$'s or Euros

[med1122]

If you do extra tipping can you do so in $'s. Also much earlier someone mentioned different places on board to exchange for euros and said 1 place gave a better rate. Was it the casino?

 

One other question---can you get natural water (no bubbles) by the bottle or is it only with bubbles?

 

I have learned so much from the postings it's odd I only have to ask about bubbles and money now. Especially since I will be the only English speaking person on Allegra. But who cares, when in Rome...:)

[george/patricia]

A good question Med. I was also wondering what currency will be used on the Nov. 28 repositioning cruise - will it be Euros, $ or both? Big J.

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

On the European cruises definitely everything on board is priced in €. On cruises out of Fort Lauderdale, everything is priced in $. You can tip in dollars but they'd rather have euros because they don't need to be converted. I'm referring to the European sailings. On U.S. sailings they'd rather have dollars because once again, they don't need to convert them.

 

Yes, you can get "still" water. (without "gas")

 

BobK/Orlando

[med1122]

I was really hoping you would be the one that answered. I have gotten lots of useful info from you throughout this process. Have you taken an Eastern Med. trip before and if so what excursions did you like best? Thanks for everything.:)

[TNTKP]

So, then on a repositioning cruise originating in Italy, the currency will be the Euro, regardless of of the fact that it ends in the US, and has stops that accept US dollars? I seem to have read another cruiser's posting that even though she had been told that the currency would be the dollar, it was in fact, the Euro.

And the plot thickens......

Tim

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

TNTKP, don't know the answer to your question as I've not done a Costa trans-Atlantic repositioning cruise. Good question though. Perhaps Costa reservations could answer that one.

 

Med1122, thanks. Our Costa cruise went to Dubrovnik, Kotar, and Corfu, so we did not get very far east and thus have no excursion experience. Don't recall where you're stopping on your cruise. I can tell you if you're going to Piraeus for Athens that there is an Athens Metro system stop right there at the harbor which makes it quite easy and cheap to get into Athens without the need to purchase an excursion. From Corfu we did a self-made half-day trip over to Sarande, Albania, using the high speed ferry.

 

BobK/Orlando

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Followup on my entry above:

 

Costa fans know that they're bringing two wonderful ships over to the U.S. for the winter season....Costa Mediterranea and Costa Magica. Well I just received an e-mail from Costa advertising that they're also bringing over the Costa Allegra this winter! Perhaps this is old news but it was new information to me. She will sail from Miami. And what makes this even more interesting is that they are giving passengers shipboard credit because prices on board will be priced in €. I suspect this was a sailing previously only marketed in Europe and now they are trying to fill it up with North Americans.

 

The 11-night sailings begin at $899 per person and the ship will sail to Cozumel, Montego Bay, Costa Rica, Panama, and Grand Cayman. On-board credit is $200 per cabin. The e-mail states: $200 onboard credit per stateroom is to offset the currenty difference of the Euro (used onboard).

BobK/Orlando

[med1122]

Thanks Bob for the extra info. I visited Athens twice in the 70's and this trip goes to Naples, Messina, Alexandria, Limassol, Marmaris, Santorini,and Katakolon. This is really a history trip for our daughter who is a senior history major. So I guess we will take the excursions with the most history. :)