Multiple currencies

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, sharkster77 said:

We found it interesting that in the Basel train station, males paid less for the rest room if they "stood rather than sat", if you get my drift.  Wife thought that was unfair--we had a good laugh over he feigned indignation. 

And Amsterdam has free male urinals around town, but nothing provided for women. 

[CDNPolar]

15 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

 

but take the last river cruise I took, Hungary to Romania

Hungary, local currency

Croatia, euro

Serbia, local currency

Bulgaria, local currency

Romania, local currency.

 

 

 

I did this same river cruise port to port.  I researched the currencies.  There were too many for me to purchase at home, and some of them were not available through my bank.  Sorry, I am not going to go to a ATM with my bank card and buy currency in each country.

 

My understanding and the direction that my favourite cruise line has given me is that the American dollar in Europe is easily exchanged at the banks and the guides and drivers are good to receive American dollars.

 

I have gotten off excursion busses where 80% of the people on the bus are American and they are all tipping with American bills.

 

What we should not do is tip in coins because banks will not exchange coins as a general rule.

 

Additionally, it seems fairly well known that they like to receive crisp, clean, new American bills and at my bank in Canada, it is easy for me to get brand new bills.

Edited March 10 by CDNPolar

[gnome12]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I did this same river cruise port to port.  I researched the currencies.  There were too many for me to purchase at home, and some of them were not available through my bank.  Sorry, I am not going to go to a ATM with my bank card and buy currency in each country.

 

My understanding and the direction that my favourite cruise line has given me is that the American dollar in Europe is easily exchanged at the banks and the guides and drivers are good to receive American dollars.

 

I have gotten off excursion busses where 80% of the people on the bus are American and they are all tipping with American bills.

 

What we should not do is tip in coins because banks will not exchange coins as a general rule.

 

Additionally, it seems fairly well known that they like to receive crisp, clean, new American bills and at my bank in Canada, it is easy for me to get brand new bills.

I stand by my previous comment. Since like me you are Canadian and have to purchase foreign currency whether US$ or €, it is more polite to tip in € in Europe. 

[loriva]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I did this same river cruise port to port.  I researched the currencies.  There were too many for me to purchase at home, and some of them were not available through my bank.  Sorry, I am not going to go to a ATM with my bank card and buy currency in each country.

 

My understanding and the direction that my favourite cruise line has given me is that the American dollar in Europe is easily exchanged at the banks and the guides and drivers are good to receive American dollars.

 

I have gotten off excursion busses where 80% of the people on the bus are American and they are all tipping with American bills.

 

What we should not do is tip in coins because banks will not exchange coins as a general rule.

 

Additionally, it seems fairly well known that they like to receive crisp, clean, new American bills and at my bank in Canada, it is easy for me to get brand new bills.

 

17 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

If you look at the inside the eurozone, its lazy maybe, I dunno about insulting.

 

but take the last river cruise I took, Hungary to Romania

Hungary, local currency

Croatia, euro

Serbia, local currency

Bulgaria, local currency

Romania, local currency.

 

We spent an average of about a day, sometimes 2 in each country.  Do you really expect people to have prepared or even pull out of an ATM the correct currency in each? thats not realistic.  Almost all the guides\bus drivers got tipped in dollars or euros and they were clearly fine with that (or at least used to it). In fact at the very end when I broke a local Romanian large bill with the Romanian tour guide who had spent 3 days with us, he did it with a euro bill.

 

We will be taking this itinerary in May.  We have euros left over from previous travel.  The question is some are larger bills.  Does the guest services desk on Viking have change?  If so, one and two euro-denominations are coins.  As the tip suggested by Viking is two euros for the guide and one euro for the driver, will those in the countries not on the euro (everyone except Croatia, in other words) have difficulty exchanging the euro coins for local currency at a bank?

 

On our recent travels, finding an ATM--especially on a shore excursion--has been challenging.  Hungary will not be a problem as we're staying three nights before we board.  Ditto for Romania at the end.  But I don't know how viable this will be in Serbia and Bulgaria and doubt our local AAA or bank will have U.S. $20 of these currencies.  Hence, thinking euros is the way to go but worry about the coin issue.

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, loriva said:

 

 

We will be taking this itinerary in May.  We have euros left over from previous travel.  The question is some are larger bills.  Does the guest services desk on Viking have change?  If so, one and two euro-denominations are coins.  As the tip suggested by Viking is two euros for the guide and one euro for the driver, will those in the countries not on the euro (everyone except Croatia, in other words) have difficulty exchanging the euro coins for local currency at a bank?

 

On our recent travels, finding an ATM--especially on a shore excursion--has been challenging.  Hungary will not be a problem as we're staying three nights before we board.  Ditto for Romania at the end.  But I don't know how viable this will be in Serbia and Bulgaria and doubt our local AAA or bank will have U.S. $20 of these currencies.  Hence, thinking euros is the way to go but worry about the coin issue.

If they aren't going themselves into the Euro zone they will know someone who is and will exchange with them. I don't think Euros are an issue in any of these fairly adjacent countries.

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, gnome12 said:

If they aren't going themselves into the Euro zone they will know someone who is and will exchange with them. I don't think Euros are an issue in any of these fairly adjacent countries.

 

I would ask the question - respectfully - if the country does not use Euros, how is tipping in Euros any better or worse than tipping in USD?

 

They would have to go to the bank to exchange either.

[gnome12]

35 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I would ask the question - respectfully - if the country does not use Euros, how is tipping in Euros any better or worse than tipping in USD?

 

They would have to go to the bank to exchange either.

No, they don’t necessarily. As I said, they or their friends are likely to travel to the Euro zone and they can do a private exchange. The same is less likely for travel to the US.

Edited March 10 by gnome12