Royal Caribbean booking currency

[Scarlett09]

Hi All,

 

I am looking at booking a Royal Caribbean cruise for November to the South Pacific. This is through the Royal Caribbean Australia website.

 

I have a couple of questions:

 

-Do you know if Royal Caribbean charges for the cruise in Australian Dollars if I book through the Australian website? The cruise price is listed in Australian dollars, but I am worried they may charge in USD to my card??

 

-Is there any free cancellation window? In case of unexpected event.

 

Thanks all!

[fishtaco]

Hi All,

 

I am looking at booking a Royal Caribbean cruise for November to the South Pacific. This is through the Royal Caribbean Australia website.

 

I have a couple of questions:

 

-Do you know if Royal Caribbean charges for the cruise in Australian Dollars if I book through the Australian website? The cruise price is listed in Australian dollars, but I am worried they may charge in USD to my card??

 

-Is there any free cancellation window? In case of unexpected event.

 

Thanks all!

 

RCI Australia charge you in Australian dollars then it is paid to RCI USA In US Dollars and if there is a conversion fee charged by your credit card you pay it.

 

Den

[need_a_holiday]

I had an RCI cruise payment go through in January, it showed up on my visa as the same amount that was in the booking, no currency fees.

 

The cancellation policy will be on the RCI payment page, usually the closer you get to the cruise the higher the cancellation cost. Travel insurance or a payment card with holiday protection would protect you from this.

[fishtaco]

I had an RCI cruise payment go through in January, it showed up on my visa as the same amount that was in the booking, no currency fees.

 

The cancellation policy will be on the RCI payment page, usually the closer you get to the cruise the higher the cancellation cost. Travel insurance or a payment card with holiday protection would protect you from this.

 

This depends on the card used but OP will soon find out if their card charges the conversion after they pay deposit.

 

Den

[cassamanda]

Hi All,

 

I am looking at booking a Royal Caribbean cruise for November to the South Pacific. This is through the Royal Caribbean Australia website.

 

I have a couple of questions:

 

-Do you know if Royal Caribbean charges for the cruise in Australian Dollars if I book through the Australian website? The cruise price is listed in Australian dollars, but I am worried they may charge in USD to my card??

 

-Is there any free cancellation window? In case of unexpected event.

 

Thanks all!

You pay the Australian fee in Australian dollars. RCCL converts that back internally to USD. My statements only show AUD charges and no conversion or international fees, but then again i use the 28 degree Mastercard that everyone recommends.

There is no cancellation fee until the cancellation table kicks in 5 months before sail date. so if you book 12 months out and pay your deposit it is fully refundable up to 5 months before you sail.

[fishtaco]

You pay the Australian fee in Australian dollars. RCCL converts that back internally to USD. My statements only show AUD charges and no conversion or international fees, but then again i use the 28 degree Mastercard that everyone recommends.

There is no cancellation fee until the cancellation table kicks in 5 months before sail date. so if you book 12 months out and pay your deposit it is fully refundable up to 5 months before you sail.

 

Of course your statement shows zero fees! 28 Degree master card has no foreign transaction fees?lol

 

You pay an Australian dollar amount to RCI Australia that is then paid to RCI Florida in US dollars at your expense unless you have a foreign transaction fee free card:)

 

I can tell you that ANZ BankWEST and Woolworths QFF Creditcards charged me a foreign transaction fee after paying, from $AU to $US although I paid an Australian Dollar amount to RCI?

 

It is actually in the small print of the RCI Australia Terms and conditions that your financial institution "May" charge you a foreign transaction fee after payment, which means all amounts are charged to you in US Dollars and only shown in AU Dollars.

 

The OP should first check with their financial institution or credit card provider to see if they charge a fee or not as there is no one answer to this question unless you have a 28Degree or similar card:)

 

I now have a 28 Degree master card,it took no longer than 5 mins to apply and be accepted on line and my card arrived in 3 days:) All future payments by me to RCI Australia will be with the 28 Degree card.

 

Den

[goodycruising]

I used a NAB cedit card. They have it in their terms and conditons that you are paying a single currency transaction (AUD TO AUD) to a foreign company. They clearly state in the credit card booklet you get, quickly read, and chuck in the cupboard, that there is a 2.3% fee for this transaction.

 

On the other hand we get travel insurance included as part of the platinum card, so we worked out that the fee that annoyed us so much would have worked out nearly the same as a policy we got a quote on. If in doubt, ask your bank for another copy of your terms and conditions, and they should be able to advise you.

[Icerecon]

We have booked 3 cruises online with RCI Australia and we pay with a standard VISA card. The booking price is in AUD and we pay in AUD no additional fees paid and why should there be?

 

If they (RCI) want to transfer their money to USD that would be their problem, surely.

 

However our on board purchases are paid in USD and are converted to AUD and of course there is a transaction fee, once again our card is a standard VISA card so we are prepared for that, and it is usually only about $20 - $25 in fees.

 

The cancellation is a what has been stated.

[Scarlett09]

Thanks everyone for being so helpful.

[The_Big_M]

They definitely will charge you in AUD when booking locally.

 

However, the only issue is that the office making the charge is actually their US office. As a result, some banks will charge a fee to your card for purchases made overseas.

 

Check your card and see if that is the case. That is the only extra fee that you may incur on booking. The amount will be in AUD.

[KAYTWO]

Yep, we got hit with a 3% overseas transaction charge. Next time I will go back through my local TA :cool:

[fishtaco]

They definitely will charge you in AUD when booking locally.

 

However, the only issue is that the office making the charge is actually their US office. As a result, some banks will charge a fee to your card for purchases made overseas.

 

Check your card and see if that is the case. That is the only extra fee that you may incur on booking. The amount will be in AUD.

 

My credit card says X amount of Dollars AU + foreign transaction conversion to X Dollars US paid direct to RCI Florida in US Dollars?

 

My fees are not for purchases made over seas but a foreign currency conversion fee

 

RCI AU charges me in Australian dollars but pays my money to Florida in US dollars. Why dont they just charge US dollars?

 

 

RCI Australia is an Austrian company and customers are protected by Australian consumer protection laws if the fee on your card was for making an "overseas purchase" then RCI Australia are breaking the law for selling an overseas product that is not theirs to sell!

[fishtaco]

Yep, we got hit with a 3% overseas transaction charge. Next time I will go back through my local TA :cool:

 

Get a 28 Degree mastercard! I have so many cards i didnt want another one:rolleyes: But i got one in the end, online in about 5 mins.

 

I would not have bothered if Cruiselines used PayPal :(

 

Their exchange rate is pretty good and close to the official foreign currency rates and good for overseas purchases as long as you pay your balance before the 55 days as their interest is pretty high.

 

But never buy a cruise through RCI Australia! Overseas T/A is the only way to go with RCI. Carnival on the other hand is much more Border friendly allowing Australians to book direct at US prices and get the same perks US cruisers get with price drops and OBC with the advantage of using a "PVP" to get you your entitlements that RCI Australia are denying you just for being Australian!

[Aussie FF]

I have done 11 RCI cruises, and have 3 more booked.

I have used the web-site, direct on the phone and through a TA.

I have a CBA Diamond Mastercard and the only time I paid ANY fee was before RCI had an office in Sydney, and we had to pay in USD.

I have never purchased anything on their ships which had to be converted, as I always take USD, and a USD travel card. I also don't pay any fees to buy currency and the travel card.

[fishtaco]

I have done 11 RCI cruises, and have 3 more booked.

I have used the web-site, direct on the phone and through a TA.

I have a CBA Diamond Mastercard and the only time I paid ANY fee was before RCI had an office in Sydney, and we had to pay in USD.

I have never purchased anything on their ships which had to be converted, as I always take USD, and a USD travel card. I also don't pay any fees to buy currency and the travel card.

 

Well arn,t you the lucky one!

 

RCI charged me $400 PP more than a US citizen for an apples for apples "Australian" cruise and would not let me book the american price then charged me in Australian dollars for the privilege and then paid my money to RCI Florida in US dollars that I had to cop conversions fees for? Criminals I call them for using the Internet in a fraudulent way!

 

I should have known better ( next time;)) but how many first time RCI cruises have any idea how much they are being ripped off?

 

Go take a look at RCI,s $55 US per day premium drinks package that cost RCI Australian customers $62+ AU per day on the RCI Australian web site :confused:

 

I wont buy it because i know it will only cost $55US on board but one of my roll call members fell for the trap so how many first time cruisers will follow suit?

 

One persons cruise company experience may not be the same as the next but RCI are blatantly ripping off Australians,maybe not "you" but "you" are only One of many Thousands every cruise!

[The_Big_M]

My credit card says X amount of Dollars AU + foreign transaction conversion to X Dollars US paid direct to RCI Florida in US Dollars?

 

My fees are not for purchases made over seas but a foreign currency conversion fee

 

The fee isn't a conversion fee, but for a transaction overseas.

 

You'll find NAB now charge two types of fees, a currency conversion fee, and a foreign transaction fee.

 

You could pay a currency conversion fee to an Australian merchant who charged you a foreign amount. And you could pay a foreign transaction fee to a foreign merchant who charges you in AUD.

 

And if you buy in a foreign currency, from a foreign merchant... you've hit the jackpot! :D

[The_Big_M]

One persons cruise company experience may not be the same as the next but RCI are blatantly ripping off Australians,maybe not "you" but "you" are only One of many Thousands every cruise!

 

Same goes the other way. Many don't see that they are ripping off Australians, let alone blatantly.

[aussiedisneyfan]

I know this post isn't about RCCL directly but it is along the same vein of AUD overseas. Be warned that our delightful government has outsourced the Tourist Refund Scheme payment system to a private company who processes the payments overseas. So on my ANZ visa, that I received my refund of AUD, I got hit with a foreign transaction fee because it was processed overseas.

[MMDown Under]

 

Go take a look at RCI,s $55 US per day premium drinks package that cost RCI Australian customers $62+ AU per day on the RCI Australian web site :confused:

 

I wont buy it because i know it will only cost $55US on board but one of my roll call members fell for the trap so how many first time cruisers will follow suit?

 

 

I'm rarely surprised at measures the cruise lines go to to discriminate against Australians. However, if that is true, I'm shocked!

 

RCI has gone down in my opinion!

[The_Big_M]

I'm rarely surprised at measures the cruise lines go to to discriminate against Australians. However, if that is true, I'm shocked!

 

RCI has gone down in my opinion!

 

It wasn't true last time it was discussed. It was AU$52.25 per day/person.

[MMDown Under]

It wasn't true last time it was discussed. It was AU$52.25 per day/person.

 

Well that is a fair conversion from $55US!

[keagle]

It wasn't true last time it was discussed. It was AU$52.25 per day/person.

 

I just had a look and at this point for our next cruise it is $53.cc.

 

ANZ charge fees as well. So much on a cruise fare that I got a 28 Degrees card.

[need_a_holiday]

I just checked on my April bookings and the premium drinks package is showing up as aud$46.40, not sure if gst gets added to that but it looks a lot cheaper.

 

I agree the Australian TAs never seem to offer the same on board credit and gratuities as US based. It could be lack of volume and competition between online booking sites. RCI recently offer onboard credit through the Australian website but only for Europe and USA Cruises. They only offered the WOW credit to North Americans - so they are tight fisted when it comes to perks for Australians.

[celle]

I live in New Zealand and when I look to book a Royal Caribbean cruse on line, I am diverted to the Australian site, where the cruse price is in Australian dollars.

 

Since the Australian dollar is now higher than the US dollar and my credit card charges will be converted back to NZ dollars, it would cost me less for the cruise to be charged in US dollars.

[The_Big_M]

I just checked on my April bookings and the premium drinks package is showing up as aud$46.40, not sure if gst gets added to that but it looks a lot cheaper.

 

The difference between that and the other price is that gratuities are added to all drink purchases including the above. Add your 15% on and that's the price you'll pay.