Getting Money on board

[sueernieb]

I know this question has been asked many times but I could not find it. My husband doesn't want to carry a lot of cash with him the day of the cruise but we have a rather expensive shore excursion booked and the guide wants cash. Our bank doesn't sell traveler

checks anymore. I seem to remember that we can cash one personal check ($200 I think) on board. I guess we will get the rest from an ATM. Is it better to get it from an ATM on board or in port. Thanks

 

Sue

[cb at sea]

Just bring the cash...divide it up between the 2 of you....it's really not that hard! Large bills take up NO space!

 

Yes...you can cash 1 personal check up to $200 per cruise. ATM's charge you a fee to get your own money..ridiculous!

 

We routinely travel will cash....hubby keeps some, I keep some, and we simply keep it where we are in control of it.....my purse is never "loose" anywhere....and hubby's is in his front pocket...hard to lose it there! Once onboard, it goes in the safe!

Edited July 6, 2016 by cb at sea

[Daghis]

I would be more likely to trust the ATM onboard rather than in a foreign country. The fee for withdrawals is in the neighborhood of $6, I believe.

 

Now, that said, I have used ATMs in foreign countries without incident. I did choose ATMs that were located at prominent banks rather than a random ATM located at a store. The one thing I'd advise about using a foreign ATM is to find out whether it dispenses US dollars or local currency, if that should matter for your excursion plans.

[marcyjane]

Not sure but can you still get cash on your sail & sail from the Casino for a 3% fee?

[Clarea]

Not sure but can you still get cash on your sail & sail from the Casino for a 3% fee?

Yes, but the fee is now 5%.

[Lessa123]

We always bring cash. We do split it between us. I found we ran out toward the end of a cruise and went to an ATM in Key West. Our bank flagged the transaction as fraudulent and we couldn't use our debit cards. Twenty minute long distance call to get things cleared up (no 800 number to call). We switched banks...

[Penciltwister]

Why do so many cruisers want to find complicated solutions to simple problems? An excursion can't be much more that $200-$300

 

 

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[Lizcourt]

One circuitous way to get cash is through the casino. As I recall, you used to be able to charge a certain amount of chips to your key card, and I don't think you were charged a fee. If I'm right about that (and I could very well be wrong, it's been a while since I was in the casinos on a cruise), what you do is purchase the chips, cash them in, and you have cash, which is then an increase in your on-board account at the end of the cruise. Unless you are using cash for that account, you will effectively have taken the cash from whatever credit card you have on file for your on-board account.

 

[OOPS -- just read the other entries on the thread, which mention a 5% fee for the chips purchase -- so, basically, "never mind"]

Edited July 6, 2016 by Lizcourt

[wendychloecruiser]

We always bring cash. We do split it between us. I found we ran out toward the end of a cruise and went to an ATM in Key West. Our bank flagged the transaction as fraudulent and we couldn't use our debit cards. Twenty minute long distance call to get things cleared up (no 800 number to call). We switched banks...

 

 

We call our credit card companies and advise them of our anticipated travel plans to TRY and avoid that happening. We also get an immediate text of any unusual activity which is useful IF we have the phone turned on, obviously.

[wendychloecruiser]

Why do so many cruisers want to find complicated solutions to simple problems? An excursion can't be much more that $200-$300

 

 

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Our tour in Le Havre was $980. Cash on the day.

[steveru621]

I know this question has been asked many times but I could not find it. My husband doesn't want to carry a lot of cash with him the day of the cruise but we have a rather expensive shore excursion booked and the guide wants cash. Our bank doesn't sell traveler

checks anymore. I seem to remember that we can cash one personal check ($200 I think) on board. I guess we will get the rest from an ATM. Is it better to get it from an ATM on board or in port. Thanks

 

Sue

 

Where is the shore excursion? I assume the operator is willing to take dollars? But I understand your reluctance to carry a large amount of cash.

 

Finding an ATM, at a bank, in a foreign country can be challenging. You have no transportation, and very little spare time. Do not ever use an ATM anywhere that is not connected to a bank. No convenience store ATMS!

 

You can cash a check onboard, and hope the ATM works. What is your withdrawal limit for the day? Will that and a check cover your excursion expense? You may have to make multiple withdrawals over a number of days. All with fees to reimburse the owner of the ATM. It's not your money in the ATM, it belongs to the owner of the ATM.

[Merion_Mom]

I know this question has been asked many times but I could not find it. My husband doesn't want to carry a lot of cash with him the day of the cruise but we have a rather expensive shore excursion booked and the guide wants cash. Our bank doesn't sell traveler

checks anymore. I seem to remember that we can cash one personal check ($200 I think) on board. I guess we will get the rest from an ATM. Is it better to get it from an ATM on board or in port. Thanks

 

Sue

 

I wear this whenever I don't feel comfortable carrying a lot of cash. It has never failed me.

 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Why do so many cruisers want to find complicated solutions to simple problems? An excursion can't be much more that $200-$300

 

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Depends on the amount of people. We're are party of 6. The one excursion we have booked is $80pp. That's $480. I know there are also excursions $100+pp. Do the math.

[moopetguy]

A word of caution about ATMs that bears repeating. Watch out for card skimmers - sometimes they are very cleverly disguised and can be hard to spot!

 

Here is a recent example of a card skimmer having been installed on top of an ATM's card slot in a very public place:

 

https://www.carbonblack.com/2016/06/24/finding-atm-skimmer-pays-paranoid/

 

I prefer to carry the cash rather than risk public ATMs and ATM fees. Like others, we split up the cash between ourselves and in multiple pockets/pouches.

[TheTruthCanHurt]

A word of caution about ATMs that bears repeating. Watch out for card skimmers - sometimes they are very cleverly disguised and can be hard to spot!

 

Here is a recent example of a card skimmer having been installed on top of an ATM's card slot in a very public place:

 

https://www.carbonblack.com/2016/06/24/finding-atm-skimmer-pays-paranoid/

 

I prefer to carry the cash rather than risk public ATMs and ATM fees. Like others, we split up the cash between ourselves and in multiple pockets/pouches.

 

 

Thank you for this link.

I cruise often and always bring cash with me. However, for work I travel all over the world and do frequently end up using atm machines. I have heard of skimmers . but I have never seen a picture of one, and how it would actually attach. while I may not be a security paranoid as you ( although maybe I should be) this is great information.

 

As far as the op. I do agree that I would bring the cash with me. plus many atm's have limits of 200 to 400 per day, so you would have to get the cash over several days, or out of several accounts which would cause you to encur multiple service charges.

 

How about this? I know you said your band did not have traveler checks. but cant you get cash at your bank, and go to a bank that does have them? buy the travellor checks and then ( I have never done this so I don't know.. but I would think you could cash the travellor checks at guest services)

 

then you would be carrying travellor checks onto the ship and then converting to cash?

 

just a thought.

[Cruisin'Kim]

We've just cruised the Caribbean, so feel comfortable carrying around our cash, (it goes in the safe once we're on the ship), and we always have our credit card if necessary. When we have needed a really large amount of cash, we have used travellers cheques which the pursers desk have never had a problem with cashing as needed.

 

 

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[RajSharmi]

I know this question has been asked many times but I could not find it. My husband doesn't want to carry a lot of cash with him the day of the cruise but we have a rather expensive shore excursion booked and the guide wants cash. Our bank doesn't sell traveler

 

checks anymore. I seem to remember that we can cash one personal check ($200 I think) on board. I guess we will get the rest from an ATM. Is it better to get it from an ATM on board or in port. Thanks

 

 

 

Sue

 

 

We plan to bring $5 bills with us for various tips. US dollars are welcome everywhere.

 

 

 

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[Lucy Jane]

The ship may have an ATM machine - the Serenade of the Seas had one on board in January. You want to use a debit card for the ATM not a credit card. If you use a credit card it is the same as borrowing the money.

 

 

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Edited July 8, 2016 by Lucy Jane