congratulations Posted May 26, 2015 #1 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I'm trying to save myself some money and am wondering if anybody has tried this. I will be on European cruises this Fall which will involve currencies from the United States, Great Britain, Euros and Krone from Denmark and Stockholm. In order to avoid the exchange usury rates employed by NCL I plan to take the amount of each currency in travelers checks and cash them for the SAME currency at the front desk at the various ports of call. Anybody tried to do the same thing ? Or have the cruise lines dreamed up some money laundering scheme to thwart what I think is a brilliant idea. Your thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mking8288 Posted May 26, 2015 #2 Share Posted May 26, 2015 You would be better off exchanging foreign currency locally in BC, i.e. on Richmond or City of Vancouver - at licensed stores with posted rates. We fly to BC and stay in BC on a fairly regular basis and found them to be reliable, in adddition to using banks vs. trying to get them at poor rates at the airport. AFAIK, Guest Services on NCL ships do not exchange foreign currency for its guests and the ATM's only dispense US funds - you should check with them directly about cashing Traveler's Checks & the daily limits, etc. As frequent flyers, it's best to withdraw local funds at the visiting countries by using one's bank ATM card, the given rates are fairly competitive and you do not have to deal with strangers - just make sure you alert your home bank of your travel plans (and, know the locations of the compatible bank ATM systems & locations - and whether a 4 digital PIN is sufficient, etc.) send from my Google Nexus 5/7 MD via Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herdingdogmom Posted May 26, 2015 #3 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Just off the Star on May 20th. Guest Services/front desk did exchange currency but there is a flat $10 usd fee for each transaction which I imagine would include travelers checks in the same currency. They don't miss a chance to charge for everything on board! It was easy to use euros in Denmark and Sweden as well as credit cards without a chip and pin at restaurants and stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mugtech Posted May 26, 2015 #4 Share Posted May 26, 2015 In May of 2014 I got $600 worth of Euros on the Spirit at the current rate, minus the $10 fee. The $600 was added to my on board account and was charged to my credit card at the end of the cruise. Since I use a BoA NCL MC I got a 2% reward, $12, when I paid it the next month. So I made $2 on the deal and did not have to fool with cash or traveler's checks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froggitt Posted May 27, 2015 #5 Share Posted May 27, 2015 How about a roll-call-swap-meet? I'm always in the market for dollars on cruises, and I have GBP......Irish and European cruisers will have Euros...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froggitt Posted May 27, 2015 #6 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I'm trying to save myself some money and am wondering if anybody has tried this. I will be on European cruises this Fall which will involve currencies from the United States, Great Britain, Euros and Krone from Denmark and Stockholm. In order to avoid the exchange usury rates employed by NCL I plan to take the amount of each currency in travelers checks and cash them for the SAME currency at the front desk at the various ports of call. Anybody tried to do the same thing ? Or have the cruise lines dreamed up some money laundering scheme to thwart what I think is a brilliant idea. Your thoughts! Why not change your money for Euros, Pounds and Krone, rather than travellers checks denominated in Euros, Pounds and Krone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger-Badger Posted May 27, 2015 #7 Share Posted May 27, 2015 The ATMS on Norwegian don't dispense Euros? I'm only asking because on Royal last summer out of Barcelona the ATM gave euros and dollars. Does NCL not do that too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnac767 Posted May 27, 2015 #8 Share Posted May 27, 2015 When you cash traveler's checks, no matter where, you get charged a hefty service fee. Plus you pay a fee to buy the traveler's checks. The best way and most economical way to get get foreign currency is to use an ATM in the host country. They're everywhere. Even if your bank charges a foreign transaction fee, it's minuscule. I travel to Europe once or twice a week, and an ATM is by far the easiest and best way to get local currency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauer-kraut Posted May 27, 2015 #9 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Traveler's Cheques are a thing of the past. You pay to buy them AND you pay to cash them. Its a no go! Your credit card will be enough to buy stuff with, check out the Ports of Call boards, this question comes up all the time. Exactly what will you be purchasing at an 6 hour port stop that you need a large amount of currency for? The ATM is your friend they are all over the place and if you click on the British flag you'll have the screen show up in English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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