How Much Cash You Really Need For A Carnival Cruise

You could easily spend an entire Carnival cruise without using cash on the ship itself, but that doesn’t mean you should leave home without any.

You’ll still want some for ports, taxis, tips and those awkward moments when cards aren’t accepted. The tricky part is working out how much to bring without carrying far more than you’ll ever need.

For most cruisers, there’s a fairly simple amount to budget for each day ashore, but there are a few situations where you’ll want either more or less.

Here’s What Most People Bring

As a rough starting point, I’d budget up to around $100 cash per person for each day in port, although you may need much less if you plan to pay by card or have already booked excursions. You generally won’t need cash for sea days unless you want it for extra tips or the casino.

It’s wise to carry some small bills, as cash can be useful for things like tips, small purchases and public toilets while you’re ashore.

Suggested read: Where To Get $2 Bills

You Typically Can’t Use Cash on the Ship

On cruise ships, you can’t pay for things with cash. But, you will need to take some cash with you to pay for taxis, tip porters at the cruise terminal and to pay for things like meals and souvenirs when you’re exploring ashore.

On a Carnival cruise, all of your onboard expenses will need to be paid for using your cruise card, which is known as a Sail & Sign card. I’ll explain more about how that works later in this guide.

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.

This is actually a super convenient way of paying which means all of your expenses are tied to your account and your room number. You don’t need to worry about carrying cash with you, having enough of it, or worrying about losing it.  

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.

Some people prefer to give tips in cash at 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.

While this is fine to do, you should make sure that any cash tips are given on top of automatic gratuities. 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.

Aside from handing out tips, the only other place you can use cash on a cruise ship is in the casino. 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.

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. But, almost all cruises include some days ashore.

Taking Cash for Port Visits

When you head to shore, you should take some cash with you. 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.

Here are some of the things you might need cash for:

• Taxis, buses and trains
• Entrance to attractions
• Souvenirs
• Food and drink
• Tips
• Public toilets
• Street entertainers

How much you’ll actually spend varies hugely by port and what you plan to do. If you’ve already paid for an excursion and mainly want cash for a drink, a tip or a small souvenir, you may need very little. If you’re arranging your own transport, eating ashore and paying attraction fees, you could easily spend much more.

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. 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.

Conversely, if you like to arrange things yourself once onshore then you might want to budget a bit more cash per port.

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. 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.

You may well need to use the toilet whilst you explore the sights. In some destinations, public toilets charge a small fee, and having a little local cash can be useful for these.

You may also want to buy some souvenirs to remind you of where you have been. There will probably be shops where you can pay for things by card, but if you like to pick up little trinkets from market stalls then it is likely that the vendor will only accept cash. 

Other things that you may want to pay for whilst on an excursion include meals, attractions and tipping, so I definitely recommend that you take some cash with you for times when you are off the ship. 

The Carnival Sail & Sign Card Explained

Carnival’s Sail & Sign card is the cashless way to pay for everything whilst you are on your cruise. It’s also the key card to open the door to your room and your ID when you get on and off the ship.

Your Sail & Sign card also reflects your Carnival Rewards status. Carnival’s new loyalty programme launched in 2026, replacing the old VIFP Club system, with members now earning Status Qualifying Stars towards their loyalty tier. You can read my full guide to Carnival’s cruise card colours for how the different levels work.

As cash is not accepted on board the Carnival cruise ships, all purchases and services onboard are paid for with the Sail & Sign Card, from drinks to souvenirs to excursions. 

Suggested read: Carnival Drink Package Tips

You set up your Sail & Sign card by linking it to a credit or debit card and then all purchases will be charged to your onboard account. A hold will be put on your bank account during the cruise and the final balance will be requested from your bank at the end of your trip.

Carnival Cruise Cash

Carnival Cruise Cash is the cash credit to your Sail & Sign account. You can buy Cruise Cash online before your cruise, with purchases available until 11.59pm ET on the night before departure. This can then be used against any charge made on your account, including taxes and gratuities.

To buy Cruise Cash you can visit The Fun Shops website, once you have a cruise booked.  

It is worth noting that when you add money to your Cruise Cash credit it is non-refundable and is only valid for a single voyage.

Honestly, there’s no need for you to add Carnival Cruise Cash to your account. It’s better to just rack up a bill and settle it at the end.

The main use of Carnival Cruise Cash is for people who want to give a gift to someone who’s going on a cruise. For example, if you’re going on a Carnival cruise for your honeymoon, then friends could add Cruise Cash to your onboard account as a wedding gift.

Carnival also sells specific versions of Cruise Cash for things such as drinks and photos. Unlike general Cruise Cash, these can only be used for the category they’re intended for, so check which type you’re buying before you add it to your account.

Cruise Cash isn’t available on Carnival cruises departing from Australia.

Don’t Panic If You Forget to Pack Cash!

Carnival ships do have ATMs onboard so there is no need to panic if you find that you haven’t brought enough cash with you. It is worth noting that there is a $6.50 charge to use the machine. This is per transaction so it is worth getting out larger amounts at one time.

The most that you can withdraw in one transaction is $500. Sometimes Carnival ATMs may run out of cash during the cruise, but there are a couple of other ways to get cash while at sea…

You can get a cash advance at the Casino Cashier’s Window using a credit or debit card. Or you can cash a cheque at the same location. For both of these options, there is a 5.5% charge on this (with a minimum of $5.50 on advances under $100).

On Carnival cruises from Australia, it’s also possible to cash US Dollar Traveller’s cheques, and there is no fee for this. 

Take the Right Currency for Your Itinerary

What currency to take on a cruise largely depends upon where you are going since most of the cash you spend will be off the ship.

US dollars are widely accepted in many popular Caribbean cruise ports, but you shouldn’t assume they’ll be accepted everywhere. Check the currency used in each destination before you travel, particularly if you’re planning to use taxis, markets or smaller local businesses.

If you’re cruising in Europe, check each country’s currency rather than assuming you’ll need euros. Many popular Mediterranean ports use the euro, but the UK, Norway and several other European cruise destinations use their own currencies.

Adding Cash to Your Sail and Sign Card

You can also fund your Sail & Sign account with cash once you’re onboard. You can do this at Guest Services or use one of the Sail & Sign kiosks available on the ship.

Some people prefer to do it this way because it makes it easier to control their spending. Instead of linking a credit card, you can add a set amount of cash and top up the account again if you need to.

Suggested read: Is The Carnival Mastercard Credit Card Worth It?

Final Word

You don’t need to carry much cash on a Carnival cruise, as almost everything onboard is charged to your Sail & Sign account. It’s when you head ashore that having some cash can really come in handy.

There’s no perfect amount for everyone, so think about what you’ve already paid for and what you plan to do in each port. Take a sensible amount in small bills and you should be well prepared without carrying more cash than you need.

Related Posts:

• 12 Ways to Use Your Carnival Onboard Credit Like a Pro
• Carnival Ships By Age: Newest to Oldest
• Guide to Carnival Drink Packages
• How To Buy Discounted Carnival Gift Cards (And Should You?)