mountaingirlnewcruiser

We'll be in the Western Caribbean, ports are Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. We did plan to have some small bills as we had been informed that was a good plan for in port and of course for tips for porters, shuttle drivers at various points, etc. I had been told that USD was fine in those areas.

My daughter has had her debit card compromised three times (every time it was still in her possession--at least once they suspected that it was a skimmer situation), and two of my coworkers have had multiple issues as well so I tend to be super cautious, especially when travelling. And, since I won't be reachable via phone for the credit union to alert me of suspected fraud, I wouldn't necessarily know about it right away.

Okay, first apologies, as I did look through the threads but didn't really find anyone with quite the same question. We have pre-paid for a drink package and excursion and have a credit card on our sign and sail account, a $100 credit for the account, plus I have a Carnival gfit card I can add to that account once onboard (that's how Carnival told me to do it). So we were planning to take a decent amount of cash with us just for the meals the day before when we fly in (we're staying with a friend so no hotel and related expenses), various tipping stuff, and anything we may need in the two ports with no excursion--like if we want something to eat or drink there since we're not big souvenir people.

So, we were thinking that we'd just bring the cash and a couple of our credit cards with us and leave our debit card at home. Issues with that plan from others that have cruised before? My thought is that avoids the potential for theft/fraud of the debit card that's tied to our bank account. I know that the damage can be limited but still the money account can get cleaned out fast and it takes time to get it resolved. And if it's just compromised but still in my possession, I might not know about it right away.

In an emergency situation, I would be able to get cash via the credit cards, albeit not ideal due to interest rate for cash advance.

Okay this is the dumbest question ever but what is the best way to keep track of your ship and sail card when you go swimming? In looking at my relatives pics and postings, it looks like they wear theirs on a lanyard most of the time but that doesn't seem practical for swimming. At the same time, I sure don't want someone else to get a hold of it while I'm in the pool. Sorry for the silly question but....

If your friend would take you back to IAH airport, you could catch a shuttle from there to Galveston on cruise day morning. There have been many shuttle options mentioned previously on this board. Among them are Galveston Express and Galveston Limo. We use Cruise Connection and find them very reliable.Just google for rates and phone numbers.

Thanks. I wondered if that might work. He lives about 15-20 minutes from IAH (he's actually a mechanic for United). So I'm sure he could do that. As I said, if he has the time, he may want to drive us just for the extra time to visit, but I want to explore options just in case (and I don't know if he'll know what his June schedule is that far in advance.) We'll be talking to him again soon about our plans so will know more. I'm just a compulsive planner and nervous about the whole cruise experience. Truth be told I wouldn't even be going except it's the cruise itself is a gift from my dad--multiple family going but getting there different ways.

Hi, all. I apologize if this has been covered but I wasn't having good luck with my searches. Brand new, never been on a cruise. We are flying into Houston the day before and staying overnight with friends there (actually in The Woodlands) as we don't get to see them often. But, now, how to get to the port. Any suggestions? My head is swimming trying to sort out the options/cost with options and they all pick up from airport or hotel. Our friend can drop us somewhere (and truthfully may ofter to take us to the port, but I don't want to count on that much of an imposition).