how much cash to take

[bubba83]

I know this could be different for everyone, but I just cant come up with an idea of how much cash to take with us on our 10 day western this Sunday...

 

 

4 ports....we already bought drink package, prepaid gratuities, and have a card linked to our on board account. I know to bring some ones and smaller bills for extra tips, and our cash to pay for our parking.....we dont have any real excursions planned....gonna go to margaretaville in Falmouth and then probably find beaches in Mexio and possibly grand cayman...then of course the Labadee...

 

It will be myself, my husband and our two kiddos...

[tserface]

You can use credit cards almost everywhere (especially in Falmouth in the cruise bubble). Having some small bills to pay extra tips is a good idea. I typically bring around $50. Also bring some $5, $10, and $20 to do tips for cabs, porters, etc. If you know your cab fare costs you could bring that as well since it's much easier to pay cabs with cash.

 

I think that the parking places typically take credit cards for multiple day stays especially.

 

You may end up buying a few suveniers here and there so you might want some smaller bills to make it easier to negotiate.

 

Other than that you can usually get change at the Guest Services desk and they have ATMs on board for around a $6 charge. I'd rather pay the $6 than carry a bunch of cash while traveling so I typically do that (or use another ATM before going to the ship). I'm not a fan of traveling with fat pockets and I don't want to put a bunch of cash in my checked luggage.

 

We use our credit cards for as much as we can since we get points. That minimizes the need for cash.

 

Tom

 

I know this could be different for everyone, but I just cant come up with an idea of how much cash to take with us on our 10 day western this Sunday...

 

 

4 ports....we already bought drink package, prepaid gratuities, and have a card linked to our on board account. I know to bring some ones and smaller bills for extra tips, and our cash to pay for our parking.....we dont have any real excursions planned....gonna go to margaretaville in Falmouth and then probably find beaches in Mexio and possibly grand cayman...then of course the Labadee...

 

It will be myself, my husband and our two kiddos...

[bubba83]

You can use credit cards almost everywhere (especially in Falmouth in the cruise bubble). Having some small bills to pay extra tips is a good idea. I typically bring around $50. Also bring some $5, $10, and $20 to do tips for cabs, porters, etc. If you know your cab fare costs you could bring that as well since it's much easier to pay cabs with cash.

 

I think that the parking places typically take credit cards for multiple day stays especially.

 

You may end up buying a few suveniers here and there so you might want some smaller bills to make it easier to negotiate.

 

Other than that you can usually get change at the Guest Services desk and they have ATMs on board for around a $6 charge. I'd rather pay the $6 than carry a bunch of cash while traveling so I typically do that (or use another ATM before going to the ship). I'm not a fan of traveling with fat pockets and I don't want to put a bunch of cash in my checked luggage.

 

We use our credit cards for as much as we can since we get points. That minimizes the need for cash.

 

Tom

 

Thank you and you have a good point about taking a bunch of cash....we are going to pay cash to park at baltimore because I hear that line moves a little faster...gotta get on that ship! HAHA

[ColoradoGurl]

I'd bring an extra $50-$100/person per day (meaning 7 vacation days, not just port days, cause it gives you cushion and takes into account your day before and after the cruise where you might need transportation and food). This is usually enough to cover things like taxis, excursions and purchases on land. It might even be more than enough, depending on what you like to do. Taxi's usually charge around $6-$8/person each way (for most islands I think), you can usually negotiate private tours with taxi drivers for around $30-$50/person (sometimes less but that's a good range), you can also pay for excursions like snorkeling (this totally depends on the island, we've paid $12/person in barbados, and $50/person in belize...but the ship charges closer to $80 if you're more comfortable taking theirs). Jet skis are around $50/hr. Beach umbrellas and chairs are about $20 for 2 chairs and one umbrella. Food on land will typically be tourist prices ($30-$50 a meal for 2 people at a restaurant but can be $10 Or $20 for a snack at a beach bar). Alcohol on beaches also varies, $3-$6 for beers and frozen drinks. These are generalizations based on the 11 islands I've visited in the last 2 years. If you scuba, add a little more money, if you like to hang at the beach, walk more than taxi, and wait til you're back on the ship to eat, budget less. But that gives you an idea of what I've seen.

Edited April 14, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[cruzin Phillis]

I know this could be different for everyone, but I just cant come up with an idea of how much cash to take with us on our 10 day western this Sunday...

 

 

4 ports....we already bought drink package, prepaid gratuities, and have a card linked to our on board account. I know to bring some ones and smaller bills for extra tips, and our cash to pay for our parking.....we dont have any real excursions planned....gonna go to margaretaville in Falmouth and then probably find beaches in Mexio and possibly grand cayman...then of course the Labadee...

 

It will be myself, my husband and our two kiddos...

I would be carefully with linking your card. I have read where many have had issues with that.

 

Being that you have purchase the drink package, that takes care of about 60% of your charges on board. You may decide to try a specialty restaurant which cost extra or go to the spa. I would plan or estimate how much to give the kids for the arcade games per day if they like that. I normally tip my cabin steward $10 the first day and give them a calling card as well for great service. Then tip another $10 at the end. I budget b/w 20-30 per day for you and the spouse and 10-20 per day for the kiddos on board for general expense and put specific amounts for the for fee restaurants and chef table. I also budget for the casino and bingo. As far as land, I budget nothing less than $200 per port(but try not to spend it all) The reason being, you may have to take taxis, pay for beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as food. Food is pricey at Margaritaville.

 

It depends on what you plan to do on broad as well as on land. Don't want to sticker shock you but I say b/w 1000-2000

Edited April 14, 2016 by cruzin Phillis
change amounts

[nomoreknothead]

My general rule is $100 per day if the ports are Caribbean, $200 per day or more if Europe.

[trev71]

$500 cash for a 7 day cruise. Try to use my Credit cards most times. But some places I rather throw down some cash, then use my card.

[reallyitsmema]

I know this could be different for everyone, but I just cant come up with an idea of how much cash to take with us on our 10 day western this Sunday...

 

 

4 ports....we already bought drink package, prepaid gratuities, and have a card linked to our on board account. I know to bring some ones and smaller bills for extra tips, and our cash to pay for our parking.....we dont have any real excursions planned....gonna go to margaretaville in Falmouth and then probably find beaches in Mexio and possibly grand cayman...then of course the Labadee...

 

It will be myself, my husband and our two kiddos...

 

As you can see by the posts you already have, how much money to take is really very specific to your group.

 

We have a credit card attached to our on board charges and that card stays on the ship so that it doesn't get compromised in port. We pay with cash in most places, making sure we use close to exact change, since you will get the local currency back as change. We will use a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees for large purchases such as jewelry or art.

 

As far as how much cash, we have brought as little as $200 for a 7 night cruise to NE/Canada and $1,000 for a 8 night cruise from Vancouver to LA. On a 7 day Caribbean cruise, we usually bring somewhere in between those numbers.

[reallyitsmema]

I would be carefully with linking your card. I have read where many have had issues with that.

 

Being that you have purchase the drink package, that takes care of about 60% of your charges on board. You may decide to try a specialty restaurant which cost extra or go to the spa. I would plan or estimate how much to give the kids for the arcade games per day if they like that. I normally tip my cabin steward $10 the first day and give them a calling card as well for great service. Then tip another $10 at the end. I budget b/w 20-30 per day for you and the spouse and 10-20 per day for the kiddos on board for general expense and put specific amounts for the for fee restaurants and chef table. I also budget for the casino and bingo. As far as land, I budget nothing less than $200 per port(but try not to spend it all) The reason being, you may have to take taxis, pay for beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as food. Food is pricey at Margaritaville.

 

It depends on what you plan to do on broad as well as on land. Don't want to sticker shock you but I say b/w 1000-2000

 

Where are you getting this statistic? Are you saying your costs are 60% drinks and 40% other? Definitely doesn't fit our spending habits, almost 100% of our on board spending is alcohol and that only amounts to around $200 for the entire cruise.

[traveler279]

DW and I did a 10-night Caribbean run with five islands at the end of February. Like you we prepaid gratuities and our drink package. Between tips, taxis, beach chairs here and there, and souvenirs, we spent about $800 USD. So the advice of $100/day is a pretty good baseline.

 

 

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[ewenix]

The total amount will depend on your flight times, hotel stay, distance to/from airport/hotel and shopping/drinking habits at port.

If you know the travel plans, and what you expect to do at each port it really doesn't take much time at all to figure costs.

 

I have a spreadsheet tab for needed cash for different embarkation ports.

e.g. San Juan, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Port Canaveral

 

I have a somewhat itemized list and amounts similar to this:

• taxi/shuttle - airport to hotel
  
• taxi/shuttle - hotel to pier
  
• taxi/shuttle - pier to airport
  
• Porter Embarkation
  
• Porter Debarkation
  
• St Thomas Shuttle
  
• St Maarten Umbrella & Chairs
  
• Amber Cove drinks
  

 

I customize for each sailing depending on ports, transportation choice, and who is traveling with us.

(i.e. DW and I will walk to and from the port in St. Thomas, but will take the shuttle if the in-laws are with us.)

 

That gives me a pretty close estimate of my expected cash expenses, then I add a cushion.

Edited April 14, 2016 by ewenix
Increased the level of awesome

[cruzin Phillis]

Where are you getting this statistic? Are you saying your costs are 60% drinks and 40% other? Definitely doesn't fit our spending habits, almost 100% of our on board spending is alcohol and that only amounts to around $200 for the entire cruise.

I don't know your spending habits. I'm basing it off of what extra stuff you can do on the ship. If you don't spend on extras then you should be good.

I would be carefully with linking your card. I have read where many have had issues with that.

 

Being that you have purchase the drink package, that takes care of about 60% of your charges on board. You may decide to try a specialty restaurant which cost extra or go to the spa. I would plan or estimate how much to give the kids for the arcade games per day if they like that. I normally tip my cabin steward $10 the first day and give them a calling card as well for great service. Then tip another $10 at the end. I budget b/w 20-30 per day for you and the spouse and 10-20 per day for the kiddos on board for general expense and put specific amounts for the for fee restaurants and chef table. I also budget for the casino and bingo. As far as land, I budget nothing less than $200 per port(but try not to spend it all) The reason being, you may have to take taxis, pay for beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as food. Food is pricey at Margaritaville.

 

It depends on what you plan to do on broad as well as on land. Don't want to sticker shock you but I say b/w 1000-2000

 

I'd bring an extra $50-$100/person per day (meaning 7 vacation days, not just port days, cause it gives you cushion and takes into account your day before and after the cruise where you might need transportation and food). This is usually enough to cover things like taxis, excursions and purchases on land. It might even be more than enough, depending on what you like to do. Taxi's usually charge around $6-$8/person each way (for most islands I think), you can usually negotiate private tours with taxi drivers for around $30-$50/person (sometimes less but that's a good range), you can also pay for excursions like snorkeling (this totally depends on the island, we've paid $12/person in barbados, and $50/person in belize...but the ship charges closer to $80 if you're more comfortable taking theirs). Jet skis are around $50/hr. Beach umbrellas and chairs are about $20 for 2 chairs and one umbrella. Food on land will typically be tourist prices ($30-$50 a meal for 2 people at a restaurant but can be $10 Or $20 for a snack at a beach bar). Alcohol on beaches also varies, $3-$6 for beers and frozen drinks. These are generalizations based on the 11 islands I've visited in the last 2 years. If you scuba, add a little more money, if you like to hang at the beach, walk more than taxi, and wait til you're back on the ship to eat, budget less. But that gives you an idea of what I've seen.

 

 

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[matj2000]

I usually bring $1500 cash.....

[FTD]

I bring the cash for my wife and I. I figure $100 per day. Tips, casino, souvenirs, etc.

[cruiseguy1016]

My wife and I bring $100 per day. Some days you won't spend any, some days you'll spend more than $100. Obviously everything on the ship goes on your Seapass so all shipboard expenses will be covered. Do you plan on going to the casino? That's the only exception to the cashless system on the ship. The casino only takes cash. Something else you'll spend cash on is food. At the airport, a couple meals if you go a day ahead of time, on land during a port stop. I promise while your're in port you'll hear at least one of the kids say "I'm hungry" or "I want something to drink".

 

All of these small expenses add up surprisingly quick. With $100/day we almost always come home with $200 or $300 that we didn't spend. When the kids were with us, we wished we had more.

[Robinhill]

I know this could be different for everyone, but I just cant come up with an idea of how much cash to take with us on our 10 day western this Sunday...

 

 

4 ports....we already bought drink package, prepaid gratuities, and have a card linked to our on board account. I know to bring some ones and smaller bills for extra tips, and our cash to pay for our parking.....we dont have any real excursions planned....gonna go to margaretaville in Falmouth and then probably find beaches in Mexio and possibly grand cayman...then of course the Labadee...

 

It will be myself, my husband and our two kiddos...

 

Everyone i talk to has a different amount and system. I generally take $100 for myself on an 8 or 9 day cruise and have 10-$1, 2- $5's 4- $10's and the rest 2- $20. I use it for tips, snacks, inexpensive souvenirs in port, and any inexpensive meal i might buy in a port so i don't have to use a credit card except for bigger items. Bottled water, ice cream, tour tips etc. can add up fast.

[cruzin Phillis]

Everyone cruises differently. Better to take more money then you figure you will need than to be without.

 

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[jagsfan]

I get US change back on Western Caribbean cruises, too. I don't do the beaches any more, so I can see why others budget more.

If you're sailing out of Pt Everglades, park at Park 'N Go, and if you prepay online you get a discount. No cash needed.

I put a stack of ones in a drawer. I tip room service and some extra for our steward from that.

By using our cc for everything we can, we get big fat checks back from the issuer of the card. That pays a lot of our travel expenses. Just pay it off every month and you're making money off the money you spend.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

We bring at least $1500 on every trip...hardly ever spend that much cash (we use a credit card for the shipboard account), but you never know when you might need it. It stays safely in our safe...we bring whatever we don't use home with us!

 

Larger bills are easier to carry...you can break them down into small denominations on the ship.

[Stags14]

We do ~ $100/day.

[rtw68]

We generally bring enough for about $100 cash per cruise day. Never use credit cards at the ports (only tied to stateroom), and pre-pay for just about everything.

 

Only use cash at ports for things we may want to buy, and for room service tips and tips pre-and-post cruise.

 

Next week (can't believe I'm saying that) we are doing a couple days at Universal before the cruise so I have that paid for, the transportation getting us to and from each place already paid for (including gratuity), everything on the ship is pre-paid for except for any photos and misc stuff (we have $200 obc).

 

Normally, I end up taking much of that cash home and do not use it. :D

[Big_G]

We're not fans of using credit cards in port so we bring $1200 to $1500 for a seven day cruise. We've never come close to spending it all but it's nice to have a cushion.

[bubba83]

Ok great...thank you everyone....

 

We are driving tot he port so I will use my cards for gas and meal down...cash for parking...and then the rest of the cash will be used in the 4 ports and if we go to casino at all, Im not a winner ever so we dont usually go in there...

 

So excited, its almost here!