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I am going on a carnival 5 day cruise to mexico leaving from galveston. trying to figure out daily budget? |
Travel Info I have never been on a cruise before and I am trying to figure out how much money I should alot on a daily basis. the Itenerary is two days at sea followed by two days in mexico with two shore excursions and one more day at sea. cruise and excursions are already paid for. My girlfriend and I are moderate drinkers. Whats a reasonable amount of money to alot on a daily basis so we have enough through out the cruise. p.s. we are in the process of purchasing a home and dont want to max out our credit cards so we are going to use a debit card just want to know whats a safe amount to transfer from our savings account so we dont run out of money. Travel Tips EDIT: I forgot to mention. You can ask your travel agent for a better idea as well. They can help you to better understand what is included and what isn't and give you an idea of how much you should bring, what is the best, etc. Since you don't drink a lot, that is going to save you some money. However, how much you will actually need to take depends on how much of the involved costs you have already paid. Whenever I go on a cruise I try to have as much paid before hand as possible. Including tips, etc. This will prevent you from having to take several hundred just for the tips. Since you have paid for the excursions this will also give you a lot smaller amount to bring on board. I find on my cruises that there is very little more I need to purchase as far as food is concerned. As a matter of fact the only other food item I purchased while on board my last cruise was an iced cookie. I was so stuffed that I really didn't want anymore to eat. Also, sodas and other drinks were included, so I didn't have to pay extra for that. But with Carnival you have to pay more for sodas. So what I would do is purchase either some soda tickets or the fountain card before you go (if you plan to drink soda). This is a good place to see what they have available: http://carnival.com/bonvoyage/default.as... They have wines, desserts, etc. that you can purchase before the cruise, so you won't have to take a lot of money for extras. Alot of cruises want to create a cashless environment. What I did on my last cruise is give them the credit card I would like to put purchases on. Then I just used my room key to make charges and never had to have any cash. You should look into travelers checks or the credit card that acts as travelers check. While on the cruise itself it is very secure to use your credit card, no worries there. But you should be a little more concerned on the island. Travelers checks are the safest way to go as far as this is concerned, especially if you aren't wanting to charge a lot on the card. You need to take into account what tours and stuff you will want to do, that you have not already paid for. If you can't book ahead, look up what the price will be, this will give you a good idea of how much you should take (always take extra just in case). Other than that it depends on how much food and other items you are planning to purcahse while on your trip. Do you plan on purchasing smoothies, cookies, snacks, etc. that are not included? Are you planning on ordering room service? This will all require extra cash, or your credit card. For the tip though, cash is usually best. When you are on land, how many meals are you planning to get? I would say $100 should be plenty for two people to eat on while on land. Depending on where you eat and how many meals you plan on eating. You can always go back on the ship and eat if you like. Since you have already paid for your meals, this would be the most cost affective way to go. Some food is not included, but most of it is. Since you have already paid for the cruise, it is best not to pay more for food if you are wanting to save. Otherwise it is basically like paying double for the food. Souveniers, jewelry, clothes, etc. is all something you have to consider as well. Obviously you will need lots of cash if you want jewelry. There is a lot of beautiful jewelry on the islands. Just be sure to stick with dealers that cruise line recommends. Going off the beaten path could end up in a bad situation. The cruise line will give you a good idea of good shops. But to give you an idea I will usually take $2000 with me on a 7 night cruise. So for a five night cruise, I would say anywhere from about $1500 up would be plenty (but this is if you plan to purchase jewlery, lots of extra food and drinks, more tours, etc. You could definitly get by with less) This is to be on the safe side. Most times you will be able to bring plenty back home with you, ocassionally you may not be so lucky, or really lucky depending on how you look at ;-) I also believe many islands have ATM machines if you need cash. Although I am not positive on this as I don't use them. But I would assume you might have pretty high fees for using them. Also, another tip. The cruise staff works very hard and really does a great job. I honestly have never been on another vacation wear the staff caters to your every need as the staff of a cruise will do. Just keep in mind, these very hard working individuals are often away from their family for long periods of time and have little contact with them. Whenever I go on a cruise I will purchase several calling cards before I go (a few for each of the staff that I deal with through out the cruise, waiters, maids, etc.) then I will give each a handful. This is something that doesn't cost me a lot of money, but really means a the world to them. That way they don't have to spend their hard earned money and tips to call home. I think this pretty much covers everything. Hope this helps! Have a great cruise! Others I dunno usually on cruises you end up spending 200 a day, but you wont even need that much, b/c food is included and entertainment on the ship too, but once you get on the destination place thats when you come out of your pocket um about $50 to $200 a day no more or u well be robed $200, you'll probably want to go shopping Your travel agent should of helped you with that. We did it last year. My wife and I do not drink so we left 150 at the end of the cruise for tips and stuff. Make sure that you pay the 12- 15 bucks at the beginning of the cruise so you dont have to pay for non alcholic drinks, otherwise water is the only free thing. The amount you bring depends on how much you want to spend on souveniers and stuff when you port. I would have a couple hundred in cash on the ship for massages, trinkets etc. To have a real blast,try to participate in tons of stuff. Step outside your comfort zone and dont be affraid to move the beds in your room so they are together its a little work and the crew doesnt care if you do it. |
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