Questions about sailing RCI from an Aussie

[Sonicked]

Hi all,

 

I'm sailing in a few weeks, and I just want to clear a few things up so I can prepare :)

 

1. Will staff such as room service delivery people accept australian dollars as tips, or should I be prepared with USD for this?
   
2. Is there an ATM on board? What currency does this provide?
   
3. What are the electrical sockets on board (Rhapsody OTS)? Will I need a converter if I am going to be using Australian/Pacific pronged electrics?
   

 

Thanks :)

[05mak05]

Hi all,

 

I'm sailing in a few weeks, and I just want to clear a few things up so I can prepare :)

 

1. Will staff such as room service delivery people accept australian dollars as tips, or should I be prepared with USD for this?
   
2. Is there an ATM on board? What currency does this provide?
   
3. What are the electrical sockets on board (Rhapsody OTS)? Will I need a converter if I am going to be using Australian/Pacific pronged electrics?
   

 

Thanks :)

I'll make a stab although I'm not positive of any of my answers. Unless one of the ports is in Australia, I don't know how the service folks would convert the funds. Yes I believe there is an ATM, however, you can also get cash from the purser's desk. It will be charged to your SeaPass card and end up as a charge on your credit card. (We haven't gotten extra cash in many years so I don't know if this still holds true.) Here is the link for world wide voltage. http://www.kropla.com/electric2.htm I think you'll need a converter. The best way is a quick call to RCI. I've bumped up your question so maybe you'll get some replies from folks that know what they're talking about. (And, the quickest way to get info is for someone to give a bum steer ... so let's see what happens.) I stand ready to be corrected ...

[05mak05]

Here are the answers to most of your questions ...

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/lifeOnboardFaq.do

[HowBadAmI]

Gdday Mate,

 

It's hard to say since you'll be sailing out of Sydney, right?

 

Maybe they change things when the ships sail out of Oz. You could certainly call the folks at RCCL and ask 'em.

 

You'll be fair dinkum with the outlets.

 

hope that helps,

 

Jim

[Coralc]

Hi all,

 

I'm sailing in a few weeks, and I just want to clear a few things up so I can prepare :)

 

1. Will staff such as room service delivery people accept australian dollars as tips, or should I be prepared with USD for this?
   
2. Is there an ATM on board? What currency does this provide?
   
3. What are the electrical sockets on board (Rhapsody OTS)? Will I need a converter if I am going to be using Australian/Pacific pronged electrics?
   

 

Thanks :)

 

Hi Sarah,

 

Since Rhapsody will be in Australia until April...I don't think the crew will mind taking your tip money in either AUD or US money. From what we have heard from staff...they have the ability to cash in other currencies onboard. (I don't know what sort of rate they get)

 

When the ship is in Europe, the ATM still dispenses US dollars. The ship currency is US dollars. I would guess it is the same in Australia. We won't be onboard Radiance until April.

 

There are 2 types of plugs in your stateroom. One on the vanity with European round prongs 220 volts and another with US flat prongs.110 volts.

 

The other US one is flat prongs. And I checked my handy dandy plug adapter and it looks like you use flat prongs too. I don't know if yours are in a parallel arrangement like ours? Those are 110 volts.

 

Most appliances and electronics are variable voltage, and will accept both. It is convenient to have a plug adaptor (NOT a voltage convertor) when you travel by cruise ship. With the plug adaptor we can make use of both outlets without having to bring a power strip. :)

[Sonicked]

Hi all, thanks for the responses.

 

Coralc: I may just deal in aussie dollars then and if I need to swap, at least that's an option. As for the plugs: Ours are antiparallel, unfortunately, but I'll be able to pick up an AU>US adapter easy enough.

 

:)

[Coralc]

Hi all, thanks for the responses.

 

Coralc: I may just deal in aussie dollars then and if I need to swap, at least that's an option. As for the plugs: Ours are antiparallel, unfortunately, but I'll be able to pick up an AU>US adapter easy enough.

 

:)

 

OOOhhhh. I see! I just looked up your outlets. So that's why the flat prongs twist on the plug adapter. That is good to know! We will be spending 3 nights pre-cruise in Sydney. Thanks Sarah! :D

 

~Patti :)

[uksimonusa]

Hi all, thanks for the responses.

 

Coralc: I may just deal in aussie dollars then and if I need to swap, at least that's an option. As for the plugs: Ours are antiparallel, unfortunately, but I'll be able to pick up an AU>US adapter easy enough.

 

:)

 

Isn't Australia 220v, if so then you would be better using a EU-AU adapter as things like hair dryers & hair straigteners will not normally be multi voltage

[Sequim88]

Yes, the items most likely to be voltage flexible are electronics that use a transformer to step down from either 110v or 220v to 12v or some other low voltage. Check the ternasformer label for Input Voltage and it will typically say "110v~240v". Then all you need is the plug style adapter. I just bought several BrightSign boxes from the company that makes the RoKu streaming TV boxes and they came with a whole set of plug adapters so I am taking the Euro to US Flat parallel blades converter to charge laptop on the 220v outlet.

[cotton93]

Hi all,

 

I'm sailing in a few weeks, and I just want to clear a few things up so I can prepare :)

 

1. Will staff such as room service delivery people accept australian dollars as tips, or should I be prepared with USD for this?
   
2. Is there an ATM on board? What currency does this provide?
   
3. What are the electrical sockets on board (Rhapsody OTS)? Will I need a converter if I am going to be using Australian/Pacific pronged electrics?
   

Thanks :)

 

Hi Sarah,

We have cruised on RCI ships quite a few times now, so here's my answers to your questions.

1. We usually tip in USD, but seeing that Rhapsody will still be here in Australia after your cruise I'm sure they would be happy enough with AUD.

2. ATM - as others have said it is in USD, but be aware there will be a fee charged (not sure but I think it is around 3%) plus you'll more than likely be charged a fee by your bank as well as it will be treated as an overseas transaction. Another thing to remember is make sure if you are using a credit card to pay your for any charges on you Sea Pass that you elect to have your bank/credit card provider do the conversion.

3. Use the round European adaptor for your Aussie appliances.

Regards,

[AussieVisi2r]

Hi Sarah,

My opinion......

We take one US adapter (about $10 from Kmart, bag shop etc ) and a power board. Bury the power board well down in your luggage. There is only one socket on the desk. US power is weaker then ours so your appliance will be fine.

 

Aussie dollars will be fine for tips. I read of one person that took heaps of gold coins and used them. Apparently they were a hit.

 

In Europe the Navigator had the normal ATM near customer services that gave US dollars. Then there were a few 'portable' ones that gave Euros. There was a fee on either ATM (maybe $5 to use - just like anywhere) so I would take out a few larger amounts rather than lots of small amounts. I'm sure it will be the same for these sailings. Enjoy!!!

Raina

Canberra