FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE SERVICE DISCONTINUATION

[JIMESOPUS]

Just received this email from NCL, I know from past experiences that some PAX never get any from NCL. Wonder if this applies to all cruises or just ones departing from the US. 

[zqvol]

That would apply to all cruises on NCL

[cruiseny4life]

As I said elsewhere, they're not sorry at all. I don't understand why NCL feels the need to lie. It's never for our convenience and they're not generally sorry. Just tell us the truth and be on with it. Oh NCL...we do love to hate on ya. Not that this should cause much consternation. At least it won't bother me...except for their inane "apologies." 

[complawyer]

why is this even an issue? with cruises that have multi-nationality passengers, it would be almost impossible to deal in different currencies. NCL is not a bank, american express, or even thomas cook traveler's checks

that they had the ability to exchange funds, was a benefit to the traveler.

 

dont bash them because it's no longer efficient to exchange currencies.

 

and cruiseny4life, im ashamed of you. (not that you would care) as a travel agent you should know better. it was nice of them to let people know of the change in procedure prior to boarding.

As we often sail from european ports, i  make sure we have sufficient local currency. italy doesnt like to take US $$, so we buy euro's or pounds when we're in the u.k.

we're on the star from brazil to lisbon in apr, and i have been advised brazil would also prefer not to take us dollars. since we'll be in multiple brazilian ports, im planning to take sufficient brazilian currency, as well as euros for the other ports of call.

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

Just now, complawyer said:

why is this even an issue? with cruises that have multi-nationality passengers, it would be almost impossible to deal in different currencies. NCL is not a bank, american express, or even thomas cook traveler's checks

that they had the ability to exchange funds, was a benefit to the traveler.

 

dont bash them because it's no longer efficient to exchange currencies.

 

and cruiseny4life, im ashamed of you. (not that you would care) as a travel agent you should know better. it was nice of them to let people know of the change in procedure prior to boarding.

As we often sail from european ports, i  make sure we have sufficient local currency. italy doesnt like to take US $$, so we buy euro's or pounds when we're in the u.k.

we're on the star from brazil to lisbon in apr, and i have been advised brazil would also prefer not to take us dollars. since we'll be in multiple brazilian ports, im planning to take sufficient brazilian currency, as well as euros for the other ports of call.

 

 

Oh my complawyer! I care what you think - you're one of only a few I give that designation to. 🙂

 

It's true, at least they gave notice. Except, they may not have. There are reports from some ships that passengers are unable to exchange currency now. Perhaps the ship ran out. Or perhaps NCL is just being....inconsistent. 

 

When we sailed from Barcelona, when we traveled to Russia, when I went to Chile and Peru or Canada or....you get the point! I always have the currency of the country I travel to. And I tell my family/friends to do the same. I'm guessing the exchange rate probably wasn't favorable to the traveler, so hopefully travelers that did use NCL exchange will save some money by going to an actual bank. 

[RocketMan275]

I predict this thread will have over 200 responses.

[IAcruising]

32 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I predict this thread will have over 200 responses.

 

175 of them off topic.

 

[complawyer]

hey cruiseny4life.

 

it appears to me that anyone who has taken more than one cruise, or expects to depart from a foreign port, should have the sense to exchange currencies prior to leaving home, and not expect to do so on the ship. common sense, i hope so. 

 

personally, i wouldnt even think to try and exchange currency on board, and we've taken over 25 ncl cruises. 

 

maybe i'm just naive, but  it wouldnt ever occur to try and change currency on board the ship

[ngrund]

This doesn't look like this is about getting local currency, but NCL is no longer accepting non US$ to settle on board accounts

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

hey cruiseny4life.

 

it appears to me that anyone who has taken more than one cruise, or expects to depart from a foreign port, should have the sense to exchange currencies prior to leaving home, and not expect to do so on the ship. common sense, i hope so. 

 

personally, i wouldnt even think to try and exchange currency on board, and we've taken over 25 ncl cruises. 

 

maybe i'm just naive, but  it wouldnt ever occur to try and change currency on board the ship

I suspect many cruisers don't expect to use any  type of currency, foreign or domesitc.  Instead, they plan, if they plan at all, on using credit cards.

[luv2kroooz]

1 hour ago, ngrund said:

This doesn't look like this is about getting local currency, but NCL is no longer accepting non US$ to settle on board accounts

No. The title of the email is foreign currency exchange service discontinuation. Nothing to do with settling accounts. No.bigbdeal. onboard exchange rates were horrible. Always better to use an in network ATM to get bank exchange rates.

[ngrund]

1 minute ago, luv2kroooz said:

No. The title of the email is foreign currency exchange service discontinuation. Nothing to do with settling accounts. No.bigbdeal. onboard exchange rates were horrible. Always better to use an in network ATM to get bank exchange rates.

You need to read more than  just the title. See 3rd paragraph.

[luv2kroooz]

Just now, ngrund said:

You need to read more than  just the title. See 3rd paragraph.

Thanks. I did. USD has always been the primary currency onboard NCL vessels.

[mugtech]

7 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

No. The title of the email is foreign currency exchange service discontinuation. Nothing to do with settling accounts. No.bigbdeal. onboard exchange rates were horrible. Always better to use an in network ATM to get bank exchange rates.

Exactly, one less way to get ripped off.

[graphicguy]

Just got this notice, too.  Sailed the Epic in the Mediterranean last October.  It was mostly Euros and Dollar exchanges at Customer Service.  But, I saw people trying to exchange Canadian Dollars, Pounds and Yen, too.  I would think that's a real PITA to update the exchange rates of different currencies every cruise.  And, to keep 10s of Thousands on hand for each currency to do exchanges.  

 

Heck, my own bank takes a couple of days to get a different currency in when I request it (like Euros).

 

NCL just didn't have enough foreign (non dollar) currency on hand to exchange more than a few hundred for me.  

 

It makes more sense to use credit cards and U.S. dollars only....for both the guest and the cruise line.

 

That being said, I would imagine they could add a surcharge for exchanges or give unfavorable exchange rates.  So, from that perspective I'm surprised they don't try to make it a revenue stream.  But, in reality, the U.S. Dollar is the universal monetary currency now, anyway. 

[JIMESOPUS]

With us traveling more in Europe we have been applying our excess foreign currency to our onboard account. We had about 100 euros left on the Viva B2B this past November and just added that amount to our account, did we get a good exchange rate? but knowing that we won't be back to Europe till 2025 it made sense for us to turn them in. 

 

[tsahall01]

Back in 1985 (gasp!!) when I worked for American Hawaii Cruises in Tahiti, the Pursers on duty (don't even know if they have Pursers now!) loved it when people exchanged money--it was a horrible exchange rate, and they all got a cut of the money over the official exchange rate!  Again, don't know if this is still the case, but it certainly was back then!

[cruiser2015]

4 hours ago, tsahall01 said:

Back in 1985 (gasp!!) when I worked for American Hawaii Cruises in Tahiti, the Pursers on duty (don't even know if they have Pursers now!) loved it when people exchanged money--it was a horrible exchange rate, and they all got a cut of the money over the official exchange rate!  Again, don't know if this is still the case, but it certainly was back then!

I'm not saying that there isn't some cream being sucked off the top when people observe crappy exchange rates, but part of the reason for those rates is the inherent risk of a loss if the rate drops before the currency can be exchanged back out - especially when it's on board a ship. Also, the cruise line will incur fees to get rid of it as well.

[jules181]

If it was a money maker it would be offered at the casino cage. 

[MCMC100]

On 1/12/2024 at 4:20 PM, IAcruising said:

 

175 of them off topic.

 

Let me start…..bananas taste better than grapefruit. 

[complawyer]

ok,mcmc100, allow me to continue...no they don't!!!!!

[slavetoabunny]

I had no idea that NCL even offered exchange services.  I always use my credit card anyway when traveling.

[phillygwm]

I use credit cards whenever possible, even for insignificant purchases, but admittedly sometimes you need a bit of cash.  Currency exchanges are always a bad deal for the consumer so I avoid them.  They're labor and capital intensive, so the providers need to pad the exchange rates significantly.  Likewise, touristy areas that DO accept USD have pretty terrible exchange rates.  For NCL, it isn't their core competency and it gums up the Guest Service lines so I don't really blame them for taking this action. 

 

There are very few places which aren't near an ATM, including every airport I can think of and, with a little advance research, you'll know where they are.  I also try to keep a small amount of currency in a drawer for places I expect to return to (GBP, EUR, CAD.)

[graphicguy]

I know the NCL Customer Service exchange rate was pretty similar to that you find at the airport kiosks offering the same service.  Not good!  But, it was convenient.

[julig22]

 

I suspect this has more to do with people trying to use foreign currency to pay their final bill, over just exchanging USD for local currencies - or vice versa. Not only do some cruises visit ports with various currencies, but the passengers also come from all over the world.  Imagine trying to calculate the exchange rate for dozens of different currencies on the last day of the cruise.