Help with a currency question

We're lucky enough to be cruising round South America this Winter and we will be visiting Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Equador before heading through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean.

We've been to the Caribbean before so fine with that and we know we need to order local currency for Brazil but our question is should we buy local currency for any other country if we intend to do our own thing in several ports?

Thanks

Rhona

We're lucky enough to be cruising round South America this Winter and we will be visiting Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Equador before heading through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean.

We've been to the Caribbean before so fine with that and we know we need to order local currency for Brazil but our question is should we buy local currency for any other country if we intend to do our own thing in several ports?

Thanks

Rhona

We were in these countries last December/January. I purchased Argentinian and Chilean Pesos at the airport before our flight to Rio. It was unnecessary as US dollars were the preferred currency everywhere. We ended up giving the pesos as tips, and got rid of all the Argentinian pesos because no US bank will take the paper money back. On the Amazon in Brazil I had Brazillian reals, but places we stopped along the river wanted dollars. Currency can be purchased on board.

For our upcoming cruise I did order a small amount of Peruvian Nuevo Sol from my bank.

Tartanexile81....I see you are from Scotland, sorry my dollars suggestion may not be appropriate for you. Pounds would work if you go to the Falklands, but I guess you would need local currency, or a credit card...which is what we used for larger purchases. You should be able to get local currency on the ship. Many would suggest ATM, but I am not a fan of putting my card in a foreign ATM.

You will love your cruise, South America is amazing....we are returning for the third year in a row! have a great cruise.

Tartanexile81....I see you are from Scotland, sorry my dollars suggestion may not be appropriate for you. Pounds would work if you go to the Falklands, but I guess you would need local currency, or a credit card...which is what we used for larger purchases. You should be able to get local currency on the ship. Many would suggest ATM, but I am not a fan of putting my card in a foreign ATM.

 

You will love your cruise, South America is amazing....we are returning for the third year in a row! have a great cruise.

Loreto

it's fine! Although I live in Scotland I always take Dollars to the Caribbean etc so had assumed I'd do the same this year for South America. We on a UK ship and cannot go to the Falklands if we're going to Argentina because of the dispute between the two countries about the islands.

I had read that it was illegal to use anything other than real in Brazil, so I was surprised but pleased to hear that we didn't need them, although we're not actually travelling up the Amazon (the cruise is a TA so is already 69 days long).

You said you were getting local Peruvian currency this year. Have you had difficulty in the past there? Our cruise line offers a service where we can order currency online at a really good rate of exchange and it is waiting when we board so we intend using that. We've got a credit card that is zero interest overseas so we'll definitely be taking that as like you we're not fans of ATMs

Thanks for your help

Rhona

I had read that it was illegal to use anything other than real in Brazil, so I was surprised but pleased to hear that we didn't need them, although we're not actually travelling up the Amazon

You read correctly......and you will indeed need to use only reais in Brazil. You can get them from an ATM in cities and beach villages. (Just don't use the ATMs at GIG airport.). A hotel or the like that seems to 'accept' US dollar notes is simply doing an exchange as a convenience to travelers, but probably charging you for it in the exchange rate given.

"On the Amazon.....on the river" is within an area relatively isolated from Brazilian civilization (read policing) in which lots of well reported lawlessness exists, and is close to border crossings, so perhaps, as with many other things there, the laws get bent without great consequence, particularly because the dollar has been rising against the real more recently.

Loreto

 

it's fine! Although I live in Scotland I always take Dollars to the Caribbean etc so had assumed I'd do the same this year for South America. We on a UK ship and cannot go to the Falklands if we're going to Argentina because of the dispute between the two countries about the islands.

 

I had read that it was illegal to use anything other than real in Brazil, so I was surprised but pleased to hear that we didn't need them, although we're not actually travelling up the Amazon (the cruise is a TA so is already 69 days long).

 

You said you were getting local Peruvian currency this year. Have you had difficulty in the past there? Our cruise line offers a service where we can order currency online at a really good rate of exchange and it is waiting when we board so we intend using that. We've got a credit card that is zero interest overseas so we'll definitely be taking that as like you we're not fans of ATMs

Thanks for your help

Rhona

Hi Rhona,

The second time we were in South America (Brazil) I bought Reals on the ship. On our tour to Corcovado Mountain/Christ the Redeemer things were priced in dollars and dollars were accepted. At the cruise pier the vendors were dealing in dollars. I know VidaNaPraia has frequently posted the Brazil government policy, which I respect and tried to follow; but a blind eye must be turned by officials regarding tourist sites.

Since we have 4 days in Peru, 3 in Lima, I wanted a little local currency, so I got about $100 in small bills. This is our first time in Peru. In Chile I used their pesos, but could have used dollars...vendors were busy with their calculators.

The advantage of getting the currency ahead of time was that I could get smaller denominations. If you can order ahead through the ship at a good rate, that would be ideal. My rate wasn't that good, but convenience comes with a price!

I hope this helps...lucky you to spend that much time in South America, it is fascinating. I hope that your ship will go to Antarctica. The Falklands was amazing. Our ship got around Argentina's policy by going to Uruguay, the the Falklands and into Chilean waters before going to Ushuaia.

Karen

The second time we were in South America (Brazil) I bought Reals on the ship. On our tour to Corcovado Mountain/Christ the Redeemer things were priced in dollars and dollars were accepted. At the cruise pier the vendors were dealing in dollars. I know VidaNaPraia has frequently posted the Brazil government policy, which I respect and tried to follow; but a blind eye must be turned by officials regarding tourist sites.

I have been to the Christ statue (more than once, in fact) and tickets were sold in reais at the train booth. Here is the official site, in English, but with prices quoted only in reais:

http://www.tremdocorcovado.com.br/ingles/index.html

I also went up by official van-- which took only reais for tickets.

The taxi from the place we were staying to the train's base station took reais.

Perhaps something has changed drastically in the intervening time period, but I highly doubt it.

As I mentioned, some things that seem priced in US dollars may be doing an exchange for your convenience, including a tour from a tour agency or a hotel or a ship.

If the fiscal police show up, as they are often wont to do, these vendors you mention could find themselves in trouble, with big fines. But Brazil IS the land of the jeitinho. (And there is widespread worry, in light of a controversial close election, about a drop in the value of the real, which had been very common historically, so maybe some people are hedging their bets, even at some risk.)

However, I would advise any foreign travelers not to depend on finding vendors/services that accept US dollar notes and be prepared with reais sufficient for your needs.

Thanks for the advice both of you. Because of all the different countries we're going to we'll probably mainly take dollars but will have reals as a back-up. Sure we'll be able to use them anyway.

We might try and buy tickets online before we go so that would solve part of the problem :)

There are easily located, safe, casas de cambio/exchange houses in Brazil where you can exchange dollar notes for reais notes at a reasonable rate, or just use a local.ATM in a bank lobby to withdraw cash in reais. While you may be able to purchase tickets for the Christ statue in Rio online, many things in Brazil are still not so easily accomplished on the computer. Have a great trip.

For Peru you may want to check out the Global

Banking Alliance which lets you use ScotiaBank ATMs in Peru without a fee if you have a Barclay's card.

For Argentina you will do better taking $US dollars and exchanging them at the blue rate for pesos as needed. Do a search on Trip Advisor.

Ecuador's and Panama's currency is the US Dollar.

Ecuador's and Panama's currency is the US Dollar.

Panama's official national currency is not the Balboa?

We're lucky enough to be cruising round South America this Winter and we will be visiting Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Equador before heading through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean.

We've been to the Caribbean before so fine with that and we know we need to order local currency for Brazil but our question is should we buy local currency for any other country if we intend to do our own thing in several ports?

Thanks

Rhona

You are wise to get local currency for Brazil. Most places want it.

Panama, Uruguay and Argentina USA currency will work in many places.

Chili varies so I would get local currency.

Keith