So do you think they will change prices for CDN? Since our dollar sucks!

[Samstress]

Yes, not sure why the option isn't available online (other than that the website isn't the most user friendly on the best of days), but if you talk to one of the PCCs They will charge you in Canadian dollars. The poor exchange rate is also why I've been adding a bunch of gift cards to my account in advance of the trips instead of paying it all off at the end. I have a fairly good idea what I'll be spending onboard and it's cheaper to add a few hundred dollars worth of gift cards charged at the NCL exchange rate of 1.07-1.09 US than it is to put it on my Canadian credit card and pay the currently daily exchange rate (closer to 1.25) AND the 2.5% conversion fee the card company adds on top of that. If there are any charges over and above the amount I've prepaid, I'll use my US currency Visa card... Will still have the horrible exchange rate, but not the additional conversion fee. If you have a realistic idea of how much you'll be spending onboard prepaying is the way to go. The trick is to use "Price is Right" rules... Closest without going over (prepaying too much so they owe you). :)

 

I also have a US Visa Card. I was going to use it because of the 2.5% charge that my MasterCard tacks on. However, I still need to convert my Canadian Dollars to US dollars into my US Bank Account so that I can pay the Visa. I

have discovered that the bank charges 2.5% to do this! They don't break it out...so you wouldn't necessarily see it; but we did the calculations on two separate transactions & that's exactly what they did. So for me it looks like a no win situation. I guess I didn't notice before because the exchange rate was so favourable that it didn't make a big difference...but it sure does now.

[soccersharon]

I appreciate this thread :). I ended up cancelling my reservation with my US based TA. I was not happy about taking the reservation away from my TA (she is wonderful), but I will end up saving about $530.00. This is a significant amount of money, which my TA understood.

 

Was able to rebook (same cabin) within moments. I will be sure to purchase OBC as well in the next week or two.

 

 

Sent from my iPad. Typos are inevitable.

[Mechman1971]

 

Thanks for the tip. i tried what you said about logging in, but unfortunaetly i couldn't do it. does it show up automaticallyin CDN$. I didn't book my cruise through NCL but through an US T/A. Does this matter.

 

I think it does..check out the couple posts above - you may want to consider cancelling the reservation with your US T/A, and book directly with NCL, or a Canadian T/A. Hopefully you are far enough away from sail date that there are no penalties. I just picked $100 onboard credit, and it did show $107 cdn..yes.

[Maddysdaddy]

Are the onboard credits refundable if the trip is cancelled? They're a great deal, but a lot can happen in the next 14 months before my family sails.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[huggs]

I just bought $100 on a booking that has been all done in CDN funds. When I went to make payment all I was charged was charged was $100 CDN...

 

1. Does the face value of a gift charge change when purchased in CDN funds ?

 

2. Will wait and see what the charge goes through as on my credit card.

 

If no additional charges, I am going to be purchasing some more OBC gift cards... this will save some $$ for sure..

[j-9]

I just bought $100 on a booking that has been all done in CDN funds. When I went to make payment all I was charged was charged was $100 CDN...

 

1. Does the face value of a gift charge change when purchased in CDN funds ?

 

2. Will wait and see what the charge goes through as on my credit card.

 

If no additional charges, I am going to be purchasing some more OBC gift cards... this will save some $$ for sure..

I wonder if the exchange was at par when you booked your cruise? For my cruise last Nov, it had been booked at par, and the at par exchange held through even though the rate changed for new bookings. My current cruise was booked recently and $100 OBC would cost $107 CAD. For my previous cruise, when I bought $100 OBC it was worth $100 USD on board.

[huggs]

I wonder if the exchange was at par when you booked your cruise? For my cruise last Nov, it had been booked at par, and the at par exchange held through even though the rate changed for new bookings. My current cruise was booked recently and $100 OBC would cost $107 CAD. For my previous cruise, when I bought $100 OBC it was worth $100 USD on board.

 

I am not sure, but the cruise was booked Jan last year in CDN funds, so it is possible at par as the dollar was certainly much better then... this is good news for us then... I will start buying OBC over the next few pay days :p, and not tell hubby and what a nice surprise it will be to have it all paid for ahead of time and at no extra cost. We figured we were going to have to curtail any additional dining, drinking or excursions due to the dollar dropping... I am now doing the happy dance !!

[Maddysdaddy]

Just purchased OBC's and they were at $1.16, which is what my cruise was at when I booked it a couple of days ago.

 

Of course, the RBC wants almost $1.27 on the exchange, so still a 10% benefit from NCL.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[hbe]

I think it does..check out the couple posts above - you may want to consider cancelling the reservation with your US T/A, and book directly with NCL, or a Canadian T/A. Hopefully you are far enough away from sail date that there are no penalties. I just picked $100 onboard credit, and it did show $107 cdn..yes.

my cruise in September on the Epic, 13 nights. right now NCL is only showing 6 and 7 day cruises, and this works out in C$ much higher. i caught a speciall rate of US8100 for 2 bedroom haven suite, so even if i do the calculations, the US rate converted is still $3600 in my favcour. we'll see what happens when NCL opens my cruise again.

[ilovetotravel1977]

I plan on prepaying my OBC through NCL website ($164 US = $180 CDN), and not in cash on the ship. MUCH cheaper to prepay it. And I am also going to buy $250 US (=$268 CDN) in OBC to use at the restaurants and still have some money to buy a few souvenirs.

 

This way I will only need US money for taxis, pre-cruise day and disembarkation day food and sunscreen :)

 

The exchange rate is horrific right now and I don't see it getting any better than what NCL offers.

[travelzooer]

Our cruise is less than 90 days away. We also booked with a US TA. So everything was paid in US$.

We want to buy the beverage package but we can only buy it in US$

. Is it possible to buy gift cards in Canadian? Or have someone else buy the drink package for us as a gift in Canadian $??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[xcell]

Update

 

Booked my cruise - went to Air Canada Vacations and they quoted in CDN which was much less than NCL.com USD then coverted thru my Visa and then service charged...saved $600 CDN.

 

Now to get to NYC from the t-dot!

 

(watch the cruise price drop now since I booked it...it always happens but I'm happy either way).

[soccersharon]

Update

 

 

 

Booked my cruise - went to Air Canada Vacations and they quoted in CDN which was much less than NCL.com USD then coverted thru my Visa and then service charged...saved $600 CDN.

 

 

 

Now to get to NYC from the t-dot!

 

 

 

(watch the cruise price drop now since I booked it...it always happens but I'm happy either way).

 

 

That's great! I prepaid our DSC online as well. I'll buy some OBC, and make dinner reservations too - to save a few more dollars.

[xcell]

What's DSC?

[soccersharon]

What's DSC?

 

 

Discretionary service charge - long way of saying tips :)

[sabrecatz]

Harvey,

How did you get that rate says it will be charged in USD in terms and conditions

[yvr49]

Yesterday I called NCL and prepaid our gratuities at the current rate of $12 pp per day - for 2 of us on our 16-day cruise it came to $384 USD and my credit card was charged $412.80 CAD, which works out to 7.5% exchange. I then purchased $1000 of OBC and that cost $1075. I confirmed that if we don't spend all the OBC on the cruise it will be refunded to my credit card.

 

We recently got off a Princess cruise where we did the same thing - their rate was 10%, i.e. $1000 USD cost $1100 CDN - not as good as NCL but still way better than bank rates.

[AandBmom]

Yesterday I called NCL and prepaid our gratuities at the current rate of $12 pp per day - for 2 of us on our 16-day cruise it came to $384 USD and my credit card was charged $412.80 CAD, which works out to 7.5% exchange. I then purchased $1000 of OBC and that cost $1075. I confirmed that if we don't spend all the OBC on the cruise it will be refunded to my credit card.

 

We recently got off a Princess cruise where we did the same thing - their rate was 10%, i.e. $1000 USD cost $1100 CDN - not as good as NCL but still way better than bank rates.

 

I was told they set their exchange rate a few times a year so I recommend paying ahead like this poster did as soon as possible. We did the same last week and saved a bunch of money.

[soccersharon]

Yesterday I called NCL and prepaid our gratuities at the current rate of $12 pp per day - for 2 of us on our 16-day cruise it came to $384 USD and my credit card was charged $412.80 CAD, which works out to 7.5% exchange. I then purchased $1000 of OBC and that cost $1075. I confirmed that if we don't spend all the OBC on the cruise it will be refunded to my credit card.

 

 

 

We recently got off a Princess cruise where we did the same thing - their rate was 10%, i.e. $1000 USD cost $1100 CDN - not as good as NCL but still way better than bank rates.

 

 

Good rate! Mine is 1.1628. The rep told me the rate was revised on January 2nd. It does seem NCL will lock the reservation into the original booking rate.

[ilovetotravel1977]

Yes, I believe they do because ours is still at the 1.075 exchange.

[janicemarie29]

My rate is also 1.1628.... Everything I purchase is the same rate on ncl.com..... The current bank rate is 1.27, with visa being higher. I thought I was getting a good rate

[janicemarie29]

When did you book your cruise? The exchange rate you booked at follows you for everything else you purchase with ncl.com..... Excursions, OBC, and prepaid gratuities.

[soccersharon]

I booked January 31st :) The rep told me the exchange rates were updated Jan. 2. VERY happy either way.

[janicemarie29]

I booked on the 20th of January....

Edited February 17, 2015 by janicemarie29

[missguy]

So happy I found this thread.

 

I thought that we could only book in US currency so I booked our 2016 cruise online February 1st. But after reading this, I called and they had to cancel and rebook but in CAD currency. They gave me a rate of 1.1111 which is great compared to banks and canadian credit cards. I also went and prepay gratuities at the same rate. So all in all, it saves us +- 500$ dollars.

 

Thank you Cruise Critic!

 

Guylaine