Cash on board?

[Nator72]

We'll be on the Escape in 10 days!

We're trying to figure out how much cash we will need to bring with us. We only have one excursion booked, so I'm sure we'll need cash for the other 2 ports if we want to do something (taxis, beach access, shopping, food, etc.).

 

For those of you who cruise regularly, what do you do? Bring a set amount? Use your credit card? I'm assuming that while in port cash is easier than credit cards, but I could be wrong.

 

I'm not asking how much I should bring, I'm just asking which method works best for each person.

 

Thank you.

Edited June 8, 2016 by Nator72

[BamaVol]

I had about $200 with me on the Epic a couple weeks ago. I came back with about $160. I got euros from an ATM in port as needed. The $40 was used primarily to tip bartenders and something extra for the cabin steward. Are dollars the local currency in your ports? If not, don't bother.

[negn]

You'll need cash for taxis,which I think is the biggest expense, as well as tips at beaches etc. I then use a credit card, with a low limit, at the beach clubs and any bars or restaurants off the ship I do not use my debit card in case there is a problem. Recently returned from Aruba and used my credit card once and it was hacked . Luckily the company denied the charges and contacted me. Make sure you notify credit card you are traveling.

[Nator72]

Oops, I guess I should have mentioned that we're sailing out of Miami with stops in St. Thomas, Tortola, and Nassau. Our excursion is in Tortola, so we will only need cash for St. Thomas and Nassau (and of course a little extra gratuity on board).

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

[WoodsDrive]

We did that route last year. We allocated $50 per port, necessary taxis in Miami, meals, gratuity for steward, etc., and kept it labeled with Post It Notes folded over each 'bundle.' I think we had $400 in cash and came home with about 1/3 of it. We are not big shoppers, so we spent very little in port.

[Ktuluorion]

We'll be on the Escape in 10 days!

We're trying to figure out how much cash we will need to bring with us. We only have one excursion booked, so I'm sure we'll need cash for the other 2 ports if we want to do something (taxis, beach access, shopping, food, etc.).

 

For those of you who cruise regularly, what do you do? Bring a set amount? Use your credit card? I'm assuming that while in port cash is easier than credit cards, but I could be wrong.

 

I'm not asking how much I should bring, I'm just asking which method works best for each person.

 

Thank you.

 

My rule of thumb is that I bring $200 per port + gambling money.

 

I generally never spend anywhere near that, but whenever I go out in a port I bring the $200 in the event of an emergency (I have extra for a cab ride). I also bring 1 credit and 1 debit card.

 

I find that cabs are usually within $60 round trip to go wherever I want to go, and most ports have something cool you can do for $40 or so per person.

 

Generally, I always use a travel credit card for anything that accepts that (food, etc) and the cash is for cabs or anything that won't accept a card.

 

Hope that gives some insight.

[BirdTravels]

With all of the credit card hacking, many companies will decline all foreign transactions. Let your CC company know in advance of your travel plans and may be cap the amount that can be charged without advance coordination.

 

The Escape will charge $5.99 per transaction from their ATM.

[cb at sea]

Unless you're paying your account in cash, you don't need THAT much, unless you plan to gamble.

 

Everything is charged to your cabin..most folks use a credit card to attach to their account. If you want to do a cash account...bring about 1/2 your cruise fare...that should do it.

 

We use cash for small ashore purchases...anything big, goes on the card.

Edited June 9, 2016 by cb at sea

[Sizzlechest]

If you are at least a month away from the cruise and you have good credit, apply for a $5,000 line of credit with the casino. All you need to bring is a personal check to cover the costs at the end of the cruise. (You have to give them the blank check at the casino before they will loan you any cash.) There's no surcharge doing it this way (AFAIK) and you don't need to carry a large amount of cash and keep it in your room safe. Of course, you need to remember to make a withdrawal prior to the casino closing, which usually happens when the ship goes to a port. If you DON'T have good credit, there's another option you can do. You can get a certified check from your bank made out to yourself, then sign it over to the casino. The casino holds it for you and you can deposit and withdraw it whenever the casino is open. Most (good) banks shouldn't charge you for a bank check and it's safer than carrying thousands in cash.

 

Credit cards work pretty much anywhere. The only "gotcha" with those involve foreign currency transaction fees. Most credit cards will hit you with a percentage, but some do not. You need to check it out before you travel. For Bermuda, their currency is tied to the US Dollar, so no worries there.

 

You could always do a cash advance at the casino using your credit card, but you'll get hit with a 3% fee. There are also ATMs on board, but the fees are usually exorbitant.