how much cash should i take on me?

[manchak99]

not sure and don't want to take too much.

are there ATM's on the Explorer?

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Hard to give exact amount since I don't know your travel plans.

I start with enough to cover getting to the ship. Small bills 1's and 5's for tipping porters, and for room service. Any private excurisions I booked that require cash. I bring a debit card and the credit card I booked the cruise with. You can get money at the atm's and at the casino, and every port will have a bank.

 

I travel with a group so I am just paying for one. The amout is usually $200.

[manchak99]

thanks...that does help.

good to know there are ATM's there as well. i find this whole cruise thing so confusing and new!

[Cruise Girl Forever]

Your a first time cruiser. I envy that nothing compares to that first cruise. Ask all the questions you want on these boards everyone here will be very helpful. Be sure to join in on your rollcall and meet people cruiseing with you before you go. Enjoy

[cb at sea]

We never use ATMs (and pay the fees)---we just bring more cash than we think we'll need....there's a safe in the cabin...and we store what we don't want to carry in there. What we don't spend goes back into the bank when we get home.

Bring large bills--they're less bulky to carry than a ton of $10's and $20's! You can get large bills broken down on the ship, as needed.

[Carolin]

Just to let you know, you don't pay for things on the ship with cash. All of your transactions get billed to your onboard account. Cash I carry goes for purchases off the ship as well as tips(dining room at the end of the trip), and gambling. I bring a couple hundred and usually take whats left over an apply it to my account at the end of the cruise so my CC bill won't be as high.

[paul929207]

There will be ATM's in the ports, but they will dispense the local currency.

 

Brig enough small bills to cover tips and also small purchases in the ports assuming they will take US$. If you have to get change when making a purchase you willoften get it n the local currency, not US$.

[dandro]

We brought $500 cash, and didn't use all of it. Most of it was in case we wanted to buy something in port that didn't take credit card.

 

The ships will charge you a fee (3% on HAL) for getting cash.

[pms4104]

Also, you may bring along travelers checks ... you can cash them at the front desk, and there is no fee to do so.

[silentbob007]

The ship ATMs have hefty fees and sometimes run out of cash mid-sailing. You can always bring bigger bills, keep them in the save, and then have them broken at the guest relations desk or the casino cage.

[klfrodo]

I usually bring $2,000 to $3,000.

We enjoy eating off the ship in ports. We usually arrive a couple of days pre-cruise, and we both enjoy the casino.

[ATL2LAS]

The amount you bring will increase if you plan on doing any gambling. Cash is always a great bargaining tool in some ports and haggling is part of the culture. Your onboard purchases, liquor, soda, specialty dining, will all be charged to your onboard account. Check with your cruise lines website to see approximate charges if the have this dining option and budget accordingly. Plan to spend at a minimum half of what you spent for your cruise on it. Pictures, excursions and other items will add to your total. Preplan if you can and book ahead of time any excursions you want to take and see if you can pre-pay for them. This will decrease your total onboard bill. Have fun where ever you go, take lots of pictures and start planning your next cruise. This one is just practice:D

[trish1c]

If you gamble, bring cash. If you are planning to pay off your sign & sail card with cash, bring lots of cash.

If neither of those are true you don't need that much cash. Almost everybody takes credit cards. We bring about $200 -- $300 in cash in small bills for tipping. We head into every port with about $20 each but rarely spend it; it's there to buy a soda, a water or maybe a postcard.

I'm a big fan of protection -- credit cards, debit cards with cc logos, travelers checks -- anything that can be cancelled & replaced if something gets lost or stolen.

[cruiserbryce]

there are ATM's...we typically shoort for $500 on a 7 day cruise to spend in the ports...if we have extra we just pay it towards our on board account

[blindrid]

I take about a $1,000 for a week with DW and I. Normally, don't use it all.

[chipmaster]

not sure and don't want to take too much.

are there ATM's on the Explorer?

 

How much one needs depends on the persons.

 

Everything on a ship is in general charged to your shipboard account thru your cruise card. Generally most people settle this with a credit card.

 

Things like drinks, additional food/souveniors etc. , tips ( on board ), casino, pretty much everything can be charged to the ship account.

 

On my cruise vacations the only thing "cash" is needed for is travel till the boat ( taxis, shuttles, porter tips ), shore activities ( tours, snacks, food, etc. for things that don't take CC ), and once I leave on the last day.

 

I find I can spend easily 100-300/day on the ship ( including tours etc. ) but actually cash spent, very little.

 

Enjoy your cruise