Welcome aboard, Amy! Your family is in for so much magic when you head out to sea with Disney Cruise Line! There truly is
something for everyone onboard!
No need to use a credit card or even cash onboard the ship, Amy! The ship is cashless, so all guests will be using their Key To The World Cards to make any additional purchases onboard. All charges made on the card will be put onto your
stateroom account and will be settled with whatever credit card or cash you've set up for that stateroom account. When you begin your online check-in (75 days prior to sailing for first time guests), you'll have the option to select how you'll set up your onboard account. Choose the cash account instead of the credit card account.
You'll sign the Cash Account Agreement which allows you to charge up to a certain amount onboard before needing to settle that with cash at Guest Services. For example on a three-night sailing, there is a $300 limit, so you can charge up to that amount on your account onboard (including Port Adventure costs) before you must settle with cash and then you can charge up to $300 again before settling. It's super easy! There is not an ATM onboard, so bring any cash you'll need while in Nassau.
I have another suggestion for you, too. My family and I like to purchase Disney Gift Cards at home and use those as credits on our stateroom account onboard. It helps us budget. Plus, our grocery store offers fuel rewards on any gift cards we purchase there, so we save money on gas for our car by purchasing the Disney Gift Cards we need to use anyway. It's a win-win! We take the Gift Cards to Guest Services and they add those as credit onto our onboard account. That might be a great option for your family too!
Have fun planning, Amy!
Marcy