Currencies for Cruise to Asia

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping for advice re/ currencies to use on our upcoming cruise to China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Would we need to take local currencies for each country?

We have mostly booked ship excursions so would only need small amounts of currency for going ashore to buy small items, snacks, drinks etc. For larger buys we have a CC.

We are in Beijing for 3 nights prior to cruising, however, we have land tours bought and paid for there but would obviously need currency for meals etc.

I have heard that US$ are accepted easily, so it would make things much easier for us if we just had to take US$, but we are unsure if this is correct?

Any advice appreciated.:confused:

You will need individual currencies for these countries.....or a credit card will work for most purchases.

Hi Everyone,

 

I was hoping for advice re/ currencies to use on our upcoming cruise to China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Would we need to take local currencies for each country?

We have mostly booked ship excursions so would only need small amounts of currency for going ashore to buy small items, snacks, drinks etc. For larger buys we have a CC.

We are in Beijing for 3 nights prior to cruising, however, we have land tours bought and paid for there but would obviously need currency for meals etc.

I have heard that US$ are accepted easily, so it would make things much easier for us if we just had to take US$, but we are unsure if this is correct?

Any advice appreciated.:confused:

I'm sorry you heard that US$'s are accepted in these country's..easy if true...but it's not...The US won't accept anything other than US$'s in our country why would any other country be different.

Just be careful with Chinese Yuan when you leave mainland China in that if you try and convert it back to another currency within China then you need a receipt that shows you changed another currency into Yuan on arrival or whilst in China.

Hong Kong is Hong Kong $ and Money Changers in HK will exchange virtually any currency for HK $ and vice versa .

I'm sorry you heard that US$'s are accepted in these country's..easy if true...but it's not...The US won't accept anything other than US$'s in our country why would any other country be different.

An Australian gentleman on our roll call gave us this advice saying he has travelled extensively in the Far East and always uses US$.

We found in Turkey that they were willing to take any currency ie. £'s $'s or €'s! Sometimes cash is King :D

However on reflection we will take local currency for China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Most places that cater to "foreigners" will accept US$. However step two storefronts away "all bets are off".

MIL advises that in China handling foreign currency can be a PITA to the individual or merchant when they make deposits to the bank. Bank and gov't policies make it so. Merchants that deal with foreigners regularly deal with it or have arrangements made.

She would front us Yuan and we would pay her back in US$ when we leave. When we told her we'll use ATMs to get our cash, she almost started to light incenses :)

There are so countries in Asia that accept US$ easily. These are smaller countries with weak economies such as Cambodia or Vietnam. But none of the countries that you are visited accept US$. They are all countries with good economies and a strong currency.

I have traveled extensively in China for 10 years and lived in Beijing for 3 years and can assure you that the US$ is not welcomed anywhere. Only one place will accept foreign currencies is the Silk Market (for fakes) and at a very poor exchange rate. They can pay their rent or the supermarket with dollars so they have no use for them.Yes in China cash is king, but Chinese cash only.

ATMs are literally everywhere, have English instructions and easy to use. As always. let your bank know that you are traveling.

We will be going to China, Japan and South Korea and have gotten some currency for China and Japan. However our tour guide in South Korea preferred US$ and said we wouldn't need any local currency. Is South Korea more accepting of US$'s?

When in South Korea we used the local currency. I don't remember seeing US$ being used but they may be accepted in some places. I doubt though that they "prefer" US$. Unlike you are traveling in a banana republic, I think that t is rather impolite to assume that you can pay with your home currency. Plus when you do so, you get a lousy exchange rate.

When in South Korea we used the local currency. I don't remember seeing US$ being used but they may be accepted in some places. I doubt though that they "prefer" US$. Unlike you are traveling in a banana republic, I think that t is rather impolite to assume that you can pay with your home currency. Plus when you do so, you get a lousy exchange rate.

I never assume that I can pay in my own currency. Rather than impolite, I believe that it would be ignorant to assume that residents of other countries would prefer US$. Since the tour guide requested payment in US dollars, I was trying to find out if South Korean's were more accepting of US$ When in Vietnam, they did seem to prefer US$

JMO: It seems your S Korean tour guide is doing you a service by accepting US$. If there are any expenses he will "take care of it" for you and you will reimburse him later (with a big tip) :rolleyes: ;)

The nefarious side of me says he's going to get you on the exchange rate :cool:

Have some "won" on hand or at least know the exchange rate range.

In another life SWMBO was a tour guide in Asia.

JMO: It seems your S Korean tour guide is doing you a service by accepting US$. If there are any expenses he will "take care of it" for you and you will reimburse him later (with a big tip) :rolleyes: ;)

 

The nefarious side of me says he's going to get you on the exchange rate :cool:

 

Have some "won" on hand or at least know the exchange rate range.

 

In another life SWMBO was a tour guide in Asia.

I agree that they are doing us a service, which we do appreciate. The only cash that we would need on the tour is for a 3,000 won entry fee. Since I have a currency exchange app on my phone, I know that it is only $2.73. It wouldn't be worth buying won just for that. I am not worrying too much about a bad exchange rate on that much. :D But I certainly do appreciate your recommendations.

I never assume that I can pay in my own currency. Rather than impolite, I believe that it would be ignorant to assume that residents of other countries would prefer US$. Since the tour guide requested payment in US dollars, I was trying to find out if South Korean's were more accepting of US$ When in Vietnam, they did seem to prefer US$

Going to be in Vietnam in a few weeks for our port day in HCMC...Did you use US$'s when there even to small vendor's ?..It's been confusing as to whether we need Dong or not for shopping etc.

Going to be in Vietnam in a few weeks for our port day in HCMC...Did you use US$'s when there even to small vendor's ?..It's been confusing as to whether we need Dong or not for shopping etc.

We only used US$ in Vietnam. It was no problem at all. This is the back side of a 200,000 dong bill. In 2010 it was equal to $11. it is now worth about $9.38. Everything we bought, vendors gave us prices in US$.

We only used US$ in Vietnam. It was no problem at all. This is the back side of a 200,000 dong bill. In 2010 it was equal to $11. it is now worth about $9.38. Everything we bought, vendors gave us prices in US$.

 

Thanks so much...I was hoping not to have to exchange my US$'s for Dong.

An interesting discussion.

We do tend to exchange to the countries we visit as we live near Asia and we are more likely to go back to these countries and use the money.

An interesting story maybe. We were in Langkawi for a day two weeks ago and went to the beach not far from where the shuttle dropped us. We decided to use two loungers and an umbrella and asked some fellow cruisers how much they had paid, "US$10" they replied. Sure enough the seller came up to us and quoted "US$10". How much in Malaysian Ringgitt "MYR20" which is equivalent of US$6 on the day. We paid in Malaysian Ringgitt......but we also had a few Malaysian ports to go.

So my thoughts are, it may be a case of how many of those small transactions are you likely to do for you to decide whether it is worth the convenience. They will always round up to a US$5 or 10 to make it easier to exchange at the bank.

Julie