How much cash are you taking & why?

[In2why]

Ah, I was afraid of this.... I am freaking out that we do not have enough $$ to make this cruise happen. :-( The cruise itself is paid for but there is so much other stuff to think about. I just don't know if we have the cash for it!!! (We don't have a credit card.)

 

 

Think about it this way. If you did have a credit card and put your "fun" on it, making the minimum payments, you would still be paying for your "fun" years from now. It is much better to pay for it as you go and then you don't have to worry about it.

[DqALEX]

I bring cash for tips, the casino and my kids arcade habit

[jckvpa0]

Since this was my 16yo daughter's first cruise, she spent more, buying typical souviniers, etc. However, we will have the same itinirary on our cruise next April and we won't have to buy tshirts, shot glasses, post cards, etc.:)

 

That's what you think ;) !!! Unless of course your leaving the teenage daughter at home !

[misguidedangel]

Good grief, I spent more than $300 at one port!!! I brought $2100 on the last cruise and had a S&S of $2100 (the bling bling at the jewellery store was very tempting). The next one in February I am bringing $2000 and budgeting $1500 on the S&S. I don't drink muhc, so maybe two drinks a day. I also like the casino, so I'll hope to get money back ins tead of donating this time...

 

When I go on holiday, I go to have a good time and to shop....oh ya...

[DqALEX]

That's what you think ;) !!! Unless of course your leaving the teenage daughter at home !

My 8 year old daughter has to get something from each port and one thing from the ship.

[bobnsons]

Deposit with U.S. Currency or Traveler's Checks

U.S. Currency and traveler's checks are accepted as a form of deposit to open a Sail & Sign Account at the start of the cruise. As the guest approaches the deposit limit, the Information Desk will notify the guest that additional money must be deposited.

 

Wurked for me. Not using plastic made the preboarding a little longer but after boarding make a trip to the pursers desk. Give em a big wad of cash and you'll be good to go. If there is any left in your account at the end you get a check for the part you did'nt use.

 

If you get the really kewt blonde Asst. Purser on the Conquest please give her a wink for me. ;)

[jayesouthworth]

We're taking $1,000. We plan to purchase pictures (never did that before), and gifts for Xmas. We will have expenses pre and after cruise like taxis, food, and airport parking, and tips. Haven't decided on the booze part yet, but looks like it will be BYOB. I'm bringing my favorite sugar-free drinks, and I'm leaning against gambling. Might try the slot tournament and BINGO though.

[cruizer4662]

:) The wife & I never take more that $200 for a 7 day cruise. We don't use the bar or the casino. We have cash for the excursions we take, the rest is placed on the credit card and we pay it in full at the end of the month.

 

We enjoy reading, people watching and have seen almost everything we want to see in the Caribbean. We always come home with cash. OBTW we have purchased 2 Tanzanite rings for her, one per cruise, put it on the CC.

[bakechef]

The most fun vacation I have ever had was one where we had to have fun on the cheap. I had to have oral surgery a few days before the trip, which depleted my vacation money, and my best friend forgot her credit card. We were in Vegas for 10 days with the hotel paid for as well as the car, so the challenge of finding free/cheap things to do was a blast. For the record I had less than $400 to spend over 10 days!

 

MAC

[NCTribeFan]

I take a little money to play the slots (I didn't spend nearly all of it last time and I didn't really win anything, either - mostly because I just couldn't take the smoke in the casino).

 

I buy 1 photo from a formal night.

 

I have 2-3 drinks a day and buy a bottle of wine the first evening in the dining room.

 

I don't play bingo. I don't buy jewelry. I put everything on my S&S, on a credit card.

 

I don't prepay for anything. I've already paid for the cruise and air months prior, so I'm not giving anyone another dime one second sooner than I have to!

 

As another poster stated, credit is not debt. If you can take all that cash to spend, then you could leave it at home and pay the credit card bill after the cruise. Why carry cash when you don't have to?

 

If you do have to carry cash, don't worry about having to take hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of $$.

 

I cruise on a budget. You absolutely can have a great time without spending a ton of money!

[ruskatab]

The OP has already taken her cruise. I wish she would come back and tell us how the 300.00 budget worked out for them. There is no way I could only take 300.00, our casino bill alone was alot more than that.

[lbellefl]

One of the best things about taking a cruise is that most everything is paid for before you even start your vacation! I wouldn't worry that $300 will not be enough. It sounds like you're already planning on bringing soft drinks. Most of our onboard expenses were drinks and the casino and it sounds like you don't care to [artakein either.

 

Also, if you are takign this crusie as a celebration for a birthday, anniversary, honeymoon, etc, friends or family that might want to give you agift can go online and purchase certificates for pictures, onboard credit, spa services etc . . . just a thought . . .

 

Have fun and enjoy!

[Minn.cruisers]

ruskatab, hey we went on the Mariner '06 cruise with you.

Remember our fun thread?, it's still going....Kelly and Josh are expecting a baby in Dec (they were the honeymoon couple...Peacefrog)

Mary has planned a reunion cruise for Oct 26, 2008 (an exotic Eastern Carib) on the Mariner, we are planning on booking, but have a cruise this Dec, so holding off til we've sailed and then will begin planning for it. We are trying to get as many for the reunion. Lynn and Lez (Nessie) is seriously considering it, Dave (dfgf) is thinking about it but has not committed yet...actually no one has committed except for Mary (WISH2CRUZAGAIN). Thought you'd like to know. :)

[cruiserbryce]

we take about $2000...while it seems like a lot we usually are booking at least one future cruise on board, we do drink throughout the cruise and buy souviners in port and on the ship...besides...if we come back with $ thats great...we dont take a lot of vacations but when we do we like to be comfortable and not worry every minute about how much $ we have left...

 

This can vary a great deal on what kind of things you like...drinker or not...gambler or not...lenght of the trip, etc...everybody's a little different

[cathyoo]

The OP has already taken her cruise. I wish she would come back and tell us how the 300.00 budget worked out for them. There is no way I could only take 300.00, our casino bill alone was alot more than that.

 

Here's the OP's review of her cruise. Seems she changed her mind about not drinking or gambling. I was hoping she would come back so I could ask her how Carnival handled the deposit if they only took $300 and no credit card;

#2794 October 9th, 2007, 12:07 AM

abismom04

Cool Cruiser Join Date: Jan 2007

Posts: 425

 

Review

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I submitted - but it's not approved yet, lol, we shall see. Pictures are not working so you'll just have to wait for the links when the review hits.

 

Carnival Conquest Sailing September 30, 2007

 

Embarkment

 

 

We drove through and checked baggage, parked, got a shuttle back to the dock, stood in line, flashed some paper, stood in line again, flashed more papers took our picture and BAM – we were on the boat.

 

Helpful Tip #56: Avoid getting yelled at by security – don’t try and take your best friend’s picture as she’s strip searched before getting on the boat.

 

Our Room: Deck 10 Room #1021

 

 

Cable TV – already a step up from home, although it was missing my favorite channel – the weather!!! Room steward tricked us out twice a day with mints, ice and a cleaned up room and towel animals!! Channel 14 – the ship channel is just as addicting as the weather channel.

 

 

 

Helpful Tip #99: The room stewards like funny notes – especially when they are attached to cash.

 

Fun Fact #54: Showering is more fun when done in pairs.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #69: The bathroom counter is not close enough to the shower to safely achieve leverage when showering in pairs.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #72: If you remove beverages from the mini-fridge and put them out of sight, you will get charged for them. (A funny note attached to cash fixes this problem.)

 

Helpful Tip #33: Calling the wrong room at 6am does not make you new friends and calling card or not, you are still charged $20.97 for a 2 minute call whether you talk to someone on the other end or not.

 

Activities

 

 

We really wished some of them lasted longer than 30 minutes because they were so much fun! Win Lose or Draw, Battle of the Sexes, Captain’s Party. Most everything is planned out well, only twice did our activities overlap and we had to choose. The karaoke audience was a bit stiff at times. I recommend the Disco Dance class.

 

Fun Fact #19: Metro-sexual cruise director Butch’s boot-shake is booty-luscious.

 

Fun Fact #08: You aren’t allowed to save seats in the Toulouse Latrec Lounge – but, if you have a big butt, sit wide and no one will know the difference.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #12: I didn’t win at bingo.

 

Helpful Tip #101: Sit close at the main show – the Conquest Dancers all wear thongs.

 

Fun Fact #67: The spa carnival gym floor smells good.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #88: I was sore after doing Pilates two days in a row.

 

Fun Fact #02: You can attend both Captain’s parties

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #39: The free alcohol at the Captain’s party will take forever if you special order!

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #07: The photographers on board are too good; they’ll make you want to buy every picture you take.

 

 

 

Dining, Food, Drinks

 

 

5 star service. Quail, escargot, chicken, steak, prime rib, veal, salads, fruits, vegetables, seafood of all kinds, rices, sauces, you name it – we ate it and it was all good. Buffet lines were never too long; food was hot, fresh and delicious. We never tired of it. Desserts left a little something to be desired pretty much around the group, but the 24 hour pizzeria, ice cream carts and burgers – not to mention the Rueben at Paul’s Deli more than made up for it!! Chocolate covered strawberries at the Coffee Bar on the 5th deck were fabulous!

 

 

 

Alcohol – want to get drunk? Buy at the lobby on the 3rd deck.

 

Helpful Tip #72: Eating all the fresh fruit in sight really does help you feel better about pizza and ice cream every night at 11:00pm.

 

Helpful Tip #80: As the trip nears closing, wean yourself from the every 3 hour eating unless you intend to continue it at home. Rumble. Rumble.

 

Helpful Tip #26: The 4th deck (Atlantic) does not go all the way through to the front of the ship. Plot and practice an alternate route if you dine in the upper Monet Restaurant.

 

Fun Fact #50: You can order whatever you’d like at any meal – because if you try it and don’t like it – you just order something else but if you don’t try it at all, we’ll point at you and laugh.

 

Fun Fact #51: All the spoons you could possibly need are available at the ice cream stations. Sugar packet poker pieces are also readily available.

 

 

 

Ports of Call

 

 

Jamaica – best to stay out of down town. ;-)

 

I’ve heard steel toe boots are good for smuggling but I’d know nothing about that personally. However….

 

Fun Fact #107: Tiny Jamaican seashells look like cocaine rocks via port authority x-ray.

 

Two big thumbs up for Sunset Beach – good beach, good pool, great slides, snorkeling was okay, and the food was amazing. Alcohol included and you can get a refill and take it out of the resort when you leave!!! Taking a taxi – only those with RED license plates. ;-)

 

And really a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some pictures of us in port at Jamaica – this could be you folks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Cayman

 

 

Fun Fact #41: There’s a big black dick in Grand Cayman.

 

Highly recommend Captain Marvin’s excursion!!! http://www.captainmarvins.com and look for the sex plant along the sea front shopping. ;-) Don’t forget to kiss the stingray for 7 years good luck. I came home to a clean house and an electric bill that was ½ what it’s been in the last year.

 

Helpful Tip #44: If you’ve recently weaned a child, stay away from the baby stingray.

 

 

 

Cozumel

 

 

While we’d never visit Jamaica again, and we liked Grand Cayman well enough, we didn’t have nearly enough time in Cozumel!!!

 

Highly recommend: Deluxe Sail and Snorkel Party – Fury Catamarans and you can book it through Carnival.

 

Boat ride, snorkeling, private beach (in which people just strip naked) and then FREE MARGARITAS on the way back in!!! Kayaking (free), beach volleyball and food ($) are all available at the beach.

 

I’ve got a ton of pictures, but this one about sums it up:

 

 

 

It’s super easy to get back on the boat to shower and change and then get back out to the island to shop and eat if you want. That’s what we did.

 

We hit Carlos and Charlie’s – and if you like your boobies shaken not stirred and your butt spanked – head there and take a shot. ;-) Inappropriate balloon hats for everyone!!

 

Around the Ship

 

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #24: There was some rust on the boat - in the SALTY sea!! Imagine.

 

Fun Fact #75: Upon returning home your house will look stark in comparison to the ornate décor of the ship and you will attempt more than once to turn your bathroom light on from the outside.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #97: The hot tub was really hot.

 

Helpful Tip #82: Don’t wear a dress with nothing underneath on a windy upper deck.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #38: There were 12-14 foot seas for two days.

 

Helpful Tip #15: If you like the quarters game in the casino, play during the roughest seas when the quarters just fall out of the machine.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #22: By the time I found out about the lady with the pasties, she was gone.

 

Helpful Tip #67: It is not faster to get on an elevator going up when you really want to go down.

 

Unsubstantiated complaint #101: If it’s cloudy or raining, you miss the sunrise – even when you get up early enough to see it!!

 

Helpful Tip #29: Tell your credit card company you are leaving the country – even if you are only using it for your sail and sign card – they charge our of panama.

 

And when all else fails… take a nap.

 

 

 

Debarkation

 

 

We slept in, ate, and then carried our own luggage off. Have your paperwork filled out, in hand and it’s really a piece of cake (Mmm warm chocolate melting cake… I didn’t eat any but everyone else did!!). We were off the ship in less than an hour, the shuttle for parking was exactly where they said they’d be and although our suitcase took 2 people to load up, they were good sports about it, haha!! We live 40 miles down the coast from Galveston and we were home by 1:00pm.

[cpprinttom]

I would suggest taking $100 per day per person. You never know what you might want to buy.

 

 

Wow.:eek: . so $1400 in CASH on a 7 day cruise? thats more than I paid for the 7 day cruise I leave on next week!! I'd rather not buy any crap and use that money for ANOTHER cruise!!

[bobnsons]

Wow.:eek: . so $1400 in CASH on a 7 day cruise? thats more than I paid for the 7 day cruise I leave on next week!! I'd rather not buy any crap and use that money for ANOTHER cruise!!

 

The whole point is to have fun on your vacation. Which boils down to what you consider fun. We spent 1,300 on a 7 day cruise and had a complete blast and I can't wait to do it again.

 

On the other hand one of the couples at our tabe during dinner did not drink nor did they gamble. The took a couple of "excursions". They also had a complete blast and spent a whole lot less.

 

It's all boils down to what you consider fun. The slot machine gods took pity on me and shined down on me the Saturday before we docked by bestowing on me $500 which helped to offset the $300 I had fed them in the previous 5 days. That added to the fun. :D

 

I guess it all boils down to being able to walk off the ship without saying I wish I had a few more bucks becasue I wanted to that something else.