How much cash would you bring?

[Kambird]

:confused: My mother in law is joining us on our cruise - it is her first. She asked me how much cash she should bring and I really don't know. When I cruised last, I was responsible for 6 people, so I have no real idea how much one person should bring. Any suggestions? BTW, she will not use an ATM machine, so keep that in mind, too.

 

Thanks in advance for all the help!

 

Kam

[LisaH]

There are just two of us but we bring $800-$1000...cash and traveler's checks combined.

[Dreamer333]

There are just two of us but we bring $800-$1000...cash and traveler's checks combined.

 

Wow, thats a lot of cash. For a 7-night cruise, I usually bring $200

[Kambird]

Thanks, LisaH. That is the kind of information I was looking for. I know that everyone is different, so I am hoping for some more viewpoints on the subject.

:)

Kam

[cherylandtk]

Kam, does your MIL plan on using a credit card for most of her onboard charges, or does she plan to pay cash/travelers checks? Is she a big shopper? Will she drink soda and/or alcohol? Will she take shore excursions? Will she pre-pay tips? If she is typical, she will need somewhere around $50 per day for usual expenses, but if she plans to put most of that on a credit card she can get by with very little cash.

[Kambird]

Cherlyandtk - Great questions. Yes, she does plan on using her credit card for most onboard purchases and she will probably use the automatic tipping. She loves her wine and beer, and she LOVES to shop. She has never been out of the country before and will definitely be bringing home souvenirs for all the grandkids and herself. Oh, and lucky me, she enjoys "treating" us as much as possible! :D

 

Based on my experience, I was recommending that she use cash on shore. As for excurions, we have one through the ship and maybe another on our own.

 

Dreamer333 - thanks for your input as well. Every comment helps!

 

Kam

[Pam in CA]

Cherlyandtk - Great questions. Yes, she does plan on using her credit card for most onboard purchases and she will probably use the automatic tipping. She loves her wine and beer, and she LOVES to shop. She has never been out of the country before and will definitely be bringing home souvenirs for all the grandkids and herself. Oh, and lucky me, she enjoys "treating" us as much as possible! :D

Yes, lucky you! All of the above, except if she goes into the casino, will go on her onboard account which will be paid by her credit card.

 

Based on my experience, I was recommending that she use cash on shore. As for excurions, we have one through the ship and maybe another on our own.

The excursions through Princess will also be on her onboard account and paid with her credit card. If she's booked independent tours, she should be able to pay with her CC.

 

I often cruise alone (but with friends) so that I'm responsible for just my expenses. I bring $200 in cash (lots of $1s and $5s for tips to and from the airport/hotel/ship) and the rest in $10s and $20s. If I'm shopping on shore and something will cost more than $25 - $30, I pay with credit card. I also bring another $150 - $200 in traveler's checks and have found that 99.99% of the time, I bring them back home and save them for my next cruise.

[Love Cruis'n]

I'd suggest she bring an extra couple hundred.

 

I always seem to go through more cash than I expect - a tip for a tour guide, another for the cab driver, or baggage handler at tha airport, etc. I also like to give the room steward $20 when we first meet, and our server (and the ass't server) some cash on the last night in addition to the basic.

[LisaH]

Someone mentioned that $800-$1000 was a lot of cash for a 7-day cruise. I forgot to mention we usually go for 10. BUT if you like the casino as your entertainment, better to have plenty of cash.

 

We try to use our credit card for off the boat purchases....

[Ula]

My first question is where are you going? The Sea Pass covers tips and all charges on the ship. For us that is out of our credit card. FYI we are weird, we never carry a balance on a card just use the banks money for a month.

Hard cash I bring 1200.00 for the two of us in small bills. Mexico likes US bills but never has change. We honestly only spend about two hundred, but just in case the deal of the century shows up we want to be prepared.

We really do not gamble, maybe 40.00 the whole cruise. That is more of a video game to us. Sometimes it is just fun to go to the casino for the excitement.

We do not budget on a cruise, have to do that in real life. But have found on the ship with tours, drinks, shopping and tips it runs us about 45.00 a day for each. We do not sneak booze aboard.

Some people budget on a cruise, we budget for the cruise. A week of freedom from worry. But that is us.

[LisaH]

You are not weird...we too do not carry a balance on our credit card. I just like to have lots of cash just in case. And the combo of cash and travelers checks works great. Better to have too much with you than not enough!

 

:)

[cruisinbuddy]

We take $1000.00 in T/C's for 2. We have enough room on credit card for the sail & sign account. If there happens to be left over cash on the last night you can put it towards your S&S account.

[chrysalis]

we were on the Sun last March and met a couple who were taking their first-ever cruise. Their travel agent told them that they would not need to take cash since their cruise card would take care of everything.

 

They took that to mean they could use the cruise card while on shore, so you can image the looks that they got when they picked out a few hand-made local products made by the elderly lady with the small stall just outside the port's pier area, and handed her their cruise card to pay for the stuff.

[cruisinbuddy]

Cherlyandtk - Great questions. Yes, she does plan on using her credit card for most onboard purchases and she will probably use the automatic tipping. She loves her wine and beer, and she LOVES to shop. She has never been out of the country before and will definitely be bringing home souvenirs for all the grandkids and herself. Oh, and lucky me, she enjoys "treating" us as much as possible! :D

 

Based on my experience, I was recommending that she use cash on shore. As for excurions, we have one through the ship and maybe another on our own.

 

Dreamer333 - thanks for your input as well. Every comment helps!

 

Kam

 

Then she better bring a lot, LOL

[Suskies]

I bring about $200 on a seven-day Caribbean cruise, and my husband usually brings $100-$150 or so. You don't need any cash on board--you can charge everything to your shipboard account, but you'll probably need some cash for minor purchases ashore--maybe a taxi to the pier when you embark, tips for baggage handlers at the pier, postcards and bottles of water at ports, etc. etc.

 

As others have noted, one thing to consider is your itinerary. If you stop at US ports like San Juan or St. Thomas, you can always get more US cash from an ATM machine. Another thing to consider is whether the vendors at the foreign ports on your itinerary accept US dollars readily (like most Caribbean ports) or whether they use an exorbitant exchange rate, in which case you might want to get some cash in the local currency.

[LARGIN]

I usually bring $100 per day of the cruise even though I put most everything on my credit card. And as Ula, we never carry a balance on our credit cards. I love using the bank's money

[Kambird]

I knew you all would have some great input.

 

Yes, I did realize all that she would NOT have to pay in cash. In that, we are fortunate that everything can go on our credit card with our seapass. I guess I just haven't thought about what an average person might need aside from that. You all have given me a great ball park idea. Certainly, much of what she brings depends on how much she wants to shop.

 

I appreciate everyone's input. You are so generous with your time!

 

Kam

[Drumbum1977]

I bring a couple hundred and then refresh if I need any at the ATM at the casinos.

[Rongee]

You all travel different than I do. My wife and took $200 in ones just for tips and tips were taken out but still .............

[Ula]

I usually bring $100 per day of the cruise even though I put most everything on my credit card. And as Ula, we never carry a balance on our credit cards. I love using the bank's money

Largin, You have made my day. Are we now considered serious cruisers? My dad last night was reassuring me that even though we are expanding we will hit Platinum on Princess soon. That has been our goal. Everyone just chant two more cruises.

On debt, something for years we worked against. Probably why we were both over 40 when we started.

[cactusrose]

Ula. . .you would probably be surprised at how normal you are. We are another couple who doesn't carry a balance on credit cards. Most of you are probably too young to remember when the IRS allowed credit card insterest as a deduction. When they stopped, that's when we decided to only charge what we could pay off each month. So now we charge everything and pay it off. It's a great way to budget as you get an itemized statement at the end of the year so you can see where you can economize. Of course travel is never on the list of cut backs:)

[Pam in CA]

I'm another one who pays off their credit card every month. Sometimes, when I have some large purchases (including a cruise), I'll pay off half one month and the rest the next month. That's one reason why I have a very high credit rating.

[cflutist]

Websailor and I also pay all of our credit cards off every month (we do not "revolve" as they say in the industry but rather are "convenience users"). We love to use the bank's money, we also use different credit cards based on their statement cycle date to maximize the float we get ... LOL since I work for the largest bank in this country.

 

We take maybe $200 - 300 in cash on a typical cruise. We tend to use our credit cards for all of our purchases, even used them when we went to Tahiti because the banks get a better exchange rate than you could get at your local bank getting CFPs.

[Cindy]

:confused: My mother in law is joining us on our cruise - it is her first. She asked me how much cash she should bring and I really don't know. When I cruised last, I was responsible for 6 people, so I have no real idea how much one person should bring. Any suggestions? BTW, she will not use an ATM machine, so keep that in mind, too.

 

Thanks in advance for all the help!

 

Kam

 

Kam,

Your MIL may want to have cash (instead of plastic) to spend on purchases in the ports. Costa Maya is pretty remote, and many of the local vendors accept cash only, or at least that was our experience last March. I've also heard that so much of the communications infrastructure was damaged/destroyed by Wilma that many in Cozumel will only take cash right now. Maybe cruisers who have visited Coz recently can clarify what the situation is there regarding cash/plastic.

I always try to take enough small bills that I don't get stuck with a bunch of pesos as change. I also have small bills to tip for room service, tip porters, etc.

[kosmo]

If she runs out and needs more cash, she can go to the cashier's window in the casino to get more. They will just add it to her on-board account. There is a minimal service fee for this -- 1 or 2%. HTH!