Whats a good amount of money to take on a 7 day cruise???

Question

My husband and i will be going on a cruise very soon and we are wondering how much money we should take to be comfortable with. Its only us two and we probably will drink. We probably wont buy to many of the pictures they take on the ship. And plan on doing excursion on Grand cayman and cozumel.

Answer 1

My family always go on cruises and we always bring 2,000 it is a good amount even if you are planning to go to the casino.

REMINDER: When you get to port do not go shopping close to the oat dock because hat is where all the sellers jack up the prices. Go out where the locals shop.

Answer 2

The answers given above are all good.  You do not need cash while on board the ship.  You basically charge everything on board and it is a cashless system.  That applies to your excursions that you book with the cruiseline.

You can even put your tips on your credit card for the various crew members.

Off the ship is another story.  Take small bills for buying souveniers and drinks while ashore.  If you buy jewelry, etc. you can use your credit card as easy as in the USA.  Do not forget that the credit card company is going to add 3% for their transaction fee in a foreign country.

Two people for 7 days should be able to do well with $700 in cash.  You may even have money left over.  You may have to get a credit card advance.  Who knows?

Answer 3

The shops on a cruise ship can be VERY EXPENSIVE.  This includes beauty salons, trinket shops, photographers, etc. not to mention tipping everyone from the drink runner/bartender to someone that puts sun tan lotion on your back.  Also, if you plan on spending some time land shopping, money will slip through your fingers like water - many, many beautiful items to buy.  

Most cruise ships let you charge your purchases to your room and then you pay your tab prior to getting off the ship.  Don't forget to tip your maitred, waiters and housekeeper that cleans your room.

About how much to take depends on how much you want to spend.  I suggest each of you take at least $1000 in travelers checks over and above what you think you'll spend onboard the ship.  You'll want to keep the extra cash in the ships safe and be sure you don't take along more cash than you think you'll spend on an outing.  If you find something to purchase that is more than the cash you have on hand for that particular day, your credit card can cover the difference or all of it.  Just be sure to keep your CC in a safe place; lots of pickpockets or purse snatchers hang out on these tourist islands!

Bon Voyage, have a wonderful time and drink a margarita for me!

Answer 4

It sounds like you know that not everything is included on a cruise, which is good so you won't be surprised.  Yes, drinks, photos and other amenities do have to be paid for separately, and the prices can get fairly high.  

But you don't have to have all cash.  Pretty much everywhere you go, even off the ship, will take credit cards.  They will take cards for buying the photos on the boat too.  I believe there was even a cash machine on board.

It doesn't hurt to have a little bit of cash though.  I took about $200 and didn't use it all, even though I wasn't using the card much.  In the end though, there are always tips for porters, servers and your cabin crew, so bring singles.

I've only been on a cruise once, so don't take my advice if someone more experienced has a more accurate answer.  

Bon Voyage!

Answer 5

I've taken several cruises and have always used a simple system that has seemed to hold pretty close to true. That is, whatever my actual cruise cost, I figure on doubling that to know the actual cost of the expenses (ie. if cruise cost $700, my expenses for buying things on the ship, shore excursions, nick-knacks and souvenirs, etc. was going to be around $700 too). So the "trip" cost is usually double what the cruise will cost.

This is of course just a simple calculation and varies with how much you shop, what you get, things you do, etc.

Answer 6

It just depends on what you like to buy if your not a spender I would say 1000.00

Answer 7

Most bigger cruise ships now give you a card when you get on board on which you can charge all of your expenses while on the ship (drinks, special dinners, photos, room service, as applicable).  In this way you really don't have to handle any cash, but only designate the tip amount when they bring you the check.  It gets deducted from the credit card you supply at the beginning for such charges.

Also, if the ship has a casino, it has an ATM and a cashier's cage.  So you can get cash there if you need to.

To sum it up:  bring as little cash as possible.  People displaying large wads of cash are obvious targets for thieves - and not just the ones on the mainland.

Have fun and good luck!

p.s. Don't forget your passport - and take a photocopy along, in case it gets lost or stolen.  A passport is required for Mexico now.

Answer 8

The only money you need is for buying souvenirs when the ship dock on those islands.  you will have to give a credit card where all your purchases onboard will be charge to your credit card and you will get your statement at the end of your cruise.  happy cruisin'.