Baltic cruise on NCL Norwegian Jewel

[redbarry]

We are leaving Dover next week for the Baltic Capitals cruise on Norwegian Jewel. Has anybody got advice on what currencies we should carry with us in each port for the small costs that we would expect to pick up ie tram fares, coffee, beer toilets etc. Do we need to have the local currency or can we use Pounds, dollars or euros?? Anything bigger a credit card I assume is the best.

 

Thanks Redbarry

[Bennett'sCruise]

We took the equivelent of $25 US in currency for each country visited ... with the exception of England where we were for 4 days and needed more Euros. We ended up spending it all for the "small" things and were glad we took the time beforehand to get the currencies.

I also wrote down the conversion rates on a cheat sheet and had with me at all times so I knew what I was actually paying in US dollars.

We live in a small town so had to order the currency a couple of weeks ahead of time. Hope you have time to make the conversion with only a week left.

Have fun! It's a great itin on a great ship!

[Griller]

We are leaving Dover next week for the Baltic Capitals cruise on Norwegian Jewel. Has anybody got advice on what currencies we should carry with us in each port for the small costs that we would expect to pick up ie tram fares, coffee, beer toilets etc. Do we need to have the local currency or can we use Pounds, dollars or euros?? Anything bigger a credit card I assume is the best.

 

Thanks Redbarry

 

St Petersburg - souvenir vendors will take any major currency, unless you have your own visa you won't be spending roubles for bus rides etc as you will be on an organised tour.

 

Copenhagen is Danish Krone. Could be worth getting some if you are going it alone there.

 

Helsinki and Warnemunde are Euros, get some of those.

 

London - Dover are pounds sterling, you'll need some. England generally likes pounds not anything else.

 

Stockholm - Swedish Krone. You may need some for independent touring.

 

Tallinn is Estonian Kroon. Not available on Jewel.

 

NCL Jewel charges a whopping $10 fee per foreign currency transaction no matter how small. Very expensive.

 

Maybe you might do better just getting some as you go ashore from an ATM? Doesn't solve the problem of the initial bus ride into town however in those ports where its necessary.

 

Warnemunde and Tallinn are just a short walk from the ship.

 

Enjoy Jewel and your Baltic Cruise. We did.

[Carnac767]

I echo the advice above. We just got a small amount in each port from an ATM (except in Russia). In St. Petersburg everywhere we visited accepted dollars or euros.

 

You might want to check with your credit card provider to see what their foreign transaction fee is. It varies from bank to bank.

 

Have a great time. Our Baltic cruise was one of the best experiences we've ever had.

[Bennett'sCruise]

London - Dover are pounds sterling, you'll need some. England generally likes pounds not anything else.

 

Wow .. you are so correct, of course. Sorry I erred ... :o

[pould]

Wow .. you are so correct' date=' of course. Sorry I erred ... :o[/font']

 

Just one or two more things to add...

 

i) Make sure you sign up to the Roll Call for the 3rd June cruise - there's already a meet and greet planned

 

ii) The Estonian Kroon is pegged to the Euro, so most places in Talinn will take Euros.

 

iii) If you have a premium bank account with one of the UK banks you'll most likely be able to withdraw cash free of charge from any ATM anywhere on the cruise. Nice to know if you run out of Krone...

[nlt46]

We did need pounds for London and the trip to Dover, but after that we did just fine with Euros and Dollars. It can be costly changing money. We just would ask the taxi if they took Euros or Dollars and also businesses. We used credit cards for entrances and purchases. Loved the Baltics. It is my favorite so far. Nancy

[cpdad]

We did need pounds for London and the trip to Dover, but after that we did just fine with Euros and Dollars. It can be costly changing money. We just would ask the taxi if they took Euros or Dollars and also businesses. We used credit cards for entrances and purchases. Loved the Baltics. It is my favorite so far. Nancy

We did the same thing, and basically skipped the "small things" - by the time you pay any ATM fee for obtaining local cash and then perhaps exchanging the leftover cash back into your own currency, those "small things" can become pricey.

 

For US travelers, I would suggest GB pounds, Euros, US$, and credit cards. Public bus tickets in Stockholm can be purchased at the dock - visitor information office - by using credit card. Finland buses take Euros. We walked into the center of Copenhagen. In Russia - we, like almost everyone else, had a tour booked. Tallinn is a short walk from the port. We did stop for a coffee & pastry break in Helsinki, but we used our credit card there.

If the OP is intent on buying "small things", then the ATM is the way to go.

[redbarry]

Hi Everyone

 

Thanks for your advice and suggestions.

Have decided to get some Danish Krone and Swedish Krone. We have Euros already. As Brits not sailed on NCL before -lots of negative reviews. Are these the 'glass half empty brigade' -you all seem to have had good times.

 

Many thanks

Barry

[lhall85917]

Hi Everyone

 

Thanks for your advice and suggestions.

Have decided to get some Danish Krone and Swedish Krone. We have Euros already. As Brits not sailed on NCL before -lots of negative reviews. Are these the 'glass half empty brigade' -you all seem to have had good times.

 

Many thanks

Barry

 

Everyone has their own expectations of what their cruise will be like - my best advice is to read those reviews mostly for factual information that will be helpful to your own situation. We were on the Jewel for the Baltic cruise last year and it was our best trip ever. The ports were wonderful, the ship was beautiful and the crew was friendly and helpful.

[AllAboard]

We wanted to make sure we had all of the associated currencies in advance, at least enough to purchase the intial taxi or bus ride upon arriving into each port. As members of AAA, they offer currency exchange for all of the countries visited, including Estoina, and the exchange rate was quite good with no fees.

 

On our recent Baltic trip, many people seemed to do local transportation (HOHOs, etc.) with the exception of St. Pete's and maybe Warnermunde/Berlin, and this worked out fine. However, the one exception we saw where there were some problems was in Stockholm. The local buses didn't take any currency onboard the bus, so tickets had to be purchased in advance. Many of the bus stops had ticket machines that took credit cards, but they didn't appear to be working very well at a lot of the stops. We had gotten a day pass in advance, so we had no problems, but we did see many people frustrated trying to purchase bus tickets, and being sent to various shops around the city where they were sold. Although the day pass was convenient (included public transportation as well as entrance into many venues), I'm not sure if it is worth the cost ($30-$40??) as the stop in Stockholm is a short day compared to many other ports of call. Just FYI.

[helpthejuggler]

EURO, USD and Roubles (if you wish to stop for lunch in a Stolle)

Plastic will see you through most ports for anything substantial

 

We had a little of each local currencies (around $30-40 USD each day).

 

I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere that in Tallinn they were very happy to accept cards for very small items (coffee etc.)

 

Nice place to stop off on the walk back to the ship in Tallinn was Africa Kitchen (if you spot it). We nipped in for a drink as we had a little extra time

and loved the decor...

 

http://www.tallinn-life.com/eat/restaurants_details/134-African_Kitchen