med glamour shore currency

[caligirlfashionista]

hello!I wanted to know if vendors except american currency or whould we have to get currency exchanged and if so where would we do that?before boarding our is the somewhere when we get to the different ports ?

[CruiserBruce]

If you are talking a Med cruise, you should use Euros. Not sure where all you are stopping, so some other currencies may be nice. Remember, the dollar is not strong now, so it won't be popular.

[samnewbie]

Hi there,

We are on the same cruise.

You will need Euros mainly and Dinar for Tunis.

You can either get some Euros prior to travel or use an ATM in all of the ports or there will be exchange booths in every city but make sure you use one that is reputable.

Personally I will use ATM and my card

I believe there is also an ATM at La Goulette and also a currency exchange. I have heard there are some places that will accept US$ or Euros in Tunis but there are some places you may wish to visit that will ONLY accept local currency.

See you on board! :D

[tbrein]

If you own a business and someone came in to buy something and gave you Euros, would you accept them? Probably not. The businessess in Europe want to deal in their own currency as we do in the US.
If they are willing to accept US dollars you will know that immediately. Most places in Turkey will accept US $, but I doubt that the countries in the European Union will accept them readily. If they do accept them, expect less than a favorable exchange rate.
Terri

[HamburgAvonLady]

Don't know where you live but check with your local bank or American Express office about ordering foreign currency. You will get a better
exchange rate before leaving the US. Whatever you don't spend can
be cashed in on your return.

Be sure to notify yuur credit card company that you will be traveling overseas to be sure there will be no "hold" on foreign purchases.

Also, take a fair amount of single $$$ for tips and purchases at the
different marketplaces.

Have a great time !

[catl331]

You can exchange money right at the ship front desk, both ways - except they won't accept foreign coins when exchanging back to dollars. The rates aren't great, but it's very covenient.

If you stick to HAL excursions and use credit cards for purchases wherever possible, you could get by with no foreign currency at all IMHO. We even used dollars at a kiosk at Catherine's Palace in Pushkin (St Petersburg port) and outside at a street market. Our HAL excursion stopped at the inevitable gift shop where they would not take Rubles - only $, Euro, or GBP. All prices were marked in Euro.

Merchants know if they don't take what you've got (dollars or plastic) they won't make the sale. Guides are happy to take anything. As suggested above the exchange rate will be poor to terrible, but if you're not spending really big bucks that 'loss' will be a tiny part of the cost of your trip. We've found that the only place you really need local currency is for local transportation and very small purchases (under $10).

A trick we used in Stockholm to get money for a ferry was to buy a small souvenir in the Vasa museum with a US $20 bill and get the change in Kroner. (Or is it Krone there and Kroner in Denmark? Or is it Krona in Sweden? I forget!)

[catl331]

When we're shopping in a foreign country with $ we try to not even think about the exchange rate - just whether the item is worth that many dollars to us or it isn't.

In Tunis we picked up a few items and took them to the shop counter for a price. The man said $80. We haggled a bit, but he wouldn't go below $40. We left the items on the counter and started walking out. He followed, still asking for more than we were willing to pay. Finally, about 10 yards outside the shop he asked what we would pay. We pulled out a $20 and he agreed! It wouldn't surprise me to learn that we still paid "too much", but it didn't matter. We got them for what they were worth to us.

:D

[Backstage Traveler]

You will probably be able to use your bank's debit card at the ATMs in Europe. There will be a bank fee (from the foreign bank as well as your own), but we found the conversion rates were good. It was certainly better than using travelers cheques at a bank or exchanging on the ship. You can use euros pretty much all over the mediterranean, and cash does come in handy for small purchases like drinks or ice cream, trinkets, etc.

[FATJACK]

In Italy, the local banks do not charge any fees to use their ATM's, any fee charged will come from your own bank/credit union. Wells Fargo charges 3% plus $5.00 and my wife's credit union charges just 1%. I have found that ATM's will give you the best exchange rates over anything else.

[kazu]

Whenever I travel in another country, I believe the most respectful thing to do is to pay in THEIR currency. (This includes the US).

It's their country - so I go with their culture and their currency. Makes life very simple. Especially in the Med for most ports since it is now just one currency :)

[jtl513]

It's their country - so I go with their culture and their currency.In Istanbul we were on a private excursion, and the guide wanted to be paid in Euro, and he took us to a restaurant for lunch where the menus we were given were priced in Euro. (I'm sure that there were some in T-Lira as well.) So "their currency" may not always be preferred.

If a vendor is willing to take dollars or other foreign currency it must be worth his while to do so.

[CruiserBruce]

Whenever I travel in another country, I believe the most respectful thing to do is to pay in THEIR currency. (This includes the US).

It's their country - so I go with their culture and their currency. Makes life very simple. Especially in the Med for most ports since it is now just one currency :)

Amen!!:D:D:D

[GeriatricNurse]

You can exchange money right at the ship front desk, both ways - except they won't accept foreign coins when exchanging back to dollars. The rates aren't great, but it's very covenient.

If you stick to HAL excursions and use credit cards for purchases wherever possible, you could get by with no foreign currency at all IMHO. We even used dollars at a kiosk at Catherine's Palace in Pushkin (St Petersburg port) and outside at a street market. Our HAL excursion stopped at the inevitable gift shop where they would not take Rubles - only $, Euro, or GBP. All prices were marked in Euro.

Merchants know if they don't take what you've got (dollars or plastic) they won't make the sale. Guides are happy to take anything. As suggested above the exchange rate will be poor to terrible, but if you're not spending really big bucks that 'loss' will be a tiny part of the cost of your trip. We've found that the only place you really need local currency is for local transportation and very small purchases (under $10).

A trick we used in Stockholm to get money for a ferry was to buy a small souvenir in the Vasa museum with a US $20 bill and get the change in Kroner. (Or is it Krone there and Kroner in Denmark? Or is it Krona in Sweden? I forget!)


Sweden is Krona & Denmark is Krone. :)

[catl331]

Sweden is Krona & Denmark is Krone. :)Now you made me look it up. Kroner is the plural for Krone. I should have said Kronor, which is the plural for Krona.

[caligirlfashionista]

thanks bunches