Would paying for onboard costs in $US stop you

[stevelcqld]

Hey

 

About to cruise on Carnival, which I believe is billed in $AU for onboard items, tours etc. is that correct?

 

RCI bills in $US, would that put you off now that the AU is around 80 US cents?

 

Cheers

Steve

[OzKiwiJJ]

Nope, I'm used to budgeting for travel expenses in other currencies so would just make allowances for the exchange rate in my budget.

[GUT2407]

Hey

 

About to cruise on Carnival, which I believe is billed in $AU for onboard items, tours etc. is that correct?

 

RCI bills in $US, would that put you off now that the AU is around 80 US cents?

 

Cheers

Steve

 

 

Nope it's just one more thing to factor in.

[cruisine21]

Hey

 

 

 

About to cruise on Carnival, which I believe is billed in $AU for onboard items, tours etc. is that correct?

 

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Steve

 

 

Yes. That is correct.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[The_Big_M]

Not of its own. It's something that should be kept in mind even when you might have booked and the currency was worth $0.90US, or more.

[goodycruising]

I get where you are coming from, but if you look at the whole cruise cost, it becomes relative.

 

We like to do a Balcony or Junior Suite, and our preference is for at least 10 nights, with the last couple of times 20 and 15 nights due to doing back to back cruises.

 

We are now in the RCI loyalty program level where we get a few free drinks in the evening, but in general we would only have a few each day, and a realistic on board bill, including some laundry, used to be around say $400-$500. So if you work out that the exchange rate is costing us maybe 20-25% more compared to the parity times, we are looking at maybe spending around $100 - $150 more on a cruise, that, with all our costs of getting to Sydney, doing the cruise, and spending in ports would average out at somewhere around $5,000 to $6,000, sometimes more.

 

So in the scheme of things, to us, it is not a deal breaker, for the opportunity to travel on a cruise line that has a reputation for being a bit higher standard. Can't say from personal experience as we have been only Royal and Celebrity.

 

So it really depends on your budget, and the amount of on board spending you generally do. If you are sailing in an interior and drinking heaps, you may find that spending in Aus on a ship works out better. It is my understanding that some Carnival trips do not allow drink packages, whereas some people find the RCI drink packages good value. I don't as I can't drink that much each day, but it is very relative to each person's situation.

[Royalty X]

Nope, I will choose RCI regardless of the onboard currency.

[goodycruising]

Nope, I will choose RCI regardless of the onboard currency.

 

Would you consider Carnival Legend for any trip in the future? We had friends that did their first cruise and loved it on Carnival Legend, but when I checked out their prices I wasn't finding it cheap enough to entice me. Actually we got a better price on Celebrity Solstice in a Concierge Guarantee last minute that went a day before theirs, but we didn't tell them that ;) We wonder sometimes if we should give another line a go....but we are happy with Royal and Celebrity.

[Aussieflyer]

Like travel to anywhere overseas, currency is just another thing to be aware of. Ships that charge in foreign currency are no different. Think of them as overseas travel. P&O UK charge in UK pounds so US ships are not the only one. The $AU like most currencies goes up and down - at the moment is on the downward swing. Would not make me choose ships charging in $AU - in fact some of them i choose not to use :o

[cassamanda]

Nope, would still continue to book with Royal and have 2 current bookings. Next ship would be one of the Celebrity.

Would not consider booking through US TA though at present unless lots of obc was offered.

Gratuities and on board spending is just part of the budget although being Diamond on royal does save somewhat on evening drinks:p

Hugh

[Royalty X]

Would you consider Carnival Legend for any trip in the future? We had friends that did their first cruise and loved it on Carnival Legend, but when I checked out their prices I wasn't finding it cheap enough to entice me. Actually we got a better price on Celebrity Solstice in a Concierge Guarantee last minute that went a day before theirs, but we didn't tell them that ;) We wonder sometimes if we should give another line a go....but we are happy with Royal and Celebrity.

I must admit, I really wasn't impressed by Carnival when I did the Spirit repositioning in 2012. I was determined to not cruise with them again. But I was given the opportunity to sail with Carnival again, when Legend arrived in Australia and I was impressed by it. I think with the Spirit cruise, they just weren't prepared for such a long itinerary. I would sail with them again if the price was too good to turn down and the itinerary was something different. However, every time I look at a different cruise line, I think to myself "that's money I could be spending on another Royal cruise." I love RCI's product and we've enjoyed our cruises with them. They'll continue to be our first choice. :)

[Brisbane41]

I could not care less what currency the ship charges in. It is a fact of travel you have to deal with. My philosophy is that you only live once so live to enjoy life and forget about the trivial and insignificant garbage that holds you back.

 

Having said that it is normally best to let them charge you in the US dollars opposed to having them convert the currency for you. The cruise line charges commission that is probably more than what banks charge for the conversion.

 

Either way whatever you are charged in you are screwed over because the prices are inflated anyway for many items. I have done time at sea in the navy and know what the real cost of items are. At least 15 years ago the RAN was charging 60c for a can of beer for off duty personnel only on a beer issue night. Now there is no chance in hell the RAN would be subsidising or making a profit on beer sales for sailors at sea so that 60c represented the true costs of duty free. When I left the service I started work in transport and my first main job after the RAN was truck driving. I used to deliver to some (cargo ships) and they take on duty free. All I can tell you about the true cost of alcohol is that cruise lines get it at duty free prices. They are making a massive profit on alcohol sales. Their profit is so great that the could afford to abolish tipping and pay the entire crews wages based on the profits they make off alcohol sales and they would sill have profits left over.

 

So when you think of costs in the scheme of things just remember everything you have spend money on that ship on has been marked up.

[spirit28]

I started a similar thread last week which brought up mixed comments. For me the on-board currency will impact which cruise line I choose if the Australian dollar is below the 80 cent mark. I work too hard just to give my money away.

 

To me the differences between cruise lines is akin to the old Ford vs Holden argument (same same but different). So, if there were two cruises to choose from (similar itineries and dates) on similar standard lines with one US and the other AUD (eg RCL & Princess), why would you choose to pay more for the same thing (in respect of on-board purchases). In a time where the currency is rather volatile and you are booking well in advance, you are exposing yourself to some currency risk.

 

Those who can afford it and continue with the one company to gain loyalty points so you can wave your card around and willing to take the financial risk, good for you. For the more conservative amongst us, well I would choose some certainty and go with AUD on-board currency.

 

If you resolve everything down to the cost of a beer, I would rather pay $AUD8.00 than $US8.00 (Say $AUD10.00 plus whatever you may lose in currency conversions/bank fees etc). The currency loss will add up on a 3 week cruise with ships tours, on-board purchases, wine etc. Our recent cruise shipboard account would have been an additional $750 if it was charged in US, then converted to AUD if the $ was at 80 cents (and that would be with our bank doing the conversion).. Not a lot in the overall scheme of things, but enough to consider options.

 

Brisbane41 - When I was in the RAN, beer was 20c a can!! Spent many an evening on the SLT deck on Brisbane in the tropics downing a Tooheys or two.

[goodycruising]

As far as booking we lock in an aussie dollar price. It is only the on-board spending that is in US dollars, and we usually lock in our spending money on our travel card in US before we go so we know our budget on-board. We don't partake in the ship excursions as we are only doing Australia and New Zealand and are happy to do our own shore excursions. We are taking about sailing from Australia so most of us have the ability to research the ports before we go.

 

I don't wave my card around and take risks. You are being insulting and I can guarantee we have to work and budget for these trips. We do without a lot of things to save for these trips.

 

Thanks for your reply Royalty X :)

Edited January 13, 2015 by goodycruising

[MicCanberra]

It doesn't stop us but we are aware of what it may cost and budget appropriately, sometimes paying in full and also buying OBC in advance so as to avoid currency fluctuations that are working against us.:D

[goodycruising]

I am also not convinced the Ford and Holden comparison works either. Maybe the Calais to basic Commodore. Why would people buy something they perceive as a higher quality item?

 

If you start on the inside v's balcony you get the same difference in opinion, and I guess there are always those that want to knock other people's spending choices if they are different from their own.

 

I really don't care what people spend or what they can afford, I am happy to buy what I want with the money I earn.

[MicCanberra]

Part of spirit28's reasoning doesn't quite work.

To me the differences between cruise lines is akin to the old Ford vs Holden argument (same same but different). So, if there were two cruises to choose from (similar itineries and dates) on similar standard lines with one US and the other AUD (eg RCL & Princess), why would you choose to pay more for the same thing (in respect of on-board purchases).

The assumption is that RCI or X will be more expensive than P&O or Princess, this may be the case but the experience and quality of the cruise and ship is also higher (depending on what you want out of a cruise). In any case, some cruise lines have sales and promos that include perks such as OBC and Beverage package that may make them cheaper or similar in price as the other cruise without the sale.

 

My advice is to have a budget of what you want or are willing to spend and then research for the cruise across agencies and cruise companies for the cruise bargain that suits.:D

Edited January 13, 2015 by MicCanberra

[gbenjo]

I have never sailed on an Australian based ship that charges in $A but how do their prices on board compare with the $US ships ie if Royal for example charges $6 for beer and Carnival Aust charges $6.60 and they pay the same duty free price for the can they have already built in a 10 percent currency difference so if we were at parity they are doing very well thank you. as I said I don't know the price differences between the ships, maybe someone could enlighten?

[MicCanberra]

I have never sailed on an Australian based ship that charges in $A but how do their prices on board compare with the $US ships ie if Royal for example charges $6 for beer and Carnival Aust charges $6.60 and they pay the same duty free price for the can they have already built in a 10 percent currency difference so if we were at parity they are doing very well thank you. as I said I don't know the price differences between the ships, maybe someone could enlighten?

 

I have recently been on both P&O and X and although I had a Beverage package on X the prices are comparative. It was $7.95 AUD for a cider on P&O while being ($5.95 +15% grat = $6.85 USD) $8.15 AUD on X.:D

[GUT2407]

I have never sailed on an Australian based ship that charges in $A but how do their prices on board compare with the $US ships ie if Royal for example charges $6 for beer and Carnival Aust charges $6.60 and they pay the same duty free price for the can they have already built in a 10 percent currency difference so if we were at parity they are doing very well thank you. as I said I don't know the price differences between the ships, maybe someone could enlighten?

 

 

As a soft drink drinker, I usually find the prices for the package about the same by the time we factor in exchange rates.

[mr walker]

Only been on RC, but read recently of A$7.50 for beer on Carnival Spirit.

 

On our recent RC repo from Vancouver to Sydney via Hawaii:

On US leg, 'Aussie' beer (Tooheys New) was US$5 + 15%, so US$5.75

On 'Aussie' leg it became $US6 (including 15%) so it went up 25c.

 

So at US$6 per at Fx of .80 that would be A$7.50 - much of a muchness :)

 

I will update after Voyager 3N next month :D

[MicCanberra]

I will update after Voyager 3N next month :D

 

Likewise, although I was thinking of getting a bev package, so I am not counting costs all day.:D

Edited January 14, 2015 by MicCanberra

[The_Big_M]

 

Having said that it is normally best to let them charge you in the US dollars opposed to having them convert the currency for you. The cruise line charges commission that is probably more than what banks charge for the conversion.

 

Generally, the cruise lines charge a bit less.

 

The main lines being referred to here charge 3% commission, as distinct from the 4% commission that most bank credit cards charge.

[The_Big_M]

Part of spirit28's reasoning doesn't quite work.

 

The assumption is that RCI or X will be more expensive than P&O or Princess, this may be the case but the experience and quality of the cruise and ship is also higher (depending on what you want out of a cruise).

 

spirit's comment was only in respect of onboard purchases.

 

However, you can't separate the onboard purchases from the rest of the cruise i.e. get one brand's prices while on another's cruise.

 

Thus, as per example given earlier, it's usually only a relatively small part of the cost of the overall holiday, so most would evaluate it in that light.

[GUT2407]

Generally, the cruise lines charge a bit less.

 

The main lines being referred to here charge 3% commission, as distinct from the 4% commission that most bank credit cards charge.

 

 

All my banks said 3% [one did have a minimum but I don't remember what it was], but they also all gave a better exchange rate than Celebrity.