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Cruise or Lose!

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    CAD$ and US$ use in Vancouver

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I attended college about as far north in New York as you can get. About 20 minutes south of Montreal. We traveled across the border frequently. Not only did everyone take US dollars, but vendors frequently asked us for dollars instead of CA money (and at a very favorable exchange rate). I'm not exactly sure what the motive was, but they hardly thought of it as being insulting. I'm fairly certain that every child learns that Canada and Mexico are separate countries, despite the fact there is no separation by water.

     

    There are numerous reasons why English is spoken worldwide and the dollar is generally welcome as well (although as always some exceptions). The world is smaller with increased travel, online commerce, and the ubiquity of Visa, Mastercard, and Amex. This is also not a sign of disrespect.

     

     

     

    How long ago did you attend college? And no, Americans should not assume that everyone they meet on their travels will speak to them in English.

     

    I'm going to leave this thread. It's not good for my blood pressure, and I don't want to hijack the discussion any further.

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    CAD$ and US$ use in Vancouver

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Credit cards are so widely accepted now in Canada, even at major grocery stores, hotels, Tim Horton's, etc....so you should be fine.

     

     

    It is true, you won't get a good exchange rate at the vendor, but it seems like you would only be paying cash for small purchases where a credit card isn't accepted (e.g. a corner store for a pack of gum), so it's not really significant. Even at Tim's where they are offering a lowered exchange rate, it's pennies on a cup of coffee.

     

     

    Since I don't like traveling in a foreign country without some of their currency, I would convert a bit of USD to CAD upon arrival in Canada (either at the airport, or I'd search to see if there is a foreign exchange service close to where I am staying - a quick google search for Vancouver shows lots of them). Foreign exchange centres traditionally offer better exchange rates than banks.

     

     

    Even still, if you are only converting a small amount of money, it's not worth spending extra time out of your short 2-day vacation in Canada, trying to search for an exchange centre.

     

     

    Plus, other posters comments of suggesting using ATMs for withdrawals are very valid. ATMs in Canada are easy to find. I would suggest using an ATM from one of our big banks (Bank of Montreal, TD-Canada Trust, CIBC, Royal Bank, Scotiabank) if given a choice, over a stand alone ATM in a corner store: stand-alone machines might charge higher transaction fees (this one I am not sure about for Vancouver).

     

    By the way, our new bills really are beautiful - each denomination is a different colour. Plus, the bills are different from what you are used to - they are polymer not paper! But that's a whole other topic ...

     

    Enjoy Canada, eh! :)

     

     

     

    This raises an important point - our bills STICK TOGETHER. Make sure your $5 tip is really $5, and not $50!

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    SHould I bring a gift for my room Steward when I arrive?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    We give cash to the steward when they bring the ice bucket and ice that we request at the beginning of the cruise. We also leave cash, along with the laundry bag, when we send out laundry. And, we give extra cash at the end of the cruise.

     

    When a staff member goes out of their way for us in a good way, we go down to Guest Services and request some paper and write a note to their supervisor and leave it with GS. . We have been advised by crew members that positive letters to their supervisor helps them the most as far as career advancement. Since neither my husband nor I have received a comment card for the last 10 cruises we have taken, we make sure to give those who go above and beyond the kudos they deserve while we are on the ship. In one case we sailed the same ship twice in 2 months. On the second cruise the crew member thanked us for the letter we had written to her supervisor on the previous cruise. She had been given some extra time off and a bonus.

     

     

     

    How wonderful - for her, for her loved ones back home, and for you!

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Wrist bands

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    You're on about this AGAIN??? OP, with all due respect - you could have terminal cancer, be in the middle of an ugly divorce, have a suicidal teenager, be on the verge of personal bankruptcy. All valid things to worry about. This is not one of them.

     

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    Service Animals on Celebrity Ship?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I have never met anyone who said they were incapable of working without the support of their PET dog. Such people may exist, but I have never met them.

     

    Roz does not need to satisfy your curiosity by providing you with the details of her disability. Nor does she need to prove to donaldsc the true status of her service dog. While I have found the events reported in this thread appalling and distressing, I think you owe Roz a better-stated apology than you have provided.

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

    LANAI CABINS - pros and cons HELP!!

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    What I meant was that it made no reference to the stateroom to which the chairs belonged. So it left policing of the lounge chairs up to the person(s) occupying the stateroom. I ended up leaving an extra pillow and blanket outside 24/7 as a "hint".

     

    Also, when taking pictures, you do have to take the lifeboats into account, or walk around to the unobstructed area.

    LANAI CABINS - pros and cons HELP!!

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    We had this type of cabin in Bermuda two years ago. We didn't even know it existed!

     

    PROS

     

    1. As a night owl, I could stay up later and still be nearby (my early-to-rise-early-to-bed mother travels with me and our only "deal" is that I accompany her to the stateroom when she's ready for bed)

     

    2. I ordered room service more often and relaxed outside our stateroom;

     

    3. I could lie out there discreetly clad in nightwear;

     

    4. I could just gaze out at the ocean for hours if the mood hit me.

     

    CONS

     

    1. The lounge chairs are NOT identified as belonging to the stateroom;

     

    2. I sometimes felt guilty watching the crew work so hard (though they of course NEVER made me feel that way). Here they were busy cleaning, tidying, painting, and I was lazing around right in front of them;

     

    3. These staterooms are "obstructed view" because you have the lifeboats and the railing blocking your view.

    How can one keep a Meet & Greet to it's original purpose?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    What I object to is not the private tours per se, it's the comments that HAL shorex are "cattle calls", are NEVER value for money, are not for "real travelers", etc. These comments are meant to divide cruisers and to stir the pot. I object to them in the same way I object to people who want to know what cabin category I booked - your travel arrangements are none of my business, and my travel arrangements are based on personal choices.

    I always thought the roll call was a way to break the ice prior to the M&G, a forum to share ideas about what to do and what to see, not how to do so.

    The M&G I couldn't find was in the Crow's Nest, I believe. I even looked for a sizable group walking in the same direction, no luck. Never found the Crow's Nest on the entire cruise, LOL :p though I did manage to find the casino...often...:eek:

    How can one keep a Meet & Greet to it's original purpose?

    in Holland America Line

    Posted

    I have attended a couple of M&Gs and the biggest problem has been finding the group at the chosen location. I remember one time scouring the entire ship for the M&G and never locating it :confused: This is not conducive to the "more the merrier" spirit, which I applaud.

     

    From my perspective, the biggest deterrent from posting on roll calls and attending M&Gs is the "private tour snobs" who make repeated demeaning comments about not wanting to be "herded like sheep". I often wonder whether some of these people threaten to sue when the ship leaves them behind...but that's "reverse snobbery", I suppose :D:rolleyes: I prefer HAL shorex because I know exactly what I'm paying for, well in advance, and I don't have to worry about the logistics.

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