Ship account and Euro's

[Cruising P&J]

Does anyone know if on a European Cruise if you can purchase Euro's on board and charge to your ship account? Thanks for your help

[TravelnAl]

I don't believe you can. There is an exchange machine on board but it is cash for cash. You would have to get US dollars from you account @ a 3% charge and then use the exchange machine on boared with its' fees.

 

When we were on our Baltic cruise, I got euros in Helsinki from a bank ATM and received a good rate. Did this in other locations as well.

 

If you are flying into a country which uses euros, get them from an ATM in the airport when you arrive.

[gambit57]

I believe they charge you to convert the euros to US dollars, and then charge you again if you want your money turned back into euros.

[Toto2Kansas]

Does anyone know if on a European Cruise if you can purchase Euro's on board and charge to your ship account? Thanks for your help

 

From what we have found, you can charge cash in U.S. to your shipboard account in the casino. Then you need to exchange into Euros, usually at one of their exchange machines. But you can't just charge Euros to your shipboard account.

And FYI-The exchange rate is really bad onboard and they also charge you a fee (even in the machines) for the exchange. I would have a different plan as if you think the exchange is bad now, you won't believe what you find onboard the ship. :eek:

[Cruising P&J]

Thank you all for the info. I think I will go through my bank and purchase Euro's prior to the Cruise.

 

Thanks again for your help:D

[WeBeGone]

Your bank will also charge you a hefty fee. Your best bet is to use the ATM machines once in Europe. We never had any trouble in any country. We arrived in Rome with 0 euros and walked out of the airport with 500 euros and used ATM's for the next 33 days.

[Toto2Kansas]

Thank you all for the info. I think I will go through my bank and purchase Euro's prior to the Cruise.

 

Thanks again for your help:D

 

That is exactly what we did. And with the help of a money belt (worn discretely under the clothing), we had no problems whatsoever. Only problem I found is that I forgot to request smaller denominations and the bank obtained very large bills for me. So, make sure to tell your bank exactly what denominations you need right from the start.

Ours called around to other banks until they found one with minimal fees. They told me that some they called the fees were horrible, but they kept trying until they found one that was more than reasonable. ;)

[Andee]

I agree with getting Euro from ATMs once you get to Europe. We found them abundant, and since our bank rebates any ATM fees, we only had to pay the 1% foreign exchange fee.

[jhannah]

I always obtain foreign currency at my bank or at an exchange bureau before going. I get enough to get me started, then use ATMs over there to get more. I highly recommend doing this. Then you don't have such a high rate of exchange to pay and you don't have to worry with finding an ATM or bank right off the bat when you arrive in port.

[Genessa]

I exchanged $100 at an exchange bureau and that lasted me through our recent British Isles cruise. I used the euros mostly as tips on our excursions and used my credit card for all but the smallest purchases.

[jla418]

Check to see if your bank has any special deals with any of the banks in the countries you are visiting. My bank has deals with several foreign banks that allow the use of the atm's without the atm fee - % exchange fee does still apply though.

[mississauga]

I guess it depends on where you live. Prior to our TA cruise, we were able to exchange for euros at a currency exchange bureau at a lower rate than the banks and also no service fees.:D

[Cruise Junky]

I guess it depends on where you live. Prior to our TA cruise, we were able to exchange for euros at a currency exchange bureau at a lower rate than the banks and also no service fees.:D

 

Me too! I get Euros every month no commission and a great exchange rate. Must be a Canadian thing ;)

[skt4cruise]

Change a little before leaving home, then use ATM. Airports, hotels, ships will all give you bad rates of exchange. Some good news, the dollar has gone up a little against the euro yesterday:D