OldBoot

I forgot to mention that I also had a little, credit card sized, silk pouch that looped over my bra strap and then secured with a snap. It can hold a couple of credit cards. I put my ATM card, another credit card, and some Euros in there. It held together well. I just tucked it right into the cup of the bra, on the top of my breast so the bulk of the pouch didn't show. RuthC said it best in another thread, she keeps some things close to her heart.

 

OP, since you are also in Alberta, I got it at Pipestone Travel in Calgary. But I'm sure any travel store has these pouches. I also had the cross body purse; mine is a Baggalini. I also have a tiny Baggalini which can be threaded through one's belt, as well as worn cross body. I used that, too.

 

Be careful of the security pouches that can be worn around the neck as, I was told by the sales people at the travel store, some of those can be cut from around your neck. It probably depends on if there is some wire or something in the band.

I feel like I'm going to be kitted up like a secret agent! lol

It sounds like you've gotten lots of good advice here. The main thing is to be aware of your surroundings and keep your money safe per the ideas given. We were on a bus tour for our honeymoon (If It's Tuesday It Must Be Belgium type of thing). We were warned not to catch someone's baby if they threw it at us. What??? Apparently in Spain people would throw their babies figuring the tourists would catch the child and then they would be swarmed by the "gypsy" families and robbed. We didn't see anything like that but it sure made us keep our eyeballs peeled and our stuff close to us. LOL We tried to learn "please" and "thank you" in the language of whatever country we were visiting, just to be respectful. I have to say the only place I ever had a language problem was when we were driving around the back roads in Quebec. No one would speak English to us there. :D

Seriously, people throw babies?! Oh dear gawd. Lets hope that trend has run its course. I downloaded a couple of language phrase apps on my smartphone...hopefully I'll have room for it inside my security pack. I want to use it for the downloaded walking tours I have on it.

P.S. make sure you always take TP (toilet paper, Kleenex) with you, and hand sanitizer/wet wipes.

Good tip! Good grief, that's one thing I hadn't thought to worry about. :what:

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exactly. We are quite friendly this side of the pond you know.....

:) :) :)

Wear cargo pants with zippered pockets ...buy diaper pins to further close them 2per pockets wear long top on top to cover pockets ...difficult to get to When you need to pay for something go in the shop ...undoing diaper pins takes time ...repin everything after use...avoid credit cards .big hastle if you lose them ......

Keep loose change in 1 pocket in case you get mugged .grab a handful of coins throw them in the air on the pavement .....the noise will attract attention,confuse your assailant and give you time to skedaddle

No purse,no visible wallet ...,no jewellery ...no checked shorts ..I call them American shorts ...dead give away ......try to look like natives ...muted colours best ......hands free

I carry a draw string back pack with water and coverlike a shawl for religious sites when in doubt it comes on the front on my chest esp if I carry a camera or I pad

Travel in group or pairs ..never alone ...watch where you walk ....be extra careful on busses and trains

Keep big bills in your shoes under socks ...i wear running shoes ...only small bills in pockets

Ever since i did this ....no problems ...i used to be a prime target for pick pockets esp in Greece ..now i try to look inconspicuos

Bon Voyage

Oh dear. It sounds like you have had some unfortunate experiences in the past. Thank you for all your security tips. There is no getting away from being conspicuous for me...I'll be the one staring at the buildings with my mouth hanging open in awe. LOL

Try to pick up a few words of each language. The locals all know English, but are nicer to you if you try. There's and APP for that. I like the "France Dialog" or Italian Dialog" free apps. You can at least learn hello, goodbye, please, thank-you and where is the toilet?

 

Enjoy!

Oh my! There's an App for that. lol I'll look for those today.

I purchased all of my Euro cash prior to leaving home. I printed off each port spreadsheet, and put the amount of cash required for each port, with a copy of the spreadsheet in an envelope and labelled it accordingly. Each envelope had the tour funds, tip, and the extra cash for the day. All envelopes stayed in the safe on the ship until it was time for that tour.

 

The only concern I had was travelling to Europe with all of the envelopes. I bundled them together with elastic bands, and put them with all of my travel/port information in my carryon. Only we knew where they were, and what they held. It did help that we flew in business class so we had our own overhead bin on the overseas flight.

 

Enjoy your cruise, and the Med! Rest lots, you'll need it!

Hello to Alberta Quilter. I'm also in Alberta. I feel the same anxiety about travelling with all the cash! I think your envelope plan is helpful...everything taken care of, so no worries while on vacation. The port-intensive itinerary does look like a marathon. We are thinking of skipping a port and staying on the ship that day so that we don't get overwhelmed. Thanks for your post.

ok, travelling in the Med and Europe is easy IMO.

 

 

common sense - the same as you have here - only travel with the amount of currency you need, one credit card and (although some will disagree with me) no passport. Bring a copy if you like - your passport is your lifeline and if is stolen you are going to waste a lot of your time on your cruise fixing that.

 

Now, using common sense, the risk of theft is nominal. Avoid gypsies, anyone with flowers or herbs (along with the advice already given) and I think you should be fine.

 

Common sense works anywhere - love Europe and the Med - I think you will be SO happy you are doing this

I am happy that I'm doing this...I just get these quiet little whispers of anxiety as I get closer to embarkation. Everyone's advice has been very helpful. And it sounds like from your post, that once I've "been there, done that" like you, I will understand how easy it is to travel the Med region with ease. Looking forward to that feeling. :)

I would shy away from Euro-denominated Travelers Checks. Last August in Amsterdam, I had some that I had purchased a few years ago (American Express Travelers Checks) that I wanted to redeem for Euros. When I last tried to use them in restaurants in Rome in 2007, they were not accepted. I found a Travelex location at Central Station in Amsterdam and thought: good, I can get these things cashed. The clerk wanted to see my Passport; OK, no problem. She then wanted to see a receipt for my purchase of these checks! I bought these things in 2007! Whatever receipt my bank gave me is long gone! After some discussion, she relented and cashed them inspite of going against the "policy" she was supposed to follow. The fee I was charged was more than I thought it ought to be. But, I was glad to get rid of them and get some currency.

 

In retrospect, I think I ought to have tried to cash these at an Amsterdam bank.

 

Moral of the story: Travelers Checks are not the way to try to obtain cash outside of North America. And, even in North America, I have had people "turn up their noses" at them.

 

Obtaining some local currency before one leaves and depending upon ATMs and credit cards once overseas is the way to go, I think.

Thanks. I agree. I recently learned that the CAA (Canadian version of AAA) is no longer dealing in any travellers cheques. They appear to be going the way of the dinosaur.

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Two traveling lessons I've learned in life. Didn't happen to me, but to work associates I was traveling with: (1) Do NOT feel sorry for anyone crying and saying they need money for the baby in their arms. As soon as you reach for baby money your purse or wallet, etc. will be gone in a flash. (2) Be wary of the person who tries to help you after "someone" runs by and squirts ketchup or similar on you. While the nice helper wipes off your shirt or coat with his hankie, he is also stealing everything in your pockets.

 

It's a sad commentary - but when traveling I trust no one.

Valuable lessons indeed. So glad none of this happened to you!

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I believe I should say Merci to everyone. The tip about keeping a used tissue in my pocket made me smile and instantly relaxed me. The tips about language were so helpful too. Thank you for the information that the daily ATM withdrawal limit being the same as at home-only converted to Euro. That makes it easier to plan for instead of worrying about some arbitrary local withdrawal limit. Merci, tout le monde.

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For cash, the easiest thing to use is an ATM card. There are banks everywhere - you can get out 100 euro at a time, or more, if you wish. Easy Peasy.! :) Enjoy your cruise.

Awesome. Was concerned about the max withdrawal limits, especially as we need to pay cash for private shoreex. I wonder if that max applies per debit card or per account? If both hubby and I try to withdraw 100 E for example, would the ATM only dispense 100 total?

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I'm in the same boat (haha) on all fronts. I will bring a few hundred euros in cash, plastic that I will try to use wherever I can, and the rest in euro traveller's cheques. The guest services desk will cash the travellers cheques so they are easy to use and very safe to carry.

I checked in with HAL because I was thinking of doing the same. They will cash USD travellers cheques only. They can then exchange currency to Euros. I understand from what I've read that their exchange rate is not exactly economical. :eek:

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Well, it is still listed for $16,199 PP. Maybe you'll get a much better offer.

That is a valid point. However, that upsell offer had significant sticker shock for me. :eek:

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Its only about a month until I set sail on my first Mediterranean cruise. There is so much to look forward to! But I find myself feeling a little anxious at the same time. I wonder about the language barrier and how difficult it is to overcome it. I feel anxious about the warnings about pickpockets and how easily that could spoil a holiday. I'm uncertain about paying cash for most things in port--I am so used to the plastic economy that the idea of having cash on hand for most things seems quite weird. Anybody else having pre-travel jitters?

Isn't Holland America cute? They just offered me an upsell...for only an extra $7499 pp USD for the Pinnacle Suite. LOL.

I knew I wasn't the only one with cruise-shoes planning ideas. Thanks everyone. I will no longer feel guilty about the shoe luggage. :cool:

I've never seen anyone have an issue getting an appointment. Perhaps if you want a specific time on that day - it might be a good idea to book ahead. But generally, port days have specials because so few people want to book (they're off doing whatever on-shore).

I posted some of the port day specials on my original thread. Check 'em out.

Thank you! As usual, I am over-thinking the issue. I have to remind myself...I am on vacation, I am on vacation. :D

My daughter was just on a cruise with her husband. They are each getting close to 30 years old but not quite yet. Waiting in line for the tender one day a gentleman says to my daughter "You look different with your clothes on"!

 

After an "Excuse Me?" they sorted out that he thought she was one of the dancers onboard and presumably was referring to the show the night before.

 

A definite way with words!

Oh dear! That was NO gentleman--case of mistaken identity or not. What a fun thread. Now I know not to take anything a fellow cruiser says to me personally! I'll now be on the lookout for collectable quotes.

Does anyone know...if you book a spa treatment pre-cruise and there ends up being a promotion on the day that you go to the spa...will you get the promotion price? Specifically, we are boarding the Rotterdam in Athens on one leg of a longer journey. Typically there are spa promotions on a port day. I'd like to pre-book my treatment on that day to ensure I get a time slot, but wonder if I'd get a better price just by showing up and hoping there is availability.

How many pairs do you pack? Looking forward to a 17 day Med cruise soon, followed by a short stay in Iceland. I'm having a shoe dilemma!

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Thank you for posting all your amazing pics. Loved the one of baby and friend! I feel like such a sheltered traveller looking at your exotic itinerary. In Hong Kong, when the holiday was over and the people packed the streets again, did you join the throngs? Any claustrophobia? :)

P.S. Oldboot, DH is still talking, he's got your whole itinerary already planned for you :) Feel free to PM us if you want more details.

I would love to PM you! However, this board doesn't have that capability?! Would you care to email me? My email is mytourpal at yahoo dot com.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Lila

We're heading to Iceland in May after disembarking in Southampton from our Mediterranean cruise. Would love some tour tips for there! We have 5 days....what would you suggest?

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Oh my! That is a spectacular ladies room. Enjoying your report. Its got me thinking of booking this itinerary during my upcoming Mediterranean cruise. :)

I loved your pic of your "verandah". Were you in a Lanai room?

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Is it just me? The HAL website just doesn't want to load this evening. Anyone else having trouble?

I agree. Our Sept cruise had so many last minute cruisers scrambling to join tours it was mind boggling.

You will LOVE RIL. Can't wait to utilize their services again.

I'm booked with RiL for the first time, so am glad to read your remarks. If I might ask without diverting the JO's thread....do you leave the content of the tour tithe driver or do you make specific requests?

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