money question - med. cruise

[katyb405]

Question: what are should we bring in terms of money?

 

We are going on the 12-day Canival liberty mediterranean cruise.

 

I know on the ship you use your sail & sign card to pay for everything.

 

Off the ship will you be buying EURO's to pay for things or credit cards? If bringing Euro's how much? I was hoping to pay with credit card as I assume most places will take it and then bring a minimal amount of Euro's for anywhere that doesn't.

 

Is there any need for American money at all?

 

Thanks for your input!!

[Breezey]

We pay for everything with credit cards. How much depends on what your plans are. Since we are taking a few private tours this year and everyone wants cash we will be taking some Euros to get us started and then withdrawing in port. There are ATM's in all the major cities. No American money, no use for it in Europe.

[wwinfl91]

Be sure to check with your credit card company on what kind of extra charges they are currently charging for using your card outside the US. When we were leaving for our Transatlantic cruise in May we found out that most credit card companies had started charging a 3 to 5% extra charge for any purchases made in a foreign currency. That is in addition to the regular exchange rate they charge to go from euros to dollars. The only card we found that wasn't doing this was our American Express Optima card but unfortunately it isn't accepted as widely as a regular AmEx card or a regular Mastercard or Visa.

 

What we decided to do was get American Express travelers checks to use for most of our purchases during the 2 week cruise and week long stay in London. We were able because of our account status at our bank, SunBank, the checks for no additional charges. On the Jewel they exchanged these for dollars, euros and even British pounds for no charge but the exchange rate to either foreign currency was not the best but it was convenient.

 

We also had two ATM cards that we used occasionally but again we found that when we got home there were additional charges for using them in a foreign country.

 

We had previously always just used credit cards and then paid them off when we got home but the extra 3 to 5% just seemed like highway robbery so we minimized their use and will continue to do so in the future if the extra charges continue to be applied.

 

Have a great cruise in spite of all these issues.

[PoohUnderstands]

Do check with your credit card and debit card company; most people take a few Euros with them to start and then use the ATM's in the various ports. However, if you do use the ATM's find out its daily limit and your bank's and then take out the maximum you can each time you use the ATM, that way if you have any extra charges, they will be minimized. Most on this board use ATM's 1-3 times on a 12 day cruise. Most private tours want cash(in Euros) at the end of the tour but a very few will take credit cards. You can also exchange cash for Euros on board the ships, but the exchange rate is best from an ATM. But that is an option. If you need US Dollars, get them in the casino which will be put on your sea card, and then exchange for Euros at the exchange desk on board the ship. Credit cards are widely accepted(except for American Express-Visa best, M/C second) but you do get charged for using them. To minimize the charge, try to have them make the charge in Euros if the trend is towards a weakening Euro! Have a great time. I am going in September, 2006, which is just too far away!

 

Pooh

[Joanne G.]

A friend and I recently returned from a 10-day Med cruise on the Galaxy, with one night pre- and one night post-cruise in Rome. Here's what I did for money:

 

Unlike the majority of people on these boards, I considered ATM's the last resort, not the first way to get cash. I didn't want to spend valuable port time looking for an ATM, and I didn't want to worry about my card not working for some reason, and I didn't want to wonder what out-of-network fees I would get charged. I got about 300 euros from my bank before leaving home - no fee and an acceptable exchange rate. (They needed a week's notice to get them. They would buy them back if I didn't use them all.) I also took a few hundred in US $$, planning on exchanging them for euros on the ship if needed. Then I got $500 in traveler's checks (no fee at my credit union) as an extra insurance for emergencies, figuring I could cash them for either dollars or euros on board or at a bank on land. I had credit cards for any big purchases.

 

As it turned out, I spent all the euros I had gotten in advance, and I exchanged about another $80 for euros on the ship. Of course everyone's spending habits are different, but this is what I spent the euros on: taxis in Rome, meals in Rome, a couple of lunches and some snacks in the ports, small souvenirs, tips for tour drivers and guides (all our excursions were through the ship so we didn't need cash to pay for them), admission to certain attractions in the ports, a few stamps to mail postcards, numerous glasses of wine at outdoor restaurants overlooking the Mediterranean (:D ), the train from Monaco back to the ship in Villefranche when we missed our excursion bus (:eek: ), and lots of bottled water as it was hot, hot, hot in most places. These were smallish expenses for which using a charge card wasn't practical or possible.

 

I came back with only a few euro coins, so I don't have anything to take back to the bank. I had most of the US $ leftover, but that's certainly not a problem! I never spent the traveler's checks, but I'm using them now at the grocery store and other places around town.

 

This plan worked for me, and I would do it the same way if I ever get another change to travel in Europe.

 

Have a great cruise.

[martyap]

Just returned from a month in Spain. ATM's were everywhere. All took my regular 4 digit pin and I got the best exchange rates. My bank charged a $1.25 fee per exchange....same as in the US when you use banks other than the primary source. No problem at all. Very easy and very convenient.

 

Are ATM's as easy to use and locate in Greece and Italy?????

 

Marty

[Cruise Junky]

Contrary to the post that said don't take any US. You'll be tipping on board in US dollars for items such as room service and if you plan on doing any gambling, you'll be using US dollars.

[Tania]

The fees for using ATMs abroad is a lot smaller than the cost of currency exchange on the ship...no contest. One is a small flat fee while the other adds several hundred basis points to the transaction.

 

You'll also need US cash on the way home to pay for in-flight duty-free (saves from carrying it all over Europe), parking or taxis when you land, meals during layovers, etc...

[doris1930]

Poohunderstands: "If you need US Dollars, get them in the casino which will be put on your sea card, and then exchange for Euros at the exchange desk on board the ship."

 

It has been my experience that most cruise ships charge 3% for cash charged to your sea card.

[cruisetoscrap]

dumb question... can you get travelers checks in euros instead of dollars to pay for private excursions instead of cash?

[Cruise Junky]

dumb question... can you get travelers checks in euros instead of dollars to pay for private excursions instead of cash?

 

You can, American Express does Euro Travelers Cheques, you just need to ensure your tour company will take them. I believe some of the more popular one's will.

[cathi]

We took only TC denominated in Euro's. The "bank" on the ship cashed them into Euros with no service fee and we also used real banks on land and they also didn't charge a service fee. Do take US dollars to tip on board but everything else will be in Euros.

[FLJudi]

Cathi - we were on the same cruise and beg to differ on the cost of using traveler’s checks and the ship's bank vs using ATM's. One must not be misled by "no service fees" on the ship and in the banks. It's not the minimal service fees on ATM's that make much difference, but the terrible exchange rate to get the travelers checks in the US and then exchange them into Euros in Europe or on the ship. We've analyzed the different ways to get money based on approximately equal usage on the trip and the ATMs using our check card (including service charge) averaged 1.22 dollars per Euro and the charges on our Visa (including fees) averaged 1.23 dollars per Euro. Check what your exchange rate was.

 

 

Bottom line – ATM’s are the way to go. We’ve had about 8 trips to Europe in the past 8 years and always find this to be true. We’ve never had a problem finding ATM’s quickly, even in the smallest towns.

 

 

We usually keep some Euros from one trip to another, and use these “leftovers” just in case. We’ve never needed them.

 

Hello from Naples.

 

FLJudi

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

A friend and I recently returned from a 10-day Med cruise on the Galaxy, with one night pre- and one night post-cruise in Rome. Here's what I did for money:

 

Unlike the majority of people on these boards, I considered ATM's the last resort, not the first way to get cash. I didn't want to spend valuable port time looking for an ATM, and I didn't want to worry about my card not working for some reason, and I didn't want to wonder what out-of-network fees I would get charged. I got about 300 euros from my bank before leaving home - no fee and an acceptable exchange rate. (They needed a week's notice to get them. They would buy them back if I didn't use them all.) I also took a few hundred in US $$, planning on exchanging them for euros on the ship if needed. Then I got $500 in traveler's checks (no fee at my credit union) as an extra insurance for emergencies, figuring I could cash them for either dollars or euros on board or at a bank on land. I had credit cards for any big purchases.

 

As it turned out, I spent all the euros I had gotten in advance, and I exchanged about another $80 for euros on the ship. Of course everyone's spending habits are different, but this is what I spent the euros on: taxis in Rome, meals in Rome, a couple of lunches and some snacks in the ports, small souvenirs, tips for tour drivers and guides (all our excursions were through the ship so we didn't need cash to pay for them), admission to certain attractions in the ports, a few stamps to mail postcards, numerous glasses of wine at outdoor restaurants overlooking the Mediterranean (:D ), the train from Monaco back to the ship in Villefranche when we missed our excursion bus (:eek: ), and lots of bottled water as it was hot, hot, hot in most places. These were smallish expenses for which using a charge card wasn't practical or possible.

 

I came back with only a few euro coins, so I don't have anything to take back to the bank. I had most of the US $ leftover, but that's certainly not a problem! I never spent the traveler's checks, but I'm using them now at the grocery store and other places around town.

 

This plan worked for me, and I would do it the same way if I ever get another change to travel in Europe.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

:p THANKS FOR THIS GREAT INFORMATION !!

[kare8ear]

Can someone comment on Turkey? Do they use the Euro or Turkish Lira? How did you obtain the Lira (if that is what the used in Turkey)?

 

TIA!