I'm going on a cruise next week with Carnival, how much money should I take?

Question

Wondering how much I should take. What food & drink is included? Anyone know how much the fountian drink card is?

Answer 1

It depends on what you are wanting to do.

The fountain card is about 45 dollars each. approx 5$ per day plus tip and tax. this is a 7 day price.

if you are panning on the casino, plan 250 for the week there.  

at least 100 per port per person. (we only take 100 per port for the three of us)

then you have to consider if you are going to do exchursions and the cost of them if not already paid for.

i normally take 800 cash, and bring home about 300 of that.  

Also consider this.... if you are putting cash down on your sail and sign cardd, and you HAVE NOT paid your tips in advance, that is for 2 ppl, 140 taken off that amount you put down to start.  

alcohol beverages are not included.  5 - 15$ per drink.

food is included except for the supper club, and the on board fresh bakery/coffee shop or any other specialty food shops but they have the prices listed.  

All the ports take american dollars.  don't worry about exchanging money to the local currency.  

don't use credit card in ports unless you want to pay the international fee which can range from 4% - 25% depending on what country you are in.

Answer 2

tea, coffe, water, hot chocolate, juice are all included along with all your meals unless you go to a speciality restaurant, but believe me you'll still get a 5 star dining experience if you just go to the main dining room. Anything you buy on ship is tacked onto your bill at the end of the cruise, so you'll have to pay for it with a credit card. You're room key is used basicly as a sort of credit card on the ship that all your charges get put too, you can't pay for anything onboard with cash. The only exception to that is gratuities. It's customary, but not required, to tip your room steward and dining room steward at the end of the cruise before you disembark. How much money you need on land depends where you're going (based on the exchange rate, if it costs $5 here, it'll probably cost 5 euros/pounds/marcs there, but that translates to 10-15 american dollars) and how long the cruise is. In europe, for two weeks I'd say $200-$300 as long as you don't go crazy on the souveniors. Also, as far as shore excursions go, those also get charged to your card, and those you can look up ahead of time either on their website or call them and ask them to send a brochure. If you really want to go on any of them, book them the first night or before boarding, because they will fill up sometimes. It is also customary to tip tour guides a couple dollars. Depending on where you go you may need to change currency. I wouldn't do it on the ship, because they give you horrible exchange rates, and so do some credit card companies - both of those also charge you a fee for the service. Often there are places at the ports where you can exchange money, either at a post office (like in england sometimes) or a stand alone service that often doesn't charge you, there is also usually a counter to do this at international airports. If you e-mail me and tell me where you're going, I can tell you if you'll need to exchange money or not. Also I've found that on tours when they give you free time, the guide will often be able to show you a local atm where your card will work, you'll just have to go into your bank and let them know ahead of time that you'll be using it out of country. I think it was $15 for a soft drink card last time I bought one, but not all shiplines offer that. Gambling will allow you to use cash on board. [e-mail] if you have any other questions.

Answer 3

BRING ALL OF IT!!!!! but when you pay for the cruise, you basically pay for all the food and stuff. just hold on to sum cash for island outs and maybe for some emergencies

Answer 4

You don't need that much.  Most everything on the cruiseship can be paid for with your ship card, but you'll want some money for ports and some things, like piano bars.  All food is included, even room service.  Bring a credit card, and about $100 in cash.

Answer 5

I've cruised Carnival family of 3 (2 adults, 1 child) I can't remember but I believe the fountain card was around $15.00 each which allowed for unlimited soft drinks as they are not included in the price. Remember that juices ARE included.  Take in mind the shore excursions you would like to go on. The best thing to do is figure out before hand what is offered at each stop and make your decisions on which ones you would like to take. Excursions can run anywhere from $25.00 per person to over $100.00 (dolphin swim, etc)

On our cruise in cash we brought approximately $300 per person and charged on our credit card (this is required at check-in prior to embarking) $1,200.00.  Mind you not only were our excursions and photos on this card but also our alcoholic beverages.

After speaking with some people on the cruise there were things we could of done to keep our expenses down like when in St. Thomas we could of either walked or taken a cab to Charlotte Amelie and also taken a cab to Megan's Bay, but we were newbies and did not know this kind of stuff.

Just remember you don't want to run out of money but you also don't want to break the bank!

Have a great cruise!

Answer 6

no but u should take 100$ jus to be on the same side

Answer 7

when you bought the tickets at first they should have told you what was included in the price. Sometimes they don't! You have bought everything that you want on the ship except your soft drinks and alcohol. They have shopping on board so if you want to buy things take as much as you like. Too be honest i would take a credit card because when you go to shore you can activities and they can be expensive so you could use your credit card.

Answer 8

Everything but soft drinks and alcohol is included.  Remember, excursions also cost money, and gratuities are tacked on the end of your bill as well.

Id recommend at least $250 per person for the minimum full experience.  That would cover one excursion, a couple souveniers, a couple soft drinks, and possibly some local fair at a port of call.    

Answer 9

well on the carnival cruise lines they have this card that is called a funcard. You basically use your funcard on everything you buy on the carnival ship. The bill will then be sent to your room the last day of your cruise. you can also pay shore excursions with it