Cruises and finances: Tips for a budget-friendly holiday

Discovering several countries at once, experiencing other cultures, yet still sleeping in the same bed every night – that’s what makes cruises so popular. With targeted finance tips you can keep an eye on your spending and avoid unwanted additional cost.

On board, you usually pay for your purchases using a ‘cruise card’. Check the balance of your on-board account regularly to ensure there are no nasty surprises when the final bill arrives at the end of your trip. Ask the shipping company in advance which payment methods they accept. When going ashore, it’s best to take your debit card, some cash and a credit card with you.

Activate debit and credit cards for holiday destinations

If you want to pay for holiday souvenirs using your card or withdraw cash whilst on shore excursions, make sure you check before your trip that your overseas spending limit has been activated for the countries on your itinerary. Some banks set the limit on your debit or credit card to zero for security reasons; this also applies to some countries within the EU.

You can activate your card via online banking or ask your bank for assistance.

A travel budget helps you keep track of your expenses

It is generally advisable to set yourself a personal budget before you set off so you can keep a close eye on your spending during the cruise. A daily spending limit – for example, for excursions or drinks (if you don’t have an all-inclusive deal) – can help you keep track of your day-to-day expenses. Having a financial buffer for unexpected expenses also means you can still enjoy spontaneous activities without exceeding your overall budget.

Paying in the local currency

When making payments at ports or on land outside the eurozone, you should ask for the amount to be displayed in the local currency on the payment terminal. This is because converting to euros incurs additional costs. The same applies to withdrawing cash from ATMs: The ATM provider charges extra fees for currency conversion.

Only make telephone calls on board when necessary

Anyone who has been on a cruise before knows that you should only make phone calls on board in an emergency, otherwise it can quickly become expensive. Your personal mobile phone contract is only valid on land. There is no mobile network coverage at sea. However, to ensure you can still make phone calls, there is a telephone network on board the ship, which uses satellite technology. Find out about the costs before you travel to avoid any nasty surprises.

Select your mobile network manually when you reach port!

If it’s not urgent, wait until you get to the next port to make the call. But make sure you manually select the mobile network for that country in your phone’s settings. If you have ‘automatic network selection’ enabled, your mobile phone may still be connected to the ship’s expensive network even when you’re docked.

Turn off background app refresh!

This is important because your apps will often update themselves using the expensive on-board network without you realising. So, turn off ‘data roaming’ in your mobile phone settings.

Make sure you’re familiar with the tipping rules!

You can also tip for good service on cruises – not just for food and drink. If not already included in the price of the trip, you can usually have the tip charged to your on-board account. Alternatively, you can leave cash in an envelope at the ship’s reception desk.