Exchanging money on Jade

[GARNERSINMH]

Good morning and happy Monday all! We will be sailing on the Jade later this month and having four differences currency options over the course of our travels. We've got most of it squared away but I think we'll need some Egyptian pounds, entry into some museums we understand are in Egyptian only, etc. We cannot get them or order them locally, and probably only need a small amount. I know we'll get fleeced exchanging on board but can anyone share speciifcs? Is it a percent or a flat fee? Should we get it early, is there a possibility the ship will not have much local currency?

With all that's happening in Egypt, not only do I hope we can safely still stop, I hope for the safety of the Egyptian people through their growing pains. Change is good, but can be so painful.

[Mooder]

Good morning and happy Monday all! We will be sailing on the Jade later this month and having four differences currency options over the course of our travels. We've got most of it squared away but I think we'll need some Egyptian pounds, entry into some museums we understand are in Egyptian only, etc. We cannot get them or order them locally, and probably only need a small amount. I know we'll get fleeced exchanging on board but can anyone share speciifcs? Is it a percent or a flat fee? Should we get it early, is there a possibility the ship will not have much local currency?

With all that's happening in Egypt, not only do I hope we can safely still stop, I hope for the safety of the Egyptian people through their growing pains. Change is good, but can be so painful.

 

I never get foreign currency in advance. I find that I get the best deal by using the ATMs in the various countries I visit. It will certainly be better than you will get on the ship, if that is even possible. That way, I am not walking around with a lot of cash and I can get what I need as I need it. Our Egyptian guide has promised to take us to an ATM so I am sure you could do the same. Just alert your bank in advance to the countries you will be visiting.

[old sole]

On our Jade cruise last December we could only exchange USD and Euros on board. We could not get Egyptian Pounds or Turkish Lira on board (there was a sign at the purser's desk stating this).

 

Other than the museums in Cairo where you do need local currency you will be fine everywhere else with USD or Euros. Our tour guides actually preferred those currencies over Egyptian Pounds.

 

We got Egyptian Pounds and Turkish Lira from a currency exchange service in town before we left. Your bank should be able to get them for you if you have time. If not, ATM's in the country are your best bet and would be cheaper anyway than the other currency exchange options.

[GARNERSINMH]

Thank you for the insight! We had heard USD was readily accepted most places in Egypt, but I didn't know we could not get some pounds on the ship. I didn't want to put our guide in a postion to HAVE to pay for things for us, assuming they don't make a lot of money. I guess we'll just be straight with him, that we'll re-pay him in USD if he can front us the needed pounds. If he's not OK with that, we'll hit an ATM.

 

We added 2 hours to our tour, at the Khan el Khalili. I'd rather haggle in one currency, than try to exchange in my head! We do have our guide along for this as well, I'll rely on him to help us either haggle in USD or help us not get too taken!

[smeyer418]

Thank you for the insight! We had heard USD was readily accepted most places in Egypt, but I didn't know we could not get some pounds on the ship. I didn't want to put our guide in a postion to HAVE to pay for things for us, assuming they don't make a lot of money. I guess we'll just be straight with him, that we'll re-pay him in USD if he can front us the needed pounds. If he's not OK with that, we'll hit an ATM.

 

We added 2 hours to our tour, at the Khan el Khalili. I'd rather haggle in one currency, than try to exchange in my head! We do have our guide along for this as well, I'll rely on him to help us either haggle in USD or help us not get too taken!

there are ATMs and places that exchange money all over the market BUT you are probably better off just using USDollars anyway- you will need to figure out what it is in US dollars anyway so you will know what it costs and I assure you the seller will know exactly.

 

The only thing you really need small EGP for is the bathroom anyway...

[old sole]

Thank you for the insight! We had heard USD was readily accepted most places in Egypt, but I didn't know we could not get some pounds on the ship. I didn't want to put our guide in a postion to HAVE to pay for things for us, assuming they don't make a lot of money. I guess we'll just be straight with him, that we'll re-pay him in USD if he can front us the needed pounds. If he's not OK with that, we'll hit an ATM.

 

We added 2 hours to our tour, at the Khan el Khalili. I'd rather haggle in one currency, than try to exchange in my head! We do have our guide along for this as well, I'll rely on him to help us either haggle in USD or help us not get too taken!

 

Yeah, even though we had Egyptian Pounds with us there were still a few times our guide helped us out, like needing a few Egyptian coins for a restroom attendant at the Pyramids Sound & Light Show. I don't even know how much that was, probably less than a quarter US. We figured the tip at the end would cover little things like that.