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euro or dollars for British Isles cruise

Tak8

By Tak8,
in Princess Cruises

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cynbar

cynbar

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We did this cruise last May and tipped in British pounds, which is the currency used in the homeport of Southampton and most of the ports on our itinerary. However, if I had had a lot of euros left over, I would have been comfortable tipping with those as they are used in the Republic of Ireland and France (or Belgium, in our case since we didn't make it to France.)

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skynight

skynight

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I'm taking my first British Isles cruise this May. Do you bring dollar bills or Euros for small tips on the cruise? I'm thinking about breakfast in the cabin etc.

It appears you have two ports of call in Ireland and one in France. These are the only Euro ports and credit cards are widely accepted. All your other ports use British Pounds.

If you do have any Euros remaining from your ports of call the crew will accept them.

You will most likely have British Pounds, and the crew will accept them also.

The crew' will gladly accept US$, as US$ is the ship's currency.

 

FYI: for British Pounds and Euros the smallest folding bills are fives. All lower denominations are coins.

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thinfool

thinfool

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Where the best place to exchange currency? Your local bank or is the airport the best place?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

An ATM in the country you are visiting. Use a secure one at a bank or in a bank branded location.

 

Airports often have these, but more and more Travelex has their ATM's out there. Not good...Travelex has high exchange rates.

 

Be sure to tell your bank you will be traveling or else that foreign ATM may eat your card.

Edited by thinfool
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Doug R.

Doug R.

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We never use the airport or ATM's. We find a competitive money exchange storefront type location.

 

 

Which is nice if you have the luxury of time to seek one out and comparison shop. Imho ATM is the way to go.

 

 

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Griller

Griller

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It appears you have two ports of call in Ireland and one in France. These are the only Euro ports and credit cards are widely accepted. All your other ports use British Pounds.

If you do have any Euros remaining from your ports of call the crew will accept them.

You will most likely have British Pounds, and the crew will accept them also.

The crew' will gladly accept US$, as US$ is the ship's currency.

 

FYI: for British Pounds and Euros the smallest folding bills are fives. All lower denominations are coins.

 

FYI not actually true as there are still one pound notes circulating in parts of Britain but not legal tender in England although they may be accepted. Best avoided really except as a great inexpensive souvenir.

http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknoteapp/img/rbs1.jpg

Edited by Griller
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DrivesLikeMario

DrivesLikeMario

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Posted (edited)

I always get some of my money ahead of time so when I arrive a bit groggy from lack of sleep on the plane, I don't have to hunt for an ATM:

 

https://www.wellsfargo.com/foreign-exchange/

 

I've ordered from them many times. It usually comes within 24-36 hrs. and you have to sign for it and if you order enough, shipping is free. If you have a Wells Fargo nearby, you can go into the branch and avoid any shipping charges. Check different bank branch locations though. Some have smaller denominations than others. The ones that are shipped to you tend to be larger bills.

Edited by DrivesLikeMario
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Times Prince

Times Prince

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I always get some of my money ahead of time so when I arrive a bit groggy from lack of sleep on the plane, I don't have to hunt for an ATM:

 

https://www.wellsfargo.com/foreign-exchange/

 

I've ordered from them many times. It usually comes within 24-36 hrs. and you have to sign for it and if you order enough, shipping is free. If you have a Wells Fargo nearby, you can go into the branch and avoid any shipping charges. Check different bank branch locations though. Some have smaller denominations than others. The ones that are shipped to you tend to be larger bills.

We get Euros or Pounds from Wells Fargo as well. for a Transatlantic cruise with stops in Ireland and UK (Scotland and Southampton) we got at 100 Pounds, used for souvenirs, tips, and a meal at the London airport. Most shops will accept credit cards.

 

The big "gotcha" came in an excursion out of Glasgow where the bathrooms on land required 20P coins...

 

The Euros for Ireland were not an issue, because we have family in The Netherlands, so any excess is used for them.

Edited by Times Prince
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easyboy

easyboy

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I'm taking my first British Isles cruise this May. Do you bring dollar bills or Euros for small tips on the cruise? I'm thinking about breakfast in the cabin etc.

Small tips in US$ will be more appreciated. They can also spend/exchanged it even when not in European itinerary, including travel to their home country

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satxdiver

satxdiver

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For room service etc aboard the ship, we tip in USD. When we arrive in a foreign port, we get a little local currency in the airport at an ATM. We get local currency (last cruise GBP and Euros) from a bank ATM. When we go on shore tours we look for an ATM or ask the tour guide where to go to find one. Since their tip is contingent on our finding an ATM they have always been most helpful - not that they are not that way all the time tip or no tip.

 

We did the British Isles cruise a few months ago and enjoyed it. We had Euros for Ireland and France and GBP for the UK. The value of the GBP has fallen a lot since Brexit.

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caribill

caribill

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Where the best place to exchange currency? Your local bank or is the airport the best place?

 

From a cost point of view:

 

1st choice: A local bank ATM using a debit card that has no foreign exchange fees. CapitalOne, for example, has such a card and you will get the best exchange rate possible with no added fees. By the way, if an ATM asks you to choose between having the ATM convert the currency or have your bank do it, allways pick your bank.

 

2nd choice: A bank at home such as Wells Fargo. You will pay a currency exchange fee of about 4% as part of the rate they quote you.

 

3rd choice: At an airport currency exchange booth in the country that has the currency you want. (For example, do not purchase Euros at a USA airport. Purchase them in a country that uses Euros.)

 

Last choice unless you really are desperate: The currency exchange machine on a Princess ship. This method combines the best of poor exchange rates plus an additional service charge. (This is not an ATM. You feed it one currency and it gives you another.)

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IECalCruiser

IECalCruiser

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We never use the airport or ATM's. We find a competitive money exchange storefront type location.
I have an ATM/debit card that charges no currency exchange or transaction fees and I get local currency from bank ATMs. I get local currency at the daily Interbank rate plus about 0.1% which is far better than any storefront currency exchange location I have ever found. I have used the card at ATMs in Estonia, Spain, Italy and Greece.

 

Other ATM cards may have exchange and/or transaction fees but that will still be less than getting currency at Wells Fargo before your cruise or at a currency exchange on your cruise. This has been my experience and I have been using ATM's overseas for more than 20 years.

 

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Edited by IECalCruiser
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cynbar

cynbar

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We always get our foreign currency from our local bank before we leave, it is more stress free that way. I make a list of what I think we will need for cash, give our bank a list and it arrives the next day. We pay a conversion fee, but I keep the receipt and there is then no fee to convert any unused monies back to USD after the trip. We would use an ATM if needed, but so far that hasn't been the case. I understand that many people use foreign ATMs exclusively, but I have also heard about issues such as long lines at the airport ATMs after landing. Our method is less of a hassle, which is important to us on vacation, and we're not talking a large amount of money as we use credit cards when possible.

 

One other thing I'd like to add: for those who plan to look for ATMs in their ports, please try to not inconvenience your fellow travelers. We were on a tour with a couple who sent the driver all over to find the right ATM, which disrupted our tour and thoroughly annoyed the other cruisers. Find your ATMs on your own time, everyone will be happier!

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