How much money to bring?

[cuccumella]

I know it varies based on your ports, excursions, etc, but could someone give me an idea of how to estimate what I'll need?

 

 

[Bizmark'sMom]

That question is really too broad to answer.

First; where are you cruising to?

Second; what sorts of excursions and experiences are you wanting?

 

The amount I need on my upcoming Tahitian cruise with lots of snorkeling excursions booked and the possibility of buying a black pearl... is vastly different than what somebody cruising to the Bahamas and planning to hang out at Senior Frog's would need.

[cuccumella]

I'm going to the Caribbean for 7 days. For excursions I have scheduled parasailing and snorkeling in Key West,  a wild life tour in Roatan, a Stingray City/Starfish Point/Coral Garden tour in the Cayman Islands, and a Mayan Ruin tour/beach day in Cozumel. The only excursion not pre-paid for is the Roatan which is another $32.

 

I want to buy some small souvenirs for friends and family but nothing too big. definitely no jewelry. I definitely plan on hitting a restaurant in Key West, maybe in West End Village Roatan, and possibly but not probably in Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

[Cruiser_1977]

Are we talking just the cash portion? There was another thread where people discussed how much money you should have access to when traveling (think hospitalization, your luggage goes missing, etc.). If you are simply talking cash. If most everything is prepaid and you are planning to put the meals you mentioned on a CC. Then $50/day CASH should suffice. However, like I said you need to clarify that you mean money = cash. I never recommend vacationing when you don't have access to funds in case of emergency.

Edited December 27, 2019 by JennyB1977

[LHT28]

just take  a few hundred USD   & keep some in the safe 

use  small bills  when ashore  shopping or use  a CC

[Flatbush Flyer]

33 minutes ago, cuccumella said:

I'm going to the Caribbean for 7 days. For excursions I have scheduled parasailing and snorkeling in Key West,  a wild life tour in Roatan, a Stingray City/Starfish Point/Coral Garden tour in the Cayman Islands, and a Mayan Ruin tour/beach day in Cozumel. The only excursion not pre-paid for is the Roatan which is another $32.

 

I want to buy some small souvenirs for friends and family but nothing too big. definitely no jewelry. I definitely plan on hitting a restaurant in Key West, maybe in West End Village Roatan, and possibly but not probably in Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

$150-$200 USD will usually cover dinner for two with decent wine in MOST top non-Michelin starred restaurants world-wide.

As for trinkets, why bother unless you're going to a local artist's collective where you can find not-made-in-China handicrafts.

Personally, I'd do some research on identifying/finding some unusual local artwork which can vary from as little as $25 (see the Carnival mask pic) to $ hundreds (see the microbeaded jaguar head on carved wood frame pic). 

Though you probably won't find intricate war clubs (see Fijian "brain basher" pic) where you're headed, some other great buys abroad are spot-on museum copies (also requiring significant research to find a local artisan who can make a copy of a priceless piece for under $500)

 

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Hlitner]

We often travel 2 months (plus or minus) at a time and take relatively little cash.  Our means of support when in travel mode are multiple credit cards (always kept in more then one place) and multiple ATM cards (each drawn on a different account in different financial institutions).  That provides us with back ups and back ups to the back ups.  Cash is not very useful as we travel in many parts of the world with different currencies.  It is usually easier to obtain local cash with an ATM card then it is to try and exchange money (which is not longer that easy in many parts of the world).

 

The OP is already aware that everyone has different spending habits.  A cruiser that only books cruise line excursions will likely need a minimum amount of money (unless they go crazy shopping).  Folks like me who consider "tour" a 4 letter word to be avoided....will need access to more cash and credit cards.  If we do book tours it is almost always a private tour (usually done online) we make sure to have the ability to pay for the tour (be it cash or a credit card).

 

Hank

[cb at sea]

There is no way to tell what any person might choose to spend.  We NEVER travel without a good amount of cash on hand....cash is KING....and if you NEED it, it's sure good to have!  Whatever isn't spent (and we never have spent it all!), goes back in the bank when we get home.  We usually rely on a credit card for most vacation spending, but cash is good to have, if you need it!

 

You will want cash for the odd tips...taxis, porters, maybe a beer or two at some local place.....who knows?  Maybe there's a drink machine that only accepts money when you're thirsty...who knows?    Typically, we bring about $1500 on any vacation...more if we're in Vegas!  Your mileage may vary!

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

There is no way to tell what any person might choose to spend.  We NEVER travel without a good amount of cash on hand....cash is KING....and if you NEED it, it's sure good to have!  Whatever isn't spent (and we never have spent it all!), goes back in the bank when we get home.  We usually rely on a credit card for most vacation spending, but cash is good to have, if you need it!

 

You will want cash for the odd tips...taxis, porters, maybe a beer or two at some local place.....who knows?  Maybe there's a drink machine that only accepts money when you're thirsty...who knows?    Typically, we bring about $1500 on any vacation...more if we're in Vegas!  Your mileage may vary!

CB, we know you are a frequent cruiser/traveler.  We are wondering what you do with cash when in places when US Dollars are not accepted?   Do you carry spare cash for each currency you might encounter?  Tipping somebody with US Dollars in Vanuatu is not doing them any favors ).  And tipping Japanese or trying to pay for anything with dollars will likely draw some funny looks (as they look at your funny money).  In some countries of Northern Europe cash is nearly extinct.  In fact, in an art museum we recently visited I Stockholm they had lockers (for purses and other valuables) that were the type that only worked with a coin.  But hardly any of the Swedes (or tourists) had coins since hardly anyone uses cash in Sweden (it is officially discouraged by the government).  So the Information desk would give out free coins (real currency) to those who needed the lockers.  They begged us to please return the coin since they said they were difficult to replace.  Even for a cup of coffee in Starbucks nearly everyone used a credit card.  The attitude of Swedish businesses and the government is that cash is bad because one needs to physically get it to a bank.  Their bus systems do not even accept cash and it is said that even the homeless accept credit cards.  Apparently the latest problem in Sweden is that some banks no longer want cash so folks simply stash it in their homes where it is likely forgotten.

 

The Netherlands are not far behind Sweden with the desire for a cashless society.  Even the "ladies" in the Red Light District prefer credit cards...or so we are told.

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

Hank, cb boasts that she has never had a passport, nor does she intend to get one, so I think foreign currencies are not a concern for her.  EM

[George C]

We take a few hundred  for Caribbean cruises with lots of singles and fives . In Europe we take at least a hundred per port in euros or local currency and credit cards with no foreign transaction fees for both. Shop around for a good rate for euros before leaving . 

[clo]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Hank

Thanks for a great report. The times are coming fast, aren't they?

[clo]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Hank, cb boasts that she has never had a passport, nor does she intend to get one, so I think foreign currencies are not a concern for her.  EM

Thanks for that. I didn't know. So she likes to cruise but not to travel. To each their own.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Hank, cb boasts that she has never had a passport, nor does she intend to get one, so I think foreign currencies are not a concern for her.  EM

And apparently neither is being in foreign lands that use their own currency :).  And that is a problem on CC where there are some posters who have Caribbean tunnel vision.  They think the entire cruise industry and world only cruises to a handful of Caribbean islands and all passengers can use the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) to avoid Passport issues.  Trying to explain to some of these folks (and of course this would not include CB) that there are more then 50 cruise lines cruising to and from all 7 continents and more then 100 countries is not relevant.  

 

We are aware of another poster (who does not have a Passport) who always tries to advise folks on how easy it is to replace lost or stolen Passports.  And then there are those who offer advice on ports and restaurants and even admit that they have never been to those places.  Such is the life of online blogs and social media :).

 

Hank

[GUT2407]

My answer is, “more”.

[ldubs]

9 hours ago, JennyB1977 said:

Are we talking just the cash portion? There was another thread where people discussed how much money you should have access to when traveling (think hospitalization, your luggage goes missing, etc.). If you are simply talking cash. If most everything is prepaid and you are planning to put the meals you mentioned on a CC. Then $50/day CASH should suffice. However, like I said you need to clarify that you mean money = cash. I never recommend vacationing when you don't have access to funds in case of emergency.

 

X2 -- I think $50/day is as good a rule of thumb as anything else.  I would sure be comfortable with that.  I also carry a credit card.   

[SRF]

ATM card.

 

You can get local cash as needed.  Or US dollars onboard.

 

I carry a couple of hundred in US dollars when traveling.  USD are accepted by someone almost everywhere.  And in some countries, it is preferred by the local people.

 

Personally, based on a number of responses, I am not sure cb at sea has every gone past their front door.

[Bizmark'sMom]

13 hours ago, clo said:

Thanks for that. I didn't know. So she likes to cruise but not to travel. To each their own.

That's a strange idea for me, as well.  My first cruise was through the Caribbean. I've been back to some of the islands on land trips, but can't fathom taking another cruise there. There is so much world to see...

 

As you said. To each their own.

[SRF]

18 hours ago, Bizmark'sMom said:

There is so much world to see...

 

As you said. To each their own.

 

Yes, and you see VERY little from a cruise ship. 🙂

 

I like Carib cruises, as there is nothing I NEED to do.  If I want to SEE someplace, I do a 1 week or longer LAND vacation.

 

Am currently about half way through a 2 week stay in Vienna.   And that is for ONE CITY. 😄

 

[Joebucks]

If I had a dollar for every "I brought thousands in cash on vacation and it was stolen" story.... That is just too much of a risk. Would you honestly trust people you don't know to not take it?

 

It depends on the vacation. The most I ever brought was $200 because I knew we would be taking a lot of taxis. Cash is not king. CARD is king. My Visa gives me great rewards, no exchange fees, charge backs, no liability, and endless supply.

[SRF]

I have traveled with a lot of cash.   But this was a number of years ago, to third world countries that did not accept credit cards, or had tremendous history of credit card theft, so I had to pay my hotel bills in cash.

 

But I have not run into that in at least 12 - 15 years now.

[flyingron]

ATM fixes everything.    

 

[c-boy]

6 minutes ago, flyingron said:

ATM fixes everything.    

 

or the casino cage 

[mom says]

As far as spending money goes, we tend to treat the Caribbean ( where the OP is headed) differently from our other more far flung travels. Meaning we tend to bring $US cash  with us. While we pre pay any booked excursions when possible, some require cash on the day of. I don't count on being able to use a CC to pay a taxi fare or for an inexpensive souvenir at a market stall. And I think it's silly to buy a $2 beer with a card. But we also don't spend $$$$ on high end lunches or purchases either. So for us, $50/pp per port day, in small bills, on top of any excursion charge, is generally sufficient. And I've never worried about the cash being stolen. In transit, one if us will have the bulk of the cash in a moneybelt or neck wallet. Otherwise it is in the hotel or cabin safe. In port, we only bring enough cash for that day, plus one CC for any unforseen requirements. ATMs can of course be used, if you want to waste time looking for one, and have ATM accounts that don't charge fees. But in the Caribbean, we find that bringing cash with us works just fine.

[Lois R]

Reaching out to Hank...…..Hank, CB has been posting on this forum for many years (as you probably know)

but I am guessing she won't come back to answer your question...…...