Caribbean currency

We are going on the Celebration next year to the Caribbean. We'll be calling at St Maarten and St Barths. The official currency is Euros and Dutch Florins. Does anyone know if it's okay to just take US dollars instead?

We are going on the Celebration next year to the Caribbean. We'll be calling at St Maarten and St Barths. The official currency is Euros and Dutch Florins. Does anyone know if it's okay to just take US dollars instead?

Philipsburg, St Maarten definitely accept US$ - excellent shopping here and all prices quoted in $. Usually said you get the best prices here and there are a lot of duty free shops and market.

Sorry don't know about St Barths.

us dollars are good all over the caribbean...st barths use euros but they will accept us dollars everywhere

other local caribbean currencies are:

barbadian....barbados dollars

st lucia, st vincent, st kitts, antigua, dominica, grenada....eastern caribbean dollar

aruba....aruban florin

curacau, bonaire, dutch st martin....carbbean guilder

french st martin...euro

cuba...cuban convertible peso

roatan...honduran lempira

panama...balboa

mexico...mexican peso

costa ricca...colon

columbia...columbian peso

us dollars are accepted everywhere across the caribbean...sometimes you may be given change in local currency if its a small amount

As said the $US is acceptable all over the Caribbean. If you get your self plenty of small notes you will never get any change, everything is rounded up. When getting a price for a Taxi etc always confirm the price is $US and not the local $

I read at the weekend that the £ is going to weaken against the $ and it recommended buying now.

Best to take more US $ Dollars than you think will be needed.

We miscalculated a few years back and I had to go to a local bank (St.Lucia, if memory serves) to get more.

That required two transactions - the amount of US $ Dollars requested was converted to their local currency at the prevailing exchange rate, than that amount was converted again into Sterling to be charged to my plastic card.

It's also a very good idea to take a lot of small denomination bills.

Best to take more US $ Dollars than you think will be needed.

 

We miscalculated a few years back and I had to go to a local bank (St.Lucia, if memory serves) to get more.

 

That required two transactions - the amount of US $ Dollars requested was converted to their local currency at the prevailing exchange rate, than that amount was converted again into Sterling to be charged to my plastic card.

 

It's also a very good idea to take a lot of small denomination bills.

good advice here

most taxi drivers/local tour operators/beach bars etc will not accept 100 dollar bills and hardly anyone will change them for you not even the ship as they dont hold a lot of small notes

also most atms will dispense local currency (not us dollars)

Best to take more US $ Dollars than you think will be needed.

 

 

Good advice. Although it's easy to do DIY in the Caribbean and there are plenty of taxis/buses/tours available dockside so there's no need to do expensive ship's excursions, we found it's also quite easy to underestimate how much you need. Each day in addition to taxi fares we had to factor in the cost of sun loungers and umbrellas which could be anything between about $15 - $25 per day (if you're unlucky can be $35 - good idea to wander along the beach from the busiest part and negotiate for better deals).

Thanks everyone for the advise. Really useful.

As everyone said US dollars are fine.

Just a little recommendation, for st maarten have a think about Bernard tours. They were fantastic! We had an amazing day and got to see so much

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Me and the cook are doing the Caribbean Quest on Celebration in November, so excellent thread, and excellent information.

TVM.:)

good advice here

 

most taxi drivers/local tour operators/beach bars etc will not accept 100 dollar bills and hardly anyone will change them for you not even the ship as they dont hold a lot of small notes

 

also most atms will dispense local currency (not us dollars)

Geomagot - good shout about ATMs. I did see one that was in US $ Dollars - but they are rare apparently.

We took no bills above $20, mostly it was singles, fives and tens.

Another point - if anybody needs to use a local bank, I suggest taking TWO forms of photographic ID. That's what was demanded of me - and I only had my passport as normal means of identification. Fortunately, by chance, I had another acceptable document, but most punters (as I did) assume their passport is enough.

That might have been that specific bank of course - I was unable to find out if it was the norm or not - but better be safe than sorry ?

I did see one that was in US $ Dollars - but they are rare apparently.

yep...the only atms in caribbean that dispense us dollars is in the british virgin islands (tortola) and us virgin islands, where us dollars are the offical currency

As everyone said US dollars are fine.

 

Just a little recommendation, for st maarten have a think about Bernard tours. They were fantastic! We had an amazing day and got to see so much

 

 

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Thanks for that...will have a look.

As everyone said US dollars are fine.

 

Just a little recommendation, for st maarten have a think about Bernard tours. They were fantastic! We had an amazing day and got to see so much

 

 

Could not agree more we plan to use them again next year:)

I don't think you can use US$ in Cuba :eek::eek:

We were told they will exchange them, but the rate is not good.

you can exchange your dollars at the desk in the terminal in havana .....cuban currency isn’t available to buy outside cuba

locals are desperate for us dollars and will change money for you (it gives them better spending power...they can use $'s to buy luxuries...like a bathroom basin!)...but again you need to watch the rate they are offering...its complicated because they have a local currency/economy and a tourist currency/economy, their local currency can only buy everyday essential items....so that would be useless for the average tourist

tbh i would rather put the hard cash in the pockets of the locals rather than give it to the state run exchange desk in the terminal