy with no refunds.

For those that drive in there will be a daily parking fees. It could be as low as under $10 per day (Port of Galveston) to $35 per day up to a flat fee of $350 (Manhattan cruise terminal). There are also less expensive offsite parking areas that may include transport to the port and back. Remember each partial day counts so embarkation & debarkation days will be charged as a full day. Some parking authorities require cash up front, others let you pay by credit card at the end, a few fall somewhere in between offering a discount if you pay up front but allow you to pay at the end if inclined to do so. Another option here is if the cruise terminal is in a large commuter hub (like LA, Miami or NYC) is to take public transportation. You will save significantly but sacrifice flexibility because of the schedules set by the transit authority, the need to walk or catch a cab between stops, or may have to make transfers w/ your luggage in tow. Ideal for a couple of adults w/ only 1 or 2 pieces of luggage between them but incredible hard for a family or group to manage.