How much Cash?

[Keith Jackson]

I appreciate theres no need for cash on board ship but there must be other times where cash is required, specifically when on an excursion? for drinks on shore etc can anyone add to that or give an idea what sort of budget I should make out

 

Thanks

[kruzseeka]

I appreciate theres no need for cash on board ship but there must be other times where cash is required, specifically when on an excursion? for drinks on shore etc can anyone add to that or give an idea what sort of budget I should make out

 

Thanks

 

 

It really does depend upon what you intend to do and whether on ship's trips or not. If you do Thomson Excursions then the costs will go onto your onboard account and all you will need to budget for are any drinks, coffees, souvenirs you may choose to buy.

 

If you intend to adopt a DiY approach you will need cash for train fares, buses, taxis, HoHo or boat trips if you are going further than walking distance from the port. You really need to do a bit of research - read on here of others' experiences of your ports of call and Google any attractions (museums, ancient sites etc) you want to go to and find out about admission charges - then ask about specific places/fares and I'm sure there will be people who can help you out.

 

You haven't mentioned your itinerary - some are more expensive to visit than others. If you just want to wander around your expenses could be very small but for example in the Caribbean recently we had about £200+ worth of dollars which we spent on beach charges, loungers, taxis, shore excursions (bought on the quayside), a beer/coffee here or there and a few (small) gifts. We also spent a bit in Havana (changed about £25? worth of Euros) and bought some Thomson excursions too.

 

It's really hard to be specific it depends on what you want to do and how much you might wish to spend on gifts, drinks, food etc. You can use credit cards to get cash from ATMs if you prefer not to take too much cash with you and just draw as much as you want when you want it - but beware of bank charges.

 

Hope this helps - if you get back with a bit more detail of your ports and what you want to do we can probably give you a better idea. :)

[davecttr]

You might decide to give some of the staff a tip so you will need to budget for that as well as all the other stuff that kruzseeka mentioned.

 

If you like a game of cards or having a go at roulette you can use cash for that as well to exchange into chips in pounds sterling plus you can use euros/dollars at a poorish exchange rate or even get a credit note on your cruise account from the cash desk. I have a daily casino budget so for a 14 nighter it is 14 x ??? :eek:

[kruzseeka]

You might decide to give some of the staff a tip so you will need to budget for that as well as all the other stuff that kruzseeka mentioned.

 

If you like a game of cards or having a go at roulette you can use cash for that as well to exchange into chips in pounds sterling plus you can use euros/dollars at a poorish exchange rate or even get a credit note on your cruise account from the cash desk. I have a daily casino budget so for a 14 nighter it is 14 x ??? :eek:

 

Now, why aren't I surprised you thought of that Dave? :D:D But don't you usually make a profit! :D ;)

 

You are quite right about the tips too -I should have remembered that. Uusually we give the most common currency for the itinerary - Euros in Europe and $ in the Caribbean.

[davecttr]

Now, why aren't I surprised you thought of that Dave? :D:D But don't you usually make a profit! :D ;)

 

You are quite right about the tips too -I should have remembered that. Uusually we give the most common currency for the itinerary - Euros in Europe and $ in the Caribbean.

 

Not usually, just last time. I do however attempt not to lose my shirt :D

[Keith Jackson]

Thanks both

 

We're doing 14 nights - pearls of the Aegean and Adriatic explorer.I intend purchasing excursions on ship for each stop rather than DIY.We have upgrade to unlimited drinks package, so nothing extra on alcahol.I dont gamble[one vice i never had lol ] or smoke now.So i reckon:

 

Taxi to and from airport

airport exps

flight to and from corfu exps eg drinks

Tip at voyage end - I know thats not obligatory

shore,snacks, drink & purchases?

and errr....:) anything else?

how safe are cabins?

 

crete

kudassi

mykonos

athens

katacolon

corfu

koper

venice

kotor

split

dubrovnik

[kruzseeka]

Thanks both

 

We're doing 14 nights - pearls of the Aegean and Adriatic explorer.I intend purchasing excursions on ship for each stop rather than DIY.We have upgrade to unlimited drinks package, so nothing extra on alcahol.I dont gamble[one vice i never had lol ] or smoke now.So i reckon:

 

Taxi to and from airport

airport exps

flight to and from corfu exps eg drinks

Tip at voyage end - I know thats not obligatory

shore,snacks, drink & purchases?

and errr....:) anything else?

how safe are cabins?

 

crete

kudassi

mykonos

athens

katacolon

corfu

koper

venice

kotor

split

dubrovnik

 

 

We've always found the cabin very safe - nothing has ever disappeared and we don't usually bother with the safe. I think it was £12 p/w last time we were on.

 

I think you've got it pretty well covered Keith, re money - I can't think of anything else except perhaps duty free purchases (goes on your account if from ship's shop) or local currency if from airport. I don't think there are drinks duty free sales on the plane though because not flying out of the EU - if they were, that's in Sterling. You can ask on the outward journey if you're interested and at least you'll know in advance whether to budget for that on your return.

 

If you really want to do the ship's excursions then it's convenient, relaxing and you get a good commentary - and are certain the ship will wait if you coach is delayed. But this itinerary is really one of the easiest to do a DiY way if you're prepared to do just a bit of walking.

 

Mykonos - I really wouldn't do a tour here - the best bit is just walking up to the windmills and through the narrow streets - it would be a shame to go off somewhere else of you've never experienced this lovely town before.

 

And this is an itinerary that you can do most of the places yourself - should you want to - basically walk off the ship and you're there. If you want to see other places further afield then ship's trips may be the best option for you - but if you do think you'd like to do your own thing at any of the ports - get back and perhaps I can help.

 

We've done this itinerary twice and LOVE it! ;)

[davecttr]

I agree the cabins are pretty secure but I invested in a Pacsafe travel safe for £26 which has already paid for itself. I just lock it to a convenient rail at the back of the wardrobe.

 

I am doing the same destinations in May and has I have done the Aegean before will probably just go ashore at most of the ports. At AG Nik and Mykonos you are right there in the town and I might find something to do in Kusadasi. I am undecided about Athens but having done the Acropolis I might try the Corinth canal. Corfu should be walkable and who knows about the Adriatic. I will just go ashore at Venice, maybe a vaporetto trip to st Marks square and then walk back to the ship via the Rialto bridge etc.

 

ps. is there a port shuttle in Venice and where does it deposit you?

[kruzseeka]

 

ps. is there a port shuttle in Venice and where does it deposit you?

 

Ha! Now you're asking! I don't think we've quite got it cracked - yet! There is a shuttle service near the berth - but your berthing positions vary so may be closer to the ship on some occasions than others. But in any event - not far. This takes you through to St Mark's Square down the Goudecca Canal and not under the Rialto Bridge (I think! :confused: It's all a bit confusing!)

 

Last time we went I don't think it started until nearly 9.00 and we were off early so walked out of the port right over the bridge and across the road to the Piazzala Roma (next to main train station) and caught a vaporetto which did go via the Grand Canal - but stopped at the Rialto Bridge so we had to walk to St Mark's (not far it's just if you are after some photos of the Rialto from the water you are scuppered!)

 

Coming back we found even more problematic. You get on at the same stop you got off near St Marks - but you have to watch which Line you catch (bit like the Tube) one goes via the Grand Canal the other via the Goudecca. The former stops at the Piazzala Roma so you have to walk to the port from there (15 mins?) the latter should stop at the port but the one we caught literally sailed right past and took us to P. Roma anyway!!!

 

Perhaps someone has the definitive solution to this - if so I'll be pleased to know - we always start off thinking we're doing it one way and end up doing something rather different to the plan! :rolleyes:

 

 

This might help - or might not!! :D

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/vaporetto_routes2_table.htm

Anyway, enjoy it Dave - it's a fantastic place and lovely to just walk around and get lost! Oh, and remember to have an ice-cream - there are some great ice-cream places. ;)

[solostar]

There is a "people mover" from the port to P.Roma, I intend walking from there to St.Marco and then catch Vapareto back to P.Roma, then "people mover" (train) back to port. Never been before so hope I am correct! :rolleyes:

[davecttr]

There is a "people mover" from the port to P.Roma, I intend walking from there to St.Marco and then catch Vapareto back to P.Roma, then "people mover" (train) back to port. Never been before so hope I am correct! :rolleyes:

I will probably do it the other way and it looks less than 2 miles back to P.Roma, say 1 1/2 hours gentle stroll.

[solostar]

That might be a better idea. If it gets busy in the afternoon we won,t be panicking waiting for a Vaparretto, or even worse, getting on the wrong one! :eek:

[capasamari]

Going back to the original question re things to budget for, I would suggest including photos taken by the on board photographer, though this will be included in your on-board account rather than needing to be paid in cash.

 

We like to have lunch on shore as we enjoy trying the local food and drink, so cash is usually needed for this.

 

We always pay for and use the safe to store passports, jewellery, cash, credit cards etc. when we don't actually need to carry them. We work on the assumption that if we had a problem and hadn't used the safe, our insurance probably wouldn't pay out as we hadn't taken all available/reasonable steps to ensure our belongings' safety.

 

Carol x

[Julessmiles]

There is a "people mover" from the port to P.Roma, I intend walking from there to St.Marco and then catch Vapareto back to P.Roma, then "people mover" (train) back to port. Never been before so hope I am correct! :rolleyes:

 

Don't know if this helps - this is what we did in Venice and taken from a posting I did when we came back last year. The "People Mover" itself was still a good 10 minutes (minimum) walk from where the ship berthed and the docks are a huge area with very little apparent signage, lots & lots of people, cars buses etc so we had to ask around a lot to find where we were going even with maps - we stumbled upon it really rather than found it easily but once we got on the People Mover, it was all fairly straightforward!

 

 

 

We walked from the ship to the "People Mover" - little train that takes people into Plazza Roma. We had pre-paid for Vaporetto tickets for 13.60 euro - unlimited travel on the vaporetto network (otherwise you pay 6.50 euro for up to an hour's travel). We had to collect these from the ticket booths in Plazza Roma which is why we went there. You could probably walk easily enough but we had children with us which is why we took the water buses and also to see as much from the water as possible.

 

There were people on the ship who did the Thomson transfer - the disadvantage of that is you don't get to go up the Grand Canal which is why we did what we did and also you are tied to their times.

 

We pre-booked our 12 hour vaporetto cards plus toilet tickets (it costs 1.50 euros to go to the WC in Venice) but you can also buy toilet cards and get them cheaper!! This was through the following website:-

 

 

http://www.veniceconnected.com/

 

We also pre-booked a time slot for the Basillica so that we didn't have to queue to get in via this website:-

 

http://www.venetoinside.com/en/basilica_of_san_marco/

 

You have to be at the entrance within the chosen time slot and you have to leave any large bags in a different secure building before entering but this was worth doing - there was a huge queue at the other non pre-booked entrance!