US cruisers: Dollars or local currency?

I just wondered what US cruisers thoughts were on currency when travelling overseas/on a cruise (Although I have a suspicion on what a majority will say). I understand the convenience of using US dollars but surely its not worth paying an expensive premium for goods when shopping? I have instances where I have saved at least 20% because I used local coin and this has been the case throughout my experiences (I imagine in rare instances the dollar may get you a better price when the country has a poor economy).

What do you use and why?

Have you ever thought about changing that?

All the islands in the Caribbean happily take US dollars. I thought in Europe you use Euros.

Cruising or travelling to where?

It very much depends on the countries you are visiting. Major countries, like the US itself, you will have to use the local currency. Some smaller places may accept US currency rather than their own although you will lose on the currency conversion.

Down in our part of the world you would need to use Australian or New Zealand currencies in those countries, but you can use Australian currency in some of the South Pacific islands like New Caledonia.

Generally around the world.

We saw Americans using dollars in St Petes, Puntarenas, Cartagena, Berlin, Cabo and maybe some others.

Not all of Europe uses Euros.

Some credit card machines do allow you to pay in the currency of your card - I've struck that in a number of places including Paris, however you don't necessarily get the best exchange rate doing that.

Some countries will offer prices in US dollars - tourist shops in India for example, but again you may not get the best exchange rates.

We've travelled fairly extensively, including to your beautiful part of the world, and always found it best to use local currency.

Hopefully you'll get some responses from US folk once they wake up ;)

It depends on where you are and how much you are spending. In some countries like the Caribbean, US$ are accepted about everywhere. It is often difficult to find the price in the local currency.

Most of western Europe is on the Euro and US$ are rarely accepted.

 

Most of western Europe is on the Euro and US$ are rarely accepted.

As a well travelled European I am well aware of that but have been finding more and more that major cities have US dollars as an option in some places(especially Rome) which is a little worrying.

Oz, I prefer too to use local currency purely for the money I save the lovely coins I get to take home after. I find it really odd not to use local currency even with all of the different dollars around the Carribean and I would definitely love to use and take home some lempiras/florins if visiting Belize or Aruba. I have saved so much money getting local currency when travelling!When the price was in US dollars on our Panama Canal cruise I simply converted it into local currency using the rate I had memorised in my head and went to buy it only to find each and every time it was quite a bit cheaper.

As a well travelled European I am well aware of that but have been finding more and more that major cities have US dollars as an option in some places(especially Rome) which is a little worrying.

Those places are essentially creaming off the extra profits made from offering innocent and inexperienced tourists a price in a currency they are familiar with. How many travellers keep track of the exact exchange rates day-to-day? Most tourists, under the stress of shopping in a strange country, don't even bother to try to work out what the correct price should be in their own currency, they just gratefully accept whatever the nice kind shopkeeper tells them ;)

Caveat Emptor :D

Oz, I prefer too to use local currency purely for the money I save the lovely coins I get to take home after.

We've got a whole file box full of currencies from our travels. Sometimes we even get to spend them on another trip :D

We've got a whole file box full of currencies from our travels. Sometimes we even get to spend them on another trip :D

I put left over foreign currency in envelopes. Before each trip, I go thru them to see if any will be of use on the coming trip.

I put left over foreign currency in envelopes. Before each trip, I go thru them to see if any will be of use on the coming trip.

I use mini zip-lock bags, easier to see the currency and how much is there. Then I file them alphabetically.

I have a collection of foreign paper money, Swiss, GBP, EU's....also an assortment of coins I'm not too sure where they came from. If I don't plan on using it within a few months, I always manage to find a friend who is going to Europe and we do an exchange based on current rates.

On some flights across the pond, the flight crew announced that they were collecting "unwanted" money for the United Nations Children's Fund. Nice way to get rid of coins.

Darcy

We change money for anywhere except the Caribbean where US $ are widely accepted. We expect visitors to the US to use our currency, why should the rules be any different for us when we visit their countries? If we expect to need a substantial amount of a currency (such as for a long trip to Australia or Europe), we change money before leaving home. If we expect to need only a small amount, we just do an ATM withdrawal at the airport - not the best rates, but a negligible amount compared to the cost of a whole trip.

One of the ships we were on had a charity jar at the service desk on the last few days of the cruise; they accepted any unused/unwanted currency for donation to a specified list of charities.

We expect visitors to the US to use our currency, why should the rules be any different for us when we visit their countries?

*Like*

The charity ideas on the ships/planes for spare coins are a lovely idea...I have not come across that before.

We always check before we travel. http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

Know when you can haggle on the price. Harry

I put left over foreign currency in envelopes. Before each trip, I go thru them to see if any will be of use on the coming trip.

We use the same method.

As we do go back to the same regions over time we find it handy to have some ready to go money.

A small example of how using local money rather then US dollars can be prudent. When in Langkawi in February we went to the beach and hired two sun loungers and an umbrella. We paid Ringitt $20 (US$6) the couple next to us had paid US$10. These exchanges add up.

Even when we did the Caribbean in 2013 as we were visiting quite a few islands who used Euros we made sure we had Euros. In St Martin the US$ - Euro exchange was good but not on the other French Virgin Islands.

Also for us as we are going to have to get a different currency anyway it makes no economic sense to change it to US$ and then loose out again on another exchange.

Just my experience.

*Like*

 

The charity ideas on the ships/planes for spare coins are a lovely idea...I have not come across that before.

Qantas has been doing that for years.

I've seen collecting boxes in UK airports- I think from Rotary- for unwanted foreign currency.

I'd forgotten about the French Caribbean isles using the €...we're crossing by sea and so will have €€ with us for Madeira on the way out, and the Azores on the way back. Thanks!

I just wondered what US cruisers thoughts were on currency when travelling overseas/on a cruise (Although I have a suspicion on what a majority will say). I understand the convenience of using US dollars but surely its not worth paying an expensive premium for goods when shopping? I have instances where I have saved at least 20% because I used local coin and this has been the case throughout my experiences (I imagine in rare instances the dollar may get you a better price when the country has a poor economy).

 

 

What do you use and why?

Have you ever thought about changing that?

I only have sailed to the Caribbean. I'm not off the ship long enough to exchange currency. Also the value of the dollar is usually way higher than the local currency and I can barter better with American dollars at smaller shops and walk away with 3-4 times the amount of stuff I could get at a duty free shop close to the pier. Last time I traveled internationally I did exchange my currency since I was there for 2 weeks. It was so long ago, they weren't on the Euro yet.

I just wondered what US cruisers thoughts were on currency when travelling overseas/on a cruise (Although I have a suspicion on what a majority will say). I understand the convenience of using US dollars but surely its not worth paying an expensive premium for goods when shopping? I have instances where I have saved at least 20% because I used local coin and this has been the case throughout my experiences (I imagine in rare instances the dollar may get you a better price when the country has a poor economy).

 

 

What do you use and why?

Have you ever thought about changing that?

It is a must to use local currency in Europe. In the Caribbean most merchants gladly accept US dollars, and in some places like St. Thomas and San Juan the $US is the local currency.

If we plan on spending for shopping we use a CC that is charged in local currency. Drinks and food in the Caribbean are taken care of in USD.

Interesting question, especially coming from a European (guess we should say Brit). When we travel outside of the US or Caribbean we use local currency. Trying to use US Dollars in Europe is not usually a good thing as most places would either refuse the currency or charge an outrageous exchange rate. In some parts of Asia, especially third world countries, it can be advantageous to spend US dollars (it really depends on the country and venue).

Regarding Europe, we really enjoy the convenience of Euros on much of the continent. In the UK the currency situation is a "Royal" pain because you have different issuers of the pound sterling and they are not universally acceptable within other UK venues. For example, it is nearly impossible to spend a Gibraltar 10 pound note in England. It can also be difficult to spend pounds issued in Northern Ireland when in England. In other parts of Europe that do not use Euros (Scandinavian countries, Croatia, etc) we usually get local currency.

Hank

We booked an excursion in Canada for an upcoming cruise. He'll accept US dollars or Canadian dollars at par. At the current rate USD100 = approx CAD122. So I can either give him USD100, or I can convert approx USD82 to CAD100 and give him CAD100. Let me think about this. :rolleyes:

They're not doing us any favors when they accept USD. We get the local currency - either before we leave or at a local ATM. We can usually estimate what we need fairly well and only end up with a few stray bills or coins. Memories of vacations past - we've got a nice collection of currency from around the world. We use USD in the Caribbean since we don't really buy much with cash there except the odd souvenir.

When using a credit card don't use dynamic currency conversion (DCC) where they charge your card in USD. It's another way they dip into your pocket. Also make sure your card has a 0% Foreign Transaction Fee.

Completely dependant where you go, some say they will take euros when it's not their currency but only larger shops

E.g.

Sweden state they use euros and do in museums and hoho bus etc but not in small stores, kiosks, local transport etc

Turkey will take dollars and euros and gbp you get a much better deal with lira

It's worth checking out each place you visit before going and asking on the port boards

Gee I don't know.

It will depend on where you are gong, but let me ask this

If I come to the US and try to pay with my plastic Aus$ $1 and $2 gold coins, let alone our silver coins, how far do you think I'll get.

In western Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Austria etc) you have to pay in euro's, US $ will not be accepted when paying cash.

In Britain u will have to use the Pound sterling.

Usually, the more 'third world / poor' the country is, the more you can use the US$ or Euro.

E.g. Turkey has its Lira, but also accepts $ and Euro.

Lots of asian countries and Caribbean countries have their own currency, but also accept $ and Euro.