We have been discussing tipping in foreign currency vs. Euros in places like Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia. In Western Europe, tipping in Euros or even dollars is acceptable but one comment was that leaving Euros in places like Bulgaria was rude, because the guide would have trouble exchanging it.
We just finished the Passages to Eastern Europe and found that getting local currency was next to impossible at the docking sites and even our Activities Director told us that tipping in Euros or Dollars was fine. Apparently the ships do not carry currency for all of those countries on board.
We talked about this problem with other passengers, because in some cases we had to over-tip and in others, we had no money left for a decent tip.
One passenger recommended that Viking could offer a small packet of currency, like Romanian Lei, Croatian Kuna, as well as Bulgarian, and Serbian currency. Packets with $20 to $40 for each of those one-day stops would be great, just to cover tips, and they can certainly charge a service fee for that. Souvenirs were not a problem because most vendors took credit cards.
I was able to get Lei in Bucharest at an ATM but it only gave me 20,000 and 50,000 notes, which are useless for tipping. Getting change for those big notes was impossible. I asked on the Ship and they said I could leave that as part of my shipboard tip, which I did.
We are looking to do the right thing for the great guides that serve us on these cruises, but buying those currencies before the trip, even from AAA, is not viable in such small amounts.
Suggestions that could make Viking even better!
in Viking Ocean
Posted
We have been discussing tipping in foreign currency vs. Euros in places like Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia. In Western Europe, tipping in Euros or even dollars is acceptable but one comment was that leaving Euros in places like Bulgaria was rude, because the guide would have trouble exchanging it.
We just finished the Passages to Eastern Europe and found that getting local currency was next to impossible at the docking sites and even our Activities Director told us that tipping in Euros or Dollars was fine. Apparently the ships do not carry currency for all of those countries on board.
We talked about this problem with other passengers, because in some cases we had to over-tip and in others, we had no money left for a decent tip.
One passenger recommended that Viking could offer a small packet of currency, like Romanian Lei, Croatian Kuna, as well as Bulgarian, and Serbian currency. Packets with $20 to $40 for each of those one-day stops would be great, just to cover tips, and they can certainly charge a service fee for that. Souvenirs were not a problem because most vendors took credit cards.
I was able to get Lei in Bucharest at an ATM but it only gave me 20,000 and 50,000 notes, which are useless for tipping. Getting change for those big notes was impossible. I asked on the Ship and they said I could leave that as part of my shipboard tip, which I did.
We are looking to do the right thing for the great guides that serve us on these cruises, but buying those currencies before the trip, even from AAA, is not viable in such small amounts.