Ten countries - ten currencies how much to exchange?

[firefly99999]

During our cruise we will visit ten countries.. I wonder what you more experienced cruisers do...

how much and which 💴 currency you exchange..or just rely on good ole $$ or euro??

thank you kindly

emily

 

[denmarks]

Use a credit card and always charge in the country's currency. Do not convert to dollars. Every time you exchange the excess foreign currency you lose money.

[Bizmark'sMom]

If you do need cash, get a small amount from an ATM.

[LHT28]

I get a  small amount  like $50 worth but depending how long you are in port or what you plan to do  you may not need cash

Use a CC with no FTF or  a debit card & withdraw from the local ATM

What Countries are you visiting??

[Essiesmom]

She appears to be on Nautica Capetown to Singapore.

 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesonnautica-feb2020.html

[CruiserBruce]

I guess it would matter what those 10 countries are...

 

Use credit card. NEVER expect to be able to use dollars, or euros, in countries that have their own currencies. Not sure why people think that an appropriate thing to do.

[CruiserBruce]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

She appears to be on Nautica Capetown to Singapore.

 

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruisesonnautica-feb2020.html

In that case I would definitely not even be thinking about using dollars in those countries.

[wheezedr]

On 12/1/2019 at 7:28 AM, firefly99999 said:

During our cruise we will visit ten countries.. I wonder what you more experienced cruisers do...

how much and which 💴 currency you exchange..or just rely on good ole $$ or euro??

thank you kindly

emily

 

Would be much easier to answer if you defined which countries.

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I guess it would matter what those 10 countries are...

 

Use credit card. NEVER expect to be able to use dollars, or euros, in countries that have their own currencies. Not sure why people think that an appropriate thing to do.

 

I might be able to help you with that.  Some places welcome other currencies (USD, Euro).  

[crazyank]

10 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I guess it would matter what those 10 countries are...

 

Use credit card. NEVER expect to be able to use dollars, or euros, in countries that have their own currencies. Not sure why people think that an appropriate thing to do.

Simple,  because U.S. dollars are widely accepted.  Although this does not mean universally accepted and exchange rates can be unfavorable.

[Joebucks]

Not only should you use a credit card, but make sure to use one without foreign exchange fees. Those add up fast.

 

Exchanging currency is a waste of time and money.

[clo]

5 hours ago, crazyank said:

U.S. dollars are widely accepted. 

Like where please?

[ilikeanswers]

5 minutes ago, clo said:

Like where please?

 

I remeber Belize US dollars were accepted nearly everywhere though less so in San Ignacio and in Bosnia you could use Euros pretty much everywhere.

[ilikeanswers]

Since your visitng multiple ports in South Africa getting currency there could be handy though a lot of places especially tourist places would accept credit cards and I am told Mauritius and Seychelles is mostly credit card friendly too. Reunion Island uses Euros so if you have some it would be worth taking along. The other countries if you plan on buying something you will need their local currencies. If you want to know how much cash to take out there are plenty of websites that can provide you a breakdown of average costs.

Edited December 3, 2019 by ilikeanswers

[Kate P.C]

You could have euros on you yes, but your credit card will definitely come in handy too. As previous posters mentioned, try not to exchange as you will lose money.

[SRF]

The more touristy the location (around ports), the more likely they are to accept dollars and/or Euros.

 

And in some countries, dollars are better than the local currency, as they will give you a BETTER exchange rate.

 

Buenos Aires has been discussed in another thread, where you can change physical dollars at a better rate than credit card rates.

 

Not cruise destinations, but I have run into this in other countries.  

[hallasm]

You’ll probably be able to pay in most countries with a chip and pin credit card - and also using Apple Pay. Have EUR and US$ and credit card for the rest however difficult to answer without knowing which countries.

[mom says]

Apparently few posters bothered to look at the link provided up thread. So here is the itinerary: 

Cruise Itinerary: Cape Town, South Africa (03 Feb embark(+1)d1700); Mossel Bay, South Africa (05 Feb 1000-1900); Port Elizabeth, South Africa (06 Feb 0800-2000); East London, South Africa (07 Feb 0700-1700); Durban, South Africa (08 Feb 1000-2100); Richard's Bay, South Africa (09 Feb 0500-1600); Maputo, Mozambique (10 Feb 0900-1900); Saint-Denis, Reunion (14 Feb 0800-1800); Port Louis, Mauritius (15 Feb 0800-1800); La Digue, Seychelles (18 Feb 0700-1600); Mahe, Seychelles (18 Feb 1900(+1)1600); Male, Maldives (22 Feb 1500(+1)1800); Colombo, Sri Lanka (25 Feb 0700-2100); Galle, Sri Lanka (26 Feb 0700-1600); Phuket, Thailand (29 Feb 1000-1900); Langkawi, Malaysia (01 Mar 0700-1600); Klang (Kuala Lumpur), Malaysia (02 Mar 0800-1900); Singapore (03 Mar a1300(+1)disembark)

 

I wouldn't count on dollars or euros being readily accepted except at horrendously poor exchange rates in most places.  Use credit cards and/or local cash from a bank ATM. Since the OP embarks and has multiple port stops in South Africa it makes sense to have some Rand to use for small purchases.

Edited December 3, 2019 by mom says

[Underwatr]

I had two days in England and five in Germany during/between cruises in June. Everything went on credit cards. The only issue was parking at a Pay-and-Display lot in England but eventually I found one where I could pay through a phone app.

[Bizmark'sMom]

6 hours ago, clo said:

Like where please?

Argentina, for one.  Some shops in La Boca had really great exchange rates if you were paying in US cash.

[pacruise804]

 

On 12/3/2019 at 10:00 AM, clo said:

Like where please?

Bermuda and Bahamas come to mind.  Parts of Canada, but that also depends on how touristy of an area/how close to the border/current exchange rate.

[SRF]

Bermudan and Bahamian currency is tied to the US dollar, so $1US = $1 of theirs.

[joejoe 59]

On 12/4/2019 at 1:00 AM, clo said:

Like where please?

Definitely not Australia or New Zealand or .UK 

[George C]

On our Europe cruise we converted about a thousand to euros got a good rate from local bank, also did use some credit cards . 

[SRF]

On 12/7/2019 at 10:04 PM, George C said:

On our Europe cruise we converted about a thousand to euros got a good rate from local bank, also did use some credit cards . 

 

How good of a rate?