Purchase cruise USD or CDN?

[manlie]

I know most people suggest leaving your account on board in USD but has anyone done the comparison of purchasing the cruise (and add on packages) in USD vs letting them convert it to Canadian? (Sailing Royal Caribbean if it matters)

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 minutes ago, manlie said:

I know most people suggest leaving your account on board in USD but has anyone done the comparison of purchasing the cruise (and add on packages) in USD vs letting them convert it to Canadian? (Sailing Royal Caribbean if it matters)

We pay the trip in CAD 

And use a Brim CC for onboard him expenses, it has no transaction fees 

But lately , we have been going to the casino to put out our OBC 😉

 

[LHT28]

I think  if you compare the exchange rate the cruise line uses & if your CC charges a FTF or not  then you can make an informed decision that works best for you

 

 I pay the cruise in CAD  but  the cruise line rate has been close to the bank rate  if I would to buy USD it would be close

We do have  a USD account  at TD   alont with a USD VISA card

 

I usually just  use the USD VISA  on the ship to secure any overspending  but lately we  have lots of OBC from the cruise loyalty program that I have not had any charges at the end of the cruise

YMMV

 

 

[Fouremco]

We typically book cruises well in advance, often when they are first released, and we pay in CAD. By doing so, we know exactly what our final payment will be two or more years down the road. If we were to book in USD, we would have no idea what the final payment might be due to fluctuating exchange rates.

 

If you have a source of USD (other than currency exchange), then paying in USD would not pose the same potential risk. Similarly, if you are making a last minute booking and are paying in full right away, you can go with whichever currency will cost you less and not worry about future changes in the exchange rate.

[Tango99]

We use 3 cruise lines. All offered a competitive rate in Canadian compared to current exchange. Our last 2 cruises were at 1.35 and 1.37. We booked them in November 2022. The rates are reviewed periodically. When you’re contemplating setting your account to Canadian or US ask how easy it is to flip to the other. It can affect how you feel about a future booking you may make while you have one still active. Cruise lines closed quite a few loopholes during the pandemic as many switched to ‘new accounting system’. If you have free time try booking in CDN and in USD using a different ip address. You’ll be able to compare rates. Even with GBP if you’re there. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

We typically book cruises well in advance, often when they are first released, and we pay in CAD. By doing so, we know exactly what our final payment will be two or more years down the road. If we were to book in USD, we would have no idea what the final payment might be due to fluctuating exchange rates.

 

When we have booked in USD   the final prices was locked in  never had the cruise line change it  due to fluctuating  exchange rates

We have booked up to 18 mths in advance

[Djb4CC]

9 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

When we have booked in USD   the final prices was locked in  never had the cruise line change it  due to fluctuating  exchange rates

We have booked up to 18 mths in advance

The issue is not that cruise line changes the final price… the issue is that you will have to purchase US dollars in the future to make the payment and you have no idea what that exchange rate will be in 18 months time.

[manlie]

My issue is that when booking excursions/drink packages/etc the exchange rate is about 1.50 (a direct example is my pop package is 9.99usd but 14.99cdn) so I am wondering if the cruise price is at that rate also. I can’t do a dummy booking to see as the ship is sold out. I will try to call and see what the price would be in USD. Our final payment is next week and unfortunately I don’t think our dollar is suddenly going to get much better 🙁

[LHT28]

20 minutes ago, Djb4CC said:

The issue is not that cruise line changes the final price… the issue is that you will have to purchase US dollars in the future to make the payment and you have no idea what that exchange rate will be in 18 months time.

got it

 I usually watch the exchange  rate & stockpile USD when the rates are good

A few years back we got  a bunch when  the USD/CAD  were at par or very close

 I am down to  my last  $3000 USD so  just use the CAD rate  from the cruise line now  😉

 

[LHT28]

7 minutes ago, manlie said:

My issue is that when booking excursions/drink packages/etc the exchange rate is about 1.50 (a direct example is my pop package is 9.99usd but 14.99cdn) so I am wondering if the cruise price is at that rate also. I can’t do a dummy booking to see as the ship is sold out. I will try to call and see what the price would be in USD. Our final payment is next week and unfortunately I don’t think our dollar is suddenly going to get much better 🙁

I usually ask my TA to check  the cruise line rate  before I decide 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

12 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

got it

 I usually watch the exchange  rate & stockpile USD when the rates are good

A few years back we got  a bunch when  the USD/CAD  were at par or very close

 I am down to  my last  $3000 USD so  just use the CAD rate  from the cruise line now  😉

 

That was 10 years ago! 
 

[dawnvip]

As far as I know, On-board accounts (bar, shore excursions, spa, gratuities, etc) are charged in US $.

The exchange rates from the cruise lines is quite competative, so if you have them do the exchange at end of your cruise, or if you use a no-foreign-exchange credit card to pay the US$ balance it should be very close.

As Fouremco states, pay the cruise fare in CAD unless you want to gamble on a strong dollar when your final payment is due. 

[rodndonna]

I always book with whichever seems to be giving me the better rate (based on the exchange rate at time of booking).

 

I just made a booking right now with HAL a couple of weeks ago  in Canadian and they are now quoting almost 77 cents to the US dollar (1.30) which is much better than I could do so a no brainer for that one. Oddly, someone commented on the HAL board that they could not get their TA to match HAL's currency rate fr Canadian when booking direct which surprises me (we have only booked direct).

 

Unfortunately with HAL everything onboard is always USD, so not option for some savings there.

 

 

[Magicat]

We book in US as it is impossible for our TA to transfer us into a group rate if we booked in CND.

[squadron]

11 hours ago, Magicat said:

We book in US as it is impossible for our TA to transfer us into a group rate if we booked in CND.

I book a group rate if possible.  Do so in CDN dollars/.Travel agent doesn't seem to have a problem doing so.

[Dismomx5]

17 minutes ago, squadron said:

I book a group rate if possible.  Do so in CDN dollars/.Travel agent doesn't seem to have a problem doing so.

Same here. I've always booked in Canadian, and often get the group rates through my TA. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by Dismomx5

[LHT28]

I guess it depends on the TA

 

I get the group rate  with our US TA as well

Booked last few cruises  in CAD

[1982CruzStart]

When we booked cruises in the past we sometimes did it in USD, sometimes in CAD, and would put aside USD when the exchange was favorable.   At 1 point in time our US TA that we used for a specific cruise line could not book in CAD so we were forced to book in USD. That is no longer the case so now we always book in CAD. We book far in advance and just don't care to play the foreign exchange game. 

We have a US visa card and use it for any onboard charges. 

[JustCruzin77]

Has anyone done a Princess CAD at par cruise?
Is it just at par for booking, or is on board spending also at par?

 

[1982CruzStart]

1 hour ago, JustCruzin77 said:

Has anyone done a Princess CAD at par cruise?
Is it just at par for booking, or is on board spending also at par?

 

I have not done Princess at par but have done others and the booking was at par but the onboard spending was at regular prices. 

[Mingus]

6 hours ago, JustCruzin77 said:

Has anyone done a Princess CAD at par cruise?
Is it just at par for booking, or is on board spending also at par?

 

Just completed an "at par" cruise. Only the cruise fare was at par, but not the taxes & fees, nor the on-board charges.

[ShopperfiendTO]

How does one know that one has booked a "group rate"?  Where does one find a "group rate" for a given cruise?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

28 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

How does one know that one has booked a "group rate"?  Where does one find a "group rate" for a given cruise?

Ask some travel agents if they have group rate 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

How does one know that one has booked a "group rate"?  Where does one find a "group rate" for a given cruise?

my TA usually mentions they have a group rate  for that sailing

[pink845]

We always book cruises in CDN Dollars.  On the ship, our onboard account is charged to the USD Visa card we provide.  OBC that we receive is always in USD which is great even though our original booking was made with two $100 CDN future cruise deposits. So we are ahead of the game from the very get go.