Should I bring euros on a Scandanavian cruise?

[steveandlanada]

Hi, I am going on a cruise with Royal Carribean at the end of May departing from Denmark with stops in Russia, Sweden, Finland and Estonia. Should I bring Euros for the excursions and rubles in Russia or just bring dollars, or use credit card? Thanks in advance.

[kochleffel]

Of those countries, only Estonia and Finland use the Euro.

 

In Denmark and Sweden you can do almost everything with a credit card -- Sweden is reported to be the most cashless society in the world. Tour guides in Russia will be happy to take U.S. currency for tips, and some of the private tour operators prefer to be paid in cash in U.S. funds as well.

 

In general, the easiest way to get local currency is from an ATM in the country, especially if you have a debit card that won't add a foreign-exchange fee. For any credit or debit cards that you might use, make sure to let the issuer know exactly when and where you're traveling. Among credit cards, American Express is accepted by somewhat fewer merchants, especially smaller shops and restaurants, and hardly any businesses outside North America accept Discover.

 

 

[Heidi13]

We used a credit card for almost everything. For tips, we used US $, just make sure the notes are in good condition, or they cannot be exchanged in Russia.

[dogs4fun]

3 hours ago, kochleffel said:

Of those countries, only Estonia and Finland use the Euro.

 

In Denmark and Sweden you can do almost everything with a credit card -- Sweden is reported to be the most cashless society in the world. Tour guides in Russia will be happy to take U.S. currency for tips, and some of the private tour operators prefer to be paid in cash in U.S. funds as well.

 

In general, the easiest way to get local currency is from an ATM in the country, especially if you have a debit card that won't add a foreign-exchange fee. For any credit or debit cards that you might use, make sure to let the issuer know exactly when and where you're traveling. Among credit cards, American Express is accepted by somewhat fewer merchants, especially smaller shops and restaurants, and hardly any businesses outside North America accept Discover.

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in Europe - American Express not so much.

Russian tour guides will happily accept tips in USD or Euros but it against the law in Russia to accept payment in US dollars (you would need to pay for your tour via credit card or Rubles cash).

Currencies are as follows:

Sweden: krona

Denmark: krone

Finland & Estonia: euro

Russia: ruble

You will probably not need any local currency in Russia if you have booked an organized tour - same for Sweden & Denmark. You might want to take some euros for tips and incidentals.

Edited March 16, 2019 by dogs4fun

[snowskier]

There was a time when I traveled knowing I would only use credit cards or an ATM for obtaining currency in the country I was going to.

 

In today's volatile world I never travel without currency for the country I am visiting. If something happens, cash will be king - a credit card will not be your friend. ATMs may not be accessible. I have learned this the hard way -- and won't be caught without cash again. Think about a natural disaster in the U.S. -- a hurricane, flood, bomb cyclone (yes I am in Colorado) -- no power, no way to purchase with a Credit Card, no access to ATMs. That stash of emergency cash is critical. Then think about being in a foreign country and having something happen.

 

For those that are about to take this opportunity to tell us all how many zillion cruises they have been on with no problem -- great but irrelevant information. I don't have the room in my brain to remember how many times I have traveled internationally but I do have the room to remember the time I was caught in a situation where cash was the only answer. 

[Extra Kim]

I hardly never use cash in Sweden (I live here). In Finland, Denmark and Estonia we have used my Visa debit card and my wife's Master card. 

Depending on what you are planing to do, you might not need cash in these four countries, Russia might be the exception. As long as you have a Visa/Master card with a pin code.

[hallasm]

51 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

As long as you have a Visa/Master card with a pin code.

Yes, this will be important - then no need for money except if you plan for taking a public bus.

[Extra Kim]

7 hours ago, hallasm said:

Yes, this will be important - then no need for money except if you plan for taking a public bus.

You won't be able to pay with cash on a Swedish bus.

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, Extra Kim said:

You won't be able to pay with cash on a Swedish bus.

Thank you for the clarification regarding Sweden - still cash for busses in Denmark.

 

[Hlitner]

So here is a shocker from a very frequent International traveler!   We generally take nothing (in terms of foreign currency) other then several different Debit/ATM cards (more then 1 account gives us both back-up and the ability to get larger daily amounts of cash) and several major credit cards (most with no foreign exchange fees).  When we need local currency we will normally obtain it from an ATM.   We do carry some US Dollar cash as an emergency back-up as dollars can be exchanged at Cambios when its truly necessary.  

 

In Northern Europe there has really been a trend towards a cashless society.  Nobody thinks anything about using a credit card to buy a cup of coffee and there are some situations where cash is not even acceptable.  The last time we were in Sweden (probably the most cash adverse country in the world) we decided to try and function with zero krona and managed quite well for a multi-day visit.  Using Krona in Stockholm is more likely to raise some eyebrows...then using a credit card for even the smallest purchases.

 

Hank

[SRF]

On 3/16/2019 at 6:41 PM, snowskier said:

There was a time when I traveled knowing I would only use credit cards or an ATM for obtaining currency in the country I was going to.

 

In today's volatile world I never travel without currency for the country I am visiting. If something happens, cash will be king - a credit card will not be your friend. ATMs may not be accessible. I have learned this the hard way -- and won't be caught without cash again. Think about a natural disaster in the U.S. -- a hurricane, flood, bomb cyclone (yes I am in Colorado) -- no power, no way to purchase with a Credit Card, no access to ATMs. That stash of emergency cash is critical. Then think about being in a foreign country and having something happen.

 

For those that are about to take this opportunity to tell us all how many zillion cruises they have been on with no problem -- great but irrelevant information. I don't have the room in my brain to remember how many times I have traveled internationally but I do have the room to remember the time I was caught in a situation where cash was the only answer. 

 

I just get cash out of an ATM at the airport or port, when I arrive.

 

If things are that bad, the plane or ship will not end up there.

[SRF]

On 3/17/2019 at 12:01 PM, Hlitner said:

So here is a shocker from a very frequent International traveler!   We generally take nothing (in terms of foreign currency) other then several different Debit/ATM cards (more then 1 account gives us both back-up and the ability to get larger daily amounts of cash) and several major credit cards (most with no foreign exchange fees).  When we need local currency we will normally obtain it from an ATM.   We do carry some US Dollar cash as an emergency back-up as dollars can be exchanged at Cambios when its truly necessary.  

 

Not a shocker, I am on the road about 40% of the time for international business travel.  And in my non-work time, I also travel internationally.

 

I carry a few hundred in US cash backup.  Otherwise, I get local money as soon as I land.  Smaller things, I still find it easier to pay cash.

 

When land traveling, any left over cash goes on the last hotel bill, except for enough to get to the airport.  Except, I do not worry about getting rid of commonly transited location cash, such as UK Pounds, Euro, Hong Kong dollars, Canadian dollars, Thai baht.