Fouremco

No pun intended, but that sounds very much like a cop out by the police. Based on your original post, there's definitely fraud that led to her "voluntarily" giving him the money.

In your shoes, I'd be contacting the local police and asking them to look into this situation.

Thank you both. I'll have to compare their rates, but the Gloucester Centre is much closer and easier to access than the Rideau Centre where Calforex is situated.

Which currency exchange outlet do you use? The one that I used pre-covid is no longer in business, and our travel since then hasn't required getting any foreign cash in advance. But we will need some early next year, and your outlet might be a good choice.

Speaking as a former Haligonian, I'm sure that you'll enjoy your day there. If you are going to explore on your own and are looking for ideas, I'd be happy to make some suggestions.

CBSA's processing of passengers is very different than with land or air entry, and generally is based on the passenger manifest provided days in advance of the ship's arrival in port. Whether that makes it less likely for the strike to have an impact on cruises remains to be seen, but I doubt that your cruise would bypass Halifax. My best guess is that you might face a slight delay disembarking.

Probably because a lot of people in the OP's position would simply use the OBC on board as well as keeping whatever they purchased with their credit card beforehand, thus increasing HAL's profits. As this thread shows, there are ways to get around it, but I suspect that most people either don't know how to do so, or couldn't be bothered.

As this is a closed-loop cruise out of Vancouver, the ship will be operating on local time for embarkation and disembarkation.

The bad news is that your Alaskan cruise will include entry into Canada, and what might have been adequate for a Caribbean cruise in the past really doesn't matter. The good news is that her official birth certificate plus government issued photo ID will suffice to allow entry to Canada. I'm not aware of any current requirement regarding a marriage certificate.

That's my experience too. Once upon a time, back when travellers' cheques were starting to disappear from the tourism scene, your credit card was automatically charged in the local currency. It's only been in recent years that the option to pay in your home currency has been offered. Starting in 2025, Ontario students must complete a new financial literacy graduation requirement as part of their Grade 10 math course to demonstrate practical skills and proficient application of knowledge in financial literacy skills. One can only hope that they include an adequate segment on the use of credit cards.

Not just in Europe. It's always better to be charged in the local currency, no matter where you are.

Yes, I use the EQ card for similar reasons. I usually know well in advance when I'll need USD cash. That's why I was thinking of placing it with EQ, but having them transfer it to my local bank when I need to access the cash.

Correction. Visa rate is 1.3692.

EQ allows you to transfer funds to/from your USD account from/to a similar account at another bank. Have you considered opening and EQ USD account and transferring funds from your TD USD account? You could transfer it back later when you needed to make a withdrawal. Assuming that TD also allows such transfers.

That's very interesting. Mastercard's conversion rate today is 1.3672 and Visa's rate is 1.3672. So if you used a CAD credit card with no forex fee to buy something in USD, it would cost lest than if you were to use a TD USD card and then deposit CAD to you USD account to cover the amount. I don't know if this is typical or not, but I suspect it is.

What exchange rate does TD use when you place CAD funds into the USD account? I'm wondering how it compares to a purchase made in USD using a CAD credit card that charges no conversion fee.

Your best bet is to post on your Roll Call:

@Sprocket, this Porter link seems quite clear: https://www.flyporter.com/en-ca/travel-information/at-the-airport/connecting-flights

Prior to my retirement, the Toronto connection for a YOW-YYZ-CDG flight was deemed by Air Canada to have sufficient time, but there was a delay leaving Ottawa. As a result, I had to run, yes RUN, from my domestic arrivals gate to my international departures gate. The gate personnel were closing the door to the jetway as I drew near, realized that I was the missing passenger, and held it for me. Today, I'm perfectly mobile, but would never make that flight. Needless to say, my checked luggage did not make the flight, but caught up to me at my hotel the following day. Just as I arrive a minimum of a day early for cruises, just in case, in those days I'd arrive a day of two early for business meetings. Consequently, I didn't have to attend the first day of the international gathering wearing my travel jeans and golf shirt.

We use a big box TA, and the perks work out to about 10% of the booking fee. They charge the same fare as HAL, so with the 10% perks, we're well ahead of the game.

You might want to repost on the Silversea forum, with additional information as to the specific cruise. There have been a number of threads there talking about different cancellations and the compensation being offered.

An interesting article for those who are considering a card with no forex fees but are otherwise happy with their existing credit cards. I have both the EQ and Wealthsimple cards and use them exclusively now for foreign purchases. https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/e7a4-2thp4q--16zvoi-7qf1pdm6

I normally book with a big box travel agency, but I'll occasionally book with the cruise line and then transfer the booking. For example, we have a HAL cruise in October that I booked directly online with HAL when a particularly sought after cabin became available. I grabbed it right away rather than risking someone else snagging it while I phoned the TA. I then transferred the booking to the TA. The price and all other aspects of the booking remained the same, but by transferring it to the TA, we gained $925 shop card, as well as earning 2% cash-back. Typically, perks from the TA amount to 8-10% of the booking costs. While this TA doesn't deal with all cruise lines, it does handle the majority of mainstream lines such as HAL, Celebrity, RCI, etc..

We had the same, and I still recall the name, SHerwood, although I no longer remember the numbers. It looked like SH1-2345.

The mini-bar provides a revenue stream for HAL, so it's unlikely that they'll stop stocking them. As for charges, while the contents may vary from time to time and from ship to ship, they are fixed for any given cruise. We've been in our cabin when a beverage service employee has come to check the contents and he had a printed sheet listing the items and the number of each item, and a place to indicate any refills made. Any charges would be based on the latter. One potential drawback to this system occurs on turn-around day if the beverage services employee is unable to check the mini-bar before the new occupants arrive. If the new passengers help themselves to a bottle or two before the check is made, the former occupants could be charged for them. That might explain some of the mystery mini-bar charges that seem to crop up regularly.