Caribbean spending money?

[Altonia]

I know this is a loaded question however we are really struggling with deciding how much spending money to take with us when we are on the Transatlantic Sunrise. I don't mean when we are on board , it is how much we might need when we are in the ports.

 

Any excursions we do will be Thomson ones, we haven't been to the Caribbean before so want the safety net of Thomson, so we won't need spending money for trips. Next time we go we will be more adventurous and have the confidence to do our own thing (although don't tell my DH that I am already think about the next Caribbean cruise before we have been on our first one).

 

We don't usually buy much in the way of souvenirs, tends to be little things like fridge magnet. Although we had a week in Sorrento at the end of September and came back with a solid glass duck (don't ask) the weight of which nearly put us over our allowance. So we like to take enough just in case we see something that we can't resist (it truly is a beautiful mallard duck and a bargain price was €120 but successful negotiated down to €100).

 

We would buy soft drink, beer, ice cream, snack when out and about but would be unlikely to buy full meal .

 

I think the reason we can't decide is because we don't know how much things cost; if we had a beer, ice cream, a coke and a sandwich would it cost us £5, £10, £20?

 

So what do you think, how much should we bring with us?

[geomagot]

yes its difficult to know what others would spend and it depends on the island, some are quite expensive others are dirt cheap

 

we allow about $100 per day, we do our own thing mostly..... that amount will usually get us a taxi/water taxi to the beach ($20) a couple of sunbeds ($20) 2 beers each ($10) couple of burgers on the beach ($20) and some left over

 

a taxi island tour of about 4 hours $80 ish?

 

local buses are much cheaper... about $2pp sometimes you may need local currency for that

 

beers on st martin $5 for a bucket of 5, beers/cocktails on aruba $3/$5 each (a bottle of beer or a bottle of coke usually costs the same)

 

strangely I dont see many ice cream sellers in the caribbean?

 

if you go away from the turisty areas things become much cheaper....a full creole lunch at a takeaway bar on st lucia about $5, bag of fruit $1 freshly cut coconut (with a straw) on the side of the road $1

 

if you are doing tours with thoms then you will just need a little cash for drinks and incidentals about $20/40per couple should cover it...they often stop at a market somewhere and you may need to tip the guide/driver

 

while strolling around some port areas or on tours you may come across an impromptu calypso band/performers who entertain you...and who would welcome a tip, or people selling aloe vera spikes/coconuts etc...its always best to carry a little bit of ready cash small notes

 

there is lots of shopping in some terminals, lots of vendors on the beaches or little markets set up on some of the islands, resturants/food outlets are not particularly cheap in the touristy areas unless you are on an undeveloped island like dominca or st vincent

 

hope this helps

Edited October 22, 2014 by geomagot

[kruzseeka]

Good advice and guidance from Geo and I would agree with all he has said. I understand your thinking and caution re doing trips with Thomson but would urge you to research your Islands on here (lots of helpful tips posted on various ports and plenty of advice if you need more information - just ask).

 

Some are so easy to DiY depending on what you want to do eg. If you want the beach, pretty place to look around, good shopping Philipsburg will deliver. And moreover should you wish, you can even walk into town although getting the water taxi is easier! You can see the ships from the beach so no worries about getting back an definitely

no need for a trip unless there is somewhere specific you want to go.

 

And there are so many taxis/buses with a high proportion of passengers using that means of getting to a beach as long as you leave loads of time for getting back - it is much cheaper especially for just beach transfers than trips many of which don't give you that long at the beach. For other excursions until you get the feel if things in the Caribbean I understand your desire to play safe. We did the first time we went too.

 

As geo said, lots of potential for shopping and although you say you aren't much into buying things (the glass duck sounds lovely though! ;)) the markets are interesting, colorful and I found them really exciting the first time as they are so vibrant and different. Caribbean shirts, beach bags etc are everywhere and cheap although quality varies a bit. But DH got a nice quality one in Tortola for $15 (don't ask about the design - HT will tell you - it was eye catching to say the least! :D ) Looked the part for the Caribbean deck parties though but if we had a fiver for every 'Nice shirt' comment (never quite sure of the sentiments behind those) we could have bought a dozen more! :D

 

would say too that the Sunny Caribee spice shop in Road Town, Tortola is worth a visit too. We always bring back some spices as gifts - anything from $10 upwards. Oh and on the beaches, lots of opportunities to buy handmade jewellery - cheap costume jewellery. I got a lovely shell necklace for $10 - suits some outfits and appropriate in the Caribbean. Also cocktail prices at the beaches range from $6-9 - they are good too!

 

Anyway, have a wonderful time - I can't tell you what a joy it was to go to the Caribbean the first time (and every other time too) everything is so warm and colourful - the weather, the ambience, the people and just so different! I hope you fall in love with the islands as much as we did. Let us know how you get on. :)

[geomagot]

ahh yes the caribbean shirt its a must :cool: (for men and the ladies alike)...its the perfect garment :cool::) it has a collar, so its smart enough for the restaurant, its light and cool for the beach, it doesnt take up any weight allowance in you case (thumbup) you can swish it out in the sink and it will be dry in 10 seconds (no ironing)...and (i have noticed that too kruz) the louder the better ;) ($15 - $20 at the markets) :)

[Altonia]

yes its difficult to know what others would spend and it depends on the island, some are quite expensive others are dirt cheap

 

we allow about $100 per day, we do our own thing mostly..... that amount will usually get us a taxi/water taxi to the beach ($20) a couple of sunbeds ($20) 2 beers each ($10) couple of burgers on the beach ($20) and some left over

 

a taxi island tour of about 4 hours $80 ish?

 

local buses are much cheaper... about $2pp sometimes you may need local currency for that

 

beers on st martin $5 for a bucket of 5, beers/cocktails on aruba $3/$5 each (a bottle of beer or a bottle of coke usually costs the same)

 

strangely I dont see many ice cream sellers in the caribbean?

 

if you go away from the turisty areas things become much cheaper....a full creole lunch at a takeaway bar on st lucia about $5, bag of fruit $1 freshly cut coconut (with a straw) on the side of the road $1

 

if you are doing tours with thoms then you will just need a little cash for drinks and incidentals about $20/40per couple should cover it...they often stop at a market somewhere and you may need to tip the guide/driver

 

while strolling around some port areas or on tours you may come across an impromptu calypso band/performers who entertain you...and who would welcome a tip, or people selling aloe vera spikes/coconuts etc...its always best to carry a little bit of ready cash small notes

 

there is lots of shopping in some terminals, lots of vendors on the beaches or little markets set up on some of the islands, resturants/food outlets are not particularly cheap in the touristy areas unless you are on an undeveloped island like dominca or st vincent

 

hope this helps

Thank you geomagot a very helpful answer as always. You have given me a really useful guide of the likely day to day spend, we have some $1 dollar bills which we thought would be useful to take.

 

We weren't really planning on any local currency just $ and€, I guess if we wanted to do something that needed local currency we might have to reconsider.

 

The Caribbean shirt sounds great , will definitely put it on my shopping list.

[Altonia]

Good advice and guidance from Geo and I would agree with all he has said. I understand your thinking and caution re doing trips with Thomson but would urge you to research your Islands on here (lots of helpful tips posted on various ports and plenty of advice if you need more information - just ask).

 

Some are so easy to DiY depending on what you want to do eg. If you want the beach, pretty place to look around, good shopping Philipsburg will deliver. And moreover should you wish, you can even walk into town although getting the water taxi is easier! You can see the ships from the beach so no worries about getting back an definitely

no need for a trip unless there is somewhere specific you want to go.

 

And there are so many taxis/buses with a high proportion of passengers using that means of getting to a beach as long as you leave loads of time for getting back - it is much cheaper especially for just beach transfers than trips many of which don't give you that long at the beach. For other excursions until you get the feel if things in the Caribbean I understand your desire to play safe. We did the first time we went too.

 

As geo said, lots of potential for shopping and although you say you aren't much into buying things (the glass duck sounds lovely though! ;)) the markets are interesting, colorful and I found them really exciting the first time as they are so vibrant and different. Caribbean shirts, beach bags etc are everywhere and cheap although quality varies a bit. But DH got a nice quality one in Tortola for $15 (don't ask about the design - HT will tell you - it was eye catching to say the least! :D ) Looked the part for the Caribbean deck parties though but if we had a fiver for every 'Nice shirt' comment (never quite sure of the sentiments behind those) we could have bought a dozen more! :D

 

would say too that the Sunny Caribee spice shop in Road Town, Tortola is worth a visit too. We always bring back some spices as gifts - anything from $10 upwards. Oh and on the beaches, lots of opportunities to buy handmade jewellery - cheap costume jewellery. I got a lovely shell necklace for $10 - suits some outfits and appropriate in the Caribbean. Also cocktail prices at the beaches range from $6-9 - they are good too!

 

Anyway, have a wonderful time - I can't tell you what a joy it was to go to the Caribbean the first time (and every other time too) everything is so warm and colourful - the weather, the ambience, the people and just so different! I hope you fall in love with the islands as much as we did. Let us know how you get on. :)

Thank you kruzseeka, I am finding the information on here really helpful, it is always good to get advice before you go. I would be very disappointed to find out once home that I had missed something spectacular because I randomly turned right rather left.

 

We are planning on booking the "definitely don't want to miss" trips with Thomson, we aren't planning on doing a trip at every port. We will have a potter around doing our own thing on the days we don't have a trip booked, I know that makes us sound like we are in our dotage but there is nothing to beat a good potter no matter how old you are !!

We aren't too bothered about only having a short time on beaches my DH is very fair skinned so lapping up the sun on a beach is not on the cards. We will snorkel and swim and as far as I can gather it is fairly easy to sort that out for ourselves.

 

What ever we do I am sure we will have a great.

[kruzseeka]

We've always found US$ have worked ok for us in the Caribbean. Even on Antigua and St Lucia which have EC$ the buses accepted US$. Quite a few of the frequently visited islands like Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia, Grenada and Dominica have the EC$ and we've always been able to pay our way in bars, for taxis, bus, beach furniture etc with US$

 

The only thing you need to be aware of is that in those islands, if you pay in US$, be sure to say you want change in US$ too. The only time we came unstuck was when we went to Reduit Beach at Rodney Bay, St Lucia when we only had large US$ bills and discovered the shops there would readily accept US$ but would only give change in EC$ - we were leaving the island with little opportunity to spend our 'change' so passed on our planned purchase being conscious of saving the few single US$ bills we did have for our bus fare back. Your plan to ensure you have plenty low denomination notes is therefore very wise. We do now! ;)

[gillhalfpint]

When I get my US$ I always ask for 5's and 10's and took budget of 50$ a day which worked out great for us on our first Caribbean cruise as we were new to cruising and booked Thomson trips for each port. We are now trying some DIY days out so will likely need a little more in case we want taxis. I have never needed local currency, and only once had a coin back that we didn't know was local currency till we got home.

[BaggersCruising]

All good advice above, especially with regards to US $ being accepted pretty much everywhere, and always best to have smaller denominations as a lot of islands will give you change in their own currency and some won't accept $100 bills full stop.

 

We're on the same cruise as you Altonia, and one thing I will say is don't be afraid of doing our own DIY trips (It's probably easy for me to say as we've been to the Caribbean a few times), but unless you want to do something special or that only Thomson offer, a lot of island tours can be had locally for sometimes half or even a third of the price of Thomson, and are quite often more informative too! They also know the importance of getting you back to your ship on time, so will often have you back at least an hour before sailing.

 

Aruba springs to mind as it's on the itinerary for our cruise, we did an island tour the first time we were there and IIRC it was about $45 for three of us. Thomson wanted well over £30 each! That made a huge difference to the money in our pocket and the tour was no worse than a Thomson one!

 

The only tours we tend to do with Thomson now are the cycling tours as they're obviously a little harder to do on your own, although they're not really that cheap with Thomson either.

[c gazzzer]

which currence is best to use at this island, it a tax free port so would be a good place to buy perfume, cigarets etc.

[BaggersCruising]

which currence is best to use at this island, it a tax free port so would be a good place to buy perfume, cigarets etc.

 

US $, which is good on most of the islands. The only exception that I can think of is Cuba, of which you have to purchase their currency when you get there, using Sterling.

[kruzseeka]

which currence is best to use at this island, it a tax free port so would be a good place to buy perfume, cigarets etc.

 

US$ widely accepted in Philipsburg where you are berthed. Most goods are priced up in US$ in the shops, on the market and the beach vendors. This is usually said to be one of the best islands for shopping.

[kruzseeka]

US $, which is good on most of the islands. The only exception that I can think of is Cuba, of which you have to purchase their currency when you get there, using Sterling.

 

And that's a whole new story! If anyone is going there and wants some info I can tell you how it works and most importantly the potential pit-falls!

[BaggersCruising]

And that's a whole new story! If anyone is going there and wants some info I can tell you how it works and most importantly the potential pit-falls!

 

;)

 

I went into the terminal about 11am, saw the snaking queue for the currency in there, turned round and went back to the ship.

 

Not before I'd filled out a customs form though by the very insistent Cuban staff! I'd been in the terminal a whole minute, and they wanted to make fully sure I'd bought nothing or wasn't trying to smuggle anything out! :D

Edited October 26, 2014 by BaggersCruising

[kruzseeka]

;)

 

I went into the terminal about 11am, saw the snaking queue for the currency in there, turned round and went back to the ship.

 

Not before I'd filled out a customs form though by the very insistent Cuban staff! I'd been in the terminal a whole minute, and they wanted to make fully sure I'd bought nothing or wasn't trying to smuggle anything out! :D

 

Yeah..... really welcoming isn't it? Not! It would put me off if I didn't just love Havana so much :rolleyes:

[BaggersCruising]

Yeah..... really welcoming isn't it? Not! It would put me off if I didn't just love Havana so much :rolleyes:

 

It didn't give me a great first impression to be honest, but like you we then fell in love with the city, it has it's own unspoiled charm!

 

I was mistaken for crew at immigration aswell, so they couldn't understand why I didn't have a crew pass with my picture on. Er, well that's because I was a passenger and only had the blue Thomson card!

 

The one thing I think they really DO need to change, is the requirement of carrying your passport at all times. I can understand where they're coming from with that rule, but it's only asking for trouble. We did hear a story of a couple off the ship that were robbed of their passports, and we chatted to one gentlemen who said he'd had his gold chain snapped off from around his neck, but in fairness, we were all warned about wearing jewellery before we went ashore there!

[kruzseeka]

It didn't give me a great first impression to be honest, but like you we then fell in love with the city, it has it's own unspoiled charm!

 

I was mistaken for crew at immigration aswell, so they couldn't understand why I didn't have a crew pass with my picture on. Er, well that's because I was a passenger and only had the blue Thomson card!

 

The one thing I think they really DO need to change, is the requirement of carrying your passport at all times. I can understand where they're coming from with that rule, but it's only asking for trouble. We did hear a story of a couple off the ship that were robbed of their passports, and we chatted to one gentlemen who said he'd had his gold chain snapped off from around his neck, but in fairness, we were all warned about wearing jewellery before we went ashore there!

 

That's not good is it? Such a shame too as it's a great place to wander.

[BaggersCruising]

That's not good is it? Such a shame too as it's a great place to wander.

 

Nope, it's not! But I guess they're probably not as used to tourists as some other countries are, so here's hoping they get that side of things better in the future as the country opens up a bit more, as they have so much to offer!

[CRUISIN LINDA]

When we went to Havana on the Braemar in 2011, we thought it was OK the first day. We docked about lunchtime, waited for the crowds to disperse and went to do the paperwork and change some money, then we wandered for a while and found a nice bar in a square that had been renovated (is that the right word?) On the second day we got the hoho bus, which I think was a mistake, as it went a long way, but was not too interesting. We got off in the town and went for a drink, then got completley lost and got one of those bicycles (trishaws?) that the students use to make money. Unfortunately I asked for "el puerto" which is the docks :rolleyes: so the poor boy had to cycle all the way back to "los cruceros" We felt so sorry for him, we gave him double money :)

 

I didn't really like Havana. I knew it would be a bit scruffy, but wasn't prepared for just how tatty it was and I didn't like the poor thin horses and carriages outside the dock and the carriage drivers were very persistant! Then when we got back to the ship we found that a lady on an official trip had been attacked and had broken her hip. So, I wouldn't be in a hurry to go back, but perhaps I misjudged it!

Edited October 27, 2014 by CRUISIN LINDA

[Staffie Girl]

we usually take around 800 dollars for all the Caribbean holidays as there are usually three of us. It is usually around 20 dollars each for a tax and then you have to pay for a sunbeds which we usually share a couple. St Maartin is a beautiful island so if it is simply a beach and some shopping you want to do then I would just get the water taxi which is just by the port.