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Where do you stash your cash?

SMN73

By SMN73,
in Ask a Cruise Question

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Big_G

Big_G

Posted
Posted
I usually "stash" my cash with the bartenders. I hand it over little by little over the week's port stays and they hide it in the cash draw with the other cash. Funny thing I am usually having such a great time at the establishments that I forget to ask for the cash back. Oh well...easy come, easy go.......

 

Better than keeping it in the bank Joe. You get a better return. ;)

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lancelady

lancelady

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Posted

Just read a post a month ago that's it's not as easy as it use to be to use traveler's check's at stores, etc. even in Europe, but it was mentioned it was easier to cash them on board. Cashed in what I had on ship with no problems, best to use what I had, and put the $ on the side for when it's needed. The traveler's check's I had were from 2006.

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BND

BND

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DH and I usually split our cash while traveling and then put most of it in the safe. We only carry $75 or so in port along with credit cards. We never bring anywhere near $1500, but we bring enough.

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tidygirl

tidygirl

Posted
Posted

Our family with 3 adult kids just did a Western European cruise and we took a large amount of cash, we divided it up and everyone had a money belt I kept a small amount in my crossover purse. We did not want to keep getting charged for cash advances and trying to find ATM and also wasn't sure our credit card would be accepted as it doesn't have a chip yet . Once we boarded the ship we put the money in the safe. When we got off the ship Dh and I just took what we'd need for the day. In the Caribbean if we are going to do water sports we have a waterproof box DH puts cash and sea pass cards in and it stays with us at all times! If you are doing an excursion on your own we usually can get a tour for $40 or less pp and figure how much each person may want for souvenirs.

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Sarvowinner

Sarvowinner

Posted
Posted
That is pretty much what we do as well.

 

Banks haven't sold Travelers Checks for years! We don't even carry them. Most popular thing now is a "travel card" which is a prepaid card, similar to a credit card or gift card, load as much $$ as you will need on it.

 

Unfortunately, RC will not accept Travel Cards - only REAL (their words) debit cards issued by banks and credit cards.

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Ashland

Ashland

Posted
Posted (edited)
Traveler Checks are being phased out and no longer available in many areas, so now I use a money belt.

Phased out :confused:....I can still get them (ordered online or by phone delivered to the bank) or in person on the spot at several banks in my hometown.

 

Money belt....I worry my DH will leave the belt for his pants in the airport bin...so no money belts for him.

Edited by Ashland
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JasonTehGreat

JasonTehGreat

Posted
Posted

This may sound weird but if you want to hide it somewhere it's not likely to get stolen put it in the box from a package of suppositories or the package for feminine hygiene/douche products.

 

I mean really, when is the last time someone rifled through a tourists stuff and targeted an enema or hemorrhoidal suppositories.

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FLACRUISER99

FLACRUISER99

Posted
Posted
I've searched this topic and found that many cruisers bring $500-$1500 in cash on their cruise.

 

Where do you carry it? For our next cruise it will just be me (40yr old female) and my 20 year old daughter. The thought of carrying that much cash on me worries me on a safety level. However, I know between taxis, tips and excursions I am going to need that much.

 

How do you keep everything secure and safe while traveling?

Look around this website and pick. http://www.pacsafe.com/
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north29

north29

Posted
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All answers are reasonable good with what works for them. I had a bad experience traveling in Italy where NO bank would accept Travelers Checks. I came home from a long trip in France(countryside) and 3 of my booked hotels did not take CC and if not for ATM I would have had a problem after my first Italy issue with TC's I came home and cashed them all in and now use only ATM and CC with a smaller amount of ready cash. Now my ready cash is usually in the neighbor hood of say $200 US dollars, if in the Euro zone 500 euros. As others have said, all cash is split between the two of us. Even ATM card are split but tied to same account which is tied to no other account.

Precautions should be tied to where you are. Heck I do not really worry about money on a cruise ship, but in the Euro zone and some islands like Barbados if you are on your own, be careful if you show some wealth and are out of the tourist areas.

PS after reading this, I might pick up a small amount of cash in Travelers checks. I thought they were gone with the wind, well for the most part.

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TravelerThom

TravelerThom

Posted
Posted

In my recent experience it is difficult to cash Traveler's Checks in Europe, even in banks. BUT so far they have been accepted without question on cruise ships I have been on, so they are a good way to carry cash to the ship. Call around and you should be able to find someone to sell you TCs, even if they have to special order them for you.

 

If I am on the road (ie not having a ship or hotel safe to use) I do use a money belt AND a "day wallet". You want to have ready access to modest amounts of cash, without pulling out and displaying a loaded money belt when paying for a coffee.

 

Almost all manned (personned?) credit card machines in Europe (including the hand-held ones carried to the table by waiters) have the ability to swipe non-Chip cards, but I have had to explain this to more than one waiter who didn't know how to do this. (I carry two credit cards with no foreign transaction fees; one has a Chip but poor cash back rebates, the other no Chip but a much better cash back program.) By Oct 2015, due to changing bank regulations, virtually all US credit cards will contain Chips, but apparently many US banks plan on having Chip & Signature (versus Chip & PIN), so I question if these will be useable at unmanned kiosks.

 

Thom

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shellunderwater

shellunderwater

Posted
Posted
We never have a lot of cash with us......our excursions are arranged beforehand and paid on a credit card when booked; tips on the ship will be charged to the seapass account and then go to our credit card....small cash for taxis, doesn't amount to $1500 even for a long cruise.

 

Most merchants take credit cards, if they are legitimate, in my mind.

 

Our excursions are all arranged ahead of time. BUT....

 

Cavetubing in BZ... cash.

Beach restaurant/bar in Costa Maya.... cash....

Bar Hop in Coz... balance of amount due.... cash.

 

So, just because you arrange ahead doesn't always solve the issue of not needing cash. Yes, we choose to take these instead of another. And, at least based on the reviews, these are legit merchants, in my mind.

 

Adding in room service/porter/bell/driver tips, spending money in port, etc for 4 adults, plus the balances on excursions, I'm at $1,000. So, yes its easy to have a large amount of cash needed on a 7 day cruise. Plus add in a cushion amount..... And I'm not counting what goes on the seapass.

 

But, I can guarantee no one will fraudulently charge my credit card and cause those headaches if I use cash. Now, where do I stash it all? :confused: :D

 

Lots of good info in this thread. Thanks to all!

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nkereina

nkereina

Posted
Posted
We both use money belts.

 

 

This. I've not used one myself, but I see them frequently in the travel section at stores. In fact, my local AAA office sells them.

 

They are akin to a fanny pack except they are flat, and are meant to be worn UNDER your shirt. It's just a small pouch with a zipper and a strap that goes around your mid-section. They are usually a nude/tan color so you shouldn't be able to see it under a shirt, unless your shirt is form fitting. It's pig enough to hold cash as well as a passport. I would probably keep a few bucks in a wallet, a larger amount in the money belt, and whatever I won't need for the day back in the safe.

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DirtyDawg

DirtyDawg

Posted
Posted (edited)
In my recent experience it is difficult to cash Traveler's Checks in Europe, even in banks. BUT so far they have been accepted without question on cruise ships I have been on, so they are a good way to carry cash to the ship. Call around and you should be able to find someone to sell you TCs, even if they have to special order them for you.

 

If I am on the road (ie not having a ship or hotel safe to use) I do use a money belt AND a "day wallet". You want to have ready access to modest amounts of cash, without pulling out and displaying a loaded money belt when paying for a coffee.

 

Almost all manned (personned?) credit card machines in Europe (including the hand-held ones carried to the table by waiters) have the ability to swipe non-Chip cards, but I have had to explain this to more than one waiter who didn't know how to do this. (I carry two credit cards with no foreign transaction fees; one has a Chip but poor cash back rebates, the other no Chip but a much better cash back program.) By Oct 2015, due to changing bank regulations, virtually all US credit cards will contain Chips, but apparently many US banks plan on having Chip & Signature (versus Chip & PIN), so I question if these will be useable at unmanned kiosks.

 

Thom

 

I was reading this thread with my jaw on the floor, asking myself why would anyone travel with so much cash? Then I read your post Thom:eek: You Americans don't have Chip and PIN yet! I'm so used to it now that I forgot the olden days when we didn't have it either.

 

OP if you have to carry lots of cash there have been many good suggestions for you. And when you can get a Chip and PIN card with no foreign transaction fees grab one, and as they used to say; "Don't leave home without it." :)

Edited by DirtyDawg
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TravelerThom

TravelerThom

Posted
Posted
...:eek: You Americans don't have Chip and PIN yet!...
Well, we do have our quirks, but remember we are not the ONLY holdouts on the metric system - Liberia and Myanmar are keeping us company.

 

I do find it interesting that US citizens who couldn't figure out with a calculator how many inches there are in a mile and insist that the metric system is way too difficult to understand, still manage to buy liquor (liquor and wine are, I think, the only items in the US that have to be sold in metric units).

 

Thom

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