If more money needed...

[jtl513]

Does the front desk still cash checks?

Not personal checks, only traveler's checks.

[gpb11]

I take very little cash, maybe a hundred or so.

Then on shore use my credit or debit card.

Same here, though I *NEVER* use my debit (ATM) card anywhere but my bank's ATM.

 

Too much card hacking going on these days. I've seen the cascading pile of crap when a friend's debit card was hacked and various in-flight payments bounced due to insufficient funds in couple of days before the bank returned the funds to her account. Fraud on a credit card is vastly less impactful.

 

Obviously, foreign transaction fees are a non-issue in Alaska for travellers from the lower 48. On other cruises to non-US ports I simply use a credit card with zero foreign transaction fees. I haven't bothered with travellers checks for two decades; credit cards are so commonly accepted these days.

 

FYI, Wells Fargo has a presence in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. As that's one of my banks I had no worries about additional cash.

 

If you bank elsewhere, maybe you end up getting hit with an ATM fee -- but seriously, how many trips to the ATM would you be making on a two week Alaskan cruise? I can't see needing more than one trip and that's only if you mis-estimated your cash needs from the beginning. Speaking for myself, a single $3-5 fee is a bargain compared to the time/effort to go to my bank to get travellers checks beforehand and go back to deposit the leftover checks afterward.

Edited August 4, 2016 by gpb11

[3rdGenCunarder]

Same here, though I *NEVER* use my debit (ATM) card anywhere but my bank's ATM.

 

Too much card hacking going on these days. I've seen the cascading pile of crap when a friend's debit card was hacked and various in-flight payments bounced due to insufficient funds in couple of days before the bank returned the funds to her account. Fraud on a credit card is vastly less impactful.

 

Obviously, foreign transaction fees are a non-issue in Alaska for travellers from the lower 48. On other cruises to non-US ports I simply use a credit card with zero foreign transaction fees. I haven't bothered with travellers checks for two decades; credit cards are so commonly accepted these days.

 

FYI, Wells Fargo has a presence in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. As that's one of my banks I had no worries about additional cash.

 

If you bank elsewhere, maybe you end up getting hit with an ATM fee -- but seriously, how many trips to the ATM would you be making on a two week Alaskan cruise? I can't see needing more than one trip and that's only if you mis-estimated your cash needs from the beginning. Speaking for myself, a single $3-5 fee is a bargain compared to the time/effort to go to my bank to get travellers checks beforehand and go back to deposit the leftover checks afterward.

 

(bold is mine) I avoid "generic" atms (like mall machines), and even with banks I prefer to use an indoor machine where it's less likely to have a skimmer on it.

 

I do try to find a branch of my bank if it's at all convenient, and I always check in advance to find out who their foreign partners are. If I have to use an out-of-network bank, I chalk it up to the cost of travel. (But I still hate those fees!)

[RuthC]

Speaking for myself, a single $3-5 fee is a bargain compared to the time/effort to go to my bank to get travellers checks beforehand and go back to deposit the leftover checks afterward.

You have to go out (possibly even to the bank!) to get the cash anyway. Might as well get the Travelers Cheques while you're there.

No need to redeposit the unused Travelers Cheques. Save them for the next trip, and you won't have to run the errand again! :D

[drowelf]

I've always taken a Traveller's Checks in the past on the cruise. They constitute our casino money, excess tip money and misc expenses. They are a bit safer than carrying a couple of thousand in cash while travelling. But alas its getting harder and harder to find them. I used to get them at the local Amex Travel Office, but all of those have closed up and gone away. Then I had to switch to a branch of my bank, but just this year they have discontinued them too. For our cruise this month, I still have some left over last years cruise, but once those are gone, I suppose cash is the only option.

 

We generally start the cruise with at least a couple of hundred in 1s and 5s for immediate tipping. If our breakfast, as we eat in the room on port days, is brought by someone other than our steward we tip them a few dollars.

[drowelf]

No need to carry a lot of 1s or 5s... the front desk will break down large bills US$ into small bills US$. They will also change bills into quarters for the laundry (some ships have them). m--

 

I don't know about that. I had problems on my last cruise (January 2015) getting $100 broken down into 1s and 5s. They've started keeping less small cash it seems. So its easier to just get some at my local bank before the cruise. I have at least 5 branches of my bank withing 10 miles of home, so there is always one near by when I'm running an errand.

 

Cheers,

[gpb11]

You have to go out (possibly even to the bank!) to get the cash anyway.

 

No, actually I don't. My two main banks have a ton of ATMs available that I already drive or walk by as I'm doing other stuff. Going to a branch during open hours requires a special trip on a Saturday morning.

 

That may not be true for everyone of course, but it is true for me.