How much cash should I bring for ports and excursions?

[kfnf51599]

Sorry if this has already been answered. I couldn't find it.

 

We are planning our first cruise in January to the ports of Ocho Rios, Grand Caymen and Cozumel. We plan on playing it by ear on excursions. My question is do most tours/excursion guides take Credit Cards or should I bring a lot of cash?

 

At each port we plan to do things like Atv, dolphin, zip lining, snorkeling, shopping, etc. We do not plan on getting anything through the cruiseline. Thanks for your help.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[OCruisers]

Some take credit cards and some don't.

We always take CASH to pay for want we want to do in ports. :)

[CanadaDeb]

I think the majority of companies you'd be booking with will take credit cards. We always bring some cash for smaller purchases but overall charge the majority of expenses. Have a great cruise!

[cb at sea]

I would google the tours and find out costs and what method of payment they accept...it's all online, if you look!

 

But most will take credit cards (MC and Visa....not so much Discover or Amex!) All will take cash, too!

[Sixtytwo]

Check the Ports-of-Call thread and get an idea of what is available in each port. Then check out TripAdvisor to see which independent tour companies get good ratings. Most will probably have a method to pre-pay via their website so you don't have to have cash on hand. Looks like the things you are planning to do are some of the more expensive excursions which means a lot of cash to carry around getting to the ship and then to the ports. :eek:

[biker@sea]

I take between $500/$1000 cash and 2 Credit card's.

 

J.M.H.O.

 

.

[janyes]

hi if you book your tours through the cruise company on board it is charged to your room and you pay at the end with credit card, also you are covered if theres a problem with tour or late back, the ship will wait, if you book privately off the ship you arent guaranteed they will wait or fix any problem.

[SPacificbound]

You may find the prices different if you want to use credit card versus cash. We always use cash for tours, excursions etc.

 

On a trip to Belize my son and family booked three different excursions with the same operator and was quoted a price. When it came to paying, DS gets out credit card and the price went way up.

 

In most places cash is king.

[donaldsc]

hi if you book your tours through the cruise company on board it is charged to your room and you pay at the end with credit card, also you are covered if theres a problem with tour or late back, the ship will wait, if you book privately off the ship you arent guaranteed they will wait or fix any problem.

 

Worrywart! Most of us have taken many many private tours with no problems at all. What you are worrying about is a myth perpetuated by the cruise lines to try to convince you take take their high-priced under-valued tours. The cruise line gets as much as 50% of the money you spend for their tours. Tours are a cash cow for them.

 

DON

[OCruisers]

At each port of call we always take at least $200 more than we think we'll need.

Better to have too much than too little. :D

[MrsPete]

Here's how I'd decide how much money to bring:

 

- I make an envelope for every excursion we're going to take. On the outside of the envelope I write the name /date /provider /meeting place /contact information /whatever else matters ... and on the inside I put enough cash money to pay for that one excursion ... then I add anticipated tip money (in small bills so I have choices). On the day of that excursion, I don't have to consider how much I need -- I just take the envelope out of the safe. Since you presumably know your plans for each island, this is just a matter of collecting small bills and laying them out.

 

- In addition to that excursion money, I keep $50 in emergency money tucked away in the back of my wallet. This is money in case we need to take a taxi, etc. We've never actually had to use this, but we wouldn't go without it.

 

- Finally, we take about $50 in spending money, depending upon our island plans. We don't buy souveniers, so we don't need shopping money. You'd have to figure out approximately what you need in this department.

[paggs]

I would think a budget of $1000 per port should get you by!

[Grandma Dazzles]

Keep in mind should you choose to pay a tour group by credit card in a foreign country you may have to pay a foreign transaction fee, depending on your credit card.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Worrywart! Most of us have taken many many private tours with no problems at all. What you are worrying about is a myth perpetuated by the cruise lines to try to convince you take take their high-priced under-valued tours. The cruise line gets as much as 50% of the money you spend for their tours. Tours are a cash cow for them.

 

DON

 

Depends on the tour. I would never take an all-day tour with a private company, particularly one involving lengthy travel.

 

On more than one occasion have witnessed RC wait for a tour in Cozumel that had gone to the Mayan ruins involving a delayed ferry. On the Independence in 2015 they waited for RC tour people who were allowed to disembark the ferry first as a group. My friend was on the tour and I had decided not to go as I had visited previously. Several passengers were left behind as they couldn't get off the ferry quickly enough - they had gone alone and not on a ship's tour.

 

It doesn't happen often, but for inexperienced cruisers, and longer tours, would not recommend going alone.

[Aaronmaissell]

Take cash, but I would also have a debit( ATM) as well as a credit card. Just be sure the rate is not too high. Be sure and let the bank know that you will be on out of the USA.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[notentirelynormal]

Whether booking a tour through the ship or through private tours I always have at least $1000 in cash with me. You just never know. The cool thing about money is, if you don't use it all you can put it back in the bank or spend it later.

 

I use the envelope thing too as MrsPete does. Money for tour, tips, information etc. Grab one envelope and you are good to go. No wasting time figuring it out on the ship and coming up short. If I can pay in advance I use my credit card and just figure in the tip (if any).

 

No one can tell you how much cash to bring. Clearly if you are going to the beach you need a lot less money then if you are taking a helicopter or zip lining.

 

Before you leave you need to seriously take a look at each port and decide what you plan on doing. I always look at what the cruise lines are offering to get an idea of what is the cool thing to do in port. That gives me a starting point. For example, I know that helicopter trips are a hot item for Alaska so I went on line and booked privately. I can also check out the vendor and read the reviews. This way I am guaranteed getting the tour I want, I can pay in advance and I don't have to share my adventure with anyone else.

 

But again, I always bring $1000 extra no matter what or with whom I am traveling. This money is back up money and not money I plan on using. You never know if you might have an emergency.

[preschool teacher]

We figure 300.00 per port depending on what our tours are..we never book tours with ship, unless like a couple said it's an all day tour far away...

[Gwendy]

Worrywart! Most of us have taken many many private tours with no problems at all. What you are worrying about is a myth perpetuated by the cruise lines to try to convince you take take their high-priced under-valued tours. The cruise line gets as much as 50% of the money you spend for their tours. Tours are a cash cow for them.

 

DON

In South America our privately booked van had an engine issue 20 kms from port. Time running out as it was a full day trip. Driver solved problem by pouring two bottles of water over engine!! Made it back in time to join line of cruise tour passengers.

We had a plan though. We were going to stand in the middle of the deserted highway and wave our Celebrity cruise cards at the bus with the cruise ship tours. Don't think this would have worked.

I do a mix of ship and private tours. Research which is best and what I am comfortable with. Sometimes cruise ship tours are no more expensive, especially on my own, language issues and long distances.

The key is research and what you are comfortable with.

[Rapsmac]

Thanks to Cruise Critic you will be able to research each port you are going to. Read reviews on the different activities and price them out. You will be able to contact many of the tour guides and find out their payment methods. Then when all this is done, you will have your total. Then bring more!!!

[renocaddy]

I try not to use my credit card in foreign ports (I just don't trust people). In addition to having envelopes pre-filled, as stated above, I also bring plenty of small bills for on-shore purchases - less chance of getting foreign currency back in change.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[kfnf51599]

Thanks so very much for all the advice. I have found a few tours I can pay with CC and will bring some cash just in case.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Floridiana]

I don't know how picky the vendors in the Caribbean are when it comes to crumpled $ bills. In some countries, they need to be clean, untorn and no writing on them. We always take a lot of relatively new $ 1 and $5 bills. We put them in respective envelopes and take out for the day what we think we need. We buy some small souvenirs and pay for the rare big purchases with a credit card.

[Flatbush Flyer]

hi if you book your tours through the cruise company on board it is charged to your room and you pay at the end with credit card, also you are covered if theres a problem with tour or late back, the ship will wait, if you book privately off the ship you arent guaranteed they will wait or fix any problem.

 

 

Read the fine print. No ship in the world guarantees that it "will wait." Most ships (as do some private tour companies) do guarantee that they will get you to the next port to meet the ship. Of course, if there are circumstances where a cruise line's tour busload of folks are late, it MAY wait if port considerations (tides, schedules, etc) are doable.

If one really does some extensive research, it is often possible to find, at a lesser price, the same tour provider used by the cruise line; and their/your "private" bus/car will tail/lead the cruise tour's vehicle. So, you're all "in the same boat" (so to speak).

 

As for those posters who fear credit card fraud: go to your card's website account, or call them, and select alerts for "charges by phone," single charges over $XXX," and/or whatever else eases your concerns. You'll then get immediate texts/e-mails with charge info.

 

BTW, across the world, VISA is the most widely used card. If you travel a lot (particularly flying), opt for a travel savvy card with no foreign transaction fees and trip insurance benefits (e.g., United Explorer). Note that the only drawbacks to the card's insurance are $ limits on claims and no "waiver of pre-existing conditions" for cancelations interruptions resulting from medical issues. Of course, for coverage to be in effect, you need to purchase the travel elements with that card (great tip: to effectively double your coverage limits, use two different account cards from that company to pay for things like deposit/final pay)

Finally, thought the $400+ annual fee may scare you to death, check our the newer travel cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card. You may want to jump right on that bandwagon!

Edited October 23, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[kfnf51599]

My Visa through my credit union is what I'll be using on the ship and in port. Called them yesterday and they ssid they only vhsrge 1% of the the total bill for foreign country purchases.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[CELTICGIRLCRUISER]

A few hundred in smaller bills, $20s down and credit cards.