Extra costs on Cruises

[Graceann]

Since I will be going on my first cruise next week I am trying to plan ahead as to how much money I should bring for shore excursions etc. Also what would I need to budget in for tipping or other extras that I am unaware off.

[BeerSeller]

Tipping will be added to your sail and sign card at a rate of $10 per person per day. All purchases on board will be billed this way. At the end of the cruise you will get a statement regarding how much will be billed to your credit card. The other way to do it is to take cash and keep topping up your account as you spend each day but this can be a hassle. In my opinion it is much easier to just use your credit card.

[peachcrek]

70.00 right off the top for the cruise tips. 10.00 to 20.00 for matrie'de. If you drink cocktails or beer figure at least 4.50 a drink tip is included on ship, tours vary in price from 39.00 to 199.00 depending on what you want to do. always cheaper off ship then on plus spending money in ports for shopping not to mention tipping the cabs and red caps who take your luggage at airport and at the port $1.00 per bag. what ports are you visiting??

[Dave]

Hi Graceann,

I edited your original note to correct the thread title spelling.

As the others have noted, you will be billed $10 per day per person for tips and this will be the first charge placed on your shipboard account. If you buy tours on the ship, these will also be charged to your account so you don't need to worry about cash for tours purchased in this manner.

The porters at the pier will expect a tip of 1 to 2 dollars per bag and you need to do this both coming and going. Believe me, the porters are worth it on debarkation day.

Personally, for Caribbean cruises we always bring 200 dollars for each port we will visit, so if we stop at three ports then we have $600 set aside for them. This is souvenir, cab, eating, drinking money. I then double this total amount and keep the extra in the safe in our cabin. It has never failed me and we have never run out of cash. It is important to get lots of small bills too. And don't forget to have more than one credit card with you, in case one is lost or stolen.