This is definitely a time when having cash can make things run smoother, particularly if you’re in a place where Ubers aren’t so common. When you’re on land you may be paying for taxis to get you from the port to the city centre or to see the sights. If you plan to book lots of cruise line excursions, you’ll need less cash with you since your transport, entrance fees etc will be covered.Ĭonversely, if you like to arrange things yourself once onshore then you might want to budget a bit more cash per port. If you like to plan ahead you should be able to get a clearer idea of costs by looking at your destinations and preferred activities. I have taken the cost of these to be $20, $30 and $50 to give the $100 dollar budget, but of course, this can vary widely depending on where you are and what you’re doing on your days ashore. Your biggest expenses will be for taxis, meals and entrance fees to attractions when you’re on land. Here are some of the things you might need cash for: Sure, you might get away with just using your credit or debit card, depending on where you are, but it is much easier to have a bit of cash on you.

When you head to shore, you should take some cash with you. But, almost all cruises include some days ashore. So, does this mean that you don’t need to take any cash with you? Well, you might be able to get away with it if you don’t plan to leave the ship.

You can insert your cruise card into the casino machines You can buy chips with cash and if you win, you’ll be paid out in cash, even if you use your cruise card to play. You don’t want to remove automatic gratuities and tip in cash as this takes money away from staff who work hard behind the scenes.Īside from handing out tips, the only other place you can use cash on a cruise ship is in the casino. While this is fine to do, you should make sure that any cash tips are given on top of automatic gratuities. Some people prefer to give tips in cash a the end of the cruise so that they can be sure that it gets to the right person and so that they can easily alter the amount given based upon the quality of service. Gratuities are also paid with your onboard account, so you don’t need to worry about having cash to tip waiters or room stewards as tips are automatically added to your bill each day.

You don’t need to worry about carrying cash with you, having enough of it, or worrying about losing it. This is actually a super convenient way of paying which means all of your expenses are tied to your account and your room number. Things like drinks at the bar, off-ship excursions and souvenirs from the onboard gift shop will all be paid for with your cruise card.

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