alexant Posted August 26, 2009 #1 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Going to Europe! Are their ATM's on the ships and if so would this be a good idea as opposed to using one in the port city? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted August 26, 2009 #2 Share Posted August 26, 2009 There are ATM's--but how the exchange rate, etc...is, I just don't know! I've never used an ATM!!!! We just bring the cash we plan on spending, so I've never worried about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipmaster Posted August 26, 2009 #3 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Going to Europe! Are their ATM's on the ships and if so would this be a good idea as opposed to using one in the port city? There were money exchange machines on the ship, rate was not good and they added an exchange fee too. I don't recall there being the ATM option, IE being able to withdraw money from your bank ( BTW was on princess ). In general everything on ship is by cruise card so I'm not sure if you find many ATMs on a ship. The pursor's desk will more then willing to convert travelers cheques, give you a cash advance on your CC ( remember huge fees from your cc compnay here ), or cash your check ( limits apply here ). My recommendation is if you are only planning on using Euros for a few expenses get them at the Airport upon arrival and catch an ATM in port if you run low. Remember your bank and ATM machines have limits that will likely result in no more then 200-300 Euros per withdraw. If you need more then that it may be wiser to exchange it at your local bank and taking what you think you need and use ATMs when you run over. Relying exclusively on ATMs from ports can limiting. Port days are busy and there is no gurantee that your tour will go by them or when. The last thing you want to do is wasting precious time in port looking for money IMHO. Happy planning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted August 26, 2009 #4 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Not sure what cruise line you will be on, but when we went on CCL, the ATM's as well as everything on the ship was in dollars. We did use ATM's while in Italy tho and they gave a very good exchange rate at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinfool Posted August 26, 2009 #5 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Everyone's experience in this is different.... Remember your bank and ATM machines have limits that will likely result in no more then 200-300 Euros per withdraw. I asked an ATM in the Amsterdam airport for €500 and it never even blinked...spit them right out! If you need more then that it may be wiser to exchange it at your local bank Definitely the more expensive route, but a personal choice to make Relying exclusively on ATMs from ports can limiting. Port days are busy and there is no gurantee that your tour will go by them or when. The last thing you want to do is wasting precious time in port looking for money IMHO. Europe is awash in ATM's. Likely more so than the US. Often there is one in the terminal building when you leave or reboard the ship. Many tourist venues have them for the convenience of foreign visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matj2000 Posted August 26, 2009 #6 Share Posted August 26, 2009 If you want to spend $5 - $6 service fee........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogi2929 Posted August 27, 2009 #7 Share Posted August 27, 2009 If you want to spend $5 - $6 service fee........ It seems that all money exchanges, B&M or ATM, charge some kind of fee. It all depends on when you want to pay. Consider it a part of world travel. If one truly wants to avoid exchange fees, travel only to countries that use $US as their own legal tender (obviously this advice is for US residents). This is where one can go using $US. East Timor British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands East Timor Ecuador El Salvador Marshall Islands Northern Mariana Islands Palau Panama Turks and Caicos Islands United States Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted August 27, 2009 #8 Share Posted August 27, 2009 You didn't mention which cruise line. HAL does not have ATM's on any of their ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted August 27, 2009 #9 Share Posted August 27, 2009 If you want to spend $5 - $6 service fee........ Personal choice, of course, but for some folks the convenience is worth paying for. There is always an exchange fee no matter where you change money and the rate will vary but some folks say their ease is worth paying for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumbles Posted August 27, 2009 #10 Share Posted August 27, 2009 On a land trip in Paris last year, we exclusively used our debit cards in the ATM machines in the area we were staying. The only charge we got was a $1 charge from our home bank for not using one of their ATM machines - there were no other transaction fees. If you exchange at the airports or hotels, you'll get an ATM service charge as well. Please remember that if you are going to use an ATM machine in Europe, you must have a 4 digit PIN number from what I understand (debit or credit)...and if you're going to use a credit card, American Express is rarely accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinfool Posted August 27, 2009 #11 Share Posted August 27, 2009 If you want to spend $5 - $6 service fee........ Everyone's experience is different. My credit union absorbed our foreign ATM fees and charged a 1% conversion fee. No $5-$6 service fee. (pleasant surprise!) Other banks have their own fee structure. Cavean emptor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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