Going to the bank asking for $1 bills

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

This!! It amazes me how no one has change...ever. I always travel with plenty of small bills to avoid this.

 

I found a very easy way around the no change issue in the Bahamas. When they tell me the price for my item and bag it up, example, $5 for something, I would ask if they had change for a $10 is US dollars. They would say no and I would tel them never mind on the item. It was like magic, the change would appear from no where out of there pockets!

[sprint180]

You could tell me what ever you want. I'd still think you were going to the strippers!

[momof3cruisers]

Exactly!

 

Why purposefully cause all that confusion? It's just as easy to hand over a $1, $5, etc... I swear some people enjoy making things difficult.

 

$2 bills are not "cute" as a gift. It's annoying and rude.

 

Whatever makes people happy I guess.

 

Whoa, dude...chill. I just said I know it can be confusing. I am pretty sure tipping is never rude. Unless you give them a penny. I am sure someone tipping with a two dollar bill is not trying to make things difficult.

[Baymax]

Whoa, dude...chill. I just said I know it can be confusing. I am pretty sure tipping is never rude. Unless you give them a penny. I am sure someone tipping with a two dollar bill is not trying to make things difficult.

 

Some stateroom stewards would consider a "bribe tip" given on the first day of the cruise to be rude. It can make those select few feel insulted, as if they don't believe the steward will do his job properly. An example would be posts here that state "I tip my steward $100 on the first day." (Buttering up room steward at the beginning of the cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2035200). So yes, some may feel pretipping is rude even though you stated that tipping is never rude. In foreign countries where there is a different culture, it can also be considered rude.

[GUT2407]

Some stateroom stewards would consider a "bribe tip" given on the first day of the cruise to be rude. It can make those select few feel insulted, as if they don't believe the steward will do his job properly. An example would be posts here that state "I tip my steward $100 on the first day." (Buttering up room steward at the beginning of the cruise: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2035200). So yes, some may feel pretipping is rude even though you stated that tipping is never rude. In foreign countries where there is a different culture, it can also be considered rude.

 

 

my dad who's 85 thinks it's rude, he believes that it insulting to suggest that someone will only do their job well if they are going to get a tip.

[DirtyDawg]

I worked in a credit union for years. Trust me, the tellers don't think anything of people asking for a bunch of singles. Having someone deposit a whole wad of them usually sent us running for the hand sanitizer at the end of the transaction, though. :eek:

 

YUK! I didn't realize those single were so dirty.:(

 

Next cruise I'm not tipping anybody with singles. Forget the Fives and Tens too, they're almost as disgusting. :eek: I don't want to spread germs and disease to the hard working crew of the ship!

 

I wonder if my cabin steward takes debit? Maybe they might have one of those 'Square' readers for their smart phone and can take Visa. If not, I could always just email them the tip.:p

Edited November 22, 2014 by DirtyDawg

[Vitality08]

This!! It amazes me how no one has change...ever. I always travel with plenty of small bills to avoid this.

 

It's not that they don't have change...they say they don't have change hoping for a bigger tip.

[DANCING GRANDMOMMY]

We actually got $2.00 bills from the bank before our last cruise for tipping room service or the people that handled our baggage.

 

I use to do that before I discovered that the crew has a hard time cashing those $2.00 bills. Since I was doing that for them I quit.

[splintz]

In the last few years of my grandmothers life she had this thing where she had to go to the bank and put half her pension check in the bank and half she kept because she HAD to have money in the house God forbid an emergency. her expenses were small at that point, she didn't really do a lot or go anywhere that she spent a lot. So it added up pretty quick.

 

When she finally had to move in with my aunt and uncle and they were emptying her apartment . They found over $17,000 in 5s,10s,20s maybe a few 50s.

 

My uncle took it all to the bank and deposited it in her account. He said he felt like a **** or a drug dealer pulling out that huge wad of cash out on the counter. The teller was none to happy about counting it either. *LOL*

 

i remember in the early 1990's after my grandmother died. we moved my grandfather into our house because he had Alzheimer's. my dad and i went through their apartment and got all the furniture ready for the salvation army to pick up. my father was smart enough to look through the apartment and furniture real good. he was actually looking for pictures and heirlooms. what we discovered was over 20 thousand dollars in small bills hidden all over the apartment. envelopes taped to the under side of tables and cabinets. it was crazy. but that is how the older generation used to save money. my father always tells me that when he dies don't throw anything out of his house until i go through it.

[splintz]

and on my next cruise i am going to bring $100 in Susan B Anthony dollars and hand those out. :D

[sprint180]

I got a 20 cent tip once. I gave the guy $1.20 back and he left me the $.20 and pocketed the $1.00. Jerk! That was years ago and I still remember it. Not because of how much it was so much but who he was.... and, I did a good job of waitressing.

[babyher]

and on my next cruise i am going to bring $100 in Susan B Anthony dollars and hand those out. :D

 

 

 

Our local train station has machines where you can buy your tickets on the platform before boarding. (you save a couple bucks than if you buy them on the train when the conductor comes around)

 

The thing is if you pay cash you get your change in Sacajawea dollar coins. One time on the way to NYC I ended up with like 8 of them as change .

 

Once I got to the city I wanted to get rid of them. I got a lot of strange looks from people when I handed them the gold coins. One girl at a coffee shop actually went in back to the manager to ask if she could take these.

[SeagoingMom]

Tipping in two dollar bills for ship employees is not a good idea. Many of the countries they visit and some employees themselves believe them to be fake and many stores will not accept them.

May I ask where you acquired this information? Do you have first hand experience or are you passing on information you have heard from someone else? Do you know what stores will not accept US $2 bills (legal tender)?

[Baymax]

May I ask where you acquired this information? Do you have first hand experience or are you passing on information you have heard from someone else? Do you know what stores will not accept US $2 bills (legal tender)?

 

I wasn't aware that every single person in every single foreign nation was up to the minute with the wonderful United States of America's legal tender. Even Americans in this thread didn't believe these to exist...

 

Talk to your stateroom stewards, they'll tell you. Better yet, try it yourself. Only take $2 bills when shopping in port.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Baymax

[peptobysmol]

Wow. I'm going on a cruise and plan on tipping. I have to start a thread to do some humble bragging. Get a life.

[DirtyDawg]

Leaving for the Pride this Sunday and just did my before-trip chore of going to the bank and asking for x amount of cash and $100 of it being in $1 & $5 bills. I always feel the need to follow it up with "I am going on a cruise" because I feel like they look at me like I am a pervert. :eek:

Anyone else do this and feel like they need to justify why?:D

 

Wow. I'm going on a cruise and plan on tipping. I have to start a thread to do some humble bragging. Get a life.

 

I got the impression the OP was not bragging at all. She simply asked if others felt like perverts for asking for $1's and $5's at the bank. It was the :eek: and :D that gave it away.;)

 

BTW there are so many other times that I feel like a pervert that asking for $1's and $5's at the bank doesn't bother me at all.:)

[MarkSeattle]

May I ask where you acquired this information? Do you have first hand experience or are you passing on information you have heard from someone else? Do you know what stores will not accept US $2 bills (legal tender)?

 

Someone posted, not sure if here or elsewhere, that they had the police called on them for trying to use a $2 bill once. The cashier had never heard of them and thought they were trying to pass counterfeit money. They are really uncommon, so it's not surprising I guess.

 

I'm all for saving US budget money by dropping the penny and $1 bills. Most other places seem able to it. Not sure how much it would save if the $2s became widespread then, but at least ditch the stupid penny already and round for cash transactions.

[C Cruise Dude]

Leaving for the Pride this Sunday and just did my before-trip chore of going to the bank and asking for x amount of cash and $100 of it being in $1 & $5 bills. I always feel the need to follow it up with "I am going on a cruise" because I feel like they look at me like I am a pervert. :eek:

Anyone else do this and feel like they need to justify why?:D

 

 

Why do you need all those $1 & $5? :eek: On my first cruise 10 years ago, I tips with $1 but now they charge you the gratuity on the receipt and ask if you want to add more. Yes you might tip the room service, maid in the hotel, porter, transportation but you should not need that much. :confused:

[adriennerm]

It's not that they don't have change...they say they don't have change hoping for a bigger tip.

 

Trust me, I know the deal. It's just annoying to deal with. Now I carry small bills on vacation to avoid this.

[TEXASMUNK]

40 years cruising experience. Personal friends with an Indonesian couple who bartend and are wait staff on Holland America. Personal friends with CD and wife from Cunard. Good friends with several entertainers on varying cruise lines.

All agree the $2.00 is difficult for the crew to use or exchange while in port.

 

Is that sufficient experience to answer your question to your satisfaction?

[FlaMommy75]

Wow. I'm going on a cruise and plan on tipping. I have to start a thread to do some humble bragging. Get a life.

 

Excuse me, peptobysmol, but is there a reason you need to be so rude and mean spirited???

 

If you read my post I NEVER said all the $5 and $1 bills were for tipping. If you must know, some of them are for tipping but I also need them because we are a family of four traveling to 4 different ports. I have small children who like to buy little souvenirs from vendors and I also I like to have small bills for all of the reasons people mentioned. :mad:

 

Yesterday after I left the bank I just thought this was a silly thing that made me laugh so I posted about it. I had no idea it would turn ugly and people would start insulting other people (who cares if people give people $2 bills…it is better than not giving anything!).

 

I enjoy cruise critic and feel 95% of the people on the boards are very kind and helpful…but those 5% make this board miserable.

Edited November 22, 2014 by FlaMommy75

[justusfour2014]

Leaving for the Pride this Sunday and just did my before-trip chore of going to the bank and asking for x amount of cash and $100 of it being in $1 & $5 bills. I always feel the need to follow it up with "I am going on a cruise" because I feel like they look at me like I am a pervert. :eek:

Anyone else do this and feel like they need to justify why?:D

 

Went on a cruise back in October and did this same thing BUT had my 15 year old son with me. He says, "Umm, why'd that teller dude look at you like that when you asked for 50 one dollar bills?" I said, " Guess it's rare he sees mother and son asking for so many 'Bucks to Tuck' - ya know, for strippers." My son says, "OMG - then giggled like a little girl. It was hiliarious and the teller dude's face was priceless when I asked. ;)

 

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[Readytogo]

Surely they have some type of a bank system for employees on the ship. If so, why would depositing $2 bills be an issue?

[GUT2407]

i remember in the early 1990's after my grandmother died. we moved my grandfather into our house because he had Alzheimer's. my dad and i went through their apartment and got all the furniture ready for the salvation army to pick up. my father was smart enough to look through the apartment and furniture real good. he was actually looking for pictures and heirlooms. what we discovered was over 20 thousand dollars in small bills hidden all over the apartment. envelopes taped to the under side of tables and cabinets. it was crazy. but that is how the older generation used to save money. my father always tells me that when he dies don't throw anything out of his house until i go through it.

 

They also didn't trust banks because they'd seen the CRASH firsthand

[GUT2407]

Surely they have some type of a bank system for employees on the ship. If so, why would depositing $2 bills be an issue?

 

There is and they're not. How do people think they get on when people from other countries get on and give them Euros, Pounds, Aussie and NZ dollars and countless other currencies they've never seen before, they take them all and convert them to whatever they need.