Currency Question

[bionicbeacher]

Hi everybody ....we will be going on a cruise to these countries this coming August and would appreciate any advice on the following ...

 

Currency....on our recent Cruise ....all of the Ports for Europe ....would accept their own currency and or the Euro.....The currency machine on board ship is pretty expensive.....exchange and transaction charges....

 

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts re currency to use for Stockholm, Finland, Russia, Bornholm Island, Denmark, and Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland .....other then trying to carry currency with us for every country, would the Euro be accepted in all or even some of these Ports of Call ? ....Sure would make life easier if it was ....anyone in the know, would appreciate your input?

 

Scotland......Pound or Euro or both

 

Cheers

Ken & Jan

[Globaliser]

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts re currency to use for ... Finland ... .....other then trying to carry currency with us for every country, would the Euro be accepted in all or even some of these Ports of Call ?

Finland is part of the Eurozone so its official currency is the Euro.

Scotland......Pound or Euro or both

Pound.

 

One invariable rule for using a foreign currency in any country is this: Expect to be given a very poor exchange rate.

 

But if you're only going to be spending tiny amounts in a port, then it may be worthwhile taking this hit when using a currency that you already have, rather than going to the expense of getting a small amount of local currency.

[ollienbertsmum]

...

 

 

 

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts re currency to use for Stockholm, Finland, Russia, Bornholm Island, Denmark, and Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland .....

 

Scotland......Pound or Euro or both

 

 

I went to the Baltic and took about 50 dollars of each currency and used plastic for the rest.

 

Stockholm - Kroner

Finland - Euro

Russia - they are happy with dollars and euro - but in the govt run bar in Catherine's Palace I had to use plastic for about $5 tab !

Norway - Kroner (different to Stockholm)

Scotland - pounds - definitely

 

You will be given a very poor rate of exchange if you try to use the wrong currency. It may seem expensive to you on the ship/your bank at home, but even worse if you are expecting business people to do the exchanging for you.

[bionicbeacher]

Finland is part of the Eurozone so its official currency is the Euro.Pound.

 

One invariable rule for using a foreign currency in any country is this: Expect to be given a very poor exchange rate.

 

But if you're only going to be spending tiny amounts in a port, then it may be worthwhile taking this hit when using a currency that you already have, rather than going to the expense of getting a small amount of local currency.

 

This is probably the way we will go...thanks for your feedback.

I went to the Baltic and took about 50 dollars of each currency and used plastic for the rest.

 

Stockholm - Kroner

Finland - Euro

Russia - they are happy with dollars and euro - but in the govt run bar in Catherine's Palace I had to use plastic for about $5 tab !

Norway - Kroner (different to Stockholm)

Scotland - pounds - definitely

 

You will be given a very poor rate of exchange if you try to use the wrong currency. It may seem expensive to you on the ship/your bank at home, but even worse if you are expecting business people to do the exchanging for you.

 

This is the way we will go as well...it just makes sense. We notice that the Danish Kroner is good for Greenland, Faroe Islands and of course Denmark...we will most likely get a few extra Kroners to cover these three Ports of Call ...

.....now is the Danish Kroner different then both the Swedish and Norwegian Kroner?

Want to thank you both again for responding to our question.

Ken & Jan

[Globaliser]

.....now is the Danish Kroner different then both the Swedish and Norwegian Kroner?

Is the US dollar different from the Canadian dollar? ;)

[Coastaljen]

Good question on the Kroner. I was assuming all three were alike until I read this thread. Thanks for all the clarifying info.

[BigBearLady]

[quote

 

.....now is the Danish Kroner different then both the Swedish and Norwegian Kroner?

 

 

Yes, the Swedish Kroner and Norwegian Kroner are individual to their country. I have already ordered many foreign currencies from my bank. It is an easy process to do online and picked them up at the local branch. I figured the US dollar is currently going down in value, so I might as well get this chore done ahead.

[bionicbeacher]

Is the US dollar different from the Canadian dollar? ;)

 

We had just completed a Cruise where almost all of the Countries/Ports we visited used the Euro.....so when we started investigating currencies needed for our next trip....right off the bat, we associated all Countries using the Kroner in the same way ....which is as you have pointed out...incorrect.

 

Thanks again....

 

Cheers

Ken & Jan

[bionicbeacher]

[quote

 

.....now is the Danish Kroner different then both the Swedish and Norwegian Kroner?

 

 

Yes, the Swedish Kroner and Norwegian Kroner are individual to their country. I have already ordered many foreign currencies from my bank. It is an easy process to do online and picked them up at the local branch.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond to our question....

Cheers

Ken & Jan

[Roo]

Is the US dollar different from the Canadian dollar? ;)

 

This is a bit of a point of contention for us Canadians as until this past year, the U.S. dollar was worth at least 40 % more! Just recently, we have pulled up our socks (altho, not great for exports). The Canadian dollar was actually worth about 10% MORE than the U.S. dollar for a short time, but has drifted down to about par or a penny or two short.

BOTTOM LINE: You can use U.S. dollars just about ANYWHERE in Canada, altho it probably will be taken at par. You CANNOT use Canadian dollars anywhere in the U.S.:o

[pattyj 1204]

I always thought that was a mistake on the American side. We have never had any trouble using USD in Canada, but when we returned to the US we had no luck using canadian dollars just a mile away from the border. Also had trouble exchanging at our banks, what's with that??

[Lair Bear]

But what would we call it?

 

Perhaps GLOBE ? We could all spend G10 for a souvenir anywhere.

[tony@stanton19.freeserve.]

Two points to add:

In Catherine's Palace, the snack bar would not take dollars and got the impression credit cards were not welcome either. We used the a cash machine (there was also a Bureau D'Exchange) inside to get some roubles. These were used the following day for lunch in the Hermitage. We used the leftover roubles as part of a tip for the driver and guide. We bought a souvenir book in the Hermitage and they took dollars for that.

 

We took small amounts of local currencies for the various countries with us. Although we kept Euros as we often need them, we used up the other remnants in the dockside shops at Copenhagen our last port of call. The guys in those shops would take anything. As we were unlikely to ever use them again, and the amounts were so small, we didn't note the exchange rate but it was obviously in their favour. It certainly was not worth bringing them home and changing them back into ££.

[phabric]

Our ship will be stopping in Belgium. What currency does that country use?

[belle907]

Has anyone used their leftover foreign currency to pay on their shipboard acct. or to give extra tips to the crew?

[stunnedinva]

Our ship will be stopping in Belgium. What currency does that country use?

 

 

This website should have all the information you need about currencies and exchange rates: www.oanda.com

[sk8teacher]

Having just gone through checking out currencies for our upcoming cruise, I have found the following:

 

British Pounds are good for:

Belfast

England

Scotland

Shetland Islands

 

Euros are good for:

Netherlands

Dublin

France (including St Pierre)

 

Norway must use NOK's

 

Iceland must use ISK's

 

Greenland must use DKK (Danish Kroner)

 

Cheers,

[TLCOhio]

Our ship will be stopping in Belgium. What currency does that country use?

 

YES, Belgium uses the Euro. There is great chocolate and beer there, plus wonderful architecture and history in Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, etc. Enjoy!!! Terry in Ohio

[Lair Bear]

Here is just a thought: Most of us going on a cruise will spend mostly one day in each port.

If you start in England, you spend some British pounds. Then you go to Belgium and/or Holland and spend euros; then Denmark and their “krones”, etc. When you cruise the Baltic it gets more complicated.

Perhaps, you have brought some currency for each country, but while you are there for that one day, you forgot what the exchange rates were exactly. So, when you see a nice souvenir in Tallinn, Estonia for 1000 EEK, how much is that in US dollars anyway . . . . quick now, don’t look it up.

Here is a rough[/b] guide for the Americans:[/font]

Britain, pounds 1$ = 0.5 BP or 1BP = 2$

Euro countries, 1$ = 0.6 euro or 1euro = 1.5$

Denmark, 1$ = 4.75 krone or DKK = 20 cents

Norway, 1$ = 5.1 kroner or 1NOK = 20 cents

Sweden, 1$ = 6.0 krona or 1SEK = 16 cents (devide the price by 6)

Poland, 1$ = 2.25 zloty or 1PLN = 0.5$

Estonia, 1$ = 10 kroon or 1EEK = 10 cents (1000 EEK = 100$)

Russia, 1$ = 23.5 roubles or 100RUB = 4$

I made a little card with these numbers and have it in my pocket as a quick reference.

[phabric]

Thanks that is helpful information.

[kaisatsu]

Most Scandinavian countries widely accept cards (not surprising, given the prices), so if you have a credit or debit card that doesn't gouge you in foreign transaction fees, that's often your best (and most convenient) forex option. You should be able to use a card at most places in Denmark, Norway, etc, and there's no stigma against using a card even for small purchases at a 7-11 or equivalent.