Another question about currency

[LynnSD]

I am getting currency from my bank for our upcoming Emerald Princess cruise. I've figured out what I need for the major stops, but I'm still unsure about Oslo, Helsinki and Stockholm. We plan to do those on our own, probably by cab or boat, go to some folk museums, maybe a bite to eat... Would you recommend getting $100 in each currency, can we use credit cards for everything, or should I just wait and hit the ATM when we get there? We like to be prepared.

 

Talinn uses euro, right?

 

Thanks for the advice!

[gwilli]

I was asking a similar question about the need for the chip and pin cards. It seems that you can use your credit card in most stores but may have problems in machines. We always take about $100 in "local" cash for those small things. You can order it from your bank.

Cheers!

[janina]

Atm when you are there is the best way. This will involve the lowest transaction fees. If you do not use a credit card that has no international transaction fees, such as Capital One, you will be paying even more.

[Giantfan13]

Sorry, I'm like Lynn, and I like to be prepared before I go. Yes, hitting an ATM is always a good thing, but what if there are 4 people thinking the same thing. that's some time I can already be on the bus or getting to where I want to go. In Helsinki, depending on where you dock, there are no ATM's at certain piers,and you need certain change to get on the public bus.

I can understand some people do not like to carry any large amount of money along with them, when they can just get what they need from a convenient ATM, but I am one who doesn't want to search for one before getting along on my touring.

 

And I would say the $100 in local currency is more than enough, especially if you want to charge most things. And YES, Tallinn is now on the Euro.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[CintiPam]

Unless it is a Euro country, like Finland, where I can always use the Euros another time and place, I simply use the local ATM's, as I did the past two weeks on my Baltic cruise. Why waste money getting foreign money in the US? ATM's are everywhere and easy to use, and my bank does not charge me any foreign transaction fees. Also, the Baltic countries use credit cards even more widely than the Mediterranean countries, so why end up with a bunch of unneeded kroners?