Med Cruise - Money exchange advice, please!

[CarNut]

Was just wondering if I could get some advice from those of you who have done a Mediterranean cruise with Celebrity.

 

I am assuming that we will be able to cash travellers cheques onboard but only for US$ and not for EUR. Is this correct?

 

What was the availability of ATM's like in most of the ports? I don't want to spend half the day trying to find a machine. How about finding a bank to cash EUR travellers cheques? Was this relatively simple?

 

Any other advice/info on cash vs. travellers cheques vs. credit cards? I know that most local merchants certainly prefer cash, and that we can charge onboard tips to our account, which can then be paid by credit card.

 

Thanks in advance!

[superjerryw]

I'm not sure if they will cash a dollar denominated travellers check and give you euros without charging you a conversion fee. You can however purchase travellers checks that are denominated in euros before you go so you don't have to do a currency conversion once you are there. If you are planning to use your credit card overseas be sure to check the currency conversion policy. Some credit cards charge a conversion fee for each transaction while others do not.

[duckman715]

On our Med cruise last Fall we discovered the easiest & cheapest way to go is to simply use the local ATMs. The exchange rate is better than banks or the local currency exchange places which line the streets. Notify your bank in advance that you will be traveling though. There are ATMs at all the airports & along the major streets in major cities. Saved us a lot of time, hassle & money doing it this way. We were in Rome, Naples, Genoa, Mykonos, Santorini & Monaco. Using Euros turned out to be a lot better deal thanusing dollars. You can always re-exchange them on the ship on the last day. They will not exchange coins though. I do find that the 1 & 2 Euro coins are great ball markers if you play golf.

[lisiamc]

What was the availability of ATM's like in most of the ports? I don't want to spend half the day trying to find a machine. How about finding a bank to cash EUR travellers' cheques? Was this relatively simple?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I'd rather search for an ATM (and I've never had trouble finding one) than go through the hassle of finding a place to cash travellers cheques. Many European banks are only open in the mornings, and have slow service and long queues. They also charge a fee for cashing travellers' cheques. Bureaux de Change will also cash travellers' cheques, but again they will charge a fee. If you bring travellers' cheques, the easiest place to cash them is on board.

 

I know that many ATMs charge fees as well, but they're easier to use and if I remember properly, the fees are smaller too. I have a debit card from a bank which doesn't charge fees if the card is used overseas, but the bank which owns the machine may still charge a fee.

 

Lisa

[cusyl]

I have just ordered my Euros from my own bank. I'm just not the type to want to stand in long lines and then find that the machine is empty as one poster on the boards said. I also ordered some Euro travelers checks which I can have cashed on the ship.

[duckman715]

I have just ordered my Euros from my own bank. I'm just not the type to want to stand in long lines and then find that the machine is empty as one poster on the boards said. I also ordered some Euro travelers checks which I can have cashed on the ship.

We also brought Euros, courtesy of our bank, but found that the ATMs in Italy gave a better exchange rate & the very small fee (like $1.50 or so for $200 in Euros) was a far better deal than the bank. Oh, & I work for the bank where we purchased the Euros. Truly, we never waited in line to use an ATM. Not to say it isn't wise to step off the plane with a few Euros but for refills check the ATMs before using one of the local exchange places or banks.

[MSBYRDY]

We took Euro's from our own bank with no transaction fees, merely the conversion rate. Alot easier for us than looking for $$ on the road. Also the bank on the ship will change dollars to Euro's for you.

Marilyn

[chasetf]

On our med trip we used ATMs all over Italy, England and Greece. Never had a problem. I used my CU debit card and got the daily rate and a $2 charge. Made it easy, no moneychangers, no worry about carrying too much cash.

 

When I logged on after the first couple of transactions to see what rate I was getting I noticed the withdrawls were coming out of my checking account. Just make a transfer from savings to cover the rest of the trip.

[BrendaJ]

We were on the Millennium last October and used ATM's in every country. The only problem we had was at one ATM in Santorini - after typing in my PIN and my desired amount, the ATM came back with a message saying there were insufficient funds in the account. Now that caused me to panic! I immediately went to a web cafe and checked the balance in my account and confirmed that it was still there. Turns out, that ATM probably just didn't accept that type of card, and their only English excuse was "insufficient funds".

 

I would check with your bank before you leave and make sure your card is the type that is accepted in most countries. I used an ATM from a different bank for the rest of the cruise and had no problems at all. I would certainly never use travellers cheques again, as they have never been anything but a time-consuming hassle.

[KnoxvilleSam]

When we were in Paris, Rome, Orvieto, Florence, Naples, Positano and Capri last year we used ATMs, located on almost every street corner in larger cities (all the above except Orvieto and Positano and Capri) and every other street in the others. The only fee charged was charged by our home credit union - something like 1.5% - the European banks hosting the ATMs charge nothing.

 

We did buy some Euros through AAA before we left the US just to assuage my Type A personality, but I got many more than we needed. I think having 50-60 Euros when you get off the plane is sufficient. Get the rest of what you need as you need it or get as much as you feel comfortable carrying around.

 

KnoxvilleSam

[Moeve]

Use your credit card as much as you can for the better exchange rate but since the use of credit cards is not as wide spred as in the US the best tipare the ATMs. If you have a debit card check to see if the Maestro sign is on it then you can use that - this is normally cheaper when drawing cash BUT do check with your bank and or credit card company just to be sure.

[KnoxvilleSam]

Using your credit card to get cash (of any kind) constitutes a loan from the credit card company and will cost you interest from the time of withdrawal as well as a conversion fee (e.g., dollars to euros). Use only a debit card linked to your checking account at your bank or credit union to avoid usurious fees.

 

KnoxvilleSam

[CarNut]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

I think that the answer is yes, but just wanted to confirm that we can cash Euro travellers cheques for Euros onboard the Millenium without a fee. Correct?