Cruising... How much money should I bring.?

Question

7 day cruise what should I plan on spending

Answer 1

When you pay for your cruise it includes your cabin, all meals, entertainment and use of all of the facilities on ship except the spa and the internet.  There is one item that is mandatory that you pay and that is gratuities that amount to $10 per day per person in your cabin.   Some cruise lines allow you to prepay this when you reserve so you may or may not have to pay this once you are on ship, depending upon the cruise line and whether you pre-pay.  Then there are several optional things that you may spend money on once you are on ship.  BUT, you will be issued a cruise card when you check in at the port which will be your room key, pass to get off and on the ship and your charge card for ANYTHING you buy on ship.  Things that you may spend money on on ship include tours from the ship, photos taken by the ship, use of the internet, spa services like massages, wraps, nails and hair, and drinks, both alcoholic and soft drinks.

So the money that you spend on ship will be charged to your account and unless you want to pay your bill by cash at the end of the cruise you will not need to take money for that.  What you will need cash money for is the casino, shopping that you do in ports, and tipping the porters who take your bags at the port, the taxi driver, and  the bus driver and/or tour leader on tours.

If you intend to make big purchases shopping in ports you should use your credit card.  But if not, take enough money for your shopping and a little for the casino. I have been on many cruises and usually take about $200 to $300 for a 7 day cruise.  But I usually do not spend all of that.

Answer 2

A good rule of thumb is 100$ per day per person. Of course it can vary greatly depending on what you do on shore, and how much you drink, or how much shopping you do.

You can get by and have a great trip for alot less, and Im sure there are people who spend alot more. The ships have casinos onboard as well (except Disney) so you can spend alot there too.

You are invited to join the hottest cruise group on Yahoo

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cruiseaddi...

Answer 3

There are tons of things to do on board the ship for free.  However, if you gamble, you'll need money for that.  Drinks--you can get the drink special for roughly $5 a drink.  So however much you drink.  If you don't like being limited to fruit beverages and water, you'd need to buy a soda card.  Otherwise each soda costs too.

A shore excursion is roughly $100 a person.  So if you decide to take a shore excursion at every port, that will give you some idea as to how much to budget.  I usually only do 1 or 2 shore excursions, instead of one at each stop.

Do you like jewelry or alcohol?  The prices in the Caribbean on jewelry and alcohol is incredibly cheap.  When we go, we usually stock up on liquor and I always get a couple of rings or necklaces.

Do you care to go to the spa or the art auction?  You can go to the spa on a sale day (usually port days) or on a very expensive day.  I enjoy going to the art auction and sometimes we buy something.  You can get some really great things, but of course the amount you buy is up to you.  I often buy one thing.  Though the person behind me spent nearly 5 grand.

Also, they will automatically charge you roughly $100 per person for tips.

My husband and I usually only spend about $1,000 on a cruise.  

So hopefully that will help you out.

Answer 4

My daughter and I took a cruise almost 2 years ago. My grand total on my sail and sign card was something like 46 dollars LOL. Most of that was tips for room service and soda we drank from the room.

I prepaid my tips and shore excursions.

It all depends on you, really. I was 5 months pregnant with my son, so there weren't any booze charges and that's really all you have to pay for on cruises.

We didn't really shop- my daughter was more into the pool and chicken fingers being available all day LOL

Answer 5

Most cruise ships give you a cruise card when you first get on the ship. This is used for everything you buy while on the ship like drinks, gifts, and tips. So the only money you need is for gambling and whatever you do when you go ashore. I bring very little cash, like about $200, then put everything I buy on shore on a debit or a credit card. If you do this, be sure to tell you bank or credit card company you are going on a cruise, so they won't put a stop on charges from foreign ports.