Mailing letters from the Caribbean...Stamps?

[NoGvmnt]

Hello all, when mailing letters from the Caribbean, can you use U.S. postage stamps or do you have to use stamps from the specific Island?

 

To be specific, the Islands would be: St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St. Thomas, St. John and Eleuthera (Princess Cays).

 

Thank you in advance, Jim

 

PS, also, with regard to exchanging currency on board, can you exchange Canadian coins for U.S. currency? The reason I ask is for the past 30 some odd years I have been a coin collector/hoarder, and since I used to purchase coins by the coffee can, cigar box, hat box, singles, multiples and any other "ples" mostly at estate sales, I have accumulated a LOT of foreign coins and I'd like to take the Canadian coins that have no collector value and exchange them for U.S. currency if I can do this on the ship.:)

[southnevada]

Ask at the purser's office what to do. I have never been able to use US stamps and finding a post office where you are going should be a game show. :p

[davidnsteph]

Hello all, when mailing letters from the Caribbean, can you use U.S. postage stamps or do you have to use stamps from the specific Island?

 

To be specific, the Islands would be: St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St. Thomas, St. John and Eleuthera (Princess Cays).

 

Thank you in advance, Jim

 

PS, also, with regard to exchanging currency on board, can you exchange Canadian coins for U.S. currency? The reason I ask is for the past 30 some odd years I have been a coin collector/hoarder, and since I used to purchase coins by the coffee can, cigar box, hat box, singles, multiples and any other "ples" mostly at estate sales, I have accumulated a LOT of foreign coins and I'd like to take the Canadian coins that have no collector value and exchange them for U.S. currency if I can do this on the ship.:)

 

For all Caribbean islands we have cruised to with Princess, the Purser's desk had postage stamps for all of them. Just ask for post card stamps for whatever island it is. You pay for them with your cruise card. For St. Thomas and St. John, US postage is used. We have never been able to mail post cards from Princess Cays (Eleuthera), though.

 

DavidnSteph

[Toto2Kansas]

As for coins. I have never seen a ship exchange foreign coins for any type of money. They will do bills, but not coins. Even places like the airport will only exchange currency for you, but you get to keep the coins as a keepsake.

 

I wouldn't bother bringing heavy coins along, unless you want to carry them back home with you too. ;)

[MrSchwump]

I had a heck of a time finding a postoffice or even a place to buy stamps and mail postcards on my recent cruise. I found that the best bet was in the cruise terminal, if the port has one. That worked for me in Aruba and Grenada.

 

I know in St. Lucia the post office is just about a block off the main drag running through Castries, not far from the market buildings near the port.

 

I also found that things mailed from the USVI get back to the states fairly quickly. There are post cards I mailed from Aruba and Grenada over 2 weeks ago that still haven't made it!

[NoGvmnt]

I wouldn't bother bringing heavy coins along, unless you want to carry them back home with you too. ;)

 

But, isn't the Atlantic just a big Wishing Well?;):D

 

Jim

[Toto2Kansas]

But, isn't the Atlantic just a big Wishing Well?;):D

 

Jim

 

LOL, but then again, you never know when a trip to Canada might be in your future. The coins would work there just fine. ;) You would be able to get more than just a wish that way. :)

[wdrl]

But, isn't the Atlantic just a big Wishing Well?;):D

 

Jim

 

Oops be careful that might be considered throwing something overboard, no, no, no, you bad passenger. And think of the fish who eat it and end up dying because of all the coins in the stomach. That happened to a sea lion at the Denver Zoo once. People years ago through coins into the pool. Lo and behold the animal ate anything on the bottom.

 

--Denise

[POTOMACRUISER]

I take u.s. Postage with me, find the postcards (it is ideal if you can find "island" postcards at your embarkation), and write the cards. Then, when you are at the beach-or whereever- find an american tourist, they are, after all, easy to spot!!

Ask them when they are leaving and get them to mail them from newark, or wherever. This works best at resorts, as people are always go home from them. No problems with security as they aren't sealed. You get guaranteed u.s.p.s service, as they get mailed from the airport mailbox in the us and they get there before you get back -- the whole point of the exercise.

***also, you could just save them until you get to st. Thomas, which also is u.s.p.s-based. (i started doing this in cancun years ago, and never had anyone turn me down. Also copenhagen, helsinki, and stockholm)

[cruiseryyc]

The purser's desk will sell stamps for whatever port your are going to be in; as well, there is a mailbox next to the desk but make sure that you get your letters in there before you leave that port. US stamps are only good for items mailed in the US. Why would you even think of hauling heavy coins with you?

[cruisercarib]

You will have to use the local stamps at the local cost. For example: the stamps in the USVI, you will use regular USA First Class Postage at the regular cost. But if you mail from St. Kitts, you will have to use the local island postage at their cost. You could purchase stamps at the Customer Service Desk in the Main Atrium onboard, and they have a mail pickup from the ship before the ship leaves port. You can pay the stamp price onboard with US Dollars. (At least I did once, and the person at the desk said it was fine).

[NoGvmnt]

Oops be careful that might be considered throwing something overboard, no, no, no, you bad passenger. And think of the fish who eat it and end up dying because of all the coins in the stomach. That happened to a sea lion at the Denver Zoo once. People years ago through coins into the pool. Lo and behold the animal ate anything on the bottom.

 

--Denise

 

Denise, You're kidding me, right? Do you know how much garbage the cruise ships are allowed to dump off shore of some of these islands? And in the vast Atlantic Ocean you're worried that some fish is going to eat a small disk of metal and die from it? Come onnnnnn.

 

Once when I was scuba diving in the Florida Keys I was about 60ft down with my can of cheese whiz feeding the fish when some busybody came down and tapped me on the shoulder, we went up top and she moaned that the fish would explode (from the cheese whiz expanding) if they surfaced. That statement was about as ridiculous as yours.

 

Jim

[caribill]

Best thing to do with the Canadian coins: Find a Canadian on board and sell them to him/her for US $

[Giovanina]

I don't send many postcards, but take preaddressed labels with me for the friend or two I do send cards to. We've always taken the cards to the purser's desk, bought stamps and they take care of mailing them. Easy as that. Incidentally, our friends have always received the cards.

 

Can't help with Canadian coins, except to suggest you spend them in Victoria, B.C., one of our favorite cities! It was the last port on our Alaskan cruise and we liked it so much we returned for a week a couple of months later.

[kvasir]

You can only use US stamps for mailing in US territories.

 

To get local coins, try locate a Canadian bank on some of the islands. On St. Kitts, St Lucia, and Barbados there's a Royal Bank and CIBC prominently in the heart of city centre, you can't miss it (It does make you feel proud of the Canadian influence on these Commonwealth islands!) . Go to the teller and use your Canadian bank card to withdraw specific denomination you want to collect. If the banks are close or if you rather not stand in line, (they do operate in Caribbean hours, like closing at 2pm on a week day!), use your bank card at the ATM to withdraw local bills, use local bills to shop and get change in local coins that way.

 

The main post offices of St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados are pretty easy to find and only a short walk from the cruise terminal. In Barbados there's actually a post office kiosk right in the terminal. Do a bit of research before hand to get directions.

[paul929207]

You can only use US stamps for mailing in US territories.

 

To get local coins, try locate a Canadian bank on some of the islands. On St. Kitts, St Lucia, and Barbados there's a Royal Bank and CIBC prominently in the heart of city centre, you can't miss it (It does make you feel proud of the Canadian influence on these Commonwealth islands!) . Go to the teller and use your Canadian bank card to withdraw specific denomination you want to collect. If the banks are close or if you rather not stand in line, (they do operate in Caribbean hours, like closing at 2pm on a week day!), use your bank card at the ATM to withdraw local bills, use local bills to shop and get change in local coins that way.

 

The main post offices of St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados are pretty easy to find and only a short walk from the cruise terminal. In Barbados there's actually a post office kiosk right in the terminal. Do a bit of research before hand to get directions.

This thread is nearly 6 years old.

[MustangGT]

And much has changed since then - at least in our experience.

We like to send postcards to our granddaughter from our travels. The last few

times we have been to the Caribbean, the PSD was no help with postage or mailing. We have had to find a post office and buy the local postage stamps. Of course, this doesn't guarantee that she gets the cards. I think we run about 75% success.

Edited January 13, 2015 by MustangGT

[kvasir]

And much has changed since then - at least in our experience.

We like to send postcards to our granddaughter from our travels. The last few

times we have been to the Caribbean, the PSD was no help with postage or mailing. We have had to find a post office and buy the local postage stamps. Of course, this doesn't guarantee that she gets the cards. I think we run about 75% success.

 

Indeed, was just offering general advise rather than replying to the OP.

 

I've never had any luck buying stamps on the ship, I certainly would not trust the ship would drop off mail at the port.

 

I have 100% rate so far (knock on wood) receiving self-mailing postcards from the Caribbean. Though I've only been on 2 cruises, I've sent myself at least a dozen postcards from the eight ports (seven different postal administrations) I've visited.

 

One of which is Labadee, Haiti, from which is nearly impossible to send a postcard. I received it few months later.

Edited January 13, 2015 by kvasir

[Boytjie]

deleted

Edited January 13, 2015 by Boytjie

[skynight]

Hello all, when mailing letters from the Caribbean, can you use U.S. postage stamps or do you have to use stamps from the specific Island?

 

To be specific, the Islands would be: St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St. Thomas, St. John and Eleuthera (Princess Cays).

 

Thank you in advance, Jim

To mail on any island you have to purchase local stamps, and mail at a local P.O. or mailbox. St. Kitts, Barbados, Antigua, Bahamas (Eleuthera), St. John (British V.I.) are different countries, thus different stamps. You most likely already know that St. Thomas a U.S. territory, thus U.S. stamps. You can mail from on board, but don't expect the mail to arrive anytime soon. Important to remember that when you address the mail it has to contain the country name it's going to, ie U.S.A. That way the local postal authorities know where to send the mail.

 

PS, also, with regard to exchanging currency on board, can you exchange Canadian coins for U.S. currency? The reason I ask is for the past 30 some odd years I have been a coin collector/hoarder, and since I used to purchase coins by the coffee can, cigar box, hat box, singles, multiples and any other "ples" mostly at estate sales, I have accumulated a LOT of foreign coins and I'd like to take the Canadian coins that have no collector value and exchange them for U.S. currency if I can do this on the ship.:)

No. The ship does not accept coins other than U.S. coins.

 

see above