Money help, please :)

[going to see the world]

If you are concerned that someone will steal their money, I would suggest you keep them within eyesight and that will take care of the situation. If I couldn't trust my siblings to keep their money without it being stolen, I certainly wouldn't trust them to have enough sense to wander around by themselves.

 

I don't trust anyone walking around with any amount of cash in a poor country. Thanks for your opinion though.

[firefly333]

i think amex and maybe mastercard have prepaid cards you can order with names printed on them like real debit cards. at least they used too. That would be the easiest option.

 

Carnival wouldnt take them for payment for some reason, and these are hard to use up to the last penny. Carnival sends a hold and then charges and the hold falls off

 

They arent a very good option for cruising.

[shooky]

I would suggest you to split the amout. You give them XX$ at each port, and if you are doing the same thing in port well you can give some $ when living, then at lunch so they wont have it all at once.

[Scooby450]

I love this idea I picked up on the forum, thanks to whomever first suggested it! If you are giving cash to take to shore: fives and ones for the straw markets. Only a few ones, for tips and small stuff. The fives get paper clipped together in the amount of $25. You never pull all the cash out of your pocket, you reach in, feel the bundles, and pull out only what you are spending. That way you are not flashing a bunch of money. This is awesome for the straw markets, those guys know the game and you may be dealing with one guy while the next guy over is checking out how much he can 'negotiate' with you...keep your money in your pocket and you increase our odds while bartering!

[blindrid]

I don't particularly want to hand them cash, not because of them...but I'm not sure I want them carrying it around other people-particularly in the Bahamas.

 

Cash. That's what safes are for. It's not like anyone carries all of their cash when they go into port.

[5waldos]

Everytime I see this post I think you are asking for money- and laugh.

 

I might consider giving them a money belt with the money in it, and make the point that you usually leave most of your money in the safe, taking only what you might want to spend on shore at each port. Unless you have a good reason to doubt that they are able to handle this (developmentally delayed, for example, or young) then it does seem a bit insulting to assume that they are any less competent than yourself. If it is inexperience then this would give them a good opportunity to learn. If you are concerned that they will spend it before the trip- give it to them when you board- since you won't be getting the money from the bank until just before leaveing.

[sailor_jimc]

The real issue here is that all of the ideas presented have issues-

 

Cash - cons- obviously you have the theft problem (which seems to be your main concern) pro's- everyplace takes US $$. Some places in Mexico will try to give you change in Peso's that can be a problem. Use small bills where the change is not too much.

 

Preloaded Debit or Credit- cons- many vendors (like small street vendors and such) won't be able to take the cards. They will have to make sure the issuing company knows they are going to be using them outside of the country so they don't get denied. The pre loaded cards are difficult to use because you can end up leaving some money on them when you can't use the entire amount up in a transaction. I have a hard time trying to get a US cashier to be able to ring something up and drain the card and then let me pay the rest of the amount in a different way. If they want to buy a snack or a drink.. good luck, not many little restaurants take these cards.

pro's- somewhat theft proof but getting a new card is going to be difficult if not impossible while on a cruise.

 

Traveler's checks- many of the same use problems of the credit cards exist here too. I have never had a problem using them but they can still be limiting. Yes, the guest services desk or the casino cage will cash them but then you have cash again...

 

My recommendations- cash. Just tell them not to take it all into port with them. If they do get robbed (doubtful) then they are only out part of what you gave them. If they use the same precautions in ports that they would if they were visiting a unfamiliar city they should be fine. I bring both cash and credit cards with me into port. Never had a problem. Most ports are safe enough as long as you don't get off the beaten path. You said you were taking care of their on board sign and sail account. You may want to look into capping their account. They may not realize how much things can cost and run up a bill.

[lla887]

I don't trust anyone walking around with any amount of cash in a poor country. Thanks for your opinion though.

 

That's pretty racist. You know there is crime in rich countries too.

[5waldos]

That's pretty racist. You know there is crime in rich countries too.

 

Perhaps classist since poverty does not know race but I was a bit taken aback by the comment. The concern, if there needs be one, is that you probably don't know the areas you are in, and also cannot read the body language of the locals. That can make things seem more frightening than they in fact are. Many of the outings on shore also include alcohol- and sometimes a lot of it. People who have been drinking tend to be rather careless. But this is all a digression.

[fin]

That's pretty racist. You know there is crime in rich countries too.

 

It is remarks like this one which have totally stripped the word of any real meaning.

[going to see the world]

That's pretty racist. You know there is crime in rich countries too.

 

Thanks for pointing that out to me!

:rolleyes:

Not sure where you pulled that one from...BUT, for the confusion that statement may have cause, let me clarify for you.

 

I do not like taking large amounts of cash into obvious tourist areas where people are looking for money whether it be poor, rich, wealthy, in debt, etc., etc., etc.

 

I do not like taking large amounts of cash into cities, for example: Pittsburgh, NYC, Hartford, Miami, etc., etc., etc. and hey, the US is the richest country of all, right?:rolleyes:

 

I do not like taking large amounts of cash into stores from Walmart to Macy's.

 

 

This board can be absolutely ridiculous. It's meant for questions/advice...not accusations and ignorance. Just saying.

[blindrid]

That's pretty racist. You know there is crime in rich countries too.

 

What in the h*** does that have to do with race..... OMG, here we go :rolleyes:.

 

Agree with going - I think I may have had enough of here for awhile also.......

[In2why]

I apologize if my original post was not clear.

 

I want them to have money to spend in Nassau and Freeport. All of their onboard spending will be taken care of me since my s&s will be mine as well.

 

As far as the money for the islands go, I want to make sure it is safe. I didn't really want them carrying around cash, I was trying to find an alternative that would be practical.

 

Hopefully this makes more sense. :)

 

 

If you don't carry cash how do you pay?

I know that we had cash divided in different places on our person for different ports. Very few places take travelers checks anymore, and if you buying in the markets or stalls, cash is king. Even our private excursions were cash only. Perhaps give them envelopes marked with the names of the ports?

[In2why]

Thanks for pointing that out to me!

:rolleyes:

Not sure where you pulled that one from...BUT, for the confusion that statement may have cause, let me clarify for you.

 

I do not like taking large amounts of cash into obvious tourist areas where people are looking for money whether it be poor, rich, wealthy, in debt, etc., etc., etc.

 

I do not like taking large amounts of cash into cities, for example: Pittsburgh, NYC, Hartford, Miami, etc., etc., etc. and hey, the US is the richest country of all, right?:rolleyes:

 

I do not like taking large amounts of cash into stores from Walmart to Macy's.

 

 

This board can be absolutely ridiculous. It's meant for questions/advice...not accusations and ignorance. Just saying.

 

 

Separate your cash into different pockets, or parts of your bag. That way you don't need to "flash" a lot of cash to pay for something, and while haggling they can see you only have a few dollars leftover. In the VERY unlikely event that you were to get mugged they wouldn't get everything you had on you.

[kbmeow]

There are a few things my hubby and I do when we travel. We have one of those travel things that go on under the cloths around the waist. We have small amounts of cash easy accessible (20 tops) but anything more is in there. We also have bags that are slash proof. So they can not be cut at all. We also carry small bills on cash. But in a crowded area you worry about pick pockets and such. So now wallets in pockets etc. Hense we wear the waist thing. Also make sure they know if there are not slot of people on the street then you risk being mugged. I think no matter where you go it is common sense.

[marshhawk]

I am a little confused, well a lot confused. Let me get this straight, you are taking your brother and sister on a cruise.

That's very generous of you.....or you are going with your brother and sister on a cruise, and you want them to have some spending money...which is very nice of you. And you want to know if you should give them cash, but they might get robbed, or a debit card, which they may not be able to use, or travelers checks(we don't accept them any more at the arts center, because we started recieving fraudulent checks).

We don't know anything about your siblings, their ages, their mentality to justify why you think they will be robbed. That said, why don't you ask them what shore excursion they want to do, and get them that. That way no money has to be flashed out, they have an adventure that is already prepaid, and you don't have to worry about cash, checks. or cards.

If you are telling them on Christmas, this is what I got you for Christmas, your choice of any shore excursion, I'm sure you will make them happy.

[gogetter]

Quit worrying and give them cash? why would the bahamas be so bad or differnt than anywhere else?

 

Dont do it in Belize, they place smells of crime and disgust!

[rusticfurnituremaker]

I was wondering what I should do for my brother and sister since I am providing them with spending money for our upcoming cruise. (16 days until I get to tell them we are going!! :D)

 

I don't particularly want to hand them cash, not because of them...but I'm not sure I want them carrying it around other people-particularly in the Bahamas.

 

What should I get? Traveler's checks? Gift cards? Or should I stop worrying. haha. :)

 

Thank you :D

 

Now that you have :

gotten some good answers

gotten scolded in some ways

watched others be called names

welcome to the world of Cruise Critic.

 

Simple questions are sometimes the ones that don't get answered to the satisfaction of the OP.

 

Here is my take:

As I had to do with my 80 and 75 year old parents when traveling overseas, we had a talk about safety in new ports, how to carry your money safely (in a neck purse, down the shirt in our case...let's just see someone get that away from me without my feeling it:eek:). It's not that they are naive or unintelligent, they just hadn't experienced travel outside of the United States. We also kind of discussed how much we would take into each port: ie: simple souveniers, tours, food and drink..... and then took that in cash. I have found that money being stolen from aware tourists is not that common. Sure, from men who have the big wallet half sticking out of their pockets, ladies who dangle a purse from a chair while eating, people who are clueless to the others around them....and yes, it can happen to the most aware tourist as well, just not as often.

I agree with others about no cards or traveler's checks unless your family members plan only to purchase things in main/large stores.

 

Cash is fine and generally the safest, as long as the people holding the cash just pay a reasonable amount of attention to the wallet/purse/pouch holding the $.

 

PS: I think your family members will just be thrilled at your generosity, and if they are indeed fortunate enough to get additional spending $ from you, will be happy to assume responsibility for those $ once given to them. I understand your wanting to have everything go well for all invited, but I think you have gone above and beyond so far to make this a family trip they will all enjoy (from what you have said here).

 

Enjoy the trip! and if you are ever thinking you need another sister...........

Amy