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Canadian Princess Cruisers

Gunner22aa

By Gunner22aa,
in Princess Cruises

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NewCruiser139

NewCruiser139

Posted
Posted
To quote verbatim from Cruistoddler:

 

"Just confirming - it took a couple days for the purchases to show up online on my credit card -they are there now from " princess cruise services vancouver " in Canadian Dollars exactly as the rep on the phone quoted me.

Princess converted at 1.10, no exchange fees, and charged to my card in Canadian dollars."

 

This is exactly what happened to me as well.

 

And this is exactly what happened to me today, too, when I purchased soft drink package, coffee card, etc. .... nice surprise that exchange rate of $1.10!

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AE_Collector

AE_Collector

Posted
Posted

I am dreading the day when someone posts here that they just did a pre purchase and the rate is now 20% or even 25%. Doesn't seem like it will be long. However, the cruise itself will likely to be charged at the higher rate if the pre purchases are at that rate.

 

We have been doing cruise after cruise in the last couple of years but this significantly lower Canadian dollar value will unfortunately make us think twice about doing as many cruises in a year until our dollar starts to climb again. But for now at 10% on the dollar, we're going for it!

 

Terry

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CruisinFinsUp

CruisinFinsUp

Posted
Posted
I am dreading the day when someone posts here that they just did a pre purchase and the rate is now 20% or even 25%. Doesn't seem like it will be long. However, the cruise itself will likely to be charged at the higher rate if the pre purchases are at that rate.

 

I agree! I'm waiting to hear from someone that the updated exchange rate for future cruise bookings is 25% ! At that point its cheaper to buy the cruise in USD and pay the bank to exchange the funds! Not looking forward to that day at all!

 

Have to enjoy this year in the meantime!

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CruisinFinsUp

CruisinFinsUp

Posted
Posted
Is there a cut off day to buy obc? We sail on Sunday and am thinking we should buy our drink cards and more obc. We already prepaid gratuities on the princess site.

 

I had asked when I ordered and the Princess rep said the day or two before.

 

Personally, I'd call sooner rather than later, request email confirmations, and print out and take the confirms with you just in case.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

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AspensMom73

AspensMom73

Posted
Posted

I also bought OBC this morning at 10%. The rep was very helpful and was able to quote me in CDN no problem.

 

As a side note, if you're planning to play in the casino it may be better to specify a dollar amount to purchase casino credits. I didn't do this, and after the rep had processed the OBC she had to find out if I was able to use it in the casino. She said we can, but may need to visit the pursers desk to check how it works. She wasn't sure if the funds needed to be converted to casino credits or if charging play to the room would suffice. Personally I'd rather keep track of a separate pool of funds for casino play rather than lose track of how much I've spent in the casino.

 

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Forums mobile app

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atmx093

atmx093

Posted
Posted
With the Bank of Canada's statement due out today, the media is suggesting our Cdn dollar will drop even further ..

 

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2

 

Haha, that already happened. They took the key interest down a quarter point and immediately after the announcement was over, the CDN $ went down 1.12 cents. What do you know it'll be 2002 again and there will be tons of Americans coming into Canada to buy stuff.

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smslms

smslms

Posted
Posted
Haha, that already happened. They took the key interest down a quarter point and immediately after the announcement was over, the CDN $ went down 1.12 cents. What do you know it'll be 2002 again and there will be tons of Americans coming into Canada to buy stuff.

 

Hooray for them, meanwhile a lot of Canadians will be rethinking their travel plans. We have three cruises booked, not to mention hotels and airfare. From the time of booking until now we're looking at an increase in cost in excess of $6000. There comes a point where it's not worth it.

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atmx093

atmx093

Posted
Posted
Hooray for them, meanwhile a lot of Canadians will be rethinking their travel plans. We have three cruises booked, not to mention hotels and airfare. From the time of booking until now we're looking at an increase in cost in excess of $6000. There comes a point where it's not worth it.

 

Agreed, I'm glad to be traveling in a few weeks. Still have to purchase our US money, but I don't think we'll be using the credit card much with the dollar taking a nose-dive like this. That's what happens when someone decides that our economy is gonna be dictated by one and only one thing.

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kruisey

kruisey

Posted
Posted
Hooray for them, meanwhile a lot of Canadians will be rethinking their travel plans. We have three cruises booked, not to mention hotels and airfare. From the time of booking until now we're looking at an increase in cost in excess of $6000. There comes a point where it's not worth it.

 

Do have a cruise booked for this December with Princess but if the state of our dollar stays this way I am afraid I will have to cancel.

I have even warned relatives in UK and I have a disabled sister over there that might not be able to get over there.

I love cruising just being on the water so this year will be a big disappointment for me and I guess i am not alone with these feelings.

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jellyfish39

jellyfish39

Posted
Posted

Also heard the news about the further drop in the Canadian dollar so called to add some OBC. We already have some OBC but thought we'd prepay for more.

 

One thing I found is when I tried to add US$600 they said the amount was not covered by one of their Gift Item numbers so the conversion would be made by my Bank. Since that was what I was trying to avoid I asked for a $500 credit instead and there was a Gift # for that so they charged my credit card C$550.

It may be just that I just got the wrong agent, but you may have to ask for several $100 credits to make sure they do the conversion "in house" at the favourable rate.

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atmx093

atmx093

Posted
Posted
Also heard the news about the further drop in the Canadian dollar so called to add some OBC. We already have some OBC but thought we'd prepay for more.

 

One thing I found is when I tried to add US$600 they said the amount was not covered by one of their Gift Item numbers so the conversion would be made by my Bank. Since that was what I was trying to avoid I asked for a $500 credit instead and there was a Gift # for that so they charged my credit card C$550.

It may be just that I just got the wrong agent, but you may have to ask for several $100 credits to make sure they do the conversion "in house" at the favourable rate.

 

Someone didn't feel like doing some leg work. This comes right off my special service order summary and it's for exactly $600.

 

Capture_zps5bdea947.jpg

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rocker57

rocker57

Posted
Posted

So this may be a bit devious, but we always take some US cash with us to purchase small items on any stops, extra gratuity etc. So can you buy some OBC, then the first day on the ship, go "play the slots" for what ever you want then cash out and get the cash? It certainly beats the bank rate.

 

I am just about to call Princess and add some more onto our cruise, I was going to do it in a couple of weeks, but thought I better get in at the 10% before they change it!

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goofy559

goofy559

Posted
Posted
I just called and I was quoted an exchange of 1.24, so I think I may wait and call again see if I get a different quote.

 

did you call the gifts and celebrations number or the regular number.. I called gifts and celebrations this morning and she knew exactly what I was talking about. I didn't ask what the exchange rate was, I told her that I understood I could by US OBC at 10% exchange because my booking was in Canadian.

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AE_Collector

AE_Collector

Posted
Posted
I agree! I'm waiting to hear from someone that the updated exchange rate for future cruise bookings is 25% ! At that point its cheaper to buy the cruise in USD and pay the bank to exchange the funds! Not looking forward to that day at all!

 

Well there you go, problem solved! 25% is now better than you will get at the bank or from the credit card companies. WoW.

 

I just called and I was quoted an exchange of 1.24, so I think I may wait and call again see if I get a different quote.

 

Uh oh..., maybe just a false alarm. But the way our $ is plummeting the last few days I could see Princess putting a stop to us re-purchasing in Canadian.

 

Terry

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joyoftravelling

joyoftravelling

Posted
Posted

If you over purchase OBC (I suppose it could happen) is it possible to get a refund? I did read here that it was possible but read somewhere else that 'use it or lose it' just like to confirm. Today I purchased OBC at the 10% conversion. What about shore excursions, will they be billed in CDN or US if you pre-pay?

Cheers, Debbie

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VTX-AL

VTX-AL

Posted
Posted

This has been an interesting thread to follow , to say the least. Seems to be a coin-toss that determines the exchange rate, but I was motivated to add some extra OBC and a couple of gifts/services by using the Princess Gifts & Services Order phone # (as some others have done). The cost, converted to CDN$ and charged to my Cdn mastercard was exactly 10%. Guess I will have to see my credit card statement when it arrives to see if there will be any unpleasant surprises !!

 

...VTX-Al

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