Cruise Cash?

[Aerin75]

You can go to the Disney gift card website (https://www.disneygiftcard.com/) and combine funds from multiple gift cards all onto one card. This way you only have to worry about keeping up with one for the duration of the cruise. This is what we did and it made everything very simple (of course we spent all of the gift card amounts so we didn't need a refund).

Small warning - sometimes you are unable to combine them on the site. I did call and the basic explanation was depends on where the card comes from. I've still gotten my 10 or so down to two, so there is still a big benefit!

 

[Eeyores]

I needed cash only for a taxi to an excursion I scheduled myself. Room service tips can be added to your room (credit card). I took cash for pictures at excursions in case they didn't take credit cards but no need. All accepted credit cards. I'm not a big shopper so I didn't buy but a couple of little things in St Martin...they accepted credit cards.

Just returned from Disney Fantasy cruise today.

 

[rantnnravin]

Just wanted to add... if you are planning on using a credit card for payment in ports, make sure that you use a card with no foreign transaction fees.

 

[BruinEd03]

My understanding is that if you have multiple gift cards that you give to guest services you need to hold on to every single one because if you do have any money left over they need to put it back on the exact card that those remaining funds initiated from.

You can go to the Disney gift card website (https://www.disneygiftcard.com/) and combine funds from multiple gift cards all onto one card. This way you only have to worry about keeping up with one for the duration of the cruise. This is what we did and it made everything very simple (of course we spent all of the gift card amounts so we didn't need a refund).

I heard one workaround is to find the remaining balance, then go and buy a gift card using the KTTW. Never tried it though since we've never had money left over.

 

[SuperDry]

You only get a receipt if you order an item with a charge. We have never had a receipt with rooms service. We just bring ones and leave them in the safe. As we order room service we pull a couple one out.

I have been on all 4 ships and am Platinum, and frequently order room service with no charged items. I've gotten a receipt to sign each and every time I've ordered from room service. Perhaps if you have tip money obviously in your hand, they don't produce the receipt since they know they'll be getting cash, but in other cases, they will have the $0 receipt for you to sign and add a gratuity. I'm not sure why this issue keeps coming up so often around here.

 

[Eeyores]

I didn't get one every time but I didn't tip every time either. We ordered lots of coffee.

 

[Eeyores]

Discover credit card has no foreign transaction fees. Chase and Capital One does. I know this as I had surgery in Mexico awhile back and asked.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Discover credit card has no foreign transaction fees. Chase and Capital One does. I know this as I had surgery in Mexico awhile back and asked.

This is good info! So the Disney Visa would have foreign transaction fees I guess?

 

[Imahikergirl]

Question on needing cash for tips and ports.. is there an ATM on board the ship? Or should I be stocking up on cash before we leave port (having lots of cash on me at once makes me uncomfortable..)

No ATM on board the ships. My first cruise I found a Canadian bank in the Cayman Islands and it had two ATMs, one that dispersed US dollars and one that did Cayman dollars. Got my US dollars that way.

 

[Aerin75]

Discover credit card has no foreign transaction fees. Chase and Capital One does. I know this as I had surgery in Mexico awhile back and asked.

Depends on which Chase. I checked about the Marriott card - Visa through Chase - and it does not.

 

[hrhdhd]

Discover credit card has no foreign transaction fees. Chase and Capital One does. I know this as I had surgery in Mexico awhile back and asked.

I have a Capital One card with no fees. Depends on the card.

 

[Eeyores]

Well that is confusing. My Capital One and Chase did. Capital One especially upset me as I only got it for that purpose...going to Mexico! I'd seen Capital One was great for traveling. I left it at home once I discovered the high foreign transaction fees and never use it.

 

[Eeyores]

But I also found Discover couldn't be used everywhere in Mexico. No foreign transaction fees but limited places accepted it.

 

[lbus42]

I have been on all 4 ships and am Platinum, and frequently order room service with no charged items. I've gotten a receipt to sign each and every time I've ordered from room service. Perhaps if you have tip money obviously in your hand, they don't produce the receipt since they know they'll be getting cash, but in other cases, they will have the $0 receipt for you to sign and add a gratuity. I'm not sure why this issue keeps coming up so often around here.

new cruisers?

 

[SuperDry]

new cruisers?

Yes, of course! I think I mis-stated what I was trying to say. I understand why new cruisers would ask about such a thing. What I don't understand is why there is such a persistent myth about having to have cash to tip room service as being the singular situation where you need cash on board, when the reality is that you can easily charge room service tips to your stateroom account, just like any other charge on board, even if it's a $0 ticket.

I'm not sure where the notion to the contrary comes from, but it seems to keep coming up. It appears that some people have a strong, almost emotional buy-in to the notion that you must tip room service with cash. We see in this thread that someone makes a point of locking up their room service tip money in the safe. I've seen in other threads where the family makes a point of having a special envelope with room service tip money that's kept in a designated position on top of the desk. Yet another thread talks about the pre-cruise ritual of having to go to the bank and getting a large supply of $1 bills for this purpose.

Some people seem to "get off" on the notion that you must tip room service with cash, and I just don't understand it for two reasons: 1, it's an odd thing to be fixated about, and 2, it's not true. If some people prefer to tip room service in cash for whatever reason, well of course there's nothing wrong with that. But to falsely believe that it must be done that way, and then make a big production about how the cash tip is handed, just seems a bit odd in the larger scheme of all of the details that are involved with a cruise.

 

[lbus42]

Yes, of course! I think I mis-stated what I was trying to say. I understand why new cruisers would ask about such a thing. What I don't understand is why there is such a persistent myth about having to have cash to tip room service as being the singular situation where you need cash on board, when the reality is that you can easily charge room service tips to your stateroom account, just like any other charge on board, even if it's a $0 ticket.

I'm not sure where the notion to the contrary comes from, but it seems to keep coming up. It appears that some people have a strong, almost emotional buy-in to the notion that you must tip room service with cash. We see in this thread that someone makes a point of locking up their room service tip money in the safe. I've seen in other threads where the family makes a point of having a special envelope with room service tip money that's kept in a designated position on top of the desk. Yet another thread talks about the pre-cruise ritual of having to go to the bank and getting a large supply of $1 bills for this purpose.

Some people seem to "get off" on the notion that you must tip room service with cash, and I just don't understand it for two reasons: 1, it's an odd thing to be fixated about, and 2, it's not true. If some people prefer to tip room service in cash for whatever reason, well of course there's nothing wrong with that. But to falsely believe that it must be done that way, and then make a big production about how the cash tip is handed, just seems a bit odd in the larger scheme of all of the details that are involved with a cruise.

I know that you can charge tips to your stateroom account but I prefer to actually hand cash to the CM making the delivery. The first time I signed a charge slip and added the tip to it, the thought occurred to me that the delivery person might not actually get the tip, so I asked about it. They told me that any tips that are added to the charge slips get put into a general tip fund. Then that fund gets divided among everyone that provides a tip-able service. So I started handing out cash so that the person who actually provides me the service gets the tip.

You are probably correct in that there is an emotional connection that some people have with tipping. For those who enjoy doing this, part of that experience comes from the act of handing cash to the person providing the service.