Cash

I am wondering as far as cash will I have to bring what I think I will spend off the ship or is there ATM's I hate having so much cash on me.

I am wondering as far as cash will I have to bring what I think I will spend off the ship or is there ATM's I hate having so much cash on me.

It may vary by ship. But most ships have an ATM, but the fees can be horrendous. OST ports will also have ATMs but depending where you are travelling and your bank you might get hit hard.

For us, we bring just enough cash that we anticipate to spend off the ship. We use credit card on larger amounts, or unexpected purchases.

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I am wondering as far as cash will I have to bring what I think I will spend off the ship or is there ATM's I hate having so much cash on me.

It would help to know a bit more about your trip, such as itinerary, ship or private excursions, ship, etc.

Where are you going? Some parts of the world generally accept US$ others require local currency.

We are on the Divina MSC January 3 2018

Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas

St Johns Antiqua & Barbados

Saint George Grenada

Willenstad Curacaco

Oranjested Aruba

Sounds dumb but I didn't even know we can use debit/credit cards off the ship

The fee was only $6 at the atm.

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The fee was only $6 at the atm.

 

 

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ONLY $6? And that's the ship's fee ... then add your bank's fee .... could be $9+ each ATM trans.

If you use a bank card when you travel abroad (or even just far from home), alert your bank ahead of time. They put a comment or some kind of notation in your account. Otherwise they could cancel your card while you're away because purchases could look like fraudulent activity. Also check to see how your credit card company handles currency conversion.

Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas

St Johns Antiqua & Barbados

Saint George Grenada

Willenstad Curacaco

Oranjested Aruba

ALL of these ports accept USD.

Personally, I would not use a debit card outside my home town - just a personal preference. Credit card is safer, in my opinion, and even then we are very cautious.

ONLY $6? And that's the ship's fee ... then add your bank's fee .... could be $9+ each ATM trans.

Get a better card.

My bank does not charge a fee for "foreign" ATM, and reimburses me for any ATM charges.

I travel a lot internationally. I use ATMs almost everywhere (except Nigeria :D ).

I have not had issues. I do use my debit card when traveling personally. Getting cash off your credit card carries a fee. Plus interest starts the instant you receive the cash. There is not billing grace period like for credit card purchases.

For the OP, credit cards work fine in 95% of the world. Some countries, you can only use cards in higher end hotels. And then there is the Netherlands, where many place will ONLY accept a chip/PIN card. So even the newer chip/signature US cards will not work.

But western hemisphere, cards work pretty much anywhere.

We started with $1000 Euro's for a 25 day cruise. Replenished at ATM's all over the place, not a problem to get additional money, but I still want to start with a nice bank roll until we see where the ATM's are!

I bring considerably more cash then I think I need for emergencies.

One time out of the country the hospital that we had to go to required cash.

I do keep the money locked in hotel and ships safes.

At the same time I have ATM cards but there is a limit to how much you can withdraw on a daily basis.

Keith

Ok, sounds like I will take cash and use a card when we run out of that if we do.

Thanks everyone!

I take enough cash for at least a day or two. I seem to have a special gift for finding ATMs that don’t work or won’t accept our cards, so I always have some cash already, just in case.

Ok, sounds like I will take cash and use a card when we run out of that if we do.

Thanks everyone!

Keep in mind that St. Thomas is a good place to get more cash because it is a US territory and there are no foreign fess associated with transactions there.

As a previous poster shared, I always contact my credit card company ahead of time and give them the stops and dates so they don't inadvertently cancel my card. I try to pay for my excursions and port shopping with my credit card unless there is a fee charged. I'll estimate the cost of taxis and tips to pay with cash. I'll normally bring an extra $150-$250 to have in reserves. on 8 cruises, I've never run out of cash, never had to use an ATM and usually have cash left over for the return trip home.

All of your ports accept USD....just bring what you will need...we usually do about $1500 for a week, but seldom spend that much. Better to have it, than not have it and need it!