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River Cruising - Spends?

(8 Posts)
TonysBride Sun 04-Feb-24 09:44:58

Hi All
I'm after a bit of advice. I was lucky enough (very lucky in fact) to win an all inclusive River Cruise which me and my husband are going on in June. We are going to Germany with Riviera Travel.
I know from reading a lot of these threads that many of you have been on cruises (both river and ocean) and I was wondering how much you set aside for spending money, bearing in mind that EVERYTHING is included in the prize anyway.
I have never been on a cruise (although always wanted to) so not too sure how much to allow for spending money.
Any help would be honestly gratefully received.
Thanks

Whitewavemark2 Sun 04-Feb-24 12:46:09

Well if everything is included in your prize (congratulations!) then i guess it simply depends on your purse and your budget.

Pittcity Sun 04-Feb-24 13:38:30

It's nice to try the local food and drink when you are off the boat. You might like a few souvenirs.
I assume that excursions to interesting sites are included.

As Whitewave says it's as much or little as you want.

Scapa1 Sun 04-Feb-24 13:48:32

We have been on a few river cruises and spent very little. In the free time at some places we may have a coffee and cake or a beer if hot. Otherwise only anything you personally want to buy to take home. If you are making your own way back to the boat you may need a ticket for the underground etc. For us usually 100€ is plenty with change !

Mollygo Sun 04-Feb-24 13:54:37

Lucky you TonysBride!
We only spend on the occasional drink at a cafe whilst we’re off ship, or souvenirs or gifts. The one exception was on the Douro river cruise, where I bought locally produced cork items-purses, wallets, belts and used them for Christmas gifts. All well received and still in use.
It’s worth thinking about in advance though, because in the past I’ve changed far more money into euros than I really needed.

Norah Sun 04-Feb-24 14:00:10

You'll spend what you want, though it's unlikely you'll spend much. Almost all is provided, apart from tips to guides and drivers.

Aveline Sun 04-Feb-24 14:01:12

Snap Mollygo. You'll only need cash for the odd coffee ashore. Sometimes you're expected to tip the coach driver or guide. Quite irritating as tips are explicitly included in all the brochures and advertising materials.
I hope you enjoy the cruise. Look on cruise critic forum for reviews and roll call for your own cruise. It's fun to make contact with fellow passengers before the trip.

TonysBride Mon 05-Feb-24 09:28:03

Mollygo

Lucky you TonysBride!
We only spend on the occasional drink at a cafe whilst we’re off ship, or souvenirs or gifts. The one exception was on the Douro river cruise, where I bought locally produced cork items-purses, wallets, belts and used them for Christmas gifts. All well received and still in use.
It’s worth thinking about in advance though, because in the past I’ve changed far more money into euros than I really needed.

Thanks everyone. I knew I'd get some good advice on here. I didn't think we'd need much to be honest with everything being included, but we do (like MollyGo) want to buy a few little gifts too so I will allow for that.
Thanks for the congratulations too. Couldn't believe it myself when I first got the email.