Do we need currency for Fjord cruise

[Presto2]

Hi

 

Off on our first cruise to the Fjords next week (YEAAAAH)

 

Just wondering if we will need any local currency at all.

 

Thanks

[majortom10]

I wouldnt go to any country without taking a certain amount of local currency and visited Norway many times and always taken Krone.

[AndyMichelle]

We took some currency and still have it...

They are so well set up for tourists, everywhere takes cards.

We only used some of the cash on the road train in Alesund but even they take cards.

Food and drink is very expensive, so load up before you get off..

We loved the Fjords, I am sure you will have a fantastic time.

Andy

[Presto2]

We have booked excursions for 3 days and are thinking of a £100 worth of the local currency

 

I suppose, if we don't spent it we have to go back

[Thejuggler]

We never bother.  exchange rates for Krona in the UK can be woeful. 

 

Norway is also so expensive very little costs 'small change' money, so it is easier to simply use cards.

 

In an emergency we use a cashpoint.

Edited April 13, 2019 by Thejuggler

[CarlaMarie]

We took Norwegian Krone with us when we went. Although you do go for the scenery and experience, in all the ports you will find nice gift shops where you can find locally made items as well as your normal souveniers.

If you are going to Bergen, Stavanger or Kristiansand you will also find typical high street shops, local bakeries, cafe's, as well as market stalls. 

Depending on which shore excursions you have booked, some do state that you get free time in certain locations where you may see something you would like to buy; or if you've booked a morning excursion and would like to explore a little more in the afternoon some currency may come in useful then as well. 

 

It is a good excuse to book another if you have any left over!

 

I am sure you will have a wonderful and unforgettable cruise, 

 

Carla 

[Wiltonian]

 No need for cash in my experience of Norway.

 

Stuart

[Strawberry field]

Been to the Fjords three times now and first time we went we took £100 worth of N.K. That same amount is still in a drawer at home and never been used but taken every time. Cards are so easy to use over there. We are going again in 2020 but won’t be taking the N.K. 

[Green Cathedral]

I suppose it depends what you want to do on shore, but we’ve not taken any before and are heading back in a few weeks without any. Cards are so widely used that, to date, it’s never been a problem.

[silversurf1]

We needed coins for the toilets when ashore in Norway.

[P-L-B]

42 minutes ago, silversurf1 said:

We needed coins for the toilets when ashore in Norway.

Yes, we take a small amount of local currency for toilets and very low value purchases such as the odd postcard or souvenir.

[Presto2]

Many thanks for all of your replies everyone. Really helpful.

 

Are there a lot of cash machines around?

 

We are going to: Stavanger, Alesund, Bergen and Olden

 

 

[majortom10]

5 hours ago, silversurf1 said:

We needed coins for the toilets when ashore in Norway.

On a recent trip to Bergen we met a couple that were dying to use the toilet it was a Sunday morning and not many shops/restaurants were open and they hadnt got any currency and only got cards. Lesson learnt.

[philred]

we got caught short in stavanger  we could not find any public toilets also only had kroner in note form  so headed back to the ship just to use the toilets this was also a sunday morning

[minikiss]

we have been twice.

1st time we took Kroner and ended up bring 95% of it back.

 

Then last year we decided not to bother,  paid for the only trip on line in advance - Viking tour from Stavanger.

Every thing we bought using our cards. 

 

We were lucky in a way as the 2 loo breaks we had to make were free ones. 

Olden and Bergan, there's a museum there that is free and had a toilet we could use to.

[Presto2]

We have listened to all of your replies and we are splitting the difference and taking £50 worth of Norwegian currency. It means that I can have the odd souvenir (fridge magnets are my middle name) and also go to the little girls' room if necessary --- ha ha ha ha.

 

Thanks for your help everyone

[Pittcity]

What about tipping tour drivers, guides and in restaurants? Will we need cash for that?

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Pittcity said:

What about tipping tour drivers, guides and in restaurants? Will we need cash for that?

The price of drinks and meals are very high and wages are also high so no need to tip.

[Pittcity]

8 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

The price of drinks and meals are very high and wages are also high so no need to tip.

Thank you.

[kruzseeka]

I agree that it's worth having a relatively small amount of cash especially for toilets! Interestingly though, the toilets next to the Tourist Office on the Harbour in Bergen would only take cards - at that time 5Kr iirc. I stood there and couldn't work out what was going on (it was some years ago and i'd never come across the idea before!) until a local explained you couldnt use cash!

 

I was once told Norway is rapidly becoming cash free and have just found this:

Norway has the one of the lowest physical cash rates in the world, with only 3-5% of point of sale transactions paid for by cash. In 2021, Norway's central bank announced that it was exploring digital currency options to help facilitate the switch to a cash-free society.

 

We use a Halifax CC which has free transactions abroad and in our experience has a near perfect exchange rate which is much better than  the High Street rates.  But for the amount you need, it's hardly a big deal.

[kruzseeka]

On 4/14/2019 at 4:01 PM, majortom10 said:

On a recent trip to Bergen we met a couple that were dying to use the toilet it was a Sunday morning and not many shops/restaurants were open and they hadnt got any currency and only got cards. Lesson learnt.

Yes - important lesson learned for us too.  Last year we were in Stavanger on a Sunday and were staggered to discover the place was virtually shut down. Even the waterfront wharf-style cafes were closed - I was really surprised to see this normally buzzing area so lacking in life.  So if like us you visit cafes in ports, it may be not just be toilets you can't find open!  

 

Apparently true of Norway in general so worth knowing.  It may be relevant to how you plan to spend your day on Sundays in Norwegian towns. 

Edited February 9 by kruzseeka

[SquishTheWhale]

Sounds like you have a good compromise with taking a little cash, but just to weigh in when we went we didn't take any at all and didn't have any occasions when we need it. Everywhere down to the tiniest places take card. I don't remember coming across any public loos that needed it, but maybe we just got lucky.

Visit the oil museum in Stavanger, it's so much more interesting than it sounds!

[Ardennais]

Not Norway, but Hamburg last month - we had a toilet stop and it only took cash. The guide had to give some guests a few Euros. 

[Sussexboy]

I am pretty sure that the public toilets in Olden only took cards as well.

[Interestedcruisefan]

One word of warning - we used card to pay for one of the land trains from Iona in The Fjords.

 

They added a zero either by mistake or on purpose and we paid 440 pounds for 2 people equivalent on our credit card rather than 44 pounds