Important Message for Canadians

[Mikey2611]

I have pointed this out before BUT given that the Canadian Dollar is now to all intent and purposes "at par" with the US Dollar it is worth repeating.

Canadians booking cruises should check the US Price for the Cruise and insist that they book in US Dollars. You can pay with a Canadian Credit Card and the card company will calculate any exchange (nominal) and charge you in Canadian Dollars. The reason is that if you book in Canadian dollars the price you will pay can be as much as 20% more than our fellow US Cruisers. That is because the cruise companies quote their Canadian Dollar price at a ridiculous exchange rate - as much as 20%.

If your Canadian travel agent wont book it in US Dollars - simply book it with a US Internet based agency. There are lots of reputable US Cruise agencies.

As an example on a recent cruise (cost $5,000US) I saved over Canadian $700 by paying in US Dollars via my Canadian Amex Card rather than paying the price quoted in Canadian Dollars.

We have to look after our interests!

[eh2zed]

Mikey, you are right on. We typically have always booked in USD but we do check each time. The cruise lines maintain they have a rolling average exchange rate that only gets adjusted once or twice a year. Most Canadian cruise wholesalers will book in USD. Insist on your TA using one that does. We do as you do use our CC and pay the CC rate which is marked up just a touch.

[fann1sh]

Final payment date is coming up for my December Zuiderdam cruise. I'm using a different/new TA so I can apply AMEX credit card points to get $ off. When I booked almost a year ago, I practically had to wrestle with the TA to book in US$. Official rate then was C$1.12=US$1. I suspected the C$ would be even stronger at final payment, but had no idea we would be at par!

Between the better exchange rate on my credit card, ferreting out an advertised fare reduction, and a whopping C$1800 discount with credit card points, what could have been a C$5300 cruise will cost half that!:)

[haligonian37]

When I booked my Alaskan cruise last month, my TA got quotes in both US and CDN . It was a significant savings for me to book in US (solo) as well as my sister and BIL and it enabled them to move up to a veranda cabin for their first ever cruise. Final payment isn't due 'til March but I'm seriously considering paying it off sooner than later!

Actually, the company I work for (sporting goods) just yesterday changed our exchange rate to "at par". I made note of this change over in the port of call/Canada forum as we get thousands of cruise passengers in Halifax every week. I'm definitely looking forward to going to the bank tomorrow to 'exchange" my CDN $$$ for US for both of my upcoming cruises :).