Costa Cruises departing from Spain. What's the onboard currency?

[jc.christian]

Title says it all. Will it be EUR (because it's sailing from Spain) or USD (the currency "standard")?

 

Costa's site is kinda evasive as they say that cruises sailing from Europe *usually* are in EUR, "usually" is not enough for me. I need to know for sure, so I use the right card onboard to avoid usuless cutrency exchange fees.

 

What are you guys experience when sailing from Europe ports?

[CruiserBruce]

It will not depend on the country, it will be the cruise line currency. Have not heard of any cruise line that changes its on board currency based on the country it is currently in. That would be a huge complex nightmare. 

 

Ask on the Costa board what their fleet wide currency is.

[ldubs]

Well, I suppose if it is Euros then use the card that works for Euros.  If it is dollars then use the card that works for dollars.  Enjoy!  

[mom says]

Since when are USD the "currency standard"? False assumption on your part.

Costa is a European owned and operated cruise line and will be sailing out of a European port. It's pretty safe to assume the on board expenses will be charged in Euros. However, all on board expenses will be charged to your cruise account. You can't make any on board purchases with either cash or credit card. The account will be paid off using the registered credit card at the end of the cruise.

Edited September 11, 2023 by mom says

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

It will not depend on the country, it will be the cruise line currency. Have not heard of any cruise line that changes its on board currency based on the country it is currently in. That would be a huge complex nightmare. 

 

Ask on the Costa board what their fleet wide currency is.

 

 

The cruise line (Italian) is in Euroland

The departure port (Spain) is in Euroland

 

I wonder what ship's currency will be 

 

BTW, Bruce, we've sailed Princess out of Australia - and ship's currency  was AUD.

 

JB 🙂

Edited September 11, 2023 by John Bull

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, John Bull said:

 

 

The cruise line (Italian) is in Euroland

The departure port (Spain) is in Euroland

 

I wonder what ship's currency will be 

 

JB 🙂

It is highly likely you are correct.  But to imagine the concept of sailing from London, stopping in Copenhagen,  Warnemunde, SPB...you get the concept?

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

It is highly likely you are correct.  But to imagine the concept of sailing from London, stopping in Copenhagen,  Warnemunde, SPB...you get the concept?

Agreed, Bruce.

But the great majority of sailings from Spain will be almost-entirely in Euroland.

 

JB 🙂

[jsn55]

I don't agree that USD is the 'unofficial currency of cruise ships' ... not because I have any information, but it just seems 'wrong'.  I was surprised when sailed Cunard out of Southampton through Europe and QV used USD.  I'd be more concerned about a cruiseline that didn't have that kind of information readily accessible ... seems rather sloppy to me.  Just take both CCs.  Always good to travel with a spare card anyway.

[At7Seas]

10 hours ago, jc.christian said:

USD (the currency "standard")?

 

Who made the Dollar standard? That US companies use their home currency is quite obvious, but here in Europe the Dollar is pretty useless. The value of the Dollar jumps up and down, European companies or customers don’t like that. Costa enables Americans to pay their cruise in Dollar as well, of course Costa plays save with the exchange rates risk, this means Dollar prices tend to be higher than Euro prices.

 

6 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

But to imagine the concept of sailing from London, stopping in Copenhagen,  Warnemunde, SPB...you get the concept?

 

Costa does not use local currencies of European ports where the Euro is no legal tender - it’s just Euro, that is the standard currency aboard.

 

9 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Have not heard of any cruise line that changes its on board currency based on the country it is currently in. That would be a huge complex nightmare. 

 

Costa uses the Dollar in exceptional cases. When they expect a majority of non-Europeans aboard they sometimes use Dollar. I was booked on the same South America cruise on the same ship that had been cancelled twice. First time currency was Euro as usual, second time they used Dollar. How did I know? I simply found strange amounts marked with $-marks for excursions and other items. Of course the currency isn't changed during a single cruise.

[wcook]

Just to be anal - Costa is owned by Carnival Corp, a mostly American company (there’s a portion of the legal structure that is British, but that’s mostly a technically.)

 

But yes, onboard account is settled in euros. 

[Petersonfcu]

On 9/11/2023 at 12:49 PM, CruiserBruce said:

It will not depend on the country, it will be the cruise line currency. Have not heard of any cruise line that changes its on board currency based on the country it is currently in. That would be a huge complex nightmare. 

 

I know for a fact that Carnival cruise line ships sailing out of Australia use the Australian dollar as the onboard currency.  And, of course, the same Carnival cruise line ships when sailing out of U.S. ports use the U.S. dollar onboard.

[Petersonfcu]

On 9/11/2023 at 7:15 PM, jsn55 said:

I don't agree that USD is the 'unofficial currency of cruise ships' ... not because I have any information, but it just seems 'wrong'.  I was surprised when sailed Cunard out of Southampton through Europe and QV used USD.  

When you call it "Official" or "Unofficial," the U.S. Dollar is in fact the onboard currency of Cunard.  I know some Brits who really don't like that. 

[CruiserBruce]

15 hours ago, Petersonfcu said:

I know for a fact that Carnival cruise line ships sailing out of Australia use the Australian dollar as the onboard currency.  And, of course, the same Carnival cruise line ships when sailing out of U.S. ports use the U.S. dollar onboard.

There needs to be a definition clarification here. "Based in Australia ", like the couple of Princess ships based there, use Australian currency, or "sailing out of", which usually don't use Australian currency as their primary. 

[Oggiabordo]

The only time I have seen Costa ships using dollar onboard is on cruises departing from the USA (which they don’t offer at the moment) or on transatlantic repositioning cruises. If it’s a wholly European cruise , the onboard currency will be euro. 

[At7Seas]

On 9/16/2023 at 3:02 PM, wcook said:

Just to be anal - Costa is owned by Carnival Corp, a mostly American company (there’s a portion of the legal structure that is British, but that’s mostly a technically.)

 

Economically it doesn‘t make sense to call legally Italian Costa being American by ownership and giving the idea that this American Costa could or should use the Dollar. The ownership does not generate a logical link to the currency the owner uses at home. One of the world‘s largest car manufacturers (in many years the largest) is a Japanese company that owns companies all over the world. And surprise - surprise! In Euroland their daughter companies quote us the price of such a car in Euro. And it would surprise me a lot if the prices in the USA would be in Yen. Costa would undergo a massive ecomical risk if they would calculate in Dollar while the very most of their costs are paid in Euro. Using a foreign currency a thing done by companies that are afraid about their own volatile local currency, which is hit massively by devaluation and costs have to be paid for a huge part in a major currency as the Euro. Besides this would scare away the very most of Costa‘s customers who earn their money in Euro and are not interested in paying a European company in foreign exchange, which would increase their spendings without any reason. And if we would accept the idea of ownership determinating the currency Carnival Cruises would not use the Dollar any more, but since Saudi Arabia bought a pretty large part of Carnival Corp & PLC and might be the largest single shareholder today this would be Riyal…?

[At7Seas]

On 9/22/2023 at 9:40 AM, Oggiabordo said:

The only time I have seen Costa ships using dollar onboard is on cruises departing from the USA (which they don’t offer at the moment) or on transatlantic repositioning cruises. If it’s a wholly European cruise , the onboard currency will be euro. 

 

Correct, in Europe Costa uses Euro. But even on repositioning the use of Dollar is the exception. I did a couple from and to Caribbean and Asia and it was always Euro. As I said before the same cruise from South America to Europe everything was priced in Euro in first year that I booked, one year later exactly the same route on the same ship was priced for onboard payable items in Dollar. But since both cruises had been cancelled I never paid aboard of a Costa in Dollar, not even on repositioning cruises. It is really an absolute exception.
 
BTW I am in Spain right now and here is today’s menu. If a proof is needed: payable items are marked with €…

 

 

23-09-27.pdf

[mustafabalcony]

Costa's onboard currency for cruises from Spain is the euro. It's also the euro on their transatlantic cruises from Europe.

 

[Despegue]

The Peseta 🥳

[wcook]

For what’s it’s worth, I’m currently sailing on Costa out of Dubai. Everything on ship is in Euros, not the UAE currency and certainly not USD (I’ve yet to notice a single American on board.)