Cash on hand

[Lizzards]

Going on a 7 night Eastern Carribbean cruise. Any ideas on how much cash to have on hand? My husband and I never carry cash but I know we will need it for something. I don't want to miss out on an activity or item because we don't have any cash. I also don't want to worry about carrying lots of cash. What amounts worked for you guys? Thanks!

 

[lanejudy]

You're in luck! The ship is a cashless system. Everything is charged to your stateroom account, which is then settled up by whatever payment method you choose -- cash, gift cards, credit or debit cards.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Heard02]

No cash is needed on the ship for activities. In fact, they don't accept it. Everything is a room charge.
To go off ship, I would take cash depending on what you plan on doing.

Have a great cruise!

 

[jdb in AZ]

If you purchase something inexpensive on shore and would rather pay cash instead of credit card, it's nice to have a few small bills because the merchants usually give you change back in the local currency instead of U.S.

 

[RHSTigerMom]

We always carry a stack of ones for tipping the porters, room service, etc. I'm more comfortable carrying a couple hundred dollars split between DH & myself, than to be totally cashless.

 

[algae]

Ashore, we used credit cards for everything but tips. Since we were always on organized excursions, we didn't really need cash at all. So, I'd bring enough for small knick-knacks and tips.

On board, no cash is needed at all. I'm not sure if you can even use cash anywhere on board--except tips, but you can usually put those on your account as well.

In all, you probably wouldn't need more than a couple hundred dollars to have enough on hand with some left over.

Different story in the Med. We somehow used quite a bit of cash there and had to keep converting to the local currencies at GS.

 

[ptcbass]

We are going on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean too and have been trying to figure out how much we will need. Our last cruise was just a 3 night and I took extra cash for:

Porters (coming and going) - About $2 per bag (for us $10 each time)

Room Service - Depending on how much we ordered $3 - $5 each time.

Extra gratuity for servers (anywhere from $5 to $15 extra each) - I think I took about $40 just in case they deserved more than the base amount.

Taxi in port - I took about $40 in $5's and $10's so I would have exact change - this also includes the taxi drivers tip.

We didn't do any excursions but will do the sky lift thing in St. Thomas and the Stingray Adventure at CC. I think you are supposed to tip for excursions but not sure when or how much.

Also if you want to shop in a "straw market" type environment you will probably want to use cash.

If you want to stop at a "fast food" type vendor for a snack in port you probably need cash.

Anything else????

 

[su_A_ve]

We didn't do any excursions but will do the sky lift thing in St. Thomas and the Stingray Adventure at CC. I think you are supposed to tip for excursions but not sure when or how much.

Honestly, I've never tipped anyone in Castaway Cay since they island is cashless. If I was supposed to, then I do feel bad. On the excursions we took on CC we were never told that gratuities were appreciated, differently from any DCL port excursions.

 

[CT Mom of 3]

I always keep an envelope of $1s in the room for whenever anyone orders room service.

I also use cash to tip for excursions - even on CC - last year I left my money on the ship and ran back to my stateroom after parasailing to grab cash to tip our boat guys. Same with the other ports - for the most part we're just buying souvenir type things and you can barter much easier with cash.

I tend to bring too much - I'd rather be prepared!

 

[tvguy]

I take $1,000 in cash and traveler's checks for a week long cruise. But we are flying cross country so we'll probably be paying for 4 or 5 meals for 4 people at airport prices. That can easily add up to $300*. Incidentals in port can add up too. I also like to have money for an additional days meals in case we get stuck at an airport overnight.

I also make sure I have enough available credit on my credit cards to pay for one way plane tickets at last minute non-discounted full fare for all 4 of us. Bad weather, or other problem, and any sort of issue where you can't immediately get a refund for your existing tickets, or wait to file a claim with travel insurance can leave you stranded. Current last minute air fare from MCO to my home airport is $960 a person, so about $4,000.

*And debit cards aren't perfect, your card could get compromised, or lose it's data or the terminals in the airport could be down. That happened to my son at LAX and he spent 2 hungry hours there because the card readers in the entire airport were down. Dozens of restaurants, only able to take cash, and a 25 year old with no cash and an empty belly. Even $5 cash would have helped.

 

[tlc1680]

Is there an ATM on board the ships? The Magic specifically?

 

[Lizzards]

Thanks for all of the info! I have a better idea now of what to be prepared for. Can't wait!

 

[rawdata]

Just be sure to save enough for the return trip porters in your home airport (if flying). Don't want to get stuck there looking like a cheapskate!

Otherwise, the topic is pretty well covered from my experiences traveling (DCL or otherwise).

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Is there an ATM on board the ships? The Magic specifically?

I don't think there are ATMs, but you can get cash from guest services. Again, it is charged to your onboard account.