Where to pick up Euros?

[chloemonkey]

Just dawned on me that we have not dealt with foreign currency for a few years now....and should know where to get some before and during out trip.  I would want some at least for tipping as we have transfers in Rome from the airport to our hotel and then from the hotel to the port....

 

I would imagine that we could obtain them once onboard the ship?  But do they need for you to exchange US dollars?  Or are they able to put them on your accont?  I know that I sound stupid....but again, it has been a while....the logistics of this trip are really telling me that we are getting a bit "old" to keep doing this! lol....

 

Thanks for any input.....I will also check with our local banks......and might even be able to purchase some foreign currency at the airport?  At least enugh to get us to the ship....

[euro cruiser]

First, you don't need to tip in Italy, at all.

 

Second, the ship is the one of the worst places to exchange money, unless you like giving it away.

 

If you'll only use a small amount of cash the best rate is by using a bank ATM once in Italy.

[CruiserBruce]

Absolutely NEVER been discussed here. ATMs in country are the best place to get Euros.

 

As mentioned...onboard? One of the worst places to get Euros.

[CruiserBruce]

And...in addition to above when using ATMs, use ones physically attached to a bank, not the free standing type in stores or shops. Better security and exchange rate.

[MeHeartCruising]

I also agree with the above that generally you just want to get the foreign currency you need from an ATM upon arrival in that country.  Notify your bank in advance where you will be traveling to ensure they don't think it is a fraudulent attempt.  ATMs offer the ability to view the screens in English.  You may need to make a selection on the screen to make it use English language. 

 

IF you will need foreign currency before you can access an ATM, your home bank can also usually get them for you prior to your trip.  Most of the time, you will need to order it in advance and then go pick it up a few days or a week later.  You may choose to do this if you have booked tour(s) that require cash payment and it is a large amount.  Some ATMs (or your own bank) may limit how much cash you can withdraw at a time (or per day).

 

If possible, use a credit card (one with no international transaction fees) for purchases.  If the credit card machine or merchant asks if you wish the transaction to be processed in the foreign currency or US dollars, pick the foreign currency.  The other way means the merchant will use their own conversion rate first, which will be higher than the credit card company.  It is a way for merchants to make more money from you.

 

There are ATMs in the airports, so you can get the currency there, but the exchange rates may be higher than ATMs found in the towns/cities.

Edited August 21, 2022 by MeHeartCruising

[chloemonkey]

19 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

First, you don't need to tip in Italy, at all.

 

Second, the ship is the one of the worst places to exchange money, unless you like giving it away.

 

If you'll only use a small amount of cash the best rate is by using a bank ATM once in Italy.

So.....are you saying that you do not tip shore excursion guides or private drivers?  This would be very hard for me.....

 

I am a big tipper.....and don't think I want to change at this point in life......but just curious if this is just "Italy"?  What about Greece, Montenegro, etc?

[euro cruiser]

Can't speak for anywhere else, but tipping is not part of the culture of Italy.

 

We've discussed this topic on this forum many times before, and I understand how difficult it can be to act in ways that feel unnatural, or against your habits.

 

That said, the ethical tourist considers not only their own comfort, but also the culture of the place they are visiting.  

 

For example, a waiter is a respected profession in Italy, workers receive a full competitive wage, benefits and retirement.  They are not dependent on the largess of strangers to earn a living.

 

Tipping is a condescending and crude way to compensate someone for work, but it is accepted practice in the States and we expect visitors, even those from cultures that do not tip, to do so when they are here.

 

In the same way, it is rude to export our habits to other places where tipping is not the norm.  It may feel good and nice to you but it's still rude to impose your values on others.

 

You don't tip those you consider professionals in the States, imagine how your dentist would feel if you slipped her/him a $20 as you left.

 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, chloemonkey said:

So.....are you saying that you do not tip shore excursion guides or private drivers?  This would be very hard for me.....

 

I am a big tipper.....and don't think I want to change at this point in life......but just curious if this is just "Italy"?  What about Greece, Montenegro, etc?

 

Think about it:  We in the US fully expect foreign visitors coming here to abide by our own confusing rules regarding tipping.  Shouldn't we make a similar effort to follow the rules of others when we are in THEIR country?

 

Tipping customs are not universal. In Italy, there is no "tipping culture".  To show appreciation for good service, one MIGHT round up one's fare slightly for a driver or MIGHT leave one's change at the restaurant after paying the bill.  But there is no obligation to do so.

 

If US tourists come into a culture and start tipping like we are in the US, we change things for the local people who live there.  We should always try to travel in a way that we don't do that. 

 

Please do make an effort while you're traveling to find out and follow tipping rules in other countries.

[CruiserBruce]

US style tipping is not common in much of the world. Small tips are far more common than US style tipping,  and little or no tipping is far from uncommon. 

 

 

 

[VMax1700]

15 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

So.....are you saying that you do not tip shore excursion guides or private drivers?  This would be very hard for me.....

 

I am a big tipper.....and don't think I want to change at this point in life......but just curious if this is just "Italy"?  What about Greece, Montenegro, etc?

That is exactly what is being said to you!  

At least you have done the courtesy of realising that Euros are required, but please follow our cultural norms when you are the visitor, just as we follow your cultural norms when in USA.

[VMax1700]

I just read this link on another thread.  I think it gives excellent advice for Netherlands and could be applied to the rest of Europe.  

https://dutchreview.com/culture/a-guide-to-the-tipping-culture-in-the-netherlands/

[marazul]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

I just read this link on another thread.  I think it gives excellent advice for Netherlands and could be applied to the rest of Europe.  

https://dutchreview.com/culture/a-guide-to-the-tipping-culture-in-the-netherlands/

That is an excellent article.  The OP can apply it to France, Italy and wherever else they are going in their cruise.  Save the big tipping for the underpaid restaurant workers at home.  

[megr1125]

It was hard at first to not tip, or not OVER tip the first time I was in Europe.  Not that I'm an expert after only 3 trips but I tend to leave my change (or a little more) if a server gave extra effort, I do tip porters a bit, and for cabs, I'll give an extra Euro/GBP.  Though on 2 occasions I gave extra to cab drivers, one in Rome who went above and beyond to NOT kill me or anyone on the street (he'd actually been to NYC and wondered how more accidents don't happen but he said Rome was worse.  I prefaced it by saying, I'd like to buy your next coffee and treat since you didn't kill anyone.  He laughed and said "thanks so much, you made my day!"  And the other was in Dublin when my driver to the airport was probably a stand up comedian at night! Again I said thanks for excellent driving and for making me laugh on my last day here!  Cheers, have a pint on me!

 

So I hope neither was insulted!  That said I always like to have some local cash with me for whatever, mainly so I don't have to wait for my bank to text me and say Hey are you in Dublin making this purchase?  LOL.  

[megr1125]

6 minutes ago, marazul said:

That is an excellent article.  The OP can apply it to France, Italy and wherever else they are going in their cruise.  Save the big tipping for the underpaid restaurant workers at home.  

 

Agree!  So whew, sounds like I'm doing the right thing!  

[VMax1700]

55 minutes ago, megr1125 said:

I prefaced it by saying, I'd like to buy your next coffee and treat since you didn't kill anyone.  He laughed and said "thanks so much, you made my day!"  And the other was in Dublin when my driver to the airport was probably a stand up comedian at night! Again I said thanks for excellent driving and for making me laugh on my last day here!  Cheers, have a pint on me!

Perfect!  

[RTR 21-0]

I was recently looking at websites for RomeinLimo and Romecabs.  Under the what's not included category for both transfers and tours it said, "Gratuities not included."  Do I take that as a subtle, "hey if you wanna give it we won't give it back or tips are recommended" message or do we follow the no tipping standard for Italy?

[euro cruiser]

Rome in Limo is a US-based company, they know that most of their passengers are also from the States so they are working that angle.  It's a way for them to draw English speaking drivers away from competitors.

 

There is no requirement for you to bow to their pressure techniques.

Edited August 24, 2022 by euro cruiser

[marazul]

42 minutes ago, RTR 21-0 said:

I was recently looking at websites for RomeinLimo and Romecabs.  Under the what's not included category for both transfers and tours it said, "Gratuities not included."  Do I take that as a subtle, "hey if you wanna give it we won't give it back or tips are recommended" message or do we follow the no tipping standard for Italy?

Yup.  That is the not so subtle message. Do what's right for Italy or just add a small amount for a very helpful driver.  I suspect most drivers are subcontractors and split the fee with the company.

[CRUIS4ME]

On 8/21/2022 at 3:24 PM, MeHeartCruising said:

I also agree with the above that generally you just want to get the foreign currency you need from an ATM upon arrival in that country.  Notify your bank in advance where you will be traveling to ensure they don't think it is a fraudulent attempt.  ATMs offer the ability to view the screens in English.  You may need to make a selection on the screen to make it use English language. 

 

IF you will need foreign currency before you can access an ATM, your home bank can also usually get them for you prior to your trip.  Most of the time, you will need to order it in advance and then go pick it up a few days or a week later.  You may choose to do this if you have booked tour(s) that require cash payment and it is a large amount.  Some ATMs (or your own bank) may limit how much cash you can withdraw at a time (or per day).

 

If possible, use a credit card (one with no international transaction fees) for purchases.  If the credit card machine or merchant asks if you wish the transaction to be processed in the foreign currency or US dollars, pick the foreign currency.  The other way means the merchant will use their own conversion rate first, which will be higher than the credit card company.  It is a way for merchants to make more money from you.

 

There are ATMs in the airports, so you can get the currency there, but the exchange rates may be higher than ATMs found in the towns/cities.

Regarding getting Euros…..we are catching a cruise tomorrow out of Civitavecchia.  Agree with above.  We use a no transaction fee credit  card for purchases and get money from an ATM using a debit card for food and beverage (cash).

Before we departed, we made sure our debit cards had cash…we have two banks…I carry one debit card and DH carries the other debit card. 
We landed at the airport in Rome.   There was an ATM in the baggage area.  So while DH got the bags, I used the machine to get Euros.  Today we stopped at a local bank machine and used the debit cards to get a few more euros to make sure we had the cash on hand while we cruised.  Cash will stay in the safe and we only take enough for day expenses at each port.  (Cautious about carrying too much cash).

The one thing I noticed after we put in the amount we wanted to get out, there were two selections…one said “with conversion rate” and the other button “continue without conversion rate”.   I had not noticed that the first time I used the ATM.   The “fee” with the conversion rate was higher than the 5 Euro flat fee for using the ATM. So for now on, we will get any more cash without the conversion rate and the US bank will convert the euro at the going bank rate which today is bout one to one.   

[1361bass]

Thank everyone for this topic. It saved me a lot of time in my research. 

[plan09]

On 8/29/2022 at 4:31 PM, CRUIS4ME said:

Regarding getting Euros…..we are catching a cruise tomorrow out of Civitavecchia.  Agree with above.  We use a no transaction fee credit  card for purchases and get money from an ATM using a debit card for food and beverage (cash).

Before we departed, we made sure our debit cards had cash…we have two banks…I carry one debit card and DH carries the other debit card. 
We landed at the airport in Rome.   There was an ATM in the baggage area.  So while DH got the bags, I used the machine to get Euros.  Today we stopped at a local bank machine and used the debit cards to get a few more euros to make sure we had the cash on hand while we cruised.  Cash will stay in the safe and we only take enough for day expenses at each port.  (Cautious about carrying too much cash).

The one thing I noticed after we put in the amount we wanted to get out, there were two selections…one said “with conversion rate” and the other button “continue without conversion rate”.   I had not noticed that the first time I used the ATM.   The “fee” with the conversion rate was higher than the 5 Euro flat fee for using the ATM. So for now on, we will get any more cash without the conversion rate and the US bank will convert the euro at the going bank rate which today is bout one to one.   

Thank you, very helpful 

[spunks]

OK...I post this every once in a while and apparently it needs to be posted more.

 

The ATM suggestion is absolutely the best of the best places to get Euros. The absolute best way to take advantage of ATM's anywhere in the world is by opening a Charles Schwab account. They reimburse ANY ATM fees. Not only that but because you are getting your own money from the ATM they do not care what currency you ask for. There is no exchange rate. To make it better, you get the up to the time of exchange rate. This makes it the safest way to travel. You never have to get a large amount because you can get as many different withdrawals as you wish.

 

That said, do not use the Schwab card at resturants or hotels, use your credit card for that.

 

Doug

[plan09]

Doug, 

thank you we were just having a discussion about how and when to get euros.

Safe travels

[spunks]

you are welcome. If you don't use the ATM you are stuck wondering how many Euros to take? We have used ATM on Las Ramblas, De Gaul airport, The Azores , Malaga, Kinsale....you name it. It always works. If the exchange rate is 1 Euro is $1.08, I get $100.00 and my cost is $108.00.

 

The good news right now is that you get Euros for $1.01....almost one for one. That was yesterday, it might be better today.

Doug

[spunks]

I almost forgot the best part. On those Baltic cruises where almost every country uses separate currency, it is handy as can be.