What do ppl use for money on cruises?

[albertablueskies]

What do ppl do for money on cruises? What's best? Travellers checks? US Dollars, Canadian Dollars, withdrawing from the ATM's on the ships, or credit/debit cards? What do ppl use when they are on the islands?:confused:

[rubrrick]

What do ppl do for money on cruises? What's best? Travellers checks? US Dollars, Canadian Dollars, withdrawing from the ATM's on the ships, or credit/debit cards? What do ppl use when they are on the islands?:confused:

 

Welcome to the board! Where are you cruising to?

[Jan_In_Maine]

I think you will get 1 million different answers on this one - we use traveler's checks to pay off the seapass the night before (or as much of the seapass as possible) the rest goes on either credit card or debit card. In port we use cash - but then again we are not making any major purchases. From everything I've seen I wouldn't count on ATM machines. Jan

[Nliedel]

OK DO NOT count on the ATM's onboard working. I have had many cruises and rarely had one of those things work properly.

 

I take a combonation of cash, Travelers Checks and Credit/Debit Cards. I put my cruise deposit down in cash but I am in the minority. In the Islands I use travelers checks and some cash. Most Caribbean Island shops will accept American Money, although many will give you change in the local currency.

[Sheffie]

We use our credit card for our onboard account and major purchases (IF we make any) on the islands. We use cash for everything else. We don't take a lot of cash, but rather, we will go to the casino and get cash for "gambling" there. (May gamble a couple of dollars, if at all.) We mostly use cash on the islands. You will definitely need cash for anything purchased from street vendors, for tips, taxis, etc. Take a lot of smaller bills to the islands so you won't end up with a lot of their currency as change.

[Ocean Boy]

One thing to keep in mind if you use credit cards on the islands is that many cards are now adding a foreign country transaction fee to your charges. My various cards range from 1-3 %. I didn't even realize it until we returned from our last cruise and found the charges on my bill. This had never occured before and I never noticed the change in my "very small print disclosure forms" that the companies send. This change has occured within the last year. And the CC companies don't want to hear how you didn't know about it. They send the disclosure forms and they are off the hook.

 

So if you are going to buy on the islands it might be best to bring some cash, or get it on the ship, to pay for the items and avoid the extra cost. Maybe the CC companies will get the message. They won't get their foreign transaction fee nor will they get the percentage that they charge the merchants. And the merchants may negotiate better prices with you if they know they won't have to pay their percentage to the CC companies.

[CruisinDawn]

Don't bring a wad of cash with ya just go to the casino and get cash as needed. Keep in mind the casino is closed while in port so keep a little extra in the safe just in case. Unlike the ATM onboard there is no charge to get cash from the casino. We bring one visa each from different credit card companies in case one is lost or stolen that way if we have to cancel one we still have one that works.

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

[Lightsluvr]

I assume you are sailing RCI, so I will tell you our experience. We have the RCI Visa which gives double points for RCI purchases. You can read about their rewards program on the RCI website. We use this card for all cruise purchases, including settling our SeaPass acocunt. Then we pay it off when we get home. That way we avoid the 9% interest.

I agree with Ocean Boy on his observations about using any credit card outside the US. Don't depend on a working ATM onboard, and we recommend that you NEVER use an ATM offshore. Potential for a nightmare.

You can always get cash from the casino cashier by using your SeaPass.

Your Cruise Compass will tell you if US currency is commonly accepted at your port of call. We have found it accepted (and usually welcomed) everywhere.

Enjoy.

[osiebosie]

We use a combination of credit card, cash and traveler's checks. The main trip is on the credit card. I keep cash especially in small bills, and bring the majority of $ for the trip in travelers checks. I can cash them as needed. I also set aside my tip money well before the trip, and make sure we have extra small bills for any extra we feel they deserve.

 

I would never use an ATM machine.

[later]

We will bring small bills to handle tips prior to boarding. All other expenses go on our RCI MBNA credit card through our sea pass. We obtain cash from the casino for tips on board and for on shore purchases. It seems that I always get home with much more cash than I started with. (need those points) Obviously we budgeted for all expenses and pay off the credit card immediately.

[digital_curator]

We took cash and credit cards (which we never used, except in Miami).

 

I had envelopes with tips for each staff member, as well as envelopes for each port excursion I had arranged, which I kept in the safe 'til I needed it.

 

On shore, DH and I each carried a small amount of cash in addition to the credit cards. We aren't big shoppers though so we didn't spend much off the ship.

 

Didn't bother with Traveller's Cheques as some places won't take them and didn't want to spend time looking for a place to cash them. Most stores and many restaurants seemed to take credit cards.

 

Hope that helps.

[albertablueskies]

We're headed to the Western Caribbean on Nov 27 on the Radiance! Which is better the Radiance or the Navigator?

[Ocean Boy]

We're headed to the Western Caribbean on Nov 27 on the Radiance! Which is better the Radiance or the Navigator?

 

Either class of ship is great but the Voyager class, which Navigator belongs to, is just incredible. It is my favorite class of ship though there are plenty of folks here that prefer the Radiance class.

 

Both ships have rock climbing, miniture golf, and a basketball court. Navigator has a Royal Promenade which runs down the center of the ship and has shops and pubs. They also have "street performers" here. It is hard to describe how it feels the first time you step onto the Royal Promenade. I think it is amazing. She also has roller blading and an ice rink. You will never see anything like the ice show on any other class of ship. Her adult solarium does not have a retractible glass roof over it. She has a beautiful three level dining room. She has Johnny Rocket's which is an extra charge hamburger food venue. She carries somewhere around 3200 passengers but is designed to do so very well.

 

Radiance has much more glass which allows you to see the ocean from just about any public area of the ship including the elevators. The Radiance class ships tend to have a very elegant look and feel. She has a very beautiful centrum. Her windjammer is beautiful and it has outdoor seating which Navigator does not have. However, it is pretty hot in the caribbean so you might want to eat inside in the air conditioning anyway. She also has self leveling pool tables. Her adult solarium has a retractible glass roof. Mostly it is kept closed and the air conditioned interior is a welcome relief from the heat. She has a very nice two level dining room but it doesn't measure up to the look of a Voyager class dining room. She has the Seaview cafe which is a cruise fare included food venue that is great for late night snacks and has nice inside and outside seating. She carries around 2500 passengers.

 

It is hard to say which ship would be best for you. It depends on the kind of atmosphere you like and if you are traveling with kids or not.

 

If I can answer any other questions feel free to ask.

[ducklite]

We'll put our tips except specialty restaurants and room service, bar tab, gift shops, etc. on our credit card. We've got $500 in travelers checks which we will cash at teh pursers desk as needed for cash to use on shore, tips to room service, concierge, and specialty restaurants, tips to porters, an a grease the first day to our room steward and servers. We'll also take another few hundred, mostly in small bills, to get started with.

 

Hoping we won't need more. We ran short on cash on DCL, and luckily were able to take an ATM withdrawl from a Chase ATM in St. Thomas, but do NOT like the idea of using an ATM anywhere in Mexico or the Caribbean.

 

We're also bringing a second credit card with a very high credit line that we only use for emergencies, just in case.

 

Anne

[stargate fan]

Got a note from Capital One saying that they are not charging a fee for transactions made abroad. I believe they are now the only card company doing this.

To answer the question, we bring our Capital One card, a couple hundred in travelers checques, and a small stack of ones and fives for tips. Generally, we charge everything, even on the islands. What a great way to get points for out next trip!!

 

One thing to keep in mind if you use credit cards on the islands is that many cards are now adding a foreign country transaction fee to your charges. My various cards range from 1-3 %. I didn't even realize it until we returned from our last cruise and found the charges on my bill. This had never occured before and I never noticed the change in my "very small print disclosure forms" that the companies send. This change has occured within the last year. And the CC companies don't want to hear how you didn't know about it. They send the disclosure forms and they are off the hook.

 

So if you are going to buy on the islands it might be best to bring some cash, or get it on the ship, to pay for the items and avoid the extra cost. Maybe the CC companies will get the message. They won't get their foreign transaction fee nor will they get the percentage that they charge the merchants. And the merchants may negotiate better prices with you if they know they won't have to pay their percentage to the CC companies.

[bplazo]

My husband wants to use one of the travelers checks that look like a credit card. Has anyone used this? I was thinking that maybe some places would not be able to accept this if they do not process credit cards.

[FitzLA]

What do ppl do for money on cruises? What's best? Travellers checks? US Dollars, Canadian Dollars, withdrawing from the ATM's on the ships, or credit/debit cards? What do ppl use when they are on the islands?:confused:

 

I am sure that you already know this, but just to make sure you know you can not use cash, checks or credit cards on board the ship. You can settle your accounts at the end of the cruise with any of those, but you will be usuing your sea pass account while on board. Except the casino of course, they want your cash, and lots of it. Have a great cruise.

[cruizinbabe]

Stargate Fan, said that Capital One does not charge a fee for transactions on the cruise is this true? It made it sound like others do. Are we talking that they do even just for settling your account at the end? Because isn't that the only time you would use a credit card on board? Or did you mean that they don't charge a foreign country transaction fee?

 

I am so confused!

 

Thanks

[wrp96]

My husband wants to use one of the travelers checks that look like a credit card. Has anyone used this? I was thinking that maybe some places would not be able to accept this if they do not process credit cards.

 

There are lots of places that can't take the traveler's check cards, including cruise ships. The AMEX Travelers Cheque Card specifically says that it cannot be used to secure an onboard account on a cruise ship. They also cannot be used to secure reservations and a whole slew of other items. You are better off taking a credit card plus some regular traveler's checks.

[hilltopfamily]

Please, please, please let me know how much $$$ in credit is needed on your credit card to secure your sailpass card at the beginning of your cruise? One person cruising with me has only a very low amount of credit avail. (I'm thinking something like $200) on her cc and I'm concerned that amount is not enough. I have been unable to find in our cruise docs or online at RCI what amount is needed per person as security. I may end up having to secure hers with my card.

[BearySweet2Cruise]

Please, please, please let me know how much $$$ in credit is needed on your credit card to secure your sailpass card at the beginning of your cruise? One person cruising with me has only a very low amount of credit avail. (I'm thinking something like $200) on her cc and I'm concerned that amount is not enough. I have been unable to find in our cruise docs or online at RCI what amount is needed per person as security. I may end up having to secure hers with my card.

 

I was told on Mariner which was a 7 night sailing that the credit card needed a $500.00 amount on it to use it. Others may have had different experieances as answers from RCCL change depending on who you speak to.. (It's like calling the IRS..):mad: But in any case, that is what I was told.

Have a great trip.

Note: You can set up seapass by saying CASH at check in... and then just pay the bill at the end.. no deposit needed that way.

[wrp96]

My best friend secured her SeaPass card with a $200 limit credit card on her last cruise (2003). When she went over, she just went and added cash to her account.

[mercedesmom2002]

Someone earlier posted the obtained cash for tips from the Casino. Can you just give them your credit card and ask for cash from that? Is that how you do it? Or do you have to play using your credit card and that whatever money you don't spend and/or win, you can use for tips? Just wondering because when we leave for our trip we will have only about $400 to put on our Sea Pass card but am getting paid 3 days later and am having friends load more money on the credit card for us. We won't have much cash for the tips, buying in port, etc. so we will need to get more cash while on board or in port. Had heard that the ATM doesn't work most of the time on the ships. I know when we were on the Enchantment 2 years ago the ATM was down the entire trip so we ended up having to write a check to the Pursor's desk for cash. We now don't have a checking account due to identity theft last year as we decided to do without one for a while.

 

I hope someone can answer this question for me as I'm getting worried we won't have enough cash for what we need. Thanks in advance.

[Nliedel]

Someone earlier posted the obtained cash for tips from the Casino. Can you just give them your credit card and ask for cash from that? Is that how you do it? Or do you have to play using your credit card and that whatever money you don't spend and/or win, you can use for tips? Just wondering because when we leave for our trip we will have only about $400 to put on our Sea Pass card but am getting paid 3 days later and am having friends load more money on the credit card for us. We won't have much cash for the tips, buying in port, etc. so we will need to get more cash while on board or in port. Had heard that the ATM doesn't work most of the time on the ships. I know when we were on the Enchantment 2 years ago the ATM was down the entire trip so we ended up having to write a check to the Pursor's desk for cash. We now don't have a checking account due to identity theft last year as we decided to do without one for a while.

 

I hope someone can answer this question for me as I'm getting worried we won't have enough cash for what we need. Thanks in advance.

 

you just go to the casino and ask fr cash against your sign and sail card, it's just like making a purchase.

[hilltopfamily]

Bearysweet2cruise & Wrp 96: thanks for the replies to my ??. I will inform my cruisin' buddy and be prepared to front more if they ask her for greater than the approx $200 that I believe she has on her card. thanks! :)