Extra Expenses to consider.....

[Love2Cruise2015]

Hi Disney Family!
My family and I are considering some cruises out of South Hamptons and Barcelona in 2027 as well as some out of the US/Canada(Southern Caribbean, Alaska). We are Canadian so I know the exchange rates for the US and the expenses we will have traveling into the US and travelling to Vancouver if we did Alaska. I am trying to look at all of the possible extra expenses we may have before or after the cruise vs what we have when we travel to the US and within Canada and I am hoping you may be able to point out some things I am missing:
- flights
-hotels
- exchange rate
- spending money (are the items on the ship still in US dollars or does it change currency depending on what country you are in? Also how much do you usually take when you travel abroad?)
- restaurants (as we will have to arrive 1-2 days early and possibly stay 1-2 days after depending on flights)
- transportation (Ubber, cabs, trains?)

What else am I missing to take into account for expenses traveling abroad or any tips you may have traveling to either South Hamptons or Barcelona?

Thank you for helping us see what type of cruise is more cost effective for us

 

[Mommb]

All prices on the ship are listed and charged in US dollars, even for cruises in Europe. You may need local currency if you buy meals or souvenirs in ports -- many shops take credit cards, but not all. How much cash you need will depend on what you expect to buy, and whether you have an ATM card that you can or would use.

You listed the main costs involved. You'll also want to allow for admission fees if you plan to do any sightseeing before or after the cruise.

Southampton is a good ways away from London, so my husband and I have stayed at a hotel at Heathrow and/or in central London after we arrived and then at a hotel near the port the night before the cruise. We used a car service to move between hotels. There is a train from central London to Southampton, but we didn't want to try it with a week's worth of luggage.

In Barcelona, the port is right near the tourist part of the city and not far from the airport, so we staying at a single hotel and took taxis to and from the airport and port.

One thing to be aware of in Europe: most hotel rooms sleep 2 people. If you need 3 beds (as we did, because our son and daughter would not do well sharing a bed, even if the room had 2 doubles or queens) you need to look for "family" rooms, which aren't always available, or book 2 rooms.

 

[Love2Cruise2015]

All prices on the ship are listed and charged in US dollars, even for cruises in Europe. You may need local currency if you buy meals or souvenirs in ports -- many shops take credit cards, but not all. How much cash you need will depend on what you expect to buy, and whether you have an ATM card that you can or would use.

You listed the main costs involved. You'll also want to allow for admission fees if you plan to do any sightseeing before or after the cruise.

Southampton is a good ways away from London, so my husband and I have stayed at a hotel at Heathrow and/or in central London after we arrived and then at a hotel near the port the night before the cruise. We used a car service to move between hotels. There is a train from central London to Southampton, but we didn't want to try it with a week's worth of luggage.

In Barcelona, the port is right near the tourist part of the city and not far from the airport, so we staying at a single hotel and took taxis to and from the airport and port.

One thing to be aware of in Europe: most hotel rooms sleep 2 people. If you need 3 beds (as we did, because our son and daughter would not do well sharing a bed, even if the room had 2 doubles or queens) you need to look for "family" rooms, which aren't always available, or book 2 rooms.

Thank you this was very helpful

 

[starvenger]

The UK is pretty expensive relative to Canada. GBP's value is roughly double that of the CAD yet what you get for $2 here will cost you £2 there. So if you're budgeting, factor that in. The Euro I think is currently a little higher than the USD, but prices in Europe are more reasonable relative to what we've got in Canada.

Most places in Europe do contactless, so you can pretty much tap and go everywhere. A little bit of cash never hurts, but don't go overboard. I would say €500 at most. You'll likely have more than enough left over for the next trip.

In Barcelona, transport to the centre of the city is pretty easy. Metro is safe with the usual caveats about pickpockets. Uber and taxis are easy to find.

If you're looking at a round trip from Barcelona, you may want to look at staying a few days after the cruise. During that full day before the cruise, you can probably do something like Sagrada Familia and las Ramblas, and eat some local food (of course). Or take the opportunity to spend a few days elsewhere on the Iberian peninsula. It's pretty easy to fly to Portugal, and there is pretty frequent high-speed rail to get you to around Spain.

In terms of flights, you might not find many direct flights to Barcelona, depending on where in the country you live. I think Montreal has the most direct flights. Whereas you won't lack for options on a direct flight to London.

To add onto what @Mommb said about hotels, be sure to look at room photos to get a sense of how big those "family" rooms are. We stayed at a Courtyard by Marriott in Paris, and the "family" room was a slightly bigger room with a pullout double. But in Marseille, we stayed at the Hôtel La Residence Du Vieux Port and that "family" room was a spacious two bedroom deal.

And don't sleep on booking Airbnbs or apart-hotels.

If you're looking for excursions off the ship or at the home port, I would look at GetYourGuide. They seem to have better prices than Viator or the cruise line, and while they don't necessarily cater to cruisers, they often have schedules that will fit what you'd need.

Enjoy your vacation shopping!