Exchanging money

[nancycoop1]

Is there any problem with using debit cards (MasterCard) in FP? Is there a place near the dock in Rarotonga to exchange money (or use debit cards)?

 

Any suggestions on the best way to take and exchange money would be appreciated. Are US dollars accepted any place?

 

Thanks Nancy

[10X]

We just got back last week. You can exchange money onboard the Tahitian Princess, so I assume you can with other ships as well. They make about 4% on the deal. They were selling XPF at 88:1 and buying it back at 92:1.

 

That said, we never exchanged even $1. USD were accepted about everywhere we went, unless you bought something in an out of the way place.

[nancycoop1]

Thanks for the info. I will just take US dollars and not worry about it. If I have to have some local currency the ship will do in a pinch. Did the cab drivers in Papeete also take US currency? Thanks

 

Nancy

[laurasue]

In Papeete we used XFP, never tried US$ so I can't say for sure. When planning our trip I read tips on Tahiti Travel Forums that you would need cash for cab rides upon arrival and thy recommended getting some XFP in LAX before departure. We actually got a decent exchange rate by doing that.

[btkktrout]

We just got back from the TP last week. We took travelers checks to exchange for francs on the ship, but we mostly used our Visa and US money. Visa is accepted at a lot of places. Most of the shops right off the ship take dollar for dollar - which is actually good! Most of the shops in the center of Papeete take Visa. If you take US off the ship, get $5s, $10s, and $1 from the cashier in the casino or pursers desk. It makes buying things dollar for dollar a bit easier.

 

 

Best of luck -

[RET_REF]

We are departing for Tahiti on a Saturday, and I would like to exchange some US Dollars to XFP's at the Tom Bradley terminal @ the LAX airport.

Does anyone know if the exchange booths are open for business on a Saturday ?

 

Or would it be better to do the exchange upon arrival at the airport in Papeete ? We would like to have some XFP on hand for the cab ride to the ship, and for an excursion in Moorea the following day.

 

Please advise, Thank you!

[laurasue]

Hi Reforee. We arrived in LAX on a Sunday morning and the exchange booths were open. We wanted to have some XFP for arrival in Tahiti, for cab fares and such. They gave us a good exchange rate, in fact, it ended up being better than most of what we got while in FP. But I had been advised that it wouldn't be so we only exchanged $50. Oh well!

 

I have heard that the exchange booths in PPT were open upon arrival, but we didn't want to chance it. We never checked upon arrival.

[nancycoop1]

Hi - just got back from FP and could not use my master card debit for cash in any bank I tried (and I tried every bank I could find). Don't count on mastercard to withdraw money - most places would take US dollars, but it was confusing for them.

[10X]

We paid for cab fares with USD and did not have any problems. Even the shops in the market in Papeete accepted USD. If you really want to exchange money, I wouldn't do much.

[RET_REF]

laurasue,nancycoop, & 10X,

 

Thank you all so much for your replies and advice !

 

10X: Do you happen to remember the cab fare rates from the Papeete airport to the ship's dock ? We were in Tahiti a few years ago, but never used any taxi service instead we were shuttle bused.

 

Thanks

[Jack1]

When we were there in Feb 2004 the cost for 4 of us was $30 US total. I have heard of others getting it for a few dollars less but definitely cheaper than Princess transfers. And faster too. We were one of the first to arrive at the ship and avoided the bus transfer group. Faye

[10X]

Including tip, we paid about $10 per person. And like Faye said, it is definitely faster and cheaper than Princess transfers.

 

When you walk out of the airport you will see a line of cabs. Just grab one and head for the pier. You'll probably be way ahead of the Princess transfers. There wasn't anyone in line ahead of us when we got to the pier.

 

On the day you leave, if you don't have a transfer, your luggage will be held under the tent where you checked in. Leave about 7 pm, claim your luggage, grab a cab (they'll be right there waiting), and head for the airport. Again, you'll be way ahead of the Princess transfers.

 

You still might wait in a line, but it will be much shorter than what's there after the transfers arrive. Our friends got to the airport at 7 pm and were the first in line. We arived about 7:20 and there were about 20 people in front of us. However, the airport doesn't open until about 8:30, so you'll still have to wait, just not as long as everyone else.

 

Denny

[RET_REF]

Thanks Faye & Denny,

 

There will be four of us, and I just wanted to know how much the fare was so I can be ready with XFP's to pay the taxi driver at the dock. I didn't want to convert too much money because we will only be in the Tahitian islands for three days. I wanted to have some XFP's for the excursions we will be doing on Moorea and Bora Bora. Also, we won't be doing the return trip from Papeete because our cruise with Princess ends up in Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

Happy sailing and have a great day!

Jim

[kwkirbo]

Is Mastercard accepted - credit card not debit card.

 

Thanks !!!

[nancycoop1]

MasterCard was accepted as a credit card, but NOT as a debit card.

 

Nancy

[laurasue]

Yep, we used our MC on most of the islands. Gad a hard time getting $ from the ATM with it, though. So we ended up using our Visa instead, for that. Keep in mind that some vendors will only accept CC's for purchases over $20. On our land vacation we noticed they were more strict with this policy on the days the cruise ships were docked there.