Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Money

newt52

By newt52,
in Canada/New England

 Share

Recommended Posts

newt52

newt52

Posted
Posted

We will be in port at St. John and Halifax in October. In St. John we will be on a private tour but may end up at the market. In Halifax we plan on doing the boardwalk area, perhaps go to the Citadel. My question is do we need to get Canadian currency for shops or restaurants around there?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ashland

Ashland

Posted
Posted
We will be in port at St. John and Halifax in October. In St. John we will be on a private tour but may end up at the market. In Halifax we plan on doing the boardwalk area, perhaps go to the Citadel. My question is do we need to get Canadian currency for shops or restaurants around there?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We didn't need CAD in either of these ports...the market in St John took US$'s and so did the terminal shopping area in Halifax. The restaurant we ate at we used our Capitol One credit card...no fees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
maryann ns

maryann ns

Posted
Posted

If you need a bit of cash there are two easy ways to get it when here:

 

Best - go to an ATM and take out $20 or more.

 

Next best - Pay for something with $US and your change will be Canadian. If it is only a small amount the cost would not be too bad.

 

Almost everywhere takes credit or debit cards. Exceptions would be transit or the ferry to Dartmouth and perhaps some waterfront kiosks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AZ Irish

AZ Irish

Posted
Posted

Some (few) places in Canada will not take US $ or credit card. My research of some small pubs in Quebec city was clear on that. Also, there could be some taxis that do not accept CC (may accept US$).

That being said, unless you have a bank associated in Canada, it may be cheaper to get some CAD at your US Bank. I have Chase debit which has horrible fees/rates for foreign countries so I bought some CAD here in US. Exchange rate wasn't perfect but was still better than Travelex.

 

Really depends on how much CAD you want to purchase and whether you care about crappy exchange rates. Are there some Canadian businesses that take US $, sure. Will their rates be competitive - no chance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
sprockie

sprockie

Posted
Posted

Using U.S.D in Canada or C.A.D in the USA at restaurants and retailers will always be an unfavourable exchange rate. Also, you will always get change in the currency of the country you're in. Using a CC is definitely the best practice unless you exchange some money at a bank or cash retail outlet ahead of time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Earl Rosebery

Earl Rosebery

Posted
Posted
We intend to use cc for as much as we can. Our only concern is when tipping tour guides ( only using cruisecship excursions as we received credits in every port) and wondering if we should use USD or CAD?

$C preferred but tour guides certainly used to $US. Besides they have a 25% premium

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Turtles06 Great Review Rare

Turtles06

Posted
Posted (edited)

We were in Halifax last week (we were also supposed to have docked in St. John's, Newfoundland, but our ship was diverted to help search for the person who went overboard from the AIDA Luna; a very sad day). We had Canadian currency with us, but were also able to use our credit cards.

 

One funny story: when we exited the cruise terminal in Halifax, we hired a cab for some touring for several hours. The driver quoted us a price of "one hundred dollars" per person. I said, "I assume that's one hundred Canadian." He replied, "one hundred Canadian or one hundred U.S., I'll take either." LOL!!! It never hurts to have local currency with you!!

 

PS: Not that you asked, but we had a wonderful lunch at The Five Fishermen, just downhill from the Citadel. The fish tacos were fabulous. So were the fish and chips. (The potatoes are local, and you can absolutely taste the freshness. And of course the freshness of the fish is a given.)

Edited by Turtles06
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
lenquixote66

lenquixote66

Posted
Posted
We will be in port at St. John and Halifax in October. In St. John we will be on a private tour but may end up at the market. In Halifax we plan on doing the boardwalk area, perhaps go to the Citadel. My question is do we need to get Canadian currency for shops or restaurants around there?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

You can use American currency anywhere in Canada.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Prinz

Prinz

Posted
Posted
You can use American currency anywhere in Canada.
Lol. No, you can't.

Most touristy cities and those near the border will be accommodating. But, you'll get a way worse rate than if you just use a CC.

And they're certainly under no obligation to take USD. ( Say if you're trying to buy like a stick of gum )

 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Turtles06 Great Review Rare

Turtles06

Posted
Posted
Thanks for all the helpful replies, gives me lots to think about.

Turtles06- The Five Fishermen sounds great, any chance they have chowder?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I'm afraid you may be out of luck there. I don't recall any chowder, and there is none listed on their menu on line. (The lunch restaurant is called the Little Fish Oyster Bar.)

 

https://www.littlefishoysterbar.ca/lunch-menu/

 

But here are the fabulous fish tacos :D

 

enhance

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
LHT28 Holiday Sharing Rare

LHT28

Posted
Posted
55 minutes ago, MisElainieous said:

We live in a small community in Alabama, not close to a large city. Where would you get exchange for Canadian $?   Would the ship offer it?

 

maybe   depends on the ship

You could  just  hit an ATM  in port   or use your CC

some merchants  will accept  USD  with a higher exchange rate conversion 

depends on what you will be spending whether it is worth the  convenience  factor 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Prinz

Prinz

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, MisElainieous said:

We live in a small community in Alabama, not close to a large city. Where would you get exchange for Canadian $?   Would the ship offer it?

How small a community are we talking here. Any bank would most likely offer it. Maybe not hundreds of thousands, but enough for tourist purposes.

Our town of less than 4 thousand people has a bank that has US dollars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...