Norfolkhall Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 Hi. We are from th UK and are on the Jewel doing a 7 night western med this month. We have drinks packages booked and plan to roam the different restaurants nightly. My gratuities are all paid in advance. Do I need to take dollars with me? I'm not sure as I've never done an American cruise line before. Any advice greatly received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VACruiser Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 The short answer is yes but how you use them would be up to you. I use them for tips to servers, chamber workers, excursion guides, if they do well, and others that I think do a good job at enhancing my vacation. Also, on some excursions they rent items such as kayaks, waterboards, snorkeling trips, and also lockers to put your stuff in while doing activities. You need cash to pay for those things. And, not to forget, depending on where you are going, pictures are always involved which is nice to have and cash can make it easier. Some of the items I listed could be handled by Credit Cards but not all. I always bring cash with me on cruises. The amount depends on how long the cruise is and where I am going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 The casino accepts cash only unless you use you Seapass to get gambling money and there is a 5% convenience fee if you do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoler18 Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 34 minutes ago, Norfolkhall said: Hi. We are from th UK and are on the Jewel doing a 7 night western med this month. We have drinks packages booked and plan to roam the different restaurants nightly. My gratuities are all paid in advance. Do I need to take dollars with me? I'm not sure as I've never done an American cruise line before. Any advice greatly received. We are doing Adventure of the seas in October, I will be taking some dollars but not specifically for tipping on board. Being a Brit like yourself we will be prepaying gratuities and 18% is added to the drink package so feel that is sufficient tipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bomle Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 I don't tip more than the prepaid 18% gratuities. I do however bring cash for the casino and for the places we visit that do not accept card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolkhall Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 26 minutes ago, Tim B. said: The short answer is yes but how you use them would be up to you. I use them for tips to servers, chamber workers, excursion guides, if they do well, and others that I think do a good job at enhancing my vacation. Also, on some excursions they rent items such as kayaks, waterboards, snorkeling trips, and also lockers to put your stuff in while doing activities. You need cash to pay for those things. And, not to forget, depending on where you are going, pictures are always involved which is nice to have and cash can make it easier. Some of the items I listed could be handled by Credit Cards but not all. I always bring cash with me on cruises. The amount depends on how long the cruise is and where I am going. Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolkhall Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 15 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: The casino accepts cash only unless you use you Seapass to get gambling money and there is a 5% convenience fee if you do that. 16 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: The casino accepts cash only unless you use you Seapass to get gambling money and there is a 5% convenience fee if you do that. Many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolkhall Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 12 minutes ago, mcoler18 said: We are doing Adventure of the seas in October, I will be taking some dollars but not specifically for tipping on board. Being a Brit like yourself we will be prepaying gratuities and 18% is added to the drink package so feel that is sufficient tipping. Many thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 52 minutes ago, Norfolkhall said: Hi. We are from th UK and are on the Jewel doing a 7 night western med this month. We have drinks packages booked and plan to roam the different restaurants nightly. My gratuities are all paid in advance. Do I need to take dollars with me? I'm not sure as I've never done an American cruise line before. Any advice greatly received. In the western Med the only thing you need dollars for is the casino on board the ship, so if you're planning on making a contribution there it might be worth getting some dollars. Otherwise, unless you're planning on paying your onboard account in cash, you really don't need to take dollars at all. Incidental expenditure aboard the ship will be priced in dollars but it'll be charged to whatever card you set up for your onboard account. Be sure to have them charge it in dollars and not pounds, leaving your CC company to do the exchange. The exchange rate is bad enough at the moment without you supplementing Royal by letting them charge you an even worse exchange rate. All of your ports are in the euro zone so that's the currency you're going to need. The folks in Italy, Spain and France may not accept dollars and if they do you can be sure the exchange rate will not be in your favour. Even if you want to tip somebody like a tour guide, it's much better to do it in euros. If you give them dollars they're going to have to exchange them and chances are they'll lose out by doing so. Any additional tips you may want to give crew will be just as gratefully received in euros as in dollars, since the euro is reasonably strong at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolkhall Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 9 minutes ago, boomle said: I don't tip more than the prepaid 18% gratuities. I do however bring cash for the casino and for the places we visit that do not accept card. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norfolkhall Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 1 minute ago, FionaMG said: In the western Med the only thing you need dollars for is the casino on board the ship, so if you're planning on making a contribution there it might be worth getting some dollars. Otherwise, unless you're planning on paying your onboard account in cash, you really don't need to take dollars at all. Incidental expenditure aboard the ship will be priced in dollars but it'll be charged to whatever card you set up for your onboard account. Be sure to have them charge it in dollars and not pounds, leaving your CC company to do the exchange. The exchange rate is bad enough at the moment without you supplementing Royal by letting them charge you an even worse exchange rate. All of your ports are in the euro zone so that's the currency you're going to need. The folks in Italy, Spain and France may not accept dollars and if they do you can be sure the exchange rate will be in your favour. Even if you want to tip somebody like a tour guide, it's much better to do it in euros. If you give them dollars they're going to have to exchange them and chances are they'll lose out by doing so. Any additional tips you may want to give crew will be just as gratefully received in euros as in dollars, since the euro is reasonably strong at the moment. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted August 12, 2019 Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 Just now, Norfolkhall said: Thank you Just edited this bit of my post as I missed out an essential "not": The folks in Italy, Spain and France may not accept dollars and if they do you can be sure the exchange rate will not be in your favour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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