Scared of being short

[arone]

My husband and I are taking our first cruise April 2013 and we are wondering how much a day should we have on our S & S account for the 4 day cruise, keep in mind we do drink.

 

 

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

[Cruising Golfer]

What you drink and how much makes a difference. Figure $5 to $15 per drink, and any other things you might buy, like gifts on board.

Our bill for 7 day cruises are in between $300 and $400. We drink martini's.

Hope this helps!!! Enjoy!!!

[paul929207]

What else will you spend money on?

 

Off the boat - Transport? Meals & Drinks? Admissions?

 

Bingo, gambling?

 

Photos?

[John Bull]

My husband and I are taking our first cruise April 2013 and we are wondering how much a day should we have on our S & S account for the 4 day cruise, keep in mind we do drink.

 

 

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Unless you register a credit card or suitable debit card when you board, the cruise line will usually set a minimum cash deposit per day (around $200 per day?). You don't have to spend it, unspent cash paid in to your S&S card can be retrieved in cash at the end of the cruise.

Cocktails are around $8, beers around $5, wine from about $20 the bottle, all plus 15% service. Other major expenses are tips (typically around $11 per passenger per day) and shore excursions, though there are plenty of cheaper - or free- ways of exploring ashore.

 

Registering a card is very much simpler & easier than a cash deposit - though don't register a debit card if you run a low bank balance or a credit card if you are near your limit, because the daily "hold" is often not released until a week or so after the card has been charged at the end of the week. This means that you're double-charged for a while until the system catches up.

 

JB :)

[Cuizer2]

My husband and I are taking our first cruise April 2013 and we are wondering how much a day should we have on our S & S account for the 4 day cruise, keep in mind we do drink.

 

 

 

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Use a credit card and you will not have to worry about it.

[George C]

What line are you sailing? most alow you to bring on a couple of bottles of wine . its nice to have a glass in your cabin especially if you have a balcony, some lines also have a drink package that will include all your drinks.

[arone]

What you drink and how much makes a difference. Figure $5 to $15 per drink, and any other things you might buy, like gifts on board.

Our bill for 7 day cruises are in between $300 and $400. We drink martini's.

Hope this helps!!! Enjoy!!!

 

Very helpful thank you!

[Cuizer2]

Unless you register a credit card or suitable debit card when you board, the cruise line will usually set a minimum cash deposit per day (around $200 per day?). You don't have to spend it, unspent cash paid in to your S&S card can be retrieved in cash at the end of the cruise.

Cocktails are around $8, beers around $5, wine from about $20 the bottle, all plus 15% service. Other major expenses are tips (typically around $11 per passenger per day) and shore excursions, though there are plenty of cheaper - or free- ways of exploring ashore.

 

Registering a card is very much simpler & easier than a cash deposit - though don't register a debit card if you run a low bank balance or a credit card if you are near your limit, because the daily "hold" is often not released until a week or so after the card has been charged at the end of the week. This means that you're double-charged for a while until the system catches up.

 

JB :)

 

Cruise lines do not require a cash deposit of $200/day. That would be $1,400 for the week. I use a credit card, so I don't pay much attention to the cash requirements, but I believe it is closer to $250/week.

[Cuizer2]

Very helpful thank you!

 

There are far too many variables here. For example, most cruise lines allow you to reserve shore excursions and special dining venues and other events online before the cruise. However, how you are charged varies from line to line. Some lines bill your on board account while others bill you at the time of the reservation.

 

Also, are you going to prepay tips? If not, the gratuities will appear on your on board account. Do you plan to purchase pictures? Are you going to use the spa?

 

You would be far better off posting this question on the forum for the cruise line you will be cruising with.

[arone]

Unfortunately from what I read the Sensation does not offer the Cheers Program

We prepaid gratuities and our excursion, no casino for us and no gift shop except something little

[John Bull]

Cruise lines do not require a cash deposit of $200/day. That would be $1,400 for the week. I use a credit card, so I don't pay much attention to the cash requirements, but I believe it is closer to $250/week.

 

The info is missing, or difficult to find, on cruise lines' websites. But from a hunt round CC it seems to vary from no deposit but a $500 limit until cleared (a sensible arrangement) to an average of $200 per person for a two-day cruise.

Like you I find a credit card way easier, but your estimate is way more accurate than mine - though I did put in a big fat questionmark ;)

 

JB :)

[DISNEY1975]

Not sure about all cruiselines, but on NCL, they will call you when your running close to spending what you initially gave them in cash and ask you to add more to your on board account.

 

Like a previous person mentioned, if you give them too much, they will reimburse you at the end of the cruise. Do not forget about the gratuities most cruiselines will charge. $10 - $12 per day / per person. With 6 in my family, I board this ship $500+ in the hole for a week cruise!!!

[chipq]

Some ships you are able to check your account from the TV and on ships that don't offer that, you can check your account at guest services. Have a great time.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[RikkuCat]

If it's your first cruise, I would estimate liberally and have a backup plan. Whether your backup plan is extra cash, a credit card you can use if you run out of cash, etc - I would make sure you have access to at least twice as much money as you think you'll need.

 

 

On our first cruise, our camera died on the second day. Some people pack backup cameras, use their phones, or wouldn't mind waiting until they reached a port - but we didn't have a backup camera, wanted better resolution photos than our phones take, didn't want to waste time in port looking for a camera, and we like to take a lot of pictures and didn't want to miss out before we got to a port. So we ended up spending several hundred dollars on a new camera at the photo gallery, an unexpected expense. I'm sure we probably paid twice what the camera was worth, but the extra cost was worth it for us to have a way to take vacation pictures.

 

 

On the same cruise, we took advantage of deal at the spa during a rainy day at sea. We hadn't planned on going to the spa on the cruise since we can do that any time at home - but it was a good deal and the weather sucked, so there wasn't much else to do. We also hadn't expected to go to any speciality restaurants, but we decided to do that, too. And when DH got a really bad sunburn and wanted to stay in bed one morning, I signed up for an excursion - we had planned to explore on our own that day.

 

 

Unexpected things come up - and that's aside from actual emergencies in which you might need extra money to see a doctor or fly home early. So for budget purposes, I'd suggest planning to spend twice as much as you think you'll need, whether that means bringing extra cash, making sure your ATM card will work in port, or making sure you have plenty of room on the credit card you're using for travel expenses.

[arone]

great advice thanks!

[luddite]

Use a credit card and pay it a month after the trip.

Easy peasy.

Never, ever use a debit card for this.

[beachbum53]

Scared of being short

 

Okay, I have to admit it. When I saw the title of your post, I thought it was in reference to your height, and that maybe it was some type of odd phobia.:D

[Cuizer2]

Scared of being short

 

Okay, I have to admit it. When I saw the title of your post, I thought it was in reference to your height, and that maybe it was some type of odd phobia.:D

 

That is what I thought also. I was going to suggest wearing platform shoes.

[Happy ks]

Scared of being short

 

Okay, I have to admit it. When I saw the title of your post, I thought it was in reference to your height, and that maybe it was some type of odd phobia.:D

 

 

I have to admit it too, that's the reason I clicked on the thread.

 

We spend around $100 per day for the two of us.

 

Thanks to beachbum53 and arone for the little chuckle :)

[Northshorecruisers]

We pre-fund our OBC for $1000 before we sail. That's our typical amount we spend for cocktails, bottles of wine, classes, stuff from the shops, and photos. Last cruise I got a $23 refund. We book and pay for our specialty dining and any shore excursions prior to the cruise.