Currency on board

Hi everybody, My wife and I shall be aboard for the west bound transatlantic crossing in a couple of days time, this will be our first ever cruise, and will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary during the crossing. I spent 12 years in the RN spending most of my time at sea, but although I have travelled most of the world from the Caribbean to the Solomon Isles I have never been to the USA. I read somewhere that currency on board is Pounds Sterling, but I see all the menus are priced in Dollars????? maybe I'm too cynical but this just seems like a ploy to get you not to know how much you are spending, is this general?

I think you will find that everything on board is priced in dollars, unless it changed

No, it hasn't changed, I'm not sure where you read that the currency on board was £ but it's been $ for some time.

Have a wonderful trip

I have been sailing with Cunard for 14 years and it's always USD. If you see the price in dollars it will be about 3/4 GBP. Welcome to the US, I hope you will have a pleasant stay.

Just a tip: you may encounter offers to charge your card in your home currency where otherwise it would be charged in a foreign currency (for example, to charge your UK credit card in UK£ rather than in US$). What they don't clearly tell you is that in calculating the conversion they will invariably use an exchange rate that is very much in their favor and will end up costing you more money than if they just run it in their currency, even if your bank charges a fee for transactions in foreign currency.

Agree with what others say US$

Also, you do not use cash onboard. Everything is charged to your cruise card and you pay before disembarkation.

Hi everybody, My wife and I shall be aboard for the west bound transatlantic crossing in a couple of days time, this will be our first ever cruise, and will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary during the crossing. .... I read somewhere that currency on board is Pounds Sterling, but I see all the menus are priced in Dollars????? maybe I'm too cynical but this just seems like a ploy to get you not to know how much you are spending, is this general?

(Almost from the beginning of the Cunard Line, so I understand, prices on board were shown in both GBP and USD, with an emphasis on the dollar as the majority of passengers (in 1st Class) were American. Over the years the GBP pricing was dropped for the international passenger mix, leaving the USD as the sole on board currency).

One British couple I know pretend that the prices are shown in GBP (not USD) and this, they tell me, helps to keep their spending down as they think twice about the cost of items (in the shops for example). When they get their final account statement* from the Purser's Desk early on the morning of disembarkation, and convert to GBP, they are then pleasantly surprised at how much less they have actually spent (in GBP).

(*you can ask for interim statements at the Purser's Desk, if you wish, to check your spending).

Have the most wonderful crossing on QM2, the world's only ocean liner; I always do :) . Bon Voyage!

One British couple I know pretend that the prices are shown in GBP (not USD) and this, they tell me, helps to keep their spending down as they think twice about the cost of items (in the shops for example). When they get their final account statement* from the Purser's Desk early on the morning of disembarkation, and convert to GBP, they are then pleasantly surprised at how much less they have actually spent (in GBP).

Trouble is, there's not much in it (and when we went last summer it was even worse). After you add 15% to every $ price you see, and then convert it to £, you end up pretty much back where you started. In fact, last year, I did just that; i.e. see dollars and think pounds. However, when I got my final bill I was not pleasantly surprised.

Trouble is, there's not much in it (and when we went last summer it was even worse). After you add 15% to every $ price you see, and then convert it to £, you end up pretty much back where you started. In fact, last year, I did just that; i.e. see dollars and think pounds. However, when I got my final bill I was not pleasantly surprised.

Today, for example, a drink on board costing $12 (incl 15%) would set you back approx £8.90. Not the same figure at all.

Although you've been disappointed however, this ploy seems to work for them; the final GBP price is always less than they were expecting on every voyage (once converted from USD).

Best wishes,

Today, for example, a drink on board costing $12 (incl 15%) would set you back approx £8.90. Not the same figure at all.

But you've added the 15% on, I'm talking about looking at the price as displayed.

Using your example, the displayed price of said drink would be $10.43. As I said, I went last summer ($/£ was around 1.27).

So $10.42 + 15% (=$12) / 1.27 = £9.44.

So I was seeing $10.42 and paying £9.44. I would say those figures are not that much different.

But you've added the 15% on, I'm talking about looking at the price as displayed. Using your example, the displayed price of said drink would be $10.43. As I said, I went last summer ($/£ was around 1.27).

So $10.42 + 15% (=$12) / 1.27 = £9.44.

So I was seeing $10.42 and paying £9.44. I would say those figures are not that much different.

Thankfully, as you can see from today's conversion rate, things have improved since your voyage (Cunard don't control exchange rates of course). I had the same problem a few years back; the exchange rate wasn't good. Then again, I've known times when it was excellent, so it can be seen as "swings and roundabouts" over time.

Best wishes,

Don't you always, routinely, add-on 15% in your head? I do to avoid surprises (actually, I can't work out 15% quickly, so add 20% for speed).

 

But I don't need to because because I know once I've added 15%, then converted it back to pounds (at the time), the figure comes out roughly the same.

Thankfully, as you can see from today's conversion rate, things have improved since your voyage (Cunard don't control exchange rates of course). I had the same problem a few years back; the exchange rate wasn't good. Then again, I've known times when it was excellent, so it can be seen as "swings and roundabouts" over time.

 

Best wishes,

All of those points are indeed true !

Hi everybody, My wife and I shall be aboard for the west bound transatlantic crossing in a couple of days time, this will be our first ever cruise, and will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary during the crossing. I spent 12 years in the RN spending most of my time at sea, but although I have travelled most of the world from the Caribbean to the Solomon Isles I have never been to the USA. I read somewhere that currency on board is Pounds Sterling, but I see all the menus are priced in Dollars????? maybe I'm too cynical but this just seems like a ploy to get you not to know how much you are spending, is this general?

Definitely in US $ onboard. We always use a Santander Zero card onboard. No commission and excellent exchange rate. I believe there are other cards that are similar. I take $ cash for extra tipping.

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Trouble is, there's not much in it (and when we went last summer it was even worse). After you add 15% to every $ price you see, and then convert it to £, you end up pretty much back where you started. In fact, last year, I did just that; i.e. see dollars and think pounds. However, when I got my final bill I was not pleasantly surprised.

Hah! I'd love if the Pound was equivalent to $1.15.