Can Princess exchange larger currency for smaller bills? (Canadian)

[DallasGuy75219]

2 hours ago, BamaVol said:

The crew accepts them. And smiles. 

You're opening a can of worms... the "I want to be cute and tip with a $2 bill" vs. "the crew has a hard time spending them because places outside the US (even where they take USD) won't take them" Cruise Critic argument. 🙂

 

2 hours ago, d9704011 said:

They'd likely accept a $2 Canadian coin and smile too.

Not trying to be one of *those* people from the US, but the crew really prefer USD.  On most ships visiting Canada, USD is the onboard currency and the crew may not be able to get off the ship in a Canadian port to spend CAD.  And if they're wiring money home, that's much easier to do with USD.

[NavyVeteran]

3 hours ago, BamaVol said:

The crew accepts them. And smiles. 

 

2 hours ago, d9704011 said:

They'd likely accept a $2 Canadian coin and smile too.

The crew will accept anything you give them and smile, because they will not be impolite to a passenger. What they really feel may be much different.

A Canadian $2 coin would be much worse than a US $2 bill. Unless they are going ashore in Canada, it is probably worthless. Most places that change money change bills only - they do not accept coins.

[Tranquility Base]

On 5/24/2024 at 11:11 AM, Jetswdo said:

Does Princess keep local currency for port stops at hand at guest services- just for exchanging say a $100 bill

Occasionally and in very limited amounts.

I have in the past changed a GBP 50 into GBP 10s. 

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

Elaborate? I'm just taking my Visa, Debit card, and left over €6. Would prefer to not use the ATM but if you had a big problem recently with a chip & contactless card I might have to rethink that 

What I meant to say is some of the toilets accepted credit cards.  We had zero problems using our Visa card there or anywhere else.    

[Teechur]

9 hours ago, d9704011 said:

  Why on earth would somebody take $2 bills on a cruise and expect anybody, other than an American or (maybe) a Canadian to take them?

Quite a few American cruisers take them to give as tips because they are unique.

[d9704011]

4 hours ago, Teechur said:

Quite a few American cruisers take them to give as tips because they are unique.

They are not unique; they're uncommon.

 

As for my previous, and facetious, comment regarding tipping with a $2 Canadian coin... a crew member will politely accept it, nod and thank the person because that's how they publicly react to the clients/cruisers.  All the while they're brain is wondering what the doddering old geezer is doing handing them things they neither want nor can reasonably use.

[HotRoot]

I have posted this before but feel it is appropriate to share here again.  We were in Latvia.  Went to the bar for a bag of ice for drinks in the room.  Always bring our own baggies.  Gave the woman a US $1.  Went back the next night.  The other woman said to let her get the ice because she wanted the US $1.  Conversation started.  This was the first US money they had ever seen.  They had no use for it, but they wanted it.  Pulled out the wallet and showed them other denominations.  They asked for the $100 but did not get it.  Every worker in the bar received a US $1.  We moved on to Lithuania the next day.  

[DCThunder]

20 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I like to have some local currency, especially if I plan to tip a tour guide but generally only use credit cards

Unless you're touring in western Europe (Euro zone), Canada, or Oz/NZ, I bet the tour guide would rather have USD than the local currency.  Getting access to cash USD is a major perk for tour guides/bus drivers in most developing countries.  

Edited May 25 by DCThunder

[Torfamm]

59 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Unless you're touring in western Europe (Euro zone), Canada, or Oz/NZ, I bet the tour guide would rather have USD than the local currency.  Getting access to cash USD is a major perk for tour guides/bus drivers in most developing countries.  

I’m sure that may be true. As an example, every guide we used in Vietnam told me it’s illegal for Vietnamese citizens to have US dollars (possibly any foreign currency) and try to exchange them for dong to spend in their own country or deposit in a bank. I found it very interesting trying to imagine how they put USD to use.

[DCThunder]

42 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

I’m sure that may be true. As an example, every guide we used in Vietnam told me it’s illegal for Vietnamese citizens to have US dollars (possibly any foreign currency) and try to exchange them for dong to spend in their own country or deposit in a bank. I found it very interesting trying to imagine how they put USD to use.

Using USD to purchase goods and services on the black market is a time-honored tradition in Communist countries.

[Teechur]

3 hours ago, DCThunder said:

Using USD to purchase goods and services on the black market is a time-honored tradition in Communist countries.

During my visits to the Soviet Union, East Germany, China, etc. people there very much wanted U.S. dollars. In the USSR, they had Beriozka (birch tree) stores which had the finest goods available, and they ONLY accepted hard currency.

[DCThunder]

1 minute ago, Teechur said:

During my visits to the Soviet Union, East Germany, China, etc. people there very much wanted U.S. dollars. In the USSR, they had Beriozka (birch tree) stores which had the finest goods available, and they ONLY accepted hard currency.

When I was in Argentina in early 2023,(before Milei was elected), they wanted dollars as well, new bills, much preferred.

[Teechur]

10 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

When I was in Argentina in early 2023,(before Milei was elected), they wanted dollars as well, new bills, much preferred.

Eleven countries now use the U.S. dollar as their primary currency.

 

Countries Using the US Dollar (investopedia.com)

 

Which countries use the US dollar? | Stripe

Edited May 25 by Teechur
Added a link

[DCThunder]

8 minutes ago, Teechur said:

Eleven countries now use the U.S. dollar as their primary currency.

 

Countries Using the US Dollar (investopedia.com)

 

Which countries use the US dollar? | Stripe

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, over 80 percent of all $100 bills in circulation are held OUTSIDE the USA.  In 1980, the figure was 30 percent.  No figures on how many of those came from cruise ship tips...😁

[BamaVol]

16 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, over 80 percent of all $100 bills in circulation are held OUTSIDE the USA.  In 1980, the figure was 30 percent.  No figures on how many of those came from cruise ship tips...😁

It wasn’t me.  I’ve never handed any crew member a $100 bill as part or all of a tip. 

[BamaVol]

30 minutes ago, Teechur said:

Eleven countries now use the U.S. dollar as their primary currency.

 

Countries Using the US Dollar (investopedia.com)

 

Which countries use the US dollar? | Stripe

With Argentina headed in that direction.  That would make 12.

[Teechur]

3 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

With Argentina headed in that direction.  That would make 12.

Along with the eleven, many other countries use it along with their national currency.

 

Quasi-Use of the US Dollar

The U.S. dollar is also widely used throughout the world as a quasi-currency of exchange. The U.S. dollar is not only widely accepted for commerce in both Canada and Mexico, but also in a host of tourist destinations including the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Sint Maarten, St Kitts and Nevis, the ABC Islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, and the BES Islands including Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, collectively known as the Caribbean Netherlands.

 

Countries Using the US Dollar (investopedia.com)

[Jetswdo]

OP here.  I love how 1 question opens up whole other discussions.  My "problem" is that I have larger Canadian dollars than I wanted for use for this cruise and a couple of days in Quebec after.

The cash is for 2 regular lunch restaurants, 1 cafe,  1 food court and 3 short taxi rides, during this cruise (I can tip shore excursions with Am dollar) Once I am in hotel in Quebec, I assume hopefully that hotel can change a couple of those bills.

I found out from the local currency exchange places near me  it would basically cost $6 for every $100 note to change to smaller bills. So I won't be doing that.  I guess I will stop at a bank that is a 3 minute walk from one of the restaurants in Saint John, which is at the beginning of the cruise, and hopefully that will be that.  Thanks for all the responses.

[nwcruiselover]

I had the exact same situation when stopping in Victoria recently on a cruise.  At the first shop I went to in Victoria, I was buying about $18 worth of merchandise and asked whether they could take the $100 bill.  The said of course, and my problem of the “too large” bill was solved.

[d9704011]

5 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

I guess I will stop at a bank that is a 3 minute walk from one of the restaurants in Saint John, which is at the beginning of the cruise, and hopefully that will be that.

Don't count on that.  If you don't have an account at the bank, you may not be welcomed with open arms.  No harm in trying though...

[Torfamm]

5 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

OP here.  I love how 1 question opens up whole other discussions.  My "problem" is that I have larger Canadian dollars than I wanted for use for this cruise and a couple of days in Quebec after.

The cash is for 2 regular lunch restaurants, 1 cafe,  1 food court and 3 short taxi rides, during this cruise (I can tip shore excursions with Am dollar) Once I am in hotel in Quebec, I assume hopefully that hotel can change a couple of those bills.

I found out from the local currency exchange places near me  it would basically cost $6 for every $100 note to change to smaller bills. So I won't be doing that.  I guess I will stop at a bank that is a 3 minute walk from one of the restaurants in Saint John, which is at the beginning of the cruise, and hopefully that will be that.  Thanks for all the responses.

Why not just use the $100 bills to pay for something like lunch?