Coxy

[coxy]

I’m due to sail from Dubai to Singapore just wondering if I should take some local currency for India and Malaysia and Singapore or could I just use dollars 

[Tralfaz1138]

I'll admit I can't speak for Singapore from experience, but in looking it up online and basing things on travel to other Asian countries it would be best to have local currency.  "If" someone does accept foreign currency they will typically round up regarding the exchange rate since they'll have to go through the hassle of exchanging the money.

 

I'm leaving from Singapore on the Singapore to Sydney cruise and the advice I've seen for Singapore is that, if you want to eat in a Hawker market, you'll want cash but in more "commercial" spots you can just use a credit card.  I would assume India would be the same way, and I've been to Bangkok where it was best to have baht on hand (I believe one of your stops is in Phuket where you'd want that currency).

 

The exchange rate is generally better if you do it through you're bank before hand, but I imagine there will be places near where you disembark at the ports to exchange money.

 

[cantgetin]

On the ship you will use dollars.  However, if you plan to do anything other than ship sponsored excursions, it is always a good idea to have a small amount of local currency.  While  some places might accept USD, the exchange rate will leave a lot to be desired.  Another option is a credit card with no exchange fees, but that limits you to places that take credit cards.  If your only need is to have a little money for tips, you can do that with USD (to tip tour guide on ship sponsored excursion, for example).

[Chrish2]

The Indian rupee is a closed currency. You wont be able to buy it outside the country and if you do acquire some when visiting it is strictly illegal to then export any as a non-resident. Definitely worth doing some research, maybe check one of the other boards for cruise lines that visits frequently for info and even consult with a guide book.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Chrish2

[Chrish2]

Update: maybe what I said was out of date https://www.immihelp.com/carrying-currency-to-from-india-when-traveling-to-india/ suggests 25,000 IRN (around 300 USD) can be exported ... but I really would want to do more research if I was you.

[Tralfaz1138]

Something else worth doing ahead of time is researching the cost of things in each country that you think you might pay for (e.g. food, items you might buy, etc).  If you have any excursions booked through the ship or on your own, having local cash on hand to tip people that help out with it doesn't hurt either.

[trippingpara]

I travel to India regularly for work and have stopped carrying INR as most places accept credit cards.  The only ones I've found that only take cash are street vendors (sugar water - yum!) but I would not recommend eating food from street vendors (Delhi Belly).  A few tourist sites will accept INR but almost all now accept cards too.  You can export a small amount of INR out of the country legally (essentially left over spending money).