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Australia $ Value, Economic Direction?

TLCOhio
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NSWP

NSWP

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My grandfather told me that 'lotteries and gambling is just a tax on the stupid', however, people gamble more than with just money.:D

I don't contribute to the Cruise Ship Casinos, or any other casino. I just spend plenty on vino.

 

AUD just now US$90.03

Edited by NSWP
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aussielozzie18 Great Review Rare

aussielozzie18

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When I was on the Rhapsody at Christmas, I went to the customer service desk and asked to put $100AUD against my account. I a bit shocked when only $85USD was applied - I had completely forgotten about the exchange rate - Anyways, a couple of days later, I went up to customer service again (after my teen spent big on the internet) with her $100AUD and was resigned to only have $85 applied again. This time, I got another staff member, who straight away said it would be much smarter to pay this account at the end of the cruise with my credit card, so I did.

Edited by aussielozzie18
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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When I was on the Rhapsody at Christmas, I went to the customer service desk and asked to put $100AUD against my account. I a bit shocked when only $85USD was applied - I had completely forgotten about the exchange rate - Anyways, a couple of days later, I went up to customer service again (after my teen spent big on the internet) with her $100AUD and was resigned to only have $85 applied again. This time, I got another staff member, who straight away said it would be much smarter to pay this account at the end of the cruise with my credit card, so I did.

 

That is what I would do as well, my bank does have an international currency conversion charge though.:D

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Pean

Pean

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Hi. Have booked a cruise on Radiance for Christmas. Not been on a ship that uses US DOLLARS. When do you think I should get some US dollars as we would like to have a flutter in the Casino. Also -are we better to pay our on board account in cash Aust or Us or use our credit card? Thanks Suexxx

 

On Celebrity you can buy OBC before you leave. They are currently selling it at AUS$25.00 buys you USD$25.00 OBC. I am not sure if you can do that on Royal Caribbean but as they are the same company it may be worth checking out.

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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Is it just me -- or does anyone else see the incongruity of somebody on a tight budget wishing to play at the Casino??? :)

 

 

Barry

 

Not sure... but if you lose, it's probably better to have been on a tight budget than a loose one! ;)

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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On Celebrity you can buy OBC before you leave. They are currently selling it at AUS$25.00 buys you USD$25.00 OBC. I am not sure if you can do that on Royal Caribbean but as they are the same company it may be worth checking out.

 

That sounds too good to be true. I will check it out, it sounds like a great way of making money work for you.:D

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Pean

Pean

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That sounds too good to be true. I will check it out, it sounds like a great way of making money work for you.:D

 

We have done it on our last two cruises and have already bought some for our next one. Keep on thinking they will adjust it soon but at the moment they are still selling at parity.

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mr walker Holiday Sharing Rare

mr walker

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OK, bit the bullet today. Was concerned about where the $ may sit with our trip to Canada & US later this year. We have locked in &/or paid as much as possible thus far, but will still need to make further payments on the trip.

 

When it dipped below 90c recently I thought it may go lower fast & the stated target by the Reserve Bank is 80c or even less. So, made up my mind that I would jump in when/if it hit 90c again.

 

Of course, the published Fx rate is not a rate that you will get when you transact, and only serves as a basis of comparison. The rate you get will always be several cents lower, at least for regular punters like me.

 

Anway I bought CAN$ at .93 & USD at .8653 so at least I have local currency to cover much of my expected spend.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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OK, bit the bullet today. Was concerned about where the $ may sit with our trip to Canada & US later this year. We have locked in &/or paid as much as possible thus far, but will still need to make further payments on the trip.

 

When it dipped below 90c recently I thought it may go lower fast & the stated target by the Reserve Bank is 80c or even less. So, made up my mind that I would jump in when/if it hit 90c again.

 

Of course, the published Fx rate is not a rate that you will get when you transact, and only serves as a basis of comparison. The rate you get will always be several cents lower, at least for regular punters like me.

 

Anway I bought CAN$ at .93 & USD at .8653 so at least I have local currency to cover much of my expected spend.

Yes, I think it may have been a smart move. The RBA wants our dollar down.:D

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Xcitdcruiser

Xcitdcruiser

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On Celebrity you can buy OBC before you leave. They are currently selling it at AUS$25.00 buys you USD$25.00 OBC. I am not sure if you can do that on Royal Caribbean but as they are the same company it may be worth checking out.

 

This sounds good- will check it out in the morning. If one buys too much obc & it's not all spent can you get a refund?

 

And is the obc purchased online or do I have to go through the ta?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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Yes, I think it may have been a smart move. The RBA wants our dollar down.:D

 

There are grounds for our currency to be higher. But now that the RBA have been given a $9 bn war chest by the new government to help push our currency lower, it's a riskier bet to go against them.

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Pean

Pean

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This sounds good- will check it out in the morning. If one buys too much obc & it's not all spent can you get a refund?

 

And is the obc purchased online or do I have to go through the ta?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

I can not say for sure as we have always used it all but before I purchased it the first time I rang up and asked what would happen to unused OBC and I was told we would lose it but when I checked the account on board the OBC was listed as refundable so I think I may have been given the wrong information.

You purchase it online. It is very easy to do but I do not know which cruise lines apart from Celebrity do it. Below is the link for Celebrity cruises.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/bonvoyage/category/viewCollection.do?cat=ONBDCR&coll=ONBDCR

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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I can not say for sure as we have always used it all but before I purchased it the first time I rang up and asked what would happen to unused OBC and I was told we would lose it but when I checked the account on board the OBC was listed as refundable so I think I may have been given the wrong information.

You purchase it online. It is very easy to do but I do not know which cruise lines apart from Celebrity do it. Below is the link for Celebrity cruises.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/bonvoyage/category/viewCollection.do?cat=ONBDCR&coll=ONBDCR

Cheers, for me it is not a question of the unspent refundable OBC as that goes back onto your card (for the account).

It is more of how can I get cash out of my account so that all the OBC is used without buying anything on board.

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Xcitdcruiser

Xcitdcruiser

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Cheers, for me it is not a question of the unspent refundable OBC as that goes back onto your card (for the account).

It is more of how can I get cash out of my account so that all the OBC is used without buying anything on board.

 

So, purchased OBC is refundable?

 

Also, I'm looking at the link to purchase the OBC, the item code is: C171 $25AUD - but it doesn't actually tell you what that buys you (hoping for $25USD) I've gotten to the cart & it's all in AUD.

Edit: I've called X & they have confirmed that it is 1 for 1 but they do not advertise it.

 

I did ask whether the OBC is refundable & their answer was NO. May start a diff thread - how much OBC does one realistically use?

Edited by Xcitdcruiser
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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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So, purchased OBC is refundable?

 

Also, I'm looking at the link to purchase the OBC, the item code is: C171 $25AUD - but it doesn't actually tell you what that buys you (hoping for $25USD) I've gotten to the cart & it's all in AUD.

Edit: I've called X & they have confirmed that it is 1 for 1 but they do not advertise it.

 

I did ask whether the OBC is refundable & their answer was NO. May start a diff thread - how much OBC does one realistically use?

I would spend all of it if it is non refundable.

There are differing types of OBC.

  • When on board the non-refundable OBC is supposed to be used first.
  • OBC from the cruiseline (when in a promotion or something) is normally non- refundable.
  • OBC from your TA is refundable, any not used goes back to your credit card account.
  • OBC that you purchase or is a gift . I do not know but would suspect it is refundable as well.

Hope that helped.:D

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