How many $1 and $5....

[readytolose]

I see lots of talk about bringing enough 1's and 5's for tips but I haven't read any suggestions as to how much. Are we talking a couple hundred in small bills or much less? Sorry if this is a dumb question but this will be my first cruise and I really want to be prepared.

Thanks!

[Nitemare]

Depends on where you're going, what kinds of things you buy, and what cruiseline you'll be on.

 

Some lines allow you to charge your weekly tips, so you'll never need small bills onboard, and besides, over a week you're probably tipping your waiter and steward in $10s and $20s. Meanwhile, the shops onboard don't take cash, they take your cruisecard, which you settle with a credit card or cash or traveler's checks.

 

Your mileage may vary, again, it depends on what you're buying and where

[janetz]

When you arrive at port (if by shuttle, tip the driver a couple of dollars, or the taxi), and when you give your luggage to the guys at the port, about 2.00 a bag and your luggage will be well taken care of. Room service, onboard, a couple of dollars, excursions transport, maybe a few dollars We bring about 50 one dollar bills, and tip pretty good, and most times, have left over. If our room attendent takes good care of us, we will give them extra at the end of the cruise. (20-50) Most inportant are the LUGGAGE PORTERS AT THE PORT,room service. :)

[dantesab]

Want to have some fun we got about a bunch of $2.00 bills last cruise. The room service people and others really loved them.

[crucero-amante]

Want to have some fun we got about a bunch of $2.00 bills last cruise. The room service people and others really loved them.

 

I found this on a blog...the writer works for Princess

 

Onboard currency trading with your room steward. Aka: tipping money

 

If you are going to tip your room stewards, or anyone onboard for that matter, you should try and use only clean, fresh, unmarked American bills. No rips, no pen marks, no creases. The reason for this is that in Eastern Europe and the Philippines the exchange houses will not give full value on money that is marked or ripped or OLD. I have even had it happen to me; they will rip you off and give you 75% value. I have been to these places and exchanged money myself and I know it to be true. During payroll onboard the Eastern Europeans and Philippines crew even ask to be paid in clean, 1998 series bills because other series have a higher counterfeit instance and they often get less value for it as well. Sure it’s money making scheme by the exchange houses but there is NOTHING you can do about it.

 

If you tip in old, damaged bills they must exchange it onboard first and this can be a hassle as crew offices do not mind changing currency but just changing old for new sometimes isn’t always possible.

 

Also, tipping in “fun” or collector money is pointless. A $2.00 bill will not be exchanged by an exchange house in eastern Europe or the Philippines. Some crew offices won’t even take them. Yes, I know, your all getting angry now and saying “but this is good honest American currency”, well this is true but these people are not Americans nor are they in America.

 

In fact, even if they try and exchange money ashore in America old for new, or $2.00 bills for $1.00 bills they are treated like money laundering drug dealers because not everyone in the USA trusts a foreigner these days, let alone a foreigner on a temporary seaman visa trying to “clean” some money! You may want to argue that with me, but if YOU owned an exchange house and an Indonesian, South African, Romanian, Russian, Philippine or Malta citizen came to your window with a crumpled handful of 1000 dollars in old American money and asked to exchange it for new American money, what would you honestly think? We don't even have passports, just I-95's which look fake because they are on cheap tissue paper and ship ID cards. That's it. Would YOU trust these crew and not suspect them?

 

It is true that if they have a bank account in their home country they can exchange the bills but remember many crew in these countries do not have bank accounts. It is not the same in all countries as it is in the USA.

 

So do the crew a favor. If your going to tip I recommend new, clean $1.00 bills, or $5.00 or $10.00 they are easiest to exchange. $20.00 have a very high counterfeit rate so they are harder to exchange.

 

I read some comments from a person who was going to experiment and see if crew would take a two dollar bill. Well they probably will, but if you want to experiment properly offer them a choice of a two dollar bill, or two one dollar bills I am betting they will take the ones. ;0) Also, if your going to offer two dollar bills versus a single one dollar bill, then you would have to ask the Crew Purser how many two dollar bills of yours he ended up with because the crew will go right down and exchange them for "real money". They will not take them if they think the Crew office will not change them.

 

Also, if you don't have American money in good shape, and if you have them, Euros are very much prefered at exchange houses in Philippines and Eastern Europe, and Canadian money is exchanged for value almost everywhere as well because it is very difficult to counterfeit. The VERY NEW American money just released is VERY hard to exchange because the world is not used to it yet. So using American, a few years older but in mint shape is best for crew.

 

I know some Americans are going to get offended now, because they think I am insulting them about the US dollar. I am not, its just the facts of life. Not everyone wants or takes the US dollar like so many people believe. In fact, I am in Sydney Australia today and before I could even pay to get online I had to exchange my American money for Australian because they don't take American here.

 

copied from the CrewOffice blog

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

We bring about 50 one dollar bills, and tip pretty good, and most times, have left over. If our room attendent takes good care of us, we will give them extra at the end of the cruise. (20-50) Most inportant are the LUGGAGE PORTERS AT THE PORT,room service. :)

I agree. We are certainly not cheapskates and I don't think we've ever gone through more than $50 in singles. Luggage porters, room service and sometimes shore excursions.

 

Of course, as others have pointed out, if you're tipping your room steward and waiters in cash, you'll probably want to use bigger bills for that. On most lines you can get cash from the casino, but I like to have a bit more flexibility with exact amounts, so I try to bring some tens and fives from home. That way you don't have to decide between $40 and $60 if you really wanted to pay $50. :D

[Keith1010]

In short, be sure to bring small bills for any tips you will need to make at the airport (if a porter is helping you) at a pre-cruise hotel (for luggage), at the embarkation pier (for luggage) and any other small tips prior to the cruise.

 

You can go by the purser's office on board the ship to get whatever additional small bills you want so don't feel you have to bring so many for the entire trip as you can get more there.

 

In terms of the tips for your room steward, waiter, assistant waiter, etc. most cruise lines allow you to charge these tips to your ship board account. This would allow you to charge this to your credit card. If you would prefer to tip in cash, you can do so on most lines as well. Just go to your lines web site and there is probably some information about gratuitites and you will also likely receive information with your final documents.

 

Keith

[Bonnie J.]

And, you can always get change for any size bill at the purser's desk!

[robthens]

I found this on a blog...the writer works for Princess

 

Onboard currency trading with your room steward. Aka: tipping money

 

If you are going to tip your room stewards, or anyone onboard for that matter, you should try and use only clean, fresh, unmarked American bills. No rips, no pen marks, no creases. The reason for this is that in Eastern Europe and the Philippines the exchange houses will not give full value on money that is marked or ripped or OLD. I have even had it happen to me; they will rip you off and give you 75% value. I have been to these places and exchanged money myself and I know it to be true. During payroll onboard the Eastern Europeans and Philippines crew even ask to be paid in clean, 1998 series bills because other series have a higher counterfeit instance and they often get less value for it as well. Sure it’s money making scheme by the exchange houses but there is NOTHING you can do about it.

 

If you tip in old, damaged bills they must exchange it onboard first and this can be a hassle as crew offices do not mind changing currency but just changing old for new sometimes isn’t always possible.

 

Also, tipping in “fun” or collector money is pointless. A $2.00 bill will not be exchanged by an exchange house in eastern Europe or the Philippines. Some crew offices won’t even take them. Yes, I know, your all getting angry now and saying “but this is good honest American currency”, well this is true but these people are not Americans nor are they in America.

 

In fact, even if they try and exchange money ashore in America old for new, or $2.00 bills for $1.00 bills they are treated like money laundering drug dealers because not everyone in the USA trusts a foreigner these days, let alone a foreigner on a temporary seaman visa trying to “clean” some money! You may want to argue that with me, but if YOU owned an exchange house and an Indonesian, South African, Romanian, Russian, Philippine or Malta citizen came to your window with a crumpled handful of 1000 dollars in old American money and asked to exchange it for new American money, what would you honestly think? We don't even have passports, just I-95's which look fake because they are on cheap tissue paper and ship ID cards. That's it. Would YOU trust these crew and not suspect them?

 

It is true that if they have a bank account in their home country they can exchange the bills but remember many crew in these countries do not have bank accounts. It is not the same in all countries as it is in the USA.

 

So do the crew a favor. If your going to tip I recommend new, clean $1.00 bills, or $5.00 or $10.00 they are easiest to exchange. $20.00 have a very high counterfeit rate so they are harder to exchange.

 

I read some comments from a person who was going to experiment and see if crew would take a two dollar bill. Well they probably will, but if you want to experiment properly offer them a choice of a two dollar bill, or two one dollar bills I am betting they will take the ones. ;0) Also, if your going to offer two dollar bills versus a single one dollar bill, then you would have to ask the Crew Purser how many two dollar bills of yours he ended up with because the crew will go right down and exchange them for "real money". They will not take them if they think the Crew office will not change them.

 

Also, if you don't have American money in good shape, and if you have them, Euros are very much prefered at exchange houses in Philippines and Eastern Europe, and Canadian money is exchanged for value almost everywhere as well because it is very difficult to counterfeit. The VERY NEW American money just released is VERY hard to exchange because the world is not used to it yet. So using American, a few years older but in mint shape is best for crew.

 

I know some Americans are going to get offended now, because they think I am insulting them about the US dollar. I am not, its just the facts of life. Not everyone wants or takes the US dollar like so many people believe. In fact, I am in Sydney Australia today and before I could even pay to get online I had to exchange my American money for Australian because they don't take American here.

 

copied from the CrewOffice blog

 

 

I am so glad to know the above information. We have traveled in Europe and done overseas cruises. I have always brought $2 bills thinking they would take us less room than 2 $1 bills and provide a better way to tip.

 

I won't do that any more and I'm make sure the bills fit the above suggestions. Most of the people I tip deserve every penny they can get!

[SANDY BEACH]

I bring about $35 in $1's and $20 in 5's. We use this cash for room service and the porter who handles our luggage when getting on the ship. Any extra tips to our waiter or room steward would be additional and we do usually give cash if we extend an extra gratuity.

[crucero-amante]

I am so glad to know the above information. We have traveled in Europe and done overseas cruises. I have always brought $2 bills thinking they would take us less room than 2 $1 bills and provide a better way to tip.

 

I won't do that any more and I'm make sure the bills fit the above suggestions. Most of the people I tip deserve every penny they can get!

 

I hope everyone knows that I was just relaying what I found. I found the information interesting and I too have been more thoughtful about the cash I give out.

[STiVo]

I hope everyone knows that I was just relaying what I found. I found the information interesting and I too have been more thoughtful about the cash I give out.

 

 

Yeah, I would stay away from the $2 bills. It's barely accepted in the US...

[lougee1043]

also no dollar coins or phone cards ---not every phone card bought at locatiion a will work from location b c or d

[crucero-amante]

Yeah, I would stay away from the $2 bills. It's barely accepted in the US...

 

I worked at a bank for awhile and we hated getting them and if someone came in and wanted to order them we would just :rolleyes: and wonder why. As for coins I can't/couldn't stand that Susan B. Anthony dollar coin either.

[cmpaula]

You learn something new every day! Thanks for the tips...no pun intended! The crews works so hard and it is nice to know how to properly thank them.