Which cruise lines charge in US dollars in Australia?

[MMDown Under]

Which cruise lines charge for purchases on board their ships in US dollars in Australia?  Planning future cruises, I wish to avoid these cruise lines.

 

1 Australian dollar equals $.68 US 

1 US dollar equals $1.48 Aust 

With Aust current weak currency, it is a good time for Americans to travel in Australia, but it is a bad time for Australians to travel in the US or on ships charging in US dollars.

[Hammer61]

Maybe easier to ask which cruise lines charge in $A?

 

Pretty sure its only Princess, Carnival and P&O who charge in Aussie dollars when cruising from here or NZ, all the others are $US.

[Chiliburn]

I think it’s only RCG brands.
 

I can’t understand why everyone panics about the $US .Just about everything in bought before the cruise in Australian peso.
Just buy as little as possible onboard.

 

 

[Hammer61]

7 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

I think it’s only RCG brands.

Cunard, Azamara (no longer RCI), Silversea etc all charge in $US, not 100% on HAL? But pretty sure Norwegian also only use $US.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Hammer61

[OzKiwiJJ]

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, HAL, Norwegian, Cunard, MSC, all the luxury lines. The only ones that are in AUD are Princess, P&O Australia, and Carnival.

 

Some of the USD cruise lines have now bundled the daily gratuities into the fare - Celebrity and Royal Caribbean I think, but the rest haven't.

[Hammer61]

2 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Some of the USD cruise lines have now bundled the daily gratuities into the fare

Azamara and Silversea do as well, think a few of the other luxury brands do as well.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 minute ago, Hammer61 said:

Azamara and Silversea do as well, think a few of the other luxury brands do as well.

Yes, I think most of the luxury lines have all inclusive fares.

[MMDown Under]

Thank you everyone.  I just don't want to be tempted.  I will peruse Princess and P&O Cruises from Aust/NZ.  Lucky I enjoyed my cruise on Carnival's Luminosa, so I'd like to cruise with them again.

 

 

[Chiliburn]

I thought the Carnival brands use local currency.

 

Just to note RCG only give a exchange rate of 51 cents . So if you go to guest service and say I want to settle my account with $AU they are only going to give you US 51 cents to a $AU..

Charge it to your credit card and get your credit card to convert it.

[Chiliburn]

8 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Thank you everyone.  I just don't want to be tempted.  I will peruse Princess and P&O Cruises from Aust/NZ.  Lucky I enjoyed my cruise on Carnival's Luminosa, so I'd like to cruise with them again.

 

 

Be tempted but be smart. 
I have done 2  /10 night cruises  ,both times my bill was about $130 U.S.

I did a 7 night cruise and my bill was $27 and they scrapped it.

[boeckli]

With HAL you can pre-pay gratuities ('crew appreciation') and their Have-it-all package in A$.

[mr walker]

27 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Just to note RCG only give a exchange rate of 51 cents . So if you go to guest service and say I want to settle my account with $AU they are only going to give you US 51 cents to a $AU..

Charge it to your credit card and get your credit card to convert it.

Good advice. Oh, how I long for the days of parity or even better!!

A further option is to have a travel money card as issued by many banks. For RC, it has to have a name on the card, so not a generic one that are also available. We got one of these from CBA several years ago & a few years ago, &, when the Fx rate was more favourable (mid 70c's), we loaded several thousand USD on as our 'spending money' to cover our onboard costs. Covid came along and so we have much of that money still 🙂 

We look forward to spending it, although with pre-purchases in A$, OBC & some C&A benefits that may not be so easy 😦

[OzKiwiJJ]

47 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

I thought the Carnival brands use local currency.

 

 

Not all of them, just the regular Aussie three.

[OzKiwiJJ]

18 minutes ago, boeckli said:

With HAL you can pre-pay gratuities ('crew appreciation') and their Have-it-all package in A$.

And the exchange rate for the prepaid gratuities was very favourable. Around 0.70 instead of the 0.65 at the time.

[Chiliburn]

29 minutes ago, mr walker said:

Good advice. Oh, how I long for the days of parity or even better!!

A further option is to have a travel money card as issued by many banks. For RC, it has to have a name on the card, so not a generic one that are also available. We got one of these from CBA several years ago & a few years ago, &, when the Fx rate was more favourable (mid 70c's), we loaded several thousand USD on as our 'spending money' to cover our onboard costs. Covid came along and so we have much of that money still 🙂 

We look forward to spending it, although with pre-purchases in A$, OBC & some C&A benefits that may not be so easy 😦

Just don’t pay your bill though guest service with our cash.

 

What cruise are you on @mr walker?

[mr walker]

2 minutes ago, Chiliburn said:

Just don’t pay your bill though guest service with our cash.

 

What cruise are you on @mr walker?

Ovation to NZ 11-Mar [12N] 

 

I can't see we will have a bill for this cruise. The USD350 OBC which was the booking deal is now showing as A$664 ??? We don't plan on too many ship excursion & I already have the internet & the Diamond vouchers & lounge will cover most of our drinks. Looks like a lot of RC shirts & trinkets or maybe we can win in the casino with the OBC money 🙂 

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

Thank you everyone.  I just don't want to be tempted.  I will peruse Princess and P&O Cruises from Aust/NZ.  Lucky I enjoyed my cruise on Carnival's Luminosa, so I'd like to cruise with them again.

 

 

If I cruise overseas again, I'd like to cruise with Hurtigruten.  It is the only cruise line I have benefits with as I've cruised with them four times. 

[MicCanberra]

Add Viking, Regent, Oceania and Virgin to the list.

[windsor26]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

If I cruise overseas again, I'd like to cruise with Hurtigruten.  It is the only cruise line I have benefits with as I've cruised with them four times. 

I thought you were elite with Princess

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, windsor26 said:

I thought you were elite with Princess

I have cruised on Ocean Princess twice.  How many cruises for elite?

[windsor26]

1 minute ago, MMDown Under said:

I have cruised on Ocean Princess twice.  How many cruises for elite?

150 days is the Elite requirement  or 15 x  2 day cruises?  Happy New Year  Yvonne

Edited January 6, 2023 by windsor26

[lissie]

On 1/6/2023 at 4:25 PM, boeckli said:

With HAL you can pre-pay gratuities ('crew appreciation') and their Have-it-all package in A$.

And it can be at a much better exchange rate than the current rate! 

[cruiser3775]

I wouldn't leave out Holland America, to give yourselves more choice. They do change in USD,. but currently have a good deal on their "Have it All" package which will give you many of the things you would otherwise have to pay for onboard in USD.  

[lissie]

36 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

I wouldn't leave out Holland America, to give yourselves more choice. They do change in USD,. but currently have a good deal on their "Have it All" package which will give you many of the things you would otherwise have to pay for onboard in USD.  

Becareful of that - in the fine print I found you still have to pay gratuities on the  "free" elements of the have it all package ie 20% on the dining, drinks so-called value - it added up 

[cruiser3775]

That's not what I found out, Lissie.   On the drinks, if you order a glass below $11, it includes the 18% gratuity, and is "free".  If you order a higher price drink, you only pay the difference between the $11 and the full cost, but you also have to pay the 18% gratuity component of the difference in price.   That's a new policy on HAL, only started recently.