$$$ Money Question $$$

[shuttlebuggy]

I know this can be a personal & individual subject, but am curious just how much

money (range) you are comfortable or need to have loose and not tied up in using ship cards, debit cards, travelers cheques,plastic and the like.

 

AND where you keep it?? Locked in the safe or on your person?:confused:

 

This is tricky because we KNOW we will need some cash in the ports, and also for tipping randomly, and a cab or two.

So how do you plan because there isn't an ATM at every place and some places a card won't work, making hard cold cash necessary. :rolleyes:

:)

Thanks for input

[sail7seas]

We bring ashore only that amount of cash we expect to need with a little bit of extra. We leave the rest of our cash locked in the safe.

 

How much is way too individual to be able to answer.

 

We don't book many ship's tours anymore so know we probably spend more cash ashore than those who have pre-booked and paid for a ship's tour. If we know we want to hire a taxi and driver to take us on a tour of some particular area, we 'over estimate' how much we will need. We never count on ATM machines when in port...... never.

 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We take little cash with us - perhaps $500. on a 14 day cruise. Keep it in the safe. Each day at port, I figure what we might need for excursion tips etc. and take that with us - usually not more than $30. We don't buy stuff ashore any more since we seem to have reached the stage we don't need or want souvenirs. If there is something in a store I want, I'll use a credit card.

[innlady1]

We take cash rather than use our credit cards in port. Once in Sint Maartin, we had lunch on the harbor...a salad and iced tea each. We charged it, didn't keep the receipt, and when we rec'd our CC bill, it was close to $100! We know it was in the high $20's, so someone added on to our credit card! Cash is safer!

[sail7seas]

We bring more than $500 because we know we will be leaving cash tips, riding taxis, tips at our pre and post cruise hotel, small incidentals ashore.

 

We are almost always away about 13 or more days though so need more than we would for a seven day cruise.

 

 

 

[Taxguy77]

No more than we intend to spend on shore. A few beers to compare to US beers (mostly better IMO) and maybe a small lunch.

We no longer go on trips, just walk aROUND AND SEE AND SMELL THE AREA[/b].

sorry for the caps.

[Johanna7]

We take cash rather than use our credit cards in port. Once in Sint Maartin, we had lunch on the harbor...a salad and iced tea each. We charged it, didn't keep the receipt, and when we rec'd our CC bill, it was close to $100! We know it was in the high $20's, so someone added on to our credit card! Cash is safer!

 

It is for this reason that we do take cash and use it instead and when it is gone, that is it. This way we do not run into being charged $100 for a lunch that was nearly $30. It is the same with cheaper jewelry in those stores. Who knows what they could do with a credit card. Most of the shops appreciate cash for various reasons. Fine with us.

 

Small purchases are easy to handle with cash. Tips too.

[PathfinderEss]

We take anywhere from 500 to 1,000 with us. Its for extra tips, cabs, trinkets, lunch and maybe a bar or 2 off the ship. We keep it in the safe in our cabin.

[msmayor]

For past cruises, I have planned what I expect we will need ashore for taxis, food, drink and perhaps a souvenir or two. I set up envelopes for each port. I have an envelope for casino money and one for extra tips. All the envelopes go in the safe and I just pull out what I need for that day. If there is any cash left over from a port day, I'll put it in the tip envelope.

 

Its worked quite well for us.

[innlady1]

For past cruises, I have planned what I expect we will need ashore for taxis, food, drink and perhaps a souvenir or two. I set up envelopes for each port. I have an envelope for casino money and one for extra tips. All the envelopes go in the safe and I just pull out what I need for that day. If there is any cash left over from a port day, I'll put it in the tip envelope.

 

Its worked quite well for us.

 

msmayor....please join our Roll Call for the 5/6 Bermuda cruise! It's very active.... :D

[sapper1]

I sit down and think it through with regard to taxis, tips for hotel staff, port porters, extra tips for ship's staff, room service tips, walking around money in ports etc. We always have enough cash when we go ashore to pay for a taxi back to the ship in case we lose our tour group and have to make our own way back.

 

We always keep our cash in the room safe, along with one credit card that always gets left in the safe in case the one we take ashore gets stolen.

 

We seldom buy anything in ports as we are at the stage in life where if something comes into the house, something else has to leave. We have enough (too much) stuff. I don't want anything else---unless of course, I can wear it.;)

[pam vessels]

We buy very little if anything in port but do often use cabs and we do ck out the local foodie scene so will have a nice meal in port. It isn't that much until we factor in the casino........if you are a casino person be real with yourself about how much to take. We take cash for the casino....some take it from ships account (on their card) but we do not want to pay the fee so take cash. We always keep it in the safe. Also if you are a drinker you might find some deals on alcohol in port that you want to take advantage of so plan accordingly. I think 500 per week is a good estimate. Have fun.....

[Krazy Kruizers]

We usually leave home with $1000 in Travelers Checks along with a couple of hundred dollars in cash.

Before we even get to the ship we know that we will have to pay for cabs, tips for them and our shuttle from where we leave our car at home, etc.

Once on the ship we do keep everything in the safe. And take only a little money with us when we get ashore. I take a credit card ashore that has a low limit on it.

And I always keep my credit card receipts.

[Seago2]

We do not buy much in port. My DH brings about 200. I always bring my 100 in $1's. I know it sounds crazy but they are a godsend for buying small things (easier to bargain a $10 item down to $6 if I am not standing there holding a $20), bottles of water (so you don't get random change in another currency), taxis (again, not worrying about change), baggage handlers, and also for tipping room service and small tips to cabin crew on a daily basis.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Rather than carrying a wad of money to the ship -- we just get change on the ship -- better to have a $100 bill than a wad of ones.

[Seago2]

Rather than carrying a wad of money to the ship -- we just get change on the ship -- better to have a $100 bill than a wad of ones.

 

I leave them in the safe! I take some, not all, plus the debit card linked to a separate account, and some $20's in case we want to eat, which after the Bermuda fish chowder- who really wants to eat? :rolleyes:

[uppitycats]

We usually take $500/person for a 14 day cruise...and bring back maybe a third of that. I don't do traveller's checks -- they're impossible to find around here. I put as many charges as I can on my credit card (if we do ship excursions I book and pay for them before we ever board; this time we bought one of HAL's alcohol/beverages cards; we have a second credit card as a back-up which we use only in emergencies. Extra cash and the extra credit card get locked up in the safe in the ship's cabin, and we draw out only what we think we'll need for that day.

 

By the way, we've never had trouble finding ATM's, even in foreign third-world countries....

[msmayor]

By the way, we've never had trouble finding ATM's, even in foreign third-world countries....

 

A caveat here though...always make sure you check with your bank before leaving on your trip to make sure you can use your ATM card in the countries you plan to visit.

 

Imagine my surprise when we traveled to Canada a couple of years ago and I found out my bank would reject any attempt to use the card in Canada. When I asked why, they told me there were too many instances of fraud so they put Canada on the list of countries they would not process transactions from.

[sail7seas]

Be careful if you are planning to use your credit cards in Europe. Apparently, they have shifted in a big way to chips in the cards and many U.S. credit cards do not yet have the compatable chip. You may wish to confirm with your bank what card you have and their reports of their customers being able to use their cards in Europe.

 

[lawyerrose]

I know this can be a personal & individual subject, but am curious just how much

money (range) you are comfortable or need to have loose and not tied up in using ship cards, debit cards, travelers cheques,plastic and the like.

 

AND where you keep it?? Locked in the safe or on your person?:confused:

 

This is tricky because we KNOW we will need some cash in the ports, and also for tipping randomly, and a cab or two.

So how do you plan because there isn't an ATM at every place and some places a card won't work, making hard cold cash necessary. :rolleyes:

:)

Thanks for input

 

For myself, on this last 11 day cruise, I took around $600 in cash and kept most of it in the safe in the room. I use an envelope filled with ones and maybe a few fives I use to tip the room service guy b/c I use it almost every morning and sometimes during the day or evening.

 

If you're doing the Caribbean, you WILL need cash for purchases if you go into town, for tips if you're on excursions or take taxis etc. I do my research and budget for each port and take the amount of cash I'll need for that port only and leave the rest in the safe. I've never had a problem, even when I get careless and leave a few dollars around in the room.

 

Rose

[aussieblue]

I like to have a budget to work to. So on a cruise I plan on $100/day. This includes any onboard purchases. So if you look at how many ports you will be visiting and allow yourself a set budget for each day you will get a good idea of how much you will need in cash. Depending upon the port cash is usually the best option as markets, public transport etc only deal in cash.

 

We only take ashore what we feel we need plus 1 credit card. We always leave another card in the safe in our cabin along with any other cash. We also make sure we have a supply of small bills for tips. Also onshore many of the market vendors have trouble changing large bills.

 

Cheers,

 

Shayne

[dakrewser]

We always map out ATMs in and near the ports before we go. If we decide to take travelers cheques then we map out the Amex exchange stations in and near the ports also.

 

It's very rare these days to be very far from an ATM...

[Cruizer Bill]

I carry about $300 in cash plus I went to my bank and got an ATM-only card. This is not a debit card, it cannot be used to buy merchandise but only to get cash out of ATM machine. That way I can get more cash if needed.

[cruisinjudy]

In Venice we had a hard time finding an ATM that would take our card. We finally found one at the train station I think.

[Hawaiidan]

as I recall Itook about $300 total for a 45 day trip to Europe from Hawaii in$ 5 and $10 units. I returned with about $150.

I dont take ships tours, but I do arrange for private tours.

 

However, I pre-book and pay only with credit cards for security and for the miles.

Any person or company who can not qualify for a credit account is a shakey-jake im my book. I have never found a problem any where on earth... We only shop where they will take a credit card,

No credit card..no business..no exception is my rule:o

No debt card or check card either, they are not insured a

s is a credit card.

All my tips are written in on a bill. I reserve an extra $20 a week for room stewards at the end over their nomal. We dont ask or expect really anything special. We seldom ever eat in other than the lido and thus those tips are not considered.

I find most cabs too accept credit cards.. so again no cash.

When I go ashore I carry about $10 in cash and a credit card that a wear around my neck and ID for the ship. The rest stays in the safe.

 

At home I carry $15 and a credit card. which I use for everyhting. I have had the same $15.00 in my wallet for 5 months now.:D

 

The benifit is UAL miles and every cruise my wife and I fly rt for free...in first class because we do not use cash except as a last resort.

Cash is not king it is a looser.