Money

[DLM1980]

what does one bring for money on a Disney cruise?

With the stop at the Cayman Islands I want to make sure I've got some sort of currency on hand

Typically I use my disney visa for everything but I'm not wanting to be fee'd to death if I use it on this trip

Any money suggestions/tips for my cruise

 

[PrincessShmoo]

what does one bring for money on a Disney cruise?

With the stop at the Cayman Islands I want to make sure I've got some sort of currency on hand

Typically I use my disney visa for everything but I'm not wanting to be fee'd to death if I use it on this trip

Any money suggestions/tips for my cruise

You can use cash to tip porters on embarkation/debarkation. Also for room service tips. We've used cash in some ports to make small souvenir purchases.

 

[antlawn]

We used US cash on our stop at Grand Cayman last month.

 

[Sytrace]

We always bring cash for tour operators and small souvie purchases and I always keep extra aside for additional tips on top of the prepaid gratuities we pay in advance. (US currency)

 

[anricat]

We also used US cash in Grand Cayman with no problem in October. They seemed perfectly happy to accept it. We tipped our tour operators and bought souvenirs with it.

 

[cgolf]

I am with everyone else, we have used US cash as tip money and for small purchases in all ports we have visited, everyone seemed ok with it.

As an aside I wish we had found DIS before our first cruise. On the embarkation day buffet, I was so confused thinking we should leave some kind of tip because of the great service we had, but quickly learned that this isn't like land based dining.

 

[adamki]

US Dollars will be fine for tips, however, for purchases you may still be better off using your credit card. The exchange rate offered by stores is often ... less than favorable. The Disney Visa has a 3% foreign transaction fee; perhaps you have another card with no fee. You need to do the math and decide whether the shop's exchange rate is reasonable or not (it probably is not).

If you do use your credit card, do not allow the store to charge the transaction "in US dollars". This exchange will almost certainly be worse than Chase's rate (even with the 3%fee).

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Depends on where you are stopping generally. Adamki has the best advice I think. If you are in Nassau, the Bahamian Dollar is a 1:1 with US, so you can just pay in either.

Most other places will accept US currency, but as adamki mentions, you may not get the best exchange rate. I usually use a credit card, or I drop by a bank and convert a little money first (I often do that if I have never been there since I collect foreign currency from places I have been). Most of the ports have a bank within a block or two and there is almost never much of a line - just takes a minute or two.

US Currency on the ships.

 

[codex57]

US cash worked fine in Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. I did get back some form of Mexican currency in coins, even though I paid with US dollars at some giant Walmart like store. I thought it would be pesos (doesn't look like the pesos I remember from 20 years ago), but it had the US $ symbol on them. They look cool though. Way cooler than US coins.

 

[phinz]

US cash worked fine in Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. I did get back some form of Mexican currency in coins, even though I paid with US dollars at some giant Walmart like store. I thought it would be pesos (doesn't look like the pesos I remember from 20 years ago), but it had the US $ symbol on them. They look cool though. Way cooler than US coins.

Those would be new Mexican pesos.

 

[JW9DVC]

Cash for small tips. Credit cards vary on transaction fees as some are 0-3%, yet you get a better exchange rate by using the cards.

JW

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I've acquired a credit card that has no foreign transaction fee. It is not the one I use all the time, but I will use it when traveling.

 

[Mullis09]

Great advice!

 

[DLM1980]

Thank you everyone, we did call Chase and they were a bit confusing because they told my partner that as long as it gets charged in US Dollars then there was no transaction fee, but then what I'm reading above sounds like the rates might be different. I have my Delta AMEX card with no foreign transaction fees, but if acceptance is like it is here I'll run in to "oh sorry we don't take american express"

Sounds like it might just be easier to do what I never do on vacations and thats bring actual cash.