78232 Posted July 20, 2016 #1 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I know travelers checks are much less popular now but I was wondering if the guest services desk will still cash them. Also is there an atm machine on the ship? We will be cruising to Mexico in the fall and I assume the merchants will accept US money.. Thanks Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevingastreich Posted July 20, 2016 #2 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I have never seen an ATM on board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakcd Posted July 20, 2016 #3 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I know travelers checks are much less popular now but I was wondering if the guest services desk will still cash them. Also is there an atm machine on the ship? We will be cruising to Mexico in the fall and I assume the merchants will accept US money..Thanks Marcia Yes, guest services will cash traveler's checks. We are able to obtain them without cost to us and always carry them on a cruise. We never use them off the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaveDiving Posted July 20, 2016 #4 Share Posted July 20, 2016 I know travelers checks are much less popular now but I was wondering if the guest services desk will still cash them. Also is there an atm machine on the ship? We will be cruising to Mexico in the fall and I assume the merchants will accept US money..Thanks Marcia Yes, the front desk will cash traveler's checks. And NO, there is no ATM on board. And Yes, most merchants in Mexico will accept US$. Scott & Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
take us away Posted July 20, 2016 #5 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Have always only used US$ in Mexico and never had any problems. You will need pesos if you take a public bus but cabs will take US$ if you ask before you get in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted July 20, 2016 #6 Share Posted July 20, 2016 We used up our Travelers Checks about a year ago on a HAL cruise. We can't even buy them anywhere around where we live. AAA stopped selling them about 10 years ago and our Bank stopped selling them 3 years ago. No ATM's on HAL ships. Never had a problem using US dollars in Mexico. We just make certain that we have lots of fives and ones so that we don't get back a ton of Mexican money. Also we use a low limit credit card for larger purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakrewser Posted July 20, 2016 #7 Share Posted July 20, 2016 You can use $$ in Mexico, but you'll pay more because of the exchange rate merchants use. Better to stop by an ATM in port and get some pesos for your smaller purchases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78232 Posted July 21, 2016 Author #8 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Thanks for all your info. I called our bank and AAA office. Both have stopped providing travelers checks to customers. I guess they have become almost extinct. We will have to re-think the cash and credit cards. On our last cruise we were going to make a purchase in an art gallery in San Juan and they didn't take American Express credit cards. After walking back to the ship to get our Visa card I decided I didn't feel like going back to the store. It save us some money but I still think about what I left behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sppunk Posted July 21, 2016 #9 Share Posted July 21, 2016 What is a travelers check? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted July 21, 2016 #10 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) What is a travelers check? A piece of paper that you had to sign twice before they gave you money. :) I believe the last time I used that was in 1986 when I came to the USA. Edited July 21, 2016 by Boytjie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sppunk Posted July 21, 2016 #11 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Thanks - never seen that before (I'm 33). ATMs exist for a reason ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted July 21, 2016 #12 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) Thanks - never seen that before (I'm 33). Argh... kids! You bought travelers checks and signed each of them. Then when you wanted to cash one, you signed it again in front of whomever was cashing it. If you lost them or it was stolen, you could recover the money. ATMs exist for a reason ... When I came to the US in 1986 there were very few ATMs in New York City while back in South Africa I had an ATM card already for something like 10 years. And the first one was not issued in a big city. Edited July 21, 2016 by Boytjie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted July 21, 2016 #13 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) I had a staCK OFavelers's checks left from years of travel chec ks we didn't used. I re ecenfftly brought thermthem gto my bank and afer gthey stopped laugbhingbb, We Icthey were fine ab out cashing Am Ex checks. We always use u.S. $$ in Mexico. Edited July 21, 2016 by sail7seas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted July 21, 2016 #14 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Argh... kids! You bought travelers checks and signed each of them. Then when you wanted to cash one, you signed it again in front of whomever was cashing it. If you lost them or it was stolen, you could recover the money. When I came to the US in 1986 there were very few ATMs in New York City while back in South Africa I had an ATM card already for something like 10 years. And the first one was not issued in a big city. , LOL at this post. You're right on the ATM's too :). We had a LOT more ATM's (ABM's in the U.S.) here in Canada than there were in the U.S. Probably more in our little town and area than in some cities of our Southern neighbours ;) We still can get Travellers Cheques here and I use them when we cruise. It saves taking a lot of $ and since I try to buy U.S. $ when the "price is right", I don't want to use ATM's for withdrawal of U.S. $ and be subject to the current exchange rate. No problem at all cashing them on boards. For other cash needs that come up (ie. Euros) we use ABM's like you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising-along Posted July 21, 2016 #15 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I haven't seen or used a travelers check since the 60's-70's. Didn't know they're still around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipity1499 Posted July 21, 2016 #16 Share Posted July 21, 2016 (edited) We've never been on any ship which had an ATM & sailed on HAL, NCL & Oceania.. Our bank used to sell Traveler's checks but not sure if they still do.. Front desk always cashed them for us.. On our long cruise in 2013 I did purchase Traveler's checks at our bank.. Had to order them in advance.. On the last few shorter cruises we took cash & also used our Capitol One Credit cards, which do not charge a currency conversion fee.. If we run short of cash we use our bank cards at ATM's in port.. Edited July 21, 2016 by serendipity1499 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted July 21, 2016 #17 Share Posted July 21, 2016 From what I read here I suppose I should be grateful that my local bank still sells Travelers' Cheques. I don't leave home without them. I do not want to carry a lot of cash with me, but do want to be able to get US dollars when I need them. The Cheques take care of that nicely just stopping at the Front Desk. I just buy them when I go to pick up any foreign cash I have ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted July 21, 2016 #18 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Celebrity ships have ATMs, but I've not used them. There's a higher than normal transaction fee if I recall. I stopped using Travellers Cheques in the 90s, at a time when we only took land-based vacations and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find places to cash the cheques, especially in Europe. Since starting to cruise, we haven't gone back to them but will consider doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare whogo Posted July 21, 2016 #19 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I bought no fee traveler's checks as an emergency backup through the 1990's, never used them and deposited them on return. I quit buying them when my bank and local AAA quit offering them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie MeMe Posted July 22, 2016 #20 Share Posted July 22, 2016 have not used traveler's checks in years -- as others say use ATM. Last trip on Viking passage (Rotterdam) we went to many out of the way places where there were not banks (Iceland and Greenland) but most of the "stores" took US$. Front desk would not give anything but US Dollars -- no exchange for local money $ to Euro/kronor/or Canadian $/GBP. I carry at least 2 debit cards (ATM cards) from different banks -- local banks can use one of several systems so want more chances to have card accepted or if card gets "shut off". I also carry 2 visa credit cards and 1 Master card. Be sure to phone or go online to put in travel notices for all cards! Also either research or ask the fees and rates for each card. I make a cheat sheet so I know that card A has 3% foreign transaction fee but no ATM fee and card B has 3 free transactions a month but then is $5 per transactions etc. Shop for credit cards and ATM cards early to get the best deal FOR YOU. A little research can save you money or get you rewards. Things change often so each trip needs the research. TAKE A PHOTO OF BOTH SIDES OF CREDIT/DEBIT CARD. IF YOU LOOSE THE CARD YOU NEED THE SERVICE NUMBER AND DETAILS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sppunk Posted July 22, 2016 #21 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Read today VCR production ends this week, fitting for this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted July 22, 2016 #22 Share Posted July 22, 2016 (edited) Read today VCR production ends this week, fitting for this thread! However, the US Military still uses 8 inch floppy discs and analog phone lines in their Minuteman missile launch complex - http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/04/60-minutes-shocked-to-find-8-inch-floppies-drive-nuclear-deterrent/. Also, the IRS is using programs written in Assembly and in COBOL. DON Edited July 22, 2016 by donaldsc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudscraper Posted July 22, 2016 #23 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Read today VCR production ends this week, fitting for this thread! Even Beta Max?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrhdhd Posted July 22, 2016 #24 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Read today VCR production ends this week, fitting for this thread! As a VCR lover, I am saddened by this news. In 30 years, the smartphone will be a fossil; I eagerly await the mocking of today's 30-year-olds by the next generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanobot Posted July 22, 2016 #25 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Even Beta Max?? lol. FYI, Sony stopped making them in 2002, and only last year stopped selling Betamax tapes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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