ATM's

[ddean52]

:D Please don't laugh, im guessing there are not ATM's on viking river ships, correct?:eek: :cool:

[pacmom]

Promise no laughing here. They are plentiful in Europe. Just get some at the airport in Europe and replenish along the way. You will find with meals on board and credit cards for larger purchases, you will not need a lot of cash. Pat :)

[ddean52]

thanks. i was going to do that. just crossing all my t's.

[pacmom]

We have been on 6 river cruises and have found the cruise directors on all of them to be very knowledgeable of the ports--know the location of internet cafes and atms. There were usually maps of the town available also. River cruising is a delightful way to vacation. Pat

[CPT Trips]

You will not have any difficulty finding ATMs in any place you stop. But I do want to suggest checking with you bank to find out what they add per ATM transaction and whether it is a percentage or a flat fee. We are fortunate to have a card with a bank that services lots of military and they had much better rates than our local bank.

 

Also ask each of your credit cards how they handle foreign currency transactions. We discovered significant differences! 1/2% to 5%.

[pacmom]

CPT is right about the credit card charges. That is way we carry a Capitol One card overseas--no foreign transaction fee. We use an atm card from a military credit union. On our last trip, 100 euro withdrawal cost about 2.00 dollars. Can't beat that exchange rate. Pat

[p598738]

It looks like you are going Budapest to Amsterdam. I remember ATMs in Budapest. You need Florins. Maybe to buy some at the airport. If the ship leaves from Budapest (going west), I think you are into Euro country. My experience is that anywhere near large cities or banks there are ATMs. Take a few $100 (3 or 4) just as insurance. Enjoy Amsterdam !!!!

[steamboats]

Two more things: Make sure you have a 4 digit pin and let your bank/credit card issuer know that you´re travelling in Europe.

 

As for currency: Euro, except for Prague (Czech Crown) and Budapest (Forint). You´re only completely outside the Euro zone when you´re traveling downriver of Budapest to the Black Sea.

 

steamboats

[CPT Trips]

Steamboats is correct to remind us to notify cc company and bank of travels. "Granddad" had his cc frozen while on an OATS African trip even after he notified the cc company. What a mess! The cc company did not want to talk to my wife (POA) and only relented and authorized his card for a $500 limit when she trheatened to go to the press. The solution we discovered is to authorize someone else to talk to the bank . . .they don't need to be on the card, just authorized to discuss the account in the holders behalf.

 

The other thing to remember is that ATMs in Europe do not have letters on the keypad . . . so use numbers you can rememeber for your pin, not a word like "mama."

[halbfl2]

Will vendors in the countries going from Budapest to the Black Sea take euros? or do you have to exchange into the local currency in every country? We will be in Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

 

Another thing that might be helpful if you have a limit on your daily ATM withdrawal, you may want to consider raising that while you're traveling so you can take a larger amt. each time and not have to pay withdrawal fees all the time. I would think that only applies to euros, however, as you wouldn't want that much of any of the other currencies.

[MSEm]

Which Vendors. Any Vendors on board the river vessel took Euro's (or $USA)

Some places in the towns would accept Euro's but other only the local currency.

 

MSEm

[GlobeMan]

A word of caution: Make sure you have either a backup plan or a second ATM card.

 

Once (first day of a European vacation) a machine swallowed my card and wouldn't give it back. Only your bank can supply a replacement. The owners of ATMs are required to destroy any confiscated cards. :eek:

 

If you have a choice, always use a machine where you just swipe your card rather than the ones where you insert it. If the machine presents your card back to you along with your money - grab the card first. You can always get more money - the card is much more important.

[susan33]

On our river cruise between Vienna and the Black Sea the currency was different for most countries, I think including the euro there were 8 different currencies on that trip. We are not big shoppers so we didn't need much in the way of local currency at many of the stops. For the first time ever, we used money changers. We could change $10 or $20 at the Western Union and the cost was much less than using an ATM machine.