I recognize that Rick Steves organizes land tours in Europe, but there might be readers of this helpline that have experience with cruise ships in the Mediterranean. My group will be on a ship and will do some land tours that require payment in Euros. I would appreciate advice on how to handle the dollar to Euro conversions before and during the trip. Thanks.
Posted by
San Francisco, California, USA
446 posts
Most cruise ships take your credit card to pay for any shipboard expenses, including shore excursions. In this case, it doesn't matter if the prices are in Euros or any other currency. I went on a Discovery cruise two years ago where the prices were in Pounds because the cruise line is British. They simply billed my credit card in Pounds and VISA converted the charges to Dollars. The exchange rate is very good with VISA -- especially if you use a Capital One credit card, which does not charge an foreign currency transaction fee.
Hopefully, you will be able to pay with a credit card. If not, your best option is to get cash, with you checking account's debit card, from ATMs in Europe. If you buy Euros here before the trip, your will pay a big premium compared to the exchange rate you get from ATMs in Europe.
If this does turn out to be a "cash only" situation, I would inquire of the cruise line as to the general availability of ATMs at various locations during the cruise. Some boats also have ATMs on the boat, although I think you might have to pay a premium for that.
A final option would be to get some traveler's cheques, but those are not very popular these days, and usually, the exchange rate you get when you cash a traveler's cheque is not very good.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23340 posts
We have been on six European cruises. First, ignore the advice about traveler's check. They are a dinosaur and a high probability that the tour people would not want them. And TC are no good for emergency back up either. Too much fraud associated with TCs in the past. As someone else, if it is associated with the cruise ship you credit card will work fine. At every port we have been in, there is at least one ATM inside the port area. And often a bank or two within sight of the dock. Russia was the exception. The less expensive and most convenient way to obtain local currency is a debit card at an ATM.
Posted by
Edmonton, AB, Canada
668 posts
We have done this. As you are from Seattle, I am guessing you are on Holland America, but regardless, if it is a US based company your onboard expenses will all be billed to the credit card you register with the ship. You cannot pay cash for anything on the ship, except any last minute, last day purchases.
You do not say where you are going, but I expect it is mainlu EU countries with Euro currency. You can buy some from your bank, but the easiest and probably best excahnge rate is the ATM. These are everywhere. Just make sure you advise your bank and Credit card company that you will be visiting the various countries and the time frame of your travels. US$ used to be accepted universally, but now you may find some places reluctant to take them and give you are poor rate when they do.
I know this is a great concern to many people and the question arises frequntly, but it really is no big deal once you have done it.
Posted by
Vicenza, Italy
319 posts
We went on a Costa cruise in 2006. We paid for most of the on ship expenses with our credit card. If you want to bring on cash, you should get euro at an ATM before you begin the cruise or in any of the ports. Your room should have a safe so you can store excess cash in there.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
If your land tours are done with the ship, you can put it on your credit card.
If your tours are independent, you will need to figure out other options.
I just got back from a cruise and did two independent tours. The first wanted half down, paid by credit card, when booking, and the remainder in cash on arrival. The second wanted 25 percent paid ahead by credit card and the remainder in cash when I showed up. They both worked fine.
I would try to use ATM's on land (or at the airport on arrival) as your primary source for Euros. You need to figure out exactly how much you need and how much you will be able to get ahead of your tour. Daily limits keep you from withdrawing all the Euros you need in one day. Typical daily limits are $500 per day (roughly 350 Euros), the limit refreshes around midnight at your bank. You could get the max at the airport when you arrive, possibly more the morning before you board and at any land stops before your tour. Bringing a second debit card from another checking account effectively doubles your daily limit.
If you can't do that, I would order some Euros from a commercial bank before your trip. Changing Dollars to Euros on the boat will be too expensive.