Vanuatu and New Caledonia Currency?

[sunshine 229]

Hi everyone!

Sorry to crash your P&O board since I am not going on a P&O cruise, but I am booked on a Rhapsody cruise out of Sydney and info about the South Pacific Islands on the RCCL board is pretty scarce so I am wondering if anyone here could help out.

The cruise I am on visits several ports in Vanuatu and in New Caledonia and I am wondering about what to bring in the way of currency.

 

I live in Canada so, once the cruise is over, I will have little use for Vatu or for French Francs or French Polynisian Francs but I have heard that in the small markets or for local purchases local currency is necessary. Then I noticed a thread about someone on Vila who takes donations for the hospital in AUD.

 

Can anyone here give me info about what I need to get by in these ports of call and where is the best place to make the exchange for these currencies?

[tassie cruiser]

Hi there,

 

We have been a few times and always only used Aussie dollars...... In Vila (not sure if you going there) we just used our credit card for duty free etc....Hope this helps :) Fiona

[Gaznjo]

Sunshine.... you are not crashing, all of us cruising out of australia hang out here.... no matter what ship we sail...

 

maybe while in sydney grab some cash as you will find that is all you will need.... most shops in vila will take aussie dollars and all the small markets on your south pacific cruise sell in Aussie $$...

 

In Noumea you may need CPF as they are not so obliging .... though it is pretty expensive there you don't buy much... if you do a ships tour you wont need much cash but if you do your own thing you might want to work out how much you need... and then just grab it from an atm...

 

we didn't change any money on our last cruise..

 

Joanne

[sunshine 229]

Thanks tassie cruiser and packetau the little reading I have done sounded as if I would need Vatu to get around in Vanuatu and French Polynesian Francs in most of New Caledonia. Combine that with AUD for my days in Sydney and I was going to be a walking foreign exchange all on my own.:D

[Gaznjo]

Thanks tassie cruiser and packetau the little reading I have done sounded as if I would need Vatu to get around in Vanuatu and French Polynesian Francs in most of New Caledonia. Combine that with AUD for my days in Sydney and I was going to be a walking foreign exchange all on my own.:D

 

 

like we said you don't really don't need vatu at all if getting aussie $$ even the taxi drivers take aussie $$ and wouldn't worry about francs till you got to noumea to see if you need them .... lifou, isle of pines all take aussie $$

[Wilkono]

I wouldn't go as far to say that it is an absolute requirement, but its definitely a good idea to take Pacific Francs to Noumea, if you are comfortable with the exchange rates. Thats just my opinion though. Our boat converted our currency for us, so it was an easy exchange.

 

Although ports in Vanuatu are supposed to take the Aussie Dollar, my partner and I did run into some trouble at some restaurants and bars in Port Vila when inexperienced staff tried to make the conversion, although I think they were isolated cases. There wasn't a problem at all with the duty-free shops, or the small markets just by the wharf, or with taxi/bus drivers.

[leashyloo69]

hi

just got back from New C and Vanuatu

Francs are a smarter option in Noumea as if you work it out, the aussie dollar price is higher that the francs price on some items..I just kept a currency converter on me (in my phone)

Aussie dollars were excepted everywhere we went in Vila..infact my bus driver made it hard for me to pay in vatu ..!