Ship Exchanging Currency for multiple countries?

[lawgirl]

We will be up in the Baltics with 5 different currencies! Yikes! We are taking some of each from our bank, as I don't want to deal with finding ATMs and worrying about whether my card will work (as it does not have the European chip in the ATM card).

 

If I have leftover currency, say Krona, Rubles, etc., will the shop exchange it for USD? How much will they exchange? Is there a fee?

 

Thanks!

[Arachnotron]

I remember when I cruised Baltic back in 1998 they did have onboard exchange for all Northern Europe currencies. There certainly was a fee but do not remember what it was.

[cruisePAC]

Which countries will you be visiting?

Most countries in the Baltics are part of the European Union and, even if this isn't the official currency, they will still accept Euros. Last spring, we cruised the Baltics and stopped in England, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Russia. We used Rubles in Russia and Euros in the other countries. England prefers pounds, but will accept Euros. I bought a bottle of still water at Heathrow Airport and paid with Euro and was given change in pounds.

ATMs are prevalent in tourist areas. I can understand you're not wanting to have to seek one out...one more thing on your "to do list" when you'd rather be sightseeing.

Credit cards are widely accepted. Our card doesn't have a chip (per our request) and we had no problem using it in all of the above counties.

There is an ATM onboard the ship. There will be a sign on the ATM stating that the machine will only dispense US Dollars or only dispense Euros. The desk onboard will also issue local currency, but you might not get the best exchange rate for this.

If you're still concerned and you want to have various currencies prior to arriving, here are some suggestions:

- Bank of America and Wells Fargo offer these services. I'm not sure if you have to have an account with them.

- Travelex dot com has locations across the USA

- Frequently, the International Terminal at major airports will have currency exchanges.

- Google "currency exchange locations near ..." (... is your hometown).

 

Regarding leftover currency:

- You can bring it home and use it for a souvenir

- Bring it home and save it for the next time you visit that country :)

- Use one of the above currency exchanges to exchange the foreign currency back to US dollars.

- Spend it wisely. For example, when we were in Croatia, we had a small amount of kuna remaining. We went to a café and ordered items that wouldn't go over our "budget". We left the remaining as a tip.

 

I hope this has been helpful. Enjoy your time in the Baltics.

[Ashland]

We cruised with RCI in 2010 and easily exchanged some US $'s at guest services each night prior to each port where we would need different currencies..We had no problem with much if any left over and the ones that we did we also kept as souveniers..for larger purchases we used our Capital One credit card..and just a fyi our private tour guide in St Petersburg paid when necessary and we gave her US $'s at the end of our tour...no need for us to purchase Rubles (this is the only currency you can't buy onboard. And some vendors in SPB actually had no trouble taking our US $'s. We worried so much about the money situation and it couldn't have actually been easier..we also didn't use any foreign ATM's but instead cashed US travelers checks onboard the ship for extra money.

[steveru621]

Our last Med cruise in 2013 the ship updated the exchange rates every day for nearly 10 currencies. The currency list was from Bank of America and was no different really from what you would get by walking into any branch in the US. Nowhere will you get the rate published in the Wall street journal.

 

You will lose around 7% every time you make an exchange. USD to Euros 7% -- Euros back to USD 7%. Get and use as little cash as possible. If you still have foriegn currency at the end of the cruise we always use it for extra gratuities for the crew. The ships' currency is USD.

 

Don't worry about not having a chip on your credit card. The mag stripe still works almost everywhere and it always works in the tourist areas.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited May 7, 2014 by steveru621

[cruisePAC]

Our last Med cruise in 2013 the ship updated the exchange rates every day for nearly 10 currencies. The currency list was from Bank of America and was no different really from what you would get by walking into any branch in the US. Nowhere will you get the rate published in the Wall street journal.

 

You will lose around 7% every time you make an exchange. USD to Euros 7% -- Euros back to USD 7%. Get and use as little cash as possible. If you still have foriegn currency at the end of the cruise we always use it for extra gratuities for the crew. The ships' currency is USD.

 

Don't worry about not having a chip on your credit card. The mag stripe still works almost everywhere and it always works in the tourist areas.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

I like the idea of using leftover foreign currency as a tip for the crew. They'll be back in that country sooner than I will!

[Missus Makkem]

I like the idea of using leftover foreign currency as a tip for the crew. They'll be back in that country sooner than I will!

 

Exactly and then they do not loose any money with exchange rates.