How Much Cash

[rjstone208]

We are doing our first cruise ever next Spring - 7 day Carribean on the Millennium. How much cash should we bring with us? What form? Travelers checks (do people still use them?)? I would guess debit cards aren't used much in Carribean countries or are they? I know on board we don't need cash but for excursions, etc. what's your experience.

 

Ray & Therese

[raudacruise]

You can get money at the casino cashier which is charged to your shipboard account and ultimately to your credit card. You don't have to gamble it. No service fee and you get whatever perks (miles or whatever) on your credit card.

 

On board, everything goes to your shipboard account and you can also have tips charged to it.

 

You are correct, tips on excursions - or getting to from the ship - you will need cash for. Also if you are going to hit local shops/markets.

[MiddleagedM]

You may also want to bring along about $20-$30 in $1 bills (or as previously posted get them from the casino) for small one time tips on board for things like room service deliveries or an extra tip for bartenders that are particularly attentive and above average.

 

Enjoy your cruise, I doubt it will be your last cruise!!

 

Mike

[Pontius Navigator]

Credit/Debit cards are widely used as East Caribean Dollars. The prefered cash is USD.

 

Certainly for street vendors and the odd coffee/beer/tip dollar bils will be fine.

 

Bring, or get from the casino, a stack of quarters. Their local economies are much cheaper than the US so a quarter is often adequate and appropriate. Would you give a dollar to a child selling a paper flower made in junior school?

 

 

OTOH, at St Lucia, we went on a tour to the University which is in th eold barracks and fort at the top of a hill. It was the scene of bitter fighting between the French and the British. We were left to our own devices even though we had paid for the tour and were picked up by a local tout. BUT his guiding and patter were excellent and he thoroughly deserved his tips.

[C 2 C]

There is an ATM aboard the ship as well.

[Pontius Navigator]

There is an ATM aboard the ship as well.

 

But that will probably cost you.

 

But returning to the original question. Travellers cheques are not all they are cracked up to be. Officially they are safe and can only be cashed through a bank or agent. In practice, in India, I signed the cheques and got my goods. If I had lost the cheques they could still have been cashed. Also it is money 'spent' up front.

 

On excursions you may wish to tip the driver a $ or 2 and the guide $2 or $5. So calculate on the number of tours you booked.

 

In St Thomas our driver was our guide - very good too. But he lied to us about a toilet stop. In fact it was at a tourist shop owned by a relative. There were other toilets later on. In the shopping opportunity you may feel the need to contribute to the local economy.

 

You can either but some tat in the shop for $10-$20 or throw the money out of the window - your choice. We still have a ball of chocolate that one guide sold to us for $5. We scrape a bit off in our coffee now and again or on ice cream. It is now coming up to 2 years old and we have used maybe 5%.

 

More importantly you may need to buy an umbrella, footwear, bottle of water (distress purchases). A couple of $100 would be ample. If you took $500 you could then use any left over to pay additional CASH gratutities and also credit to your onboard account.

[ddonalds]

I travel alot, and I always keep cash on me - you just never know. I usually have $100 - $200, and certainly in the Caribbean, they take USD. Travelers checks just don't work the way they used to. Many places won't take them - and since you pay to get them, and then you have to pay to give them back - it's just not worth it. I use ATMs around the world - it's easier, and the little bit it costs is far outweighed by the convenience (I actually factor a dollar value to my time, makes it easier to justify buying anything I want...:D ). You're just going to have a great time - enjoy your cruise!!!!

[Longboysfan]

I travel alot, and I always keep cash on me - you just never know. I usually have $100 - $200, and certainly in the Caribbean, they take USD. Travelers checks just don't work the way they used to. Many places won't take them - and since you pay to get them, and then you have to pay to give them back - it's just not worth it. I use ATMs around the world - it's easier, and the little bit it costs is far outweighed by the convenience (I actually factor a dollar value to my time, makes it easier to justify buying anything I want...:D ). You're just going to have a great time - enjoy your cruise!!!!

 

Bingo... Take about $100 to $200 with you.

Have singles and five spots for luggage transfers and tipping at the curb for airport.

 

Then Use the Casino for your cash needs.

Remember the Casino is closed in Port.

Think about what you want the night before.

 

At the end of the trip hold a few tip and food $$$ to the side for the way home.

Take the rest and pay down your bill.

 

Have fun.

[jerseygirl3]

You can get money at the casino cashier which is charged to your shipboard account and ultimately to your credit card. You don't have to gamble it. No service fee and you get whatever perks (miles or whatever) on your credit card.

 

On board, everything goes to your shipboard account and you can also have tips charged to it.

 

You are correct, tips on excursions - or getting to from the ship - you will need cash for. Also if you are going to hit local shops/markets.

 

Is that true that Celebrity doesn't charge a fee to get cash from the casino? I know years ago most of the cruiselines didn't, but it seems lately most charge a 3% fee. Does anybody know for sure whether or not Celebrity charges a fee?

[fti]

I generally take some cash with me on trips but never end up using as much as I bring. But on our Caribbean cruise in a couple of months, several of our shore excursion operators ask for cash at the end of the tour. So we will be taking more cash than normal in order to pay for these independent shore excursions.

 

John

[raudacruise]

Is that true that Celebrity doesn't charge a fee to get cash from the casino? I know years ago most of the cruiselines didn't, but it seems lately most charge a 3% fee. Does anybody know for sure whether or not Celebrity charges a fee?

 

Celebrity has always been the one that doesn't charge a fee. I was on Infinity March/April and no fee. I think Harrahs run's the Casinos for RCCL/Celebrity and that might be the reason.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

We are doing our first cruise ever next Spring - 7 day Carribean on the Millennium. How much cash should we bring with us? What form? Travelers checks (do people still use them?)? I would guess debit cards aren't used much in Carribean countries or are they? I know on board we don't need cash but for excursions, etc. what's your experience.

 

Ray & Therese

 

Here is a link to the Roll Call thread for your 4/06/07 Millennium cruise.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=531634

 

It is not very active yet, but hopefully will be more so as the cruise gets closer. You may also register for a Celebrity Connections party to be held on board ship where we get together to meet fellow cruisers. Do this by having your booking number handy and clicking on Register for a Connection Party under Celebrity Cruises at the top left of this page.

[dkjretired]

Credit/Debit cards are widely used as East Caribean Dollars. The prefered cash is USD.

 

Certainly for street vendors and the odd coffee/beer/tip dollar bils will be fine.

 

Bring, or get from the casino, a stack of quarters. Their local economies are much cheaper than the US so a quarter is often adequate and appropriate. Would you give a dollar to a child selling a paper flower made in junior school?

 

 

QUOTE]

 

Two things which are going the way of the telegram which departed us last year, coins in a casino and travelers checks......

[raudacruise]

 

Two things which are going the way of the telegram which departed us last year, coins in a casino and travelers checks......

 

You got that right. Went to Vegas a a few months ago after not having been there for a year or so. The clank/clank of the slot machines droping coins was coming out of speakers. Its all paper now.

 

Traveler's checks have been more of a pain than aid for many years. ATMS and credit cards are more convinient. At a foreign bank you get the 5th degree trying to cash the things but the ATMs are more than happy to gobble up your credit card.

[cruisinelsewhere]

I guess I am a little different. I never leave for a cruise without $500 Cash in pocket as well as "recommemded tips" in correct denominations. I like to have the cash available for tipping porters, barstaff, upping recommended tips etc and I don't always know ahead of time what I might encounter in a port for activities and taxi fares. I also bring a fair amount of traveler's checks (averaged from previous cruises) so that I can pay my bill on the last day of the cruise...yes, you can get $ from casino etc. but I love the concept that when I return home from a great vacation there is no credit card bill staring me in the face and making me wish I had done something differently.

[Tucker in Texas]

Travelers checks are "useless." When I go overseas, I go to the bank and get $500 worth (free for old folks) and bring back $500 (lol). That is my "dire emergency" money (like the ATM "eats" all four of our cards). ATM's are my cash cow of choice. The ship has them but takes a nice "cut"--more than what you would pay at home for using a "foreign" machine.

 

Tips for porters. $5 to check in curbside at the airport (I'm assuming two bags, otherwise $2 a bag.

 

Taxi to port. $30-$35 in Miami with tip. The price has gone up since we paid $25 flat fee.

 

Tip to porter at ship: $5--you don't want your bag go into the drink or "slashed."

 

$45-$50 cash for the above.

 

You can put your ship tips on the shipboard card. It is the "recommended" amount. It covers what we always paid before in "recommended" tips but adds a couple of people we didn't tip before like table captain (unless he did something more than "troll for tips") and head housekeeper. It also includes something for the "grill" crew which in the past we always dropped some money in a tip jar at the end of the cruise. It is $2 over previous "recommended" tips a day to those in the auto tips so who cares. Easier than taking cash in the right denominations to tip out individually. $70 a week pp but "charged"

 

We take $20 more for the steward which we "dole" out doing the week with a nice note thanking him/her for "whatever" a couple of bucks a day. Maybe $2 one day, nothing the next day, $5 the day after--keep them guessing (lol). They sure hot foot it to our cabin when they see us leave for breakfast to make sure they scoop it up before their "assistant" (lol). We also make sure to fill out the comment card how good they were (unless really bad which has only happened once or twice in 20 plus cruises) which is worth a lot to them--they get extra days off. We take another $20 to do the same with our waiter and $10 or so for the busboy. I also have $1's to tip out bartenders. I find one that is convenient that I like and order drinks directly from him rather than a waiter. I have found that an extra $1 on top of the 15 percent tip brings better drinks (lol). Even if you don't care to go to the bar and just flip the waiter/waitress a buck every now and then, they will become your "newbestfriend" looking for you when you come into a lounge and taking care of you promptly.

 

If you are taking ship's tours, you need $5 for two to tip out the guide and $3 or so for the driver. If you are taking independent tours, we look at how much the ship is charging and add $5 to it and take that in cash to pay them. However, usually independent tour guides charge less than the ship does in most cases so you will have money left over but we like to be on the "safe" side.

 

I can't think of any activity on the ship that I have had to pay cash for. They wouldn't even take 39 cents cash for a postage stamp (lol). But on some ships Bingo and horse racing had to be paid in cash and it is around $30 a session for Bingo and $2 a bet for horse racing. I don't play so I can't address that with accuracy. Other than that, there is the----

 

Casino: I have not been on Celebrity in 18 months. However, I can tell you then, you could go to the casino and take out cash on your shipboard account with no surcharge. I believe Carnival ships/lines charge 3 percent or so. Celebrity gave it to you in cash. You could either gamble with it (or not). However, this may have been eliminated in the neverending quest for the bottom line. You need to have your TA ask about it or research some recent cruisers. I will be on RCI's Freedom next month and will find out if this policy is still standing (RCI owns Celebrity). E-mail me at whitlock@alumni.utexas.net the first of November for a report if you want to. When cruising on Princess and NCL since then, I took cash to cover my gambling. On RCI/Celebrity, I took out cash if I didn't need it because I get a cash rebate from my credit card. My bank would be impressed when I would take out $500 to cruise with and come back with $1,200. Little did they know I would have a credit card bill of $1K to pay for it (lol). I would get the float and a rebate. Win-win.

 

We allow about $30 per port for miscellaneous expenses like water, el cheapo souvenirs, things that are of minor variety. Any purchase of "substance" can be charged like restaurant tabs or bar tabs. However, Discover is not worth the plastic it is printed on in most ports. M/C or Visa. Amex is sometimes not accepted but most of the time is.

 

Transportation back to the airport and tips for baggage handling.

 

If you are going in a day early like we do, additional money for tips for shuttle drivers, baggage handlers, porters at the hotel, etc.

 

So, do the math. If you plan on independent tours, you will need the cash to cover them which, to us, is the major cash expense.

 

Another note. We always take a credit card with us that has a high limit. We heard a horror story about someone who needed to be hospitalized in Nassau with a suspected heart attack and before they would let him in, they wanted $25K. Never mind he had insurance--not their problem. They managed to scrape it up between several cards from family members but then had to chase the insurance companies. If you have insurance and need help, be sure you call the insurance company at the first available opportunity to get clearance. For instance, if you need medi-evac, you need to get "permission" from them before doing it or they might not pay.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Pontius Navigator]

We ran out of the readies on our cruise in the Caribbean and there was no ATM. The ship's bank would take a cheque but not a debit card.

 

So, first problem was find a bank.

 

One port of call was at a commercial port and the town was right by the dock. There was a bank there.

 

We queued and were eventually seen by someone who confirmed we could draw money over the counter (no ATM) and redirected us to another queue.

 

Once we saw the bank person she made a note of all our details, passports etc, all the while coughing in our faces. Once the paperwork was ready she redirected us to the original queue, about 20-30 people.

 

At this point things got better. The original person we saw called us to her counter thus jumping the queue and we got paid there and then.

 

The whole process was painless, sitting in the clean, air conditioned bank, watching how a little Caribbean Island operated in the international world of banking. It only took 45 minutes.

 

Lesson - take enough money. Take a cheque book. Don't bother with TCs.

[MEcruzr]

This is "my" general rule on how much cash to take when it's just me... $50 - $100 per day of the cruise. So if it's a 7 day cruise I take $350 - $700. I budget for more when I have my son with me (things like seadoo rentals and stuff on the beach all require cash). We fly out a day early so that's cash for traveling (meals, snacks, drinks at the airports/on the plane and TIPS for taxi drivers, luggage handlers) and for any purchases at the hotel. I always start with $25 in one dollar bills for tipping and small purchases.

 

On the cruise I will use the cash at the casino (my way of limiting my gambling) and in port (small purchases, food, taxi, tips, rentals). I carry a credit card for emergencies. At the end of the cruise I pay down my shipboard bill with any extra cash I may have left over, reserving about $50 for my travel home.

 

Hope this helps you plan for your cruise. Have fun!