How much money should we take on our cruise?

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hannah812a

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My husband and I are going on a 5 day royal caribbean cruise next month and I have no clue how much money we should bring. Any suggestions?
 
It really depends,

How many ports are you visiting? have you already planned/booked excursions in advance or are you going to book ships ones or are you more do it yourself people?

Ship excursions are more expensive and are charged to your on board account, If you book them yourself then you can either pay before hand or pay on the day, and if you do it yourself then you will need cash for taxis, admission fees etc. Also you need to budget for drinks, food (if its not included in your tour or you are going it alone) and souvenirs. Without knowing what your ports are, how long you are there and what you like doing it is difficult to judge - an 6 hr private tour with lunch will cost more than a beach day via public transport.

I would suggest checking out websites like cruise critic (the forums are really helpful). Also trip adviser and virtual tourist have a lot of information about ports and thing to do there.

On-board you do not need any cash, everything is charge to your account, you can either have this charged to your credit card or put down cash - there are pros and cons to both.

Other things you might want to think about are:
Drinks - you can buy different packages before you cruise (and on the first day) soda is about $2-3, beer $4-8 and cocktail $6-9 (plus an automatic 15% gratuity).
Tips - you can either pre pay, charge to your on-board account or give cash.
Bits and Bobs - you may wish to use the speciality restaurants, have Ben and Jerry's, or buy gifts on the ship. All these cost extra, although they are not necessary to having a great holiday.

Finally are you arriving the day before/staying a day after? you will also need to budget for hotel/drinks/meals/transport.

Like I said there are lots of variable, I budget about £100 ($150) a day, but do some research on your ports and ship to give yourself an idea.
 
Most people pay for almost everything with a credit card. {H & W should each carry a different one.} This includes settling your ship bill at the end of the cruise. {The ship is cashless. You charge everything to your room.} People also carry their ATM cards to get more, as needed {or get it out in foreign currency}.

That leaves you to decide on small things on shore: souvenirs, a bite to eat, entry fee for a museum, a taxi ride, a local tour, tips, ,,,, with enough left over to get back to your car and pay the parking lot fee after the cruise. {Food in an airport, on the trip home, etc,,,}

Maybe $300, in small, unmarked bills. (sorry, couldn't resist. But seriously, no 50's or 100's). Leave most of it in the safe in your room and only pack the day's requirement + (say) 20%.

Have a great time!
 
It really depends,

How many ports are you visiting? have you already planned/booked excursions in advance or are you going to book ships ones or are you more do it yourself people?

Ship excursions are more expensive and are charged to your on board account, If you book them yourself then you can either pay before hand or pay on the day, and if you do it yourself then you will need cash for taxis, admission fees etc. Also you need to budget for drinks, food (if its not included in your tour or you are going it alone) and souvenirs. Without knowing what your ports are, how long you are there and what you like doing it is difficult to judge - an 6 hr private tour with lunch will cost more than a beach day via public transport.

I would suggest checking out websites like cruise critic (the forums are really helpful). Also trip adviser and virtual tourist have a lot of information about ports and thing to do there.

On-board you do not need any cash, everything is charge to your account, you can either have this charged to your credit card or put down cash - there are pros and cons to both.

Other things you might want to think about are:
Drinks - you can buy different packages before you cruise (and on the first day) soda is about $2-3, beer $4-8 and cocktail $6-9 (plus an automatic 15% gratuity).
Tips - you can either pre pay, charge to your on-board account or give cash.
Bits and Bobs - you may wish to use the speciality restaurants, have Ben and Jerry's, or buy gifts on the ship. All these cost extra, although they are not necessary to having a great holiday.

Finally are you arriving the day before/staying a day after? you will also need to budget for hotel/drinks/meals/transport.

Like I said there are lots of variable, I budget about £100 ($150) a day, but do some research on your ports and ship to give yourself an idea.
 
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