Cuban currency and rci shore excursion

[rcclmiami]

We are sailing on Majesty 5/8. I read Cubans like euros rather than US dollars. Can we get off the ship and get Cuban cucs at the pier? We are on back to backs in Cuba the following week so we will be getting LOTS of Cuban currency.

[cruisegirl1]

 Yes, there is money exchange right at the pier.  We gave them US. Some people use Canadian and some people use euros. Money exchange will also buy your Cuban Cucs back for your currency is when you are ready to leave the country

 

 There might be a slightly different exchange rate  for US vs  euros vs Canadian , but it would cost us to buy euros so that would not have been worth it for us.   

 

M

[hannibal54]

They will charge you 13% to exchange US money as only 3% for Euro or Canadian money.

[rcclmiami]

Thank you! We plan to now get off in the AM. We have the Tropicana booked for evening. 

[wheezedr]

It’s not that they like CAD or Euro more, it is simply that they opt to add a 10% conversion penalty to USD.  Might be a bit of a quid pro quo

[Priszm]

We just returned from Cuba on the Empress last Sunday. I highly recommend chatting with the vendors in the terminal when you're done with your CUCs. Between the USD the vendors got, and running into a tourist who had just gotten off another ship, we were able to avoid the loss in converting. And so were the vendors. 

 

Also, in Havana there's stairs on either side of the currency area. We went down on the left side and there was another currency counter downstairs. Most people weren't aware of that one.