Currency for Croatia and port changes

[technoman]

Hi, we are doing a one week cruise to Croatia from Malta on Azura 25th August it looks like we are now only visiting 4 ports in Croatia and Trieste and Rovinj have been dropped(nobody as had the courtesy to tell us. Anyway that aside can anyone give us an idea of how much currency we should buy and whether we can also use Euros and credit cards. Only one tour booked now from Sibenik to KRKA national park so will probably get off at the other ports and have a few pit stops at bars so any useful tips would be appreciated. Still a nightmare getting through to P&O customer service took 1hr and 15 mins today.

[FangedRose]

None, use a credit card. They are a civilised country and will much prefer it. And, your card issuer will give a more favourable exchange rate, and you won't be left with unspent currency and coins which can't be changed back.

 

Never taken any currency for as long as I can remember.

Edited August 11, 2022 by FangedRose

[purplesea]

We visited Croatia with Azura earlier on in the year and in Croatia a lot of places will accept Euros 

as are changing from Kuna to Euros in January.

[Fionboard]

Have always used Euros in Croatia. Only a few places want Kuna now. Or use card of course. 

[Solent Richard]

14 hours ago, technoman said:

Hi, we are doing a one week cruise to Croatia from Malta on Azura 25th August it looks like we are now only visiting 4 ports in Croatia and Trieste and Rovinj have been dropped(nobody as had the courtesy to tell us. Anyway that aside can anyone give us an idea of how much currency we should buy and whether we can also use Euros and credit cards. Only one tour booked now from Sibenik to KRKA national park so will probably get off at the other ports and have a few pit stops at bars so any useful tips would be appreciated. Still a nightmare getting through to P&O customer service took 1hr and 15 mins today.

 

Hi there. I've just returned from a cruise along the Croatian coast. Not sure what all your ports are but I see you are heading to Krka National Park which we also did. You can scroll down on my review to the itinerary section to pick up that part of your cruise, there are also pieces about Dubrovnik and Split...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2022/07/21/lady-eleganza-croatia-and-adriatic-maiden-season/

 

Certainly at the park you will need Croatian Currency (Krona) for refreshments.

 

Not all restaurants accept Cards or Euros. Hope this helps.

[TPers]

Hi. We were there in July and when in Split and then Korcula  not one cafe or bar would take a credit card. Cash only. 

[Snow Hill]

From 1 January 2023 the currency in Croatia will be the €
 

https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/2022/html/ecb.pr220712~b97dd38de3.en.html

[Orianababes]

Just returned from Croatia. Some take euros, sometimes at a poor rate of exchange. Some only take kuna. I can only speak for the places we went to.

 

My tip would be to have a couple of hundred kuna just in case the small item you want is in the shop which only takes kuna. We asked if euros were accepted before we ate in restaurants - and never were told no

[tring]

17 hours ago, Orianababes said:

Just returned from Croatia. Some take euros, sometimes at a poor rate of exchange. Some only take kuna. I can only speak for the places we went to.

 

My tip would be to have a couple of hundred kuna just in case the small item you want is in the shop which only takes kuna. We asked if euros were accepted before we ate in restaurants - and never were told no

 

Thank you very much for this post.  Did anyone take credit cards?  I realise it has been reported that is not a reliable way to pay, but would be useful if only a few places took them.

 

[FangedRose]

I'm surprised by those saying many places won't take credit cards. I went about five years ago and had no trouble using credit cards. It was the "old fashioned' chip and pin though.

[NauticalMiss]

We've received notification this morning that our September cruise has replaced 2 (out of 4) ports - no longer going to Trieste and Rovinj (the reasons I booked that particular cruise) for Zadar and Sibenik. I'm sure the replacement ports will be lovely, but I wouldn't have booked the cruise on that basis. The cost of excursions will be reimbursed, so that's okay; but what can I do? I last visited Rovinj 35 years ago, and wanted lunch at the fancy hotel they've built on the site of the one I originally stayed at; and Trieste has such a fantastic history. Anyone know what my options could be before I spend the rest of the day on hold with P&O? TIA 😊

[Megabear2]

13 minutes ago, NauticalMiss said:

We've received notification this morning that our September cruise has replaced 2 (out of 4) ports - no longer going to Trieste and Rovinj (the reasons I booked that particular cruise) for Zadar and Sibenik. I'm sure the replacement ports will be lovely, but I wouldn't have booked the cruise on that basis. The cost of excursions will be reimbursed, so that's okay; but what can I do? I last visited Rovinj 35 years ago, and wanted lunch at the fancy hotel they've built on the site of the one I originally stayed at; and Trieste has such a fantastic history. Anyone know what my options could be before I spend the rest of the day on hold with P&O? TIA 😊

Sadly they have a right to change the ports and very little can be done.  Obviously these ports have been changed on earlier cruises and P&O most likely should have told those on this schedule before final payment but unfortunately it's become extremely commonplace for them to drop their news after final payment by the passenger.

 

I'm sorry the port change is such a disappointment to you and hopefully you can enjoy your cruise regardless.

 

 

[Britboys]

21 minutes ago, NauticalMiss said:

We've received notification this morning that our September cruise has replaced 2 (out of 4) ports - no longer going to Trieste and Rovinj (the reasons I booked that particular cruise) for Zadar and Sibenik. I'm sure the replacement ports will be lovely, but I wouldn't have booked the cruise on that basis. The cost of excursions will be reimbursed, so that's okay; but what can I do? I last visited Rovinj 35 years ago, and wanted lunch at the fancy hotel they've built on the site of the one I originally stayed at; and Trieste has such a fantastic history. Anyone know what my options could be before I spend the rest of the day on hold with P&O? TIA 😊

Always disappointing to have ports changed, especially if you have specific reasons for wanting to visit somewhere. I'm guessing Trieste has been changed as there are two other ships in port on the day you were due to be there and there probably isn't capacity for three. The Venice ruling has caused chaos in the cruise industry... I do agree that P&O has not dealt with the situation well.

[Jennizor]

I received the email this morning concerning our 15-29 September cruise. Fortunately it doesn’t affect the excursions already booked apart from the one in Split which is just set for a day earlier. The booking confirmation has not been updated but I will keep my eye on it.

[NauticalMiss]

It's such a shame. We had been having concerns about changes for a few weeks now. Our cabin is on the stern, which P&O periodically use as isolation cabins, so we have been concerned that our cabin would be changed. Also concerned that the Glass House hasn't been serving food; if anyone knows if this has now resumed, please let me know as we dine there most evenings. Unfortunately, it's been a steady erosion of the experiences that we are/were looking forward to on this cruise.

[Red Ray]

We are on the round trip 2 week cruise departing Valletta on 8 September. Had an email this morning to say Naples is being replaced by Catania. Not too concerned as we have been to Naples but not to Eastern Sicily.

[technoman]

2 hours ago, NauticalMiss said:

We've received notification this morning that our September cruise has replaced 2 (out of 4) ports - no longer going to Trieste and Rovinj (the reasons I booked that particular cruise) for Zadar and Sibenik. I'm sure the replacement ports will be lovely, but I wouldn't have booked the cruise on that basis. The cost of excursions will be reimbursed, so that's okay; but what can I do? I last visited Rovinj 35 years ago, and wanted lunch at the fancy hotel they've built on the site of the one I originally stayed at; and Trieste has such a fantastic history. Anyone know what my options could be before I spend the rest of the day on hold with P&O? TIA 😊

Do yourself a favour and call them at 8.30 am in the morning. I was on hold 75 mins last week. Rang on saturday at 8.30 and got through in 5 mins

[tring]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Sadly they have a right to change the ports and very little can be done.  Obviously these ports have been changed on earlier cruises and P&O most likely should have told those on this schedule before final payment but unfortunately it's become extremely commonplace for them to drop their news after final payment by the passenger.

 

I'm sorry the port change is such a disappointment to you and hopefully you can enjoy your cruise regardless.

 

 

 

If the OP has only booked a one week cruise, then two out of four ports have been changed, in which case they should be legally entitled to a full refund as clearly a significant change (package travel regs). May take a bit to convince P&O that, but quoting the legislation would be the way forward.

 

If the change is only two out of eight ports changed then it would not be worth fighting.  

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by tring

[tring]

49 minutes ago, technoman said:

Do yourself a favour and call them at 8.30 am in the morning. I was on hold 75 mins last week. Rang on saturday at 8.30 and got through in 5 mins

 

I agree worth trying as soon as they open, we have done well then, more than once.

 

[NauticalMiss]

5 hours ago, technoman said:

Do yourself a favour and call them at 8.30 am in the morning. I was on hold 75 mins last week. Rang on saturday at 8.30 and got through in 5 mins

Thanks - I did ring and was on hold for almost 25 minutes. Disappointingly I was told tough. I asked if I could transfer the week-long cruise to another date in October or to the spring of 2023, when they would be able to have more certainty about visiting both Trieste and Rovinj. I was told no, no transfer permitted. I have to go or lose the cruise, which technically is incorrect anyway, as if I cancelled, I would be entitled to a 25% refund under their T&Cs. However, having a refund is not what I want; I want to go to those ports. I've sent a complaint email to "Guest Services", pointing out that a client of mine doing 2 weeks on Azura was allowed to cancel her cruise because of 2 replacement ports on one of the weeks. She then booked the original first week, and took the cruise. She also booked the second itinerary for next spring. No charge and very good feedback as far as she is concerned. But apparently, I'm not allowed to. It is a lottery really. See what comes of the email...............................

[Britboys]

35 minutes ago, NauticalMiss said:

Thanks - I did ring and was on hold for almost 25 minutes. Disappointingly I was told tough. I asked if I could transfer the week-long cruise to another date in October or to the spring of 2023, when they would be able to have more certainty about visiting both Trieste and Rovinj. I was told no, no transfer permitted. I have to go or lose the cruise, which technically is incorrect anyway, as if I cancelled, I would be entitled to a 25% refund under their T&Cs. However, having a refund is not what I want; I want to go to those ports. I've sent a complaint email to "Guest Services", pointing out that a client of mine doing 2 weeks on Azura was allowed to cancel her cruise because of 2 replacement ports on one of the weeks. She then booked the original first week, and took the cruise. She also booked the second itinerary for next spring. No charge and very good feedback as far as she is concerned. But apparently, I'm not allowed to. It is a lottery really. See what comes of the email...............................

Sadly, I wouldn't hold your breath in hoping for a proper response from them before your cruise sails...

[AnnieC]

40 minutes ago, NauticalMiss said:

Thanks - I did ring and was on hold for almost 25 minutes. Disappointingly I was told tough. I asked if I could transfer the week-long cruise to another date in October or to the spring of 2023, when they would be able to have more certainty about visiting both Trieste and Rovinj. I was told no, no transfer permitted. I have to go or lose the cruise, which technically is incorrect anyway, as if I cancelled, I would be entitled to a 25% refund under their T&Cs. However, having a refund is not what I want; I want to go to those ports. I've sent a complaint email to "Guest Services", pointing out that a client of mine doing 2 weeks on Azura was allowed to cancel her cruise because of 2 replacement ports on one of the weeks. She then booked the original first week, and took the cruise. She also booked the second itinerary for next spring. No charge and very good feedback as far as she is concerned. But apparently, I'm not allowed to. It is a lottery really. See what comes of the email...............................

I would take heed of Tring's post (no. 18). She has access to expert advice on consumer matters.

[NauticalMiss]

14 hours ago, AnnieC said:

I would take heed of Tring's post (no. 18). She has access to expert advice on consumer matters.

I think you're right. Rovinj is not always on the itinerary, and I particularly chose this cruise because it was included. For me, Trieste and Rovinj was a dream. To have 50% of the ports replaced is a significant itinerary change. We've missed ports whilst on a cruise before, but always due to weather; you take that sort of thing on the chin because you can see the sea conditions. Going to call again today to see if we can move to another where we can visit these ports. 

[AnnieC]

I'm not sure I'd accept anything less than a full refund under the current uncertain circumstances but, of course, that is entirely up to you; you could easily find yourself on another magical mystery tour.

 

 

[bbtablet]

but the issue is that a full refund is never going to be offered for you to accept!