I do need to esxchange US $ for Canadian $ for cruise?

[MSEm]

We are doing the New York City to Montreal cruise.

Do I need to exchange US $ for Canadian $ for small items such as drink, post cards etc.

For larger purchases I will be using credit card with NO transaction fees.

Thanks for the info.

[sitraveler]

Do you have to, no. But you can't use US for the incidental charges you describe. Also the exchange rate is so favorable, you would be silly not to have some Canadian dollars.

[JoePDX]

Get a small amount from an ATM at your first Canadian stop. That will also offer you the best possible rates.

 

Joe

[LHT28]

some of the ports will take USD but the rate may not be great depends on what & where you are shopping

but for a small amount it is not a big deal

or

hit an ATM at the first port

Edited October 7, 2016 by LHT28

[orchestrapal]

Currently the rate is 1.329 for one US dollar. Why would you not want to use Canadian currency when the advantade is yours.

[roothy123]

We just returned from our CDN/New England cruise. We stopped in the airport in Montreal to change around 65 USD to CDN to cover our one night in Montreal & (I think) 5 days in the remaining CDN ports. We found that credit cards were widely accepted, even for small restaurant purchases. Of course, we aren't big shoppers, so perhaps others would have wanted more for little things. We also didn't take public transportation much, which is sometimes the only reason we want local money. Each day we took a bottle of water when getting off the ship, so we didn't need cash for drinks. We probably could have gotten away with less than $65 USD if we had charged absolutely everything we could.

 

Obviously changing the money at the airport may have resulted in us paying a little more than we might have needed to pay if we had simply gone to an ATM in Montreal, but the charge was so little it really didn't matter to us. We loved the price of lodging and food in Canadian dollars when converted to USD, but found the price of lodging in Montreal to be pretty high when their tax was added on - almost 20% (ouch!)

Edited October 14, 2016 by roothy123

[LHT28]

We loved the price of lodging and food in Canadian dollars when converted to USD, but found the price of lodging in Montreal to be pretty high when their tax was added on - almost 20% (ouch!)

Montreal hotel taxes are 17.5 %

Baltimore Hotel Taxes are 15.5%

 

at least you got a good exchange rate for your USD ;)

You probably made up the difference + enough to cover the taxes

[roothy123]

Hhm..didn't realize Baltimore tax was so high, but I don't live there and also don't stay there, so didn't know the tax rate.

 

In Montreal we stayed in a room that was $149 CDN and when the taxes were added, it cost $177.31. I haven't done the math, but I'm assuming they charged the rate you indicated. I do know that the taxes were itemized by provincial as well as city tax, and perhaps one more line item. It was a modest place but perfectly suited to us, and for the price, we were happy, especially when converted to USD. It was just a little shocking to see the tax rate.

[LHT28]

Hhm..didn't realize Baltimore tax was so high, but I don't live there and also don't stay there, so didn't know the tax rate.

 

In Montreal we stayed in a room that was $149 CDN and when the taxes were added, it cost $177.31. I haven't done the math, but I'm assuming they charged the rate you indicated. I do know that the taxes were itemized by provincial as well as city tax, and perhaps one more line item. It was a modest place but perfectly suited to us, and for the price, we were happy, especially when converted to USD. It was just a little shocking to see the tax rate.

Most people look at the total which you can find out upfront when you book the room AFAIK most hotels will do this

Once you are there you do not have a choice of removing the taxes anyway;)

[babysteps]

Many tourist-oriented Canadian shops and restaurants accept US$, however their exchange rate isn't going to be great, and if you are due any change it will be C$, not US$.

 

We have been to Canada 4x this year and have either not exchanged any money, or have withdrawn from an ATM in Canada. Haven't been much off the beaten path, though.

 

Possible glitch: your *debit* card may not work as a debit in some Canadian stores (they don't always have the same networks - although we didn't run into the same problem at ATMs). It will usually work as a credit card though.

 

One particular store, our debit card worked as credit this year, and didn't work at all last year.

[LHT28]

Possible glitch: your *debit* card may not work as a debit in some Canadian stores (they don't always have the same networks - although we didn't run into the same problem at ATMs). It will usually work as a credit card though.

 

One particular store, our debit card worked as credit this year, and didn't work at all last year.

Same in reverse

Most debit cards do not work at POS terminals but you can get cash from an ATM

[Mura]

I have been to Canada many times, mostly land trips, not cruise visits. But I'd never think I didn't need to get Canadian dollars. And as several have said, at the current exchange rates it's to your advantage to do so.

 

I can see if you have limited time in Canadian ports on your cruise and don't anticipate spending much, it might be worth your while just to use U.S. dollars even with a poor exchange rate from a merchant.

 

Credit cards DO have their advantages!

 

Mura