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Attire & Money In Australia & Nz

MOYSHA

By MOYSHA,
in Australia & New Zealand

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MOYSHA

MOYSHA

Posted
Posted

I'm almost too embarassed to ask these questions, and I probably know the answers, but.................................:confused:

 

We'll be cruising in Australia & NZ this December. Since it will be summer there (it's always summer where I live;) ) I assume for men to wear shorts while in ports and on excursions is proper. Am I correct?

 

Also, is the US dollar accepted in stores and on tours, or should I convert it to Australian and NZ dollars before hand ?

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Karynanne

Karynanne

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I bought AUD and NZD $$ last summer, for our trip next week. I wouldn't expect stores in the U.S. to accept foreign dollars, so I assumed that many in Australia or New Zealand will accept our currency. The dollar is still "somewhat" strong in both countries, so you may want to make your purchase now.

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MMDown Under Holiday Sharing Rare

MMDown Under

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I always buy local currency before I travel, backed up with a couple of credit cards.

 

December will be hot in Australia, so wear cool summer clothes, preferably natural fabrics. I wear shorts, if I intend going to a beach/visiting gardens, etc, but more dressy casual clothes if I'm going to visit a city. The further north you travel in Australia, the more casual the clothes, hence I always feel underdressed in Melbourne, an elegant city.

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mochuck

mochuck

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Shorts are fine.

 

I wouldn't think too many places will take $US - maybe some souvenir and duty free shops. If you think about how many stores in USA will accept foreign currency it would be the same here.

 

The countries that like the $US generally have weak economies and have a thriving black market.

 

The eaisiest way to get local currency is an ATM. I think you might need to check with your bank that your card will work in our ATMs. Apparently you have a different system to almost the rest of the world. You need a 4 digit PIN.

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Globaliser

Globaliser

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Also, is the US dollar accepted in stores and on tours, or should I convert it to Australian and NZ dollars before hand ?
The other point about trying to use foreign currency is that even if you find a place that will take it, they will usually give you a very poor exchange rate.

 

Much better to use local currency.

 

And ATMs are the way to get it. I don't ever get Aussies or Kiwis any other way, as it's so easy once you get there.

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Red Rox

Red Rox

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We just returned from a 3 week cruise tour of Aus/NZ. Casual dress is the norm almost everywhere. The few people we saw in business attire were obviously 'at work'. Even our tour guide lost his neck tie on the second day of the tour.

Don't expect anyone to accept US currency. You'll be able to use your credit cards just about everywhere, but you should check with your provider about fees. It may be very costly to use it for many transactions. Your best bet is to plan to buy local currency for both countries. We bought ours through our local bank here at home before we traveled. We did get a slightly better exchange rate than if we had purchased the cash overseas. There are plenty of places to exchange currency in the big cities though. We had about $100AUS left when we sailed away to NZ. We were able to exchange that for NZ currency on the ship, but the rate was lousy. But since it was a relatively small amount we didn't mind.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Johanna7

Johanna7

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There are plenty of places to change currency in Australia & New Zealand but if you are from the US, you will get a lousy bang for your buck. Especially now.

 

We just returned from a trip on the Mercury, loved it. The people in Australia & New Zealand have had a drought for years and it really showed in brown fields of grass and even golf courses had large brown patches (not the greens) and they have had serious water shortagles.

 

That all changed on our trip. Especially in Melbourne and Tauranga where it really poured.

 

We went on an all day ship tour in Tauranga to Roturua and could hardly see the geyser with the rain and mist. Got soaked. Our bus driver was telling us how the US $ dropping against the New Zealand currency had really hurt their tourist industry as Americans were just not spending as much now as it cost too much. Prices there are very high. Also for us Canadians even though our dollar is now at par with the US$. It was well over 80 cents for a NZ$ and over 90 cents for an Australian $.

 

Definitely, stuff is cheaper in the US. In fact, it is even cheaper in Canada and if we are in the US, we buy stuff there as it is a lot cheaper than here and your sales taxes are much lower as well.

 

Do not forget that New Zealand has an exit fee of $25 per person (adults) and if you do not pay it, you do not leave. Many people did not expect this and blamed their travel agents for not informing them. Some had no NZ left and were emptying their pockets searching for change and paying the balance with a credit or debit card. They do take all the 'hard' currencies like US, Canadian, euros, Australian $ and so on and also all types of credit and debit cards.

 

Be aware too that eating in restaurants there is very expensive. Not many places sell a cup of coffee for under $3.50 as an example. Best to eat and drink on the ship but do not bring anything, other than water, on shore as they have sniffer dogs at each port and those dogs have sensitive noses. They also get a reward when they find the food you are not allowed and therefore are maniacal about discovering it.

 

Also, do not buy any food in Australia & New Zealand to take back to the ship with you unless you declare it and it is not on the very long offensive list. Seeds and nuts and all that are forbidden as is fruit, meat, you name it. Do not even consider buying honey.

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cloakndagger

cloakndagger

Posted
Posted
There are plenty of places to change currency in Australia & New Zealand but if you are from the US, you will get a lousy bang for your buck. Especially now.

 

We just returned from a trip on the Mercury, loved it. The people in Australia & New Zealand have had a drought for years and it really showed in brown fields of grass and even golf courses had large brown patches (not the greens) and they have had serious water shortagles.

 

That all changed on our trip. Especially in Melbourne and Tauranga where it really poured.

 

We went on an all day ship tour in Tauranga to Roturua and could hardly see the geyser with the rain and mist. Got soaked. Our bus driver was telling us how the US $ dropping against the New Zealand currency had really hurt their tourist industry as Americans were just not spending as much now as it cost too much. Prices there are very high. Also for us Canadians even though our dollar is now at par with the US$. It was well over 80 cents for a NZ$ and over 90 cents for an Australian $.

 

Definitely, stuff is cheaper in the US. In fact, it is even cheaper in Canada and if we are in the US, we buy stuff there as it is a lot cheaper than here and your sales taxes are much lower as well.

 

Do not forget that New Zealand has an exit fee of $25 per person (adults) and if you do not pay it, you do not leave. Many people did not expect this and blamed their travel agents for not informing them. Some had no NZ left and were emptying their pockets searching for change and paying the balance with a credit or debit card. They do take all the 'hard' currencies like US, Canadian, euros, Australian $ and so on and also all types of credit and debit cards.

 

Be aware too that eating in restaurants there is very expensive. Not many places sell a cup of coffee for under $3.50 as an example. Best to eat and drink on the ship but do not bring anything, other than water, on shore as they have sniffer dogs at each port and those dogs have sensitive noses. They also get a reward when they find the food you are not allowed and therefore are maniacal about discovering it.

 

Also, do not buy any food in Australia & New Zealand to take back to the ship with you unless you declare it and it is not on the very long offensive list. Seeds and nuts and all that are forbidden as is fruit, meat, you name it. Do not even consider buying honey.

 

The coffee may be dearer, but down under, you are not required to tip!!

 

:)

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