Share some tips for people new to traveling

[JeannyJ]

On 10/31/2022 at 9:14 AM, CruiserLucas said:

And if not for dinner, just in case your luggage is lost. At least you'll have *something* to wear. 

 

My recommendations/advice

• Sometimes a car service/"limo" can be cheaper or more value than a rental car, cruise line transfer, or Uber/Lyft. You get a professional driver who helps you with your luggage, too. We've used this a few times now and overall hasn't been that much more of price premium.
• Check if your credit card or preferred airline gives miles/points for booking with them. I use an AA credit card primarily, and American's cruise site seems to have some generous flight mile bonuses often.
• I don't often carry cash, so what I've learned is that while the ship has an ATM consider breaking it into small bills at the casino cashier so you don't have wads of all $20's, or stop at a bank before you depart. 
• Along the lines of day-beds at a hotel after disembark, look for "resort for a day" passes as an excursion option if that's the kind of excursion you like. They're often the same or better resorts than what the cruise line offers and for less money. Sometimes the resort might include transfer service to and from port, or it's easy enough to get a taxi at the port.

I'm a first time cruiser and I was wondering why you carry cash if you can pre-pay the gratuities?  Are there things on board that require cash?  We're travelling to Alaska on the Volendam out of Vancouver this summer and I want to be sure we've got our bases covered before we go.

[Longford]

44 minutes ago, JeannyJ said:

I'm a first time cruiser and I was wondering why you carry cash if you can pre-pay the gratuities?  Are there things on board that require cash?  We're travelling to Alaska on the Volendam out of Vancouver this summer and I want to be sure we've got our bases covered before we go.

I'm a one-time recent cruise passenger.  So not anything to compare the experience to.  That said, I paid my room steward extra, in cash.  I also paid a particular bartender additional, in cash .. because she added a lot of extra rum to my Pina Colada.  😁  At the trip end, I tipped the porter who brought my luggage from the ship to my car, in cash.

[crystalspin]

On 1/28/2023 at 8:33 PM, JeannyJ said:

I'm a first time cruiser and I was wondering why you carry cash if you can pre-pay the gratuities?  Are there things on board that require cash?  We're travelling to Alaska on the Volendam out of Vancouver this summer and I want to be sure we've got our bases covered before we go.

HAL cruiser here. We like to get room service breakfast on shore excursion days, and tip the runner a couple dollars for a full tray. Have the money ready; they do not linger with their hand out!

 

I used to bring a stack of $5 bills to slip one each to my favorite servers on the last day, but figured out by adding a dollar to every-other-or-so paper slip that HAL still gives you to sign even if you have a drink package, that kept me from having to engage in that former ritual (and risk not being able to find every individual).

 

It is customary to tip shoreX guides and drivers (less for the driver) some hard-to-figure amount. We had two really good SXs on our recent back-to-back cruises and I was chagrinned I did not have enough spare dollars to really reward the first one! (It was perhaps the best shore-X or any vacation-added tour I could remember!)

 

ETA: Like @Longford We also added to the automatic gratuities for our room stewards. We had open dining, and ate in various venues so didn't feel the need to tip dining/Lido servers (this trip). Finally, since on HAL you do have those annoying slips, we didn't actually "carry cash" but left it in the safe until needed, including fetching ahead of time when expecting room service.

 

ETA,Again: On HAL, you will have a survey after your cruise, with a chance to report crew members that made your cruise better. Keep a list! These mentions mean probably more to them than a few dollars. I used Google Keep on my phone to get the names and spellings right (also mentioned where the server commonly worked, in case of duplicate names, "Alice in the Exploration Cafe", etc).

 

More edit! Hey, welcome to Cruise Critic!

Edited January 30, 2023 by crystalspin

[Cruise Kay]

On 1/28/2023 at 10:33 PM, JeannyJ said:

I'm a first time cruiser and I was wondering why you carry cash if you can pre-pay the gratuities?  Are there things on board that require cash?  We're travelling to Alaska on the Volendam out of Vancouver this summer and I want to be sure we've got our bases covered before we go.

A lot of people carry a lot of cash because they plan to use it in the casino.

[CruiserLucas]

On 1/28/2023 at 10:33 PM, JeannyJ said:

I'm a first time cruiser and I was wondering why you carry cash if you can pre-pay the gratuities?

 

I see other folks have already provided their answers, and my reasons are similar. The porter for luggage drop off, your driver(s) if applicable, if you'd like to give certain staff extra, and to use at the casino instead of getting charged a cash advance fee. But also it's for ports; some places/vendors may be cash only. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by CruiserLucas