Purchasing Euros on the Reflection

[michaelxjw]

We will be sailing on the Reflection for the 5/29/15 Eastern Meditterean Cruise. We have a question... Can you purchase Euros for your land excursions while on board the ship?

[Talisker92]

From what i understand, the exchange rate is poor. You are better off getting them at an ATM or at your bank before you leave. That is what we do

[Aloha 1]

Absolutely agree. Don't buy on board. Use an ATM. If you have a brokerage account with a debit card that waives all fees, even better. You will need a PIN number on your card at some machines in Europe and at least a chip on it in almost all cases. We typically hit an ATM at the airport upon arrival. Also, don't use the Change/Cambio kiosks as their rates are not in your favor.

[Northern Aurora]

While local currencies can be purchased on Celebrity ships you will pay dearly for the convenience of doing so. We also use our ATM cards to obtain local currencies and warn our bank that we will be doing so.

[cynbar]

We try to figure out how many Euros we are likely to need, then purchase them from our bank before we leave home. We also try to use our credit cards with a favorable exchange rate where we can-- restaurants, hotels, etc. For the (relatively) small amount of Euros we need on a cruise, we don't save much by shopping around for the best rate. Convenience is important to us at this stage of our iives. We always plan to get more at ATMs if needed, but we've done well by planning ahead.

[cheriooo]

We have found that you get better rates on Euros in Europe. We dont use our local bank or AAA because there rates arent that good. Typically when we arrive in the destination airport I find a money machine and get Euro's. (I get reimbursed by my bank for money machine fees). The cruise ship is another source though their exchange rate is a bit worse than regular bank machines but it is convenient. I try to use credit cards as much as possible so I only need walking around money in local currency.

[GeorgesGal]

We usually get euros in advance from our bank - somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 euros each; enough to cover our pre/post cruise vacations of a couple of weeks, and at a good exchange rate, plus $5.00 usd per thousand eu purchased.

 

Buying on-board not only entails a terrible exchange rate, but also a percentage fee - forget what it is. Not worth it for the convenience in my opinion.

Edited January 1, 2015 by George'sGal

[Hlitner]

Most frequent travelers to Europe (including moi) depend on European ATMs for all their cash needs. ATMs will give you the best exchange rate, and if you have a bank (like ours) that charges no ATM fees its even a better deal. As to getting Euros on the ship, you will generally lose at least 5% on the exchange. That being said, if you are only going to need a few hundred Euros then the convenience might outweigh the few extra dollars you lose in exchange rates.

 

Hank

[michaelxjw]

Thanks all for your quick responses. As per your suggestions, we will refrain from purchasing Euros on the ship and rather purchase from our bank prior to our cruise.

[Aloha 1]

Thanks all for your quick responses. As per your suggestions, we will refrain from purchasing Euros on the ship and rather purchase from our bank prior to our cruise.

 

Make sure you check the exchange rate the bank is giving you versus the actual current rate. You can easily download an app such as eCurrency which will give you the conversion rates up to the minute. Again, we typically use a brokerage account debit card which converts all purchases at the current exchange rate with no fees. If you have a Schwab account you can get one easily.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Aloha 1

[ghstudio]

Thanks all for your quick responses. As per your suggestions, we will refrain from purchasing Euros on the ship and rather purchase from our bank prior to our cruise.

 

You will likely get the exact same rate on the ships at your local bank. Most banks build in 5% into their rates.....celebrity uses the same rate you would pay at your local bank America.

 

 

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[Christine Frances]

Is your time and convenience worth $10 as opposed to running around finding ATM's or getting/ordering currency? That is what exchanging $200 for euros would cost on the ship ( if it is 5% difference!) For the large amount of Euros I needed for our Med cruise we went an excellent currency exchange http://www.vbce.ca/rates/major-currencies and then took Travelers Cheques in Euros which we cashed on the ship for no charge. For small amounts of local currency I have no problem getting it on the ship.

[dwhe]

You will likely get the exact same rate on the ships at your local bank. Most banks build in 5% into their rates.....celebrity uses the same rate you would pay at your local bank America.

 

 

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I agree, I've withdrawn dollars a few times on Celebrity ships from the ATM's and haven't noticed a major difference in the rates there and in the UK. I don't know why it should be any different for euros.

Edited January 2, 2015 by dwhe