Currency

[Regffee6]

This will be our first cruise and we are going on allure of the seas next September over to Europe and we wanted to know when or where do you need to exchange American money for Europe money or can you use American currency over there and not have a problem let us know if anyone has done this cruise thanks.

[Ray]

Not sure where your cruise visits but you will need to check the currency for each destination you visit.

Countries such as the UK, Norway and Russia do not have the Euro as their currency

As far as i am aware USD is not accepted on land 

[Regffee6]

Yes leaving out of Barcelona and it’s says currency is euro and at very ports we are visiting so my next question is where or when do I have to exchange usd for euro before we go or when we get there what’s is the most safest way of doing this?

[ThyriC]

I would highly recommend going to a currency exchange in the US (possibly your bank knows of a good one) prior to sailing for cash.  Check with your credit card company (or debit card if you choose to debit card) to see what their overseas transaction fees are.  If no fees, great!  If the fees are crazy, you may want/need more cash or travelers cheques.  

You can also withdraw cash onboard in usually USD, Euros, or Pounds but that's normally about it.  

What I would recommend is if your credit card has no international transaction fees, to keep small amounts of cash, and use the card for everything else.  If your card does have fees then its time to run a budget for what you'd like to spend money on, and bring that in the local currency.  If you need more you can always withdraw onboard, and then pay the fee.  

[Regffee6]

Thanks for the advice we will do exactly that.

[ChessE4]

5 hours ago, Regffee6 said:

Yes leaving out of Barcelona and it’s says currency is euro and at very ports we are visiting so my next question is where or when do I have to exchange usd for euro before we go or when we get there what’s is the most safest way of doing this?

In Europe I have used ATMs to make withdrawals from my checking accounts in Euros.  Generally, the rate is better than what my banks offer.  I also take about $100 in Euros for the plane trip, just in case, which comes from my local banks.    I always keep my leftover Euros for my next cruise or business trip.  The only use of $ I have seen in Europe was at military PXs, but I imagine you could leave tips in $$.  PS.  When using ATM or even a train ticket kiosk, be sure to change the language to English, pick the UK flag, for example.

[Ray]

3 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

, but I imagine you could leave tips in $$.  

Most crews get paid in USD, this will be paid straight into their bank account and converted into their own currency

they use the tips they receive onboard for when they go onshore, so leaving $$ on a European cruise isnt ideal. 

Tips should only be given for good service and you give what you feel its worth. There is no 15% to 20% wriiten on the bill.

If you get a taxi and driver doesnt help with bags you dont have to tip, if service or food in restaurant is terrible then no tip. People want a tip they need to earn it  

 

[Snowchaser]

7 hours ago, ChessE4 said:

In Europe I have used ATMs to make withdrawals from my checking accounts in Euros.  Generally, the rate is better than what my banks offer.  I also take about $100 in Euros for the plane trip, just in case, which comes from my local banks.    I always keep my leftover Euros for my next cruise or business trip.  The only use of $ I have seen in Europe was at military PXs, but I imagine you could leave tips in $$.  PS.  When using ATM or even a train ticket kiosk, be sure to change the language to English, pick the UK flag, for example.

Yep do this.  You will find most bank run ATM's throughout Europe do not charge fees like some here in the U.S..  So all you need to do is verify with your bank/credit union what (if any) fees are associated when using your bank card internationally.  Out of my two different credit union accounts, one was 1% and the other was 0% per transaction, so even if I used the 1% card I would still be cheaper than paying to convert funds.  Doing it this way ensures you only get charged the actual exchange rate and not an inflated one.

On a side note, when using your credit card abroad, make sure you select to pay in your home currency and not to have the business do the conversion for you as the store exchange rates will not be favorable.... to you.  lol

 

[Wendylee]

We recently took a river cruise though Eastern Europe and needed 4 different currencies and ordered them from our bank. It took a couple of days to receive the funds. We had enough currency of each type, mostly for pin money. We used our widely accepted credit card with no fees for anything else we needed. It worked out great for us this way.

[F1guynz]

We are on Independence at the moment and there are two ATMs on board, one dispenses USD and the other dispenses Euros in €50 denominations which you then take to guest services to break into smaller notes. Maybe Allure will be the same when it is here for its European season.

We have also used ATMs on shore to withdraw money from our travel currency account.