Bocagirl1 Posted October 8, 2013 #1 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I am shortly going on a cruise which stops in Bali, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh - does anyone know if you have to have local currency for these cities or do they all take US Dollars? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joybook Posted October 8, 2013 #2 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Have been to each place on a cruise in the past year or so. It's always handy to have at least some local currency but you will find that US$ will be accepted. In many cases they will have prices shown in local and US$ values. Suggest you take small denominations though.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrettyGirl01 Posted October 8, 2013 #3 Share Posted October 8, 2013 US seems to be accepted internationally, travelers cheques too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beg3yrs Posted October 8, 2013 #4 Share Posted October 8, 2013 US seems to be accepted internationally, travelers cheques too. This may be mostly true for the locations OP mentioned but is definitely not the case world-wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppycanducruise Posted October 8, 2013 #5 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Many places may take the US dollar, but you may not get a favourable exchange rate. Credit cards are useful, or get a bit of local currency at an ATM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted October 8, 2013 #6 Share Posted October 8, 2013 US seems to be accepted internationally, travelers cheques too. I've seen posts on cc stating that travelers checks aren't really accepted in a lot of places these days. I'd be careful relying on them. Smaller denominations of US currency and small denominations of local currency would likely be the best idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hlitner Posted October 8, 2013 #7 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I guess we are just naïve world travelers (spend about 5-6 months a year doing international travel) because we do not find what others have posted. Regarding US Dollars, they are no longer readily accepted in many parts of the world. And places that might accept the dollar will often give you an awful exchange rate. As to Travelers Checks, they are simply "obsolete" and are becoming difficult to cash in many parts of the world. In parts of Europe we are even seeing signs in bank windows saying they will not cash travelers checks or exchange currency. Travelers Checks are still fine on cruise ships, many brand name hotels, and sometimes in decent restaurants. But the new world wide standard is using ATMs, MC and Visa. Amex is also an option although many stores and restaurants will not accept this card. So if you want to try and rely on US Dollars we say good luck. Perhaps you will have some lucky days. But our best advice is to get some local currency by simply using ATMs. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go Posted October 8, 2013 #8 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I found that the EURO becomes more popular in lots of countries. I believe paying with traveller cheques is not that easy anymore, as debit cards have taken over. I am not sure if you still can purchase traveller cheques.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joybook Posted October 8, 2013 #9 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I think posters should be a little careful with their comments regarding the use of Euros. Just remember that the original question related to the use of currency in Bali, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go Posted October 8, 2013 #10 Share Posted October 8, 2013 I think posters should be a little careful with their comments regarding the use of Euros. Just remember that the original question related to the use of currency in Bali, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.:) If I hadn't had the experience, I would not have suggested it. I had no problem in using my Euros in Asia. Even in some countries in Africa I was asked for Euros not US dollar. It is a very welcomed currency nowadays. US Dollar is not everything any more. Thanks to the EU. :) I also had worldwide problem paying with my traveller cheques, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane T Posted October 9, 2013 #11 Share Posted October 9, 2013 You'll find most Vietnamese and Thai's will accept US dollars. Always remember that negotiating or asking if they will discount (haggle) is expected although a lot of items were really cheap (and/or cheaply made). Good Luck and have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freedale Posted October 9, 2013 #12 Share Posted October 9, 2013 One thing to remember - if you buy a $8 item with a large denomination note, say $50, there's a good chance that your change will be in the local currency, something you may not want if you're about to leave that country. Also, they don't like coins as they can't exchange them. Small stall holders and hawkers will usually take any major currency. Diane Sent from my GT-N8010 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freedale Posted October 9, 2013 #13 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Another thought - we took a ship's tour in Saigon, which included lunch. At the lacquer factory I used my visa card and Australian notes with the street hawkers. In Thailand we had 2 stops plus we were doing our own thing, so we changed to local currency. In Lombok, I used a mix of US and Aussie. At the port for Bangkok, they had market stalls set up. The interesting thing was, the pricing was in US dollars, but when I asked for the Aussie dollar price - it was exactly the same. Hope this all helps. Diane Sent from my GT-N8010 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose30 Posted October 9, 2013 #14 Share Posted October 9, 2013 After October 17 there is a good chance that no one will take US dollars. Including the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caber Posted October 9, 2013 #15 Share Posted October 9, 2013 After October 17 there is a good chance that no one will take US dollars. Including the US. Genuine question - what happens on October 17. Maybe I don`t watch world news as much as I should.:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrettyGirl01 Posted October 9, 2013 #16 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Is that due to the Gov't Shutdown? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradUT Posted October 9, 2013 #17 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Per Reuters: "Unless Congress reaches agreement to raise the debt ceiling, the United States will hit its borrowing limit of $16.7 trillion on or around October 17. The government will probably have cash to pay its bills for another two weeks, but could then take the unprecedented step of defaulting on some obligations around the turn of the month." The U.S. government shutdown is a separate matter. The U.S. fiscal year runs from October 1st to September 30th. On October 1, 2013, there was no budget or continuing resolution to allow the government to remain operating without a budget. That's why most government offices are closed and most government employees aren't working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyr Posted October 10, 2013 #18 Share Posted October 10, 2013 I was going to keep quiet on this topic, but then again it IS one of my favourite pet subjects so thought I really should chime in. Firstly, let me ask you.... why do you travel? Is it to experience different things? For me it is. And part of experiencing different things IS experiencing different currencies. There was a similar thread over on the Asia forum a while back and my reply then was The US Dollar is only accepted when US travellers want to spend it. If you're in town when there's no boats and it's non tourist season you'll be hard pressed to find a green-back. As OP is a Brit, I'll ask it this way.... OP, would your local store prefer USD or GBP? Sure, if 10,000 people come into your store in Devon and offer to pay you US Dollars, you'd accept them, but the preferred currency for everyone is always local. Something to factor in is that either you or they will need to pay a bank a conversion rate. If they're doing it for you into the currency they'll use to pay their rent and buy their children food, you can bet they'll be including a fee in their price for it! And I stand by that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joybook Posted October 11, 2013 #19 Share Posted October 11, 2013 Good post Dannyr - very well put:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrivesLikeMario Posted October 11, 2013 #20 Share Posted October 11, 2013 I agree with Hlitner - Travelers' Cheques are obsolete. If you want to get some local currency before your travels, go to Wells Fargo: https://www.wellsfargo.com/foreignexchange/. Watch the rates. When they fluctuate in your advantage, buy what you need. There is a small service fee if you buy under a certain dollar amount. I was told that AAA and many other banks use Wells Fargo as their foreign exchange supplier. I've used their service many times and the home delivery is absolutely efficient and excellent. If you can wait until you get to Asia, use the ATMs. Just make sure you have a 4 digit PIN, use a trusted bank and are aware of your surroundings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holomoku Posted October 11, 2013 #21 Share Posted October 11, 2013 We always try to get some currency for each country from our bank way before embarking on a cruise. Our next option if that does not work out is to use our credit card that has no fee for currency exchanges and then gets the best rate for that purchase. Then we look for a currency exchange in the port for a small amount of money, lastly is to try to use US$ or not make the purchase. In Arruba I had been hiking for several hours and wanted something cold to drink. All I had was US$ and I did not know the exchange rate, neither did the soda jerk(is that term still used anywhere?) that made my shake. I gave them a $20 and they gave me some Arruba currency. I walked down the street and went into a bank, exchanged the local currency for US$ and walked out counting it twice as the shake had only cost $.80 because they gave me back $19.20. This miscalculation went in my favor, but more often it goes the other way. It is all part of the adventure of traveling.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freedale Posted October 19, 2013 #22 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Not in Asia you don't. Use a money changer - better exchange rate, no fees and there are lots of them Sent from my GT-I9100 using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frannie Posted October 19, 2013 #23 Share Posted October 19, 2013 We are doing the northern european cruise on the royal Princess . We will be visiting norway, denmark and sweden . They all use krona but is it the same krona or do we need to get some from each country . Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissDave Posted October 20, 2013 #24 Share Posted October 20, 2013 We are doing the northern european cruise on the royal Princess . We will be visiting norway, denmark and sweden . They all use krona but is it the same krona or do we need to get some from each country .Thanks They are all different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshgirl58 Posted October 20, 2013 #25 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I have about 200 dollars in travellers cheques. We will be staying overnight in Miami pre-cruise in December. Do you think our hotel would change these cheques for us currency? Otherwise I'm stuffed? Thanks for any info.:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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