Wonder how many Euros I can expect to need?

[Truluv]

I know this will vary widely from person to person, depending on tours, purchases, food, etc.  Still, I'm wondering what to expect.  I am taking a bucket list & new retirement celebration RCL cruise, going to Chania/Souda, Santorini, Crete, Mykonos, Naples & Athens.  This is my 1st international cruise, and one of my kids has agreed to travel with me.  I've prepaid for excursions, on-board amenities, a hotel in Rome for a few days, and for the transportation from the airport to the hotel, the hotel to port and then port back to airport.  Now I'm trying to figure out how many Euros I might expect to spend on the cruise.  I'll budget for the pre-cruise days in Rome separately.

 

I anticipate lunch (for 2) on Chania/Souda, Crete, Santorini and Mykonos, possibly bars or cafes for xtra drinks in ports, and I'll probably want to buy some souvenirs.  I've read that many of the stores and restaurants will need to be paid in Euros instead of credit cards.  I've also read about the difference in tipping waiters and tour guides.  I know I can get more Euros along the way out of ATM machines or even onboard, but right now "Euros/CASH" is still a big blank in my budgeting spreadsheet.  Any guestimates for me based on your own experiences?  Do you think 2,500 Euro will be sufficient, or am I cutting it too close?  (I will bring some US money for any extra tips on the ship.)  I'm not looking for the most luxurious experience, or to manage doing things as cheaply as possible -- just comfortably middle of the road.  Thanks for sharing your own budgets or experiences on this subject

[CruiserBruce]

I think 2500 euros is a ton of money. Have traveled for 3 or more weeks in Europe...land travel...and never spent more than 500 euros in that time frame.

 

Credit cards will be used a lot of places. The only place I worry about cash vs. credit card is smaller towns, or smaller cafes and bars, and for purchases under 25 or so euros.

 

I would start with a couple hundred euros, and hit an ATM if you need more.

[ollienbertsmum]

2500 euro is an awful lot of money to have on you.  There will be a lot of places that will accept your card.  Also don't forget that you may well eat a big breakfast and not want a huge lunch in port.   About 50 euro for the two of you in 4 ports is just 200 euro.  If you tip a guide - about 5 euro.  Your excursions are paid.  A drink in the port might be 2 - 5 euro.  

 

So what sort of souvenirs are you planning on buying ???    I would say that maximum you will need is 400 euro - and your card.  

 

 

[John Bull]

$2,500 is great.

Can I come with you?

I promise that the three of us won't exceed that budget. 

 

But probably better to go with Bruce's advice & take just a couple of hundred euros - and if you use a credit card wisely you'll probably not have to use an ATM at all. And don't use ATMs or Guest Relations on the ship for your euros, except in the direst of emergencies - all cruise ships give a rotten exchange-rate.

 

I don't know where you got the idea that many stores & restaurants won't accept credit cards - that applies only to local buses, the occasional small bar etc.  In these times of electronic devices, even many market stalls accept card transactions.

Credit card payments always give you the best exchange rates, except for small transactions with most cards depending on their minimum foreign transaction fee.

If you or your son expect to travel abroad more (retirement is the time to see the world ), get a card which doesn't have foreign exchange fees, your countrymen can suggest which cards. It probably won't have  the other perks that cards give, but if you use it only for foreign travel it'll save you a bundle - and help you separate out your overseas costs from your daily spend as well as being a useful back-up card if your other card is compromised.

When using a card abroad, always but always ensure that it's charged in LOCAL CURRENCY. Decline any offer to convert it to USD "for your convenience" cos the outlet will give you a poorer (sometimes massively poorer) exchange rate than your card issuer.

 

Tipping in Europe is very different to the USA.

By law, staff are paid at least a living wage - their wages provide the bread, tips earned through good service provide the jelly to go on the bread. Poor service = no tip. Even if the service is good and you don't tip, nobody's going to chase you down the road. About 5% to a maximum of 10% is the norm.  More and more restaurants in tourist areas are adding a "service charge",  by law this has to be declared on the menu and I would urge you not to add a "second tip", regardless of standards..

Bar-tenders aren't usually tipped.

 

Taxes are always included in the price on the sticker / menu.

 

JB 

 

 

[Truluv]

Thank you everyone for all the great advice!   

 

John - unfortunately my son (31-a medical professional) probably won't travel with me again.  He's giving up 2-wks of his vacation for this cruise plus he bought our airfare as a retirement present, but I know he & his GF are already looking ahead to visiting Scotland next year.  I'll mention your useful advice to him since he really loves to travel!   

[John Bull]

1 minute ago, Truluv said:

Thank you everyone for all the great advice!   

 

John - unfortunately my son (31-a medical professional) probably won't travel with me again.  He's giving up 2-wks of his vacation for this cruise plus he bought our airfare as a retirement present, but I know he & his GF are already looking ahead to visiting Scotland next year.  I'll mention your useful advice to him since he really loves to travel!   

 

Tell junior that what's been posted holds good for Scotland as well, other than that the currency is the British pound.

In fact it's the Scottish pound but the value's the same and they're inter-changeable 

Well, sort of ...... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx-a5rYIAOM 

 

Have a great cruise in the Med.

 

JB 

 

[Truluv]

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx-a5rYIAOM

 

Hysterical!  Thanks!

[Kate P.C]

Food in Greece is delicious and not super expensive. You can find a tasty giro for about 4EUR and you are done for lunch. Drinks like water and soda will cost you no more than 3EUR. Rome and Naples might be a bit more expensive, but 2500 EUR is way too much for pocket money, if you already have everything organized and paid for.

[dogs4fun]

I would take no more than a few hundred euros - 2,500 is way too much imho. Credit cards are widely accepted including most restaurants & shops. If you run low and feel you need more euros, you can always get more cash from an ATM (much better exchange rate).

I travel to Europe every year, sometimes staying for 3 months. I have never spent 2.500 euro cash. 

[bluebelle]

 I have just returned from Greece (Lefkas) and the two of us spent just over 300 Euro.  That was for all meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks, plus the odd ferry trip.  We didn’t stint in anyway, eg wine, cocktails etc, although not huge drinkers.  A large glass of wine was 2 euros.  Santorini and Mykonos may be more pricy but still.....cheaper than the ship!

[bluebelle]

Sorry, that was for a week!

[PelicanLvr]

OP - If you are comfortable traveling with 2,500 Euros, bring them.  Put them in the safe in your room and you will have peace of mind that you have plenty of cash, which I think may be important to you.  You don't want to always be thinking "How much money do I have left."

 

When you return home you can always exchange (back to US)  or keep the "left-overs" for the next European trip...but they are not good in Scotland!

 

On the way over, I suggest you split up the cash in money belts between the travelers.  

 

 

[LuckyStar]

We got a Capital One account (no transaction fees) and funded it for our trip.  We would use the ATM and deduct 500 euros at a time.  We made sure we had two cards, just in case, one got caught in the machine.  Each of us would hold cash.  We almost got pickpocketed in the Greece airport.  Hubby was very pleased that I had bought him a theft proof fanny pack.  We never had any issues.  I don't even recall that we had any fees at all to use our account this way.  

 

This worked for us.  We closed the account when we got home.  That way if we got skimmed, it wouldn't affect our family account at home. 

 

HTH.

[pe4all]

We usually over-exchange U.S. to euro before we travel. In addition to putting euros aside in envelopes  for private excursions, private transfers, tips, etc. we take about $1,000 more in euro.   We have never used an ATM (even here in the U.S.- wouldn't even know how to!!) and use our credit card (no foreign transaction fee) whenever possible.  We clear 3 credit cards with the cc companies before we go, (all fee-free)  and dh holds one while I hold one- the other stays in the ship's safe.    We carry a few hundred euro off the ship - the rest stay in the safe.   We have never "run short", and always come back with a few hundred euro, which we save for next trip, give to our dd who travels now and then, or just bite the bullet and change back to U.S. $$.     Do whatever you feel most comfortable doing.  

[Truluv]

Thanks to all!  Very helpful advice. 

[mskaufman]

That is a lot.  I just came back from a week in Europe and didn't spend that much total.  Brought 400E in cash and came back with 250.