$$$ money money mooooney

[cfriend]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in April and was wondering how much extra money we should bring?

 

 

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[numbersix]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in April and was wondering how much extra money we should bring?

 

 

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It depends....where...when...how long?:D....the more details, the more we can try to help.

[sail7seas]

That isn't possible for us to answer. :)

 

I don't mean to be difficult but we don't know how loose or tight your budget, if you will be taking independent tours you need to pay for in cash or will be buying drinks or food ashore and plan to pay cash vs. credit card. We don't know if you might tip over and above the automatically charged tips.

 

How many days is your cruise?

Will you be riding taxis?

Where is your cruise going?

Will you be in port city for a pre or post cruise stay?

Will you want cash for the casino/gambling?

Are you shoppers? Souvenir collectors?

 

Give us a few clues and we're happy to try and help.

 

You must be getting very excited for your first cruise. :)

 

[cfriend]

Yes very excited!!! We will be going on a 7 night cruise to jamaca, grand atman and Cozumel. We are not big time shoppers but like to get some stuff to take home. We won't be using the spa, plan on just winging it in the ports except for Cozumel we def want to see the ruins

 

 

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[luddite]

What is this 'extra money' that you mention?

Hmmmm.......extra money........ hmmmmmmm.......

Nope. I've never heard of extra money.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Yes very excited!!! We will be going on a 7 night cruise to jamaca, grand atman and Cozumel. We are not big time shoppers but like to get some stuff to take home. We won't be using the spa, plan on just winging it in the ports except for Cozumel we def want to see the ruins

 

 

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All on board purchasers, drinks, specialty restaurants, spa, shops & excursions will be charged to your ship board account that you will settle at the end of the cruise, usually by credit card. Most cruise lines also put the daily gratuity on the account so unless you want to tip above the suggested amount in cash you will not need much if any cash on board. If you are tipping with cash the cruise line web site will give you suggested daily tip amounts.

 

If you just walk around the ports and don't make any purchases no cash will be needed. If you eat, shop or take a taxi or private excursion you would have to budget for that. We rarely shop or take a taxi and the cost of the private excursion is known before we cruise.

 

Taxi's from airport to port and return can be paid via credit card if you choose. If you want to pay cash the departure boards have some information on taxi costs for various ports. Cash tips for porters at the port & possibly the airport if used. Also tips for excursion guides if you feel they warrant it.

 

Hope this helps and enjoy your cruise.

 

Mary Lou

[Karysa]

Yes very excited!!! We will be going on a 7 night cruise to jamaca, grand atman and Cozumel. We are not big time shoppers but like to get some stuff to take home. We won't be using the spa, plan on just winging it in the ports except for Cozumel we def want to see the ruins

 

 

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I pack more money than I did when I first cruised and less clothes and nonessential things and when I get home I have better memories and less to unpack, wash and put away. I like it much better this way.:)

[taglovestocruise]

My guess would be $347.21

[qshari]

Bring twice as much as you think you might need. It is better to come home with $ than not bring enough.

[cb at sea]

Bring more than you think you'll need...your bank will let your redeposit it, if you don't spend it all!

 

Most folks figure on $100 per day....as a ballpark figure. But, it depends on what you plan to do.

 

If you have paid for excursions, tips, drink packages (if you do that), etc....then you will only need cash for room service tips, porter tips, gambling expenses, and small purchases ashore. In 99% of the ports, credit cards are accepted...we use cash for small purchases. US dollars are accepted everywhere, but bring smaller billls, or you'll get local currency in change!

[Casco Bay Kid]

$1000 bux for 7 day

 

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[Nebr.cruiser]

This is so hard to answer as we don't know what is important to you. Our major expenses, outside of the cabin price and gratuities, are tours. We don't use ship tours, which usually saves a lot, and sometimes don't do a tour at all.

 

Shopping on shore, souvenirs, photos on board, drinks (beer, pop, specialty coffees, smoothies, etc.), specialty restaurants, eating or drinking on shore, etc. Internet usage. Gambling. Shopping in the ship's stores. Bingo.

 

We spend very little on the things in the paragraph above, at most a couple of photos, and some internet (though we get it free on some cruises) so our on board account is very low. But, everyone is different and often on your first cruise it is tempting to try everything.

[Nitemare]

My guess would be $347.21

 

That was MY guess.

 

I'll go with $299.95

[navybankerteacher]

That was MY guess.

 

I'll go with $299.95

 

You're both off: it has to be at least $417.12. (And that is EXTRA - meaning above and beyond the amount they plan to spend after considering contemplated activities and purchases).

[agabbymama]

My travel agent (about 30 years ago) told me a good rule of thumb to follow is take whatever your tickets cost. If your cruise & airfare are $1400, then take an extra $1400.

 

This rule has worked well for me in my 30 years of travel, EXCEPT my 21 day trip to the Med. We budgeted $4500 and the trip ended up costing us $6000 pp. So lots went on the credit card. But we did spend a LOT!:eek: But oh my goodness, the jewelry we brought home from Italy (cameos), Greece (silver & blue lapis) & Turkey (jade) is amazing.

 

On the other hand, on some of our cruises, we have had only the DSC on our account. It really depends on you and your spending habits. Have a great cruise.

[Gunner22aa]

If you are thinking of taking the trip to Tulum do it with a ships sponsered tour. Be prepared for a very long, very slow drive there and back with limited time at Tulum itself. There are frequent police road blocks on the highway and you are forever slowing down to a crawl. I say use a ships tour because if something goes wrong, ie the bus breaks down or you end up with the highway closed for an hour like happend to us because of a torrential rain storm at least the ship will wait. I've seen the ferry break down as well. The ship waits for their tours but not private ones.

 

As to money we budget $300/day. Some days we spend next to nothing and others we have spent over $2000. Kind of all evens out in the end.

[dwjoe]

We budget about $1,000 for a family of four on a 7 day cruise, not counting gratuities. We take maybe 1 excursion and don't drink much. Souveniers are T-shirts and knickkacks. YMMV.

Edited March 20, 2014 by dwjoe

[cruiserfromalabama]

You did not say if you were traveling on a budget or just curious about how much cash to bring. If you are not on a strict budget and just want to know how much cash to bring-I would advise you to pay for everything pre-cruise that you can(specialty restaurants, gratuities, etc.)and that way you can cut down on actual cash you have to bring. We always figure on 100.00 a day and actually this has worked for us on all our trips. If you are going to do some excursions, then you would need to factor that in and add a little more per person for that. Some ship excursions are reasonable and a very good way to see and experience some of the ports as a first time cruiser. We seldom use ship excursions anymore, but do use tripadvisor or cruise critic recommended private excursion companies and pay deposits to reserve and then we bring cash to pay for balance. If you are on a budget-then I would still plan on enough cash to cover in port expenses and any gifts you might want. You can get by on very little cash if you eat always on board the ship and not waste your cash on meals in port. To us-cruising is a very good way to travel to see a little bit of the world on a budget or not! You will be hooked and find out it is the best experience in the world! Happy cruising!

[trish1c]

Money meaning the amount you will spend over & above your cruise price may be different from cash on hand.

 

As cruising is cashless, you either have to pony up your cruiseline's required minimum to open an account when you board or you attach it to a credit card.

 

Via credit card, we budget about $100 per day additional (more if we book an expensive excursion through the cruiseline) For us excursions are calculated separately because we generally book independently. You know your own spending, drinking & gambling habits, which have to be factored in to a calculation of predicted costs.

 

Cash we bring $100 - $200 in small bills for tipping. [/size]

Edited March 20, 2014 by trish1c