Med Cruise How Many Euros in Cash

[Joanne G.]

8 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 . . .A worst case scenario for me is having too much cash at the end of a cruise in Europe, hence the regular ATM use as needed. I abhor airport money exchangers with their awful rates and fees, so it usually turns into a "let's see what the duty free in this airport terminal offers" situation. The fewer euros I can have on hand, the better.

 

Here's a tip I learned on these boards that worked well for me.   If you have a post-cruise hotel stay which you planned to put on a credit card, consider using leftover currency at the end of your vacation to pay all or part of the hotel bill.   It's a convenient way to avoid carrying home currency if you don't want to save it for a future trip.  

[Cobra1365]

Thanks everyone!  I usually like to have some cash on hand. Just wasn’t sure what the norm was for the Med.  it’s been a long time since I’ve visited  (Pre EU, I used to fly thru with the AF).

Plenty of good tips (pardon the pun).  I like the idea of tipping ship’s crew with local currency.  We’ve only ever sailed from U.S. ports.

We also found out the hard way about WCs on a trip to London!

 

 

[pe4all]

12 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

We usually do the same on all cruise ship tours... unless we're in Japan. There, tipping is generally frowned upon and is considered awkward at best, an insult at worst (unless you're in an intimate walking tour sort of situation).

At one port stop, we had a stellar guide on a big bus tour to a waterfall in the foothills of Mt. Fuji, who stopped to buy the entire bus satsuma mandarins the area was known for. She looked almost nauseous when many of the passengers insisted on tipping her cash at the end of the tour.

Haven't made it to Japan yet, but we will keep that "no tipping" rule in mind.  As some countries have a "living wage" I know tipping is not encouraged, though they do suggest rounding up your bill at times.  If service is good we always add a bit more.  I have learned to research whatever country we are going to to see what the tipping standards are.  Can't wait until we can cruise/travel again!

[sanger727]

2 hours ago, pe4all said:

Haven't made it to Japan yet, but we will keep that "no tipping" rule in mind.  As some countries have a "living wage" I know tipping is not encouraged, though they do suggest rounding up your bill at times.  If service is good we always add a bit more.  I have learned to research whatever country we are going to to see what the tipping standards are.  Can't wait until we can cruise/travel again!

that poster is correct about Japan. Tipping there is a little like trying to tip the grocery store cashier in the US. It just isn’t done.

 

We also don’t bring euros with us to europe. I haven’t ever had a problem using a credit card or finding an ATM when we want cash. It may depend a bit on what your pre-cruise plans are. If you go on pre-arranged transport straight from the airport to the cruise ship I can how finding an ATM for cash could be a bit of a hassle. We always arrive a few days early and take the train and arrange our own hotels. When exploring on your own for a few days it’s really not a problem to find an ATM for cash and buy a cup of coffee to break the bills down.

[complawyer]

unlike prior answers, we usually take about $1000 worth of euros. especially in italy, where they wanted euros only. even the cab driver refused to take us unless we paid in euros

[Peachypooh]

This is not specific to euros but our general rule when traveling. We order currency from our

bank before we leave. My bank charges an extremely low exchange rate to it is worth it to

us to be prepared. How much depends on where we are going. If we are making a day stop

somewhere like Cartagena I brought $200 worth of their currency. If we are embarking or

disembarking from somewhere other than the US I will bring quite a bit more. Keep in mind that

should an emergency happen some hospitals outside the US will require a cash deposit before

letting you check in to a private hospital. I was told this in the Bahamas. So I plan accordingly. My bank will take back any paper money but no coins. FWIW I had quite a bit of Canadian money left over from a cruise so I gifted it to someone the next year who was doing the same cruise.

[Trimone]

It’s worth remembering that since Covid lots of businesses in Europe are now cashless.

[MaryZ]

We always have Euro.  I just always get some before I leave say from Rome, to come home.  I'm not sure how much I have now but it's probably approx 200 euro. 

We do use apple pay  Know that Mastercard is the most accepted card in Europe and Amex is the least.    Make sure you have more than one different credit card with you. 

[bunzini]

We usually just take what we have left over from a previous trip.  I would want to have around 100 Euros when arriving.  After that we use the ATM to get more cash if needed.  It is rare that we need much cash though. 

[kochleffel]

On 3/15/2021 at 10:52 AM, AstoriaPreppy said:

for years Americans would have issues with chip/pin because we were still using magnetic strips for payments.

 

Yes. In about 2016, traveling on land in Germany and Austria, I got used to saying "Amerikanische Karte ohne Chip" every time I handed over the card. They could process swipe cards, but were out of the habit of doing it. No longer a problem, but it is also easier if your chip card has a PIN.

[kochleffel]

5 hours ago, MaryZ said:

Know that Mastercard is the most accepted card in Europe and Amex is the least. 

 Smaller businesses generally don't take Amex, but no one outside the United States takes Discover, as far as I know.

[All-ready2cruise]

I agree that Mastercard, then Visa,  are the most accepted worldwide accepted credit cards... American Express... meh... some may accept it, some may not. 

[MaryZ]

1 hour ago, kochleffel said:

 Smaller businesses generally don't take Amex, but no one outside the United States takes Discover, as far as I know.

I don't have a Discover so never thought to put that in the equation.  Good info because I do think people would not know that