need local money for pay toilets in Baltics

[jc75644]

We're wondering if we will need local money in the different ports for the pay toilets in the Baltics. Also, my wife wants to know if the toilets will have tissue. Anyone have any info from experience?

[Cruisenouvelle]

WalMart, Target, etc., sell travel size rolls of toilet tissue, paper seat covers,antibacterial hand wipes, and the like. I pack them and then we have them if needed. These items are small and take up minimal room in luggage.

Re: local currency, I cannot help you there. Sorry.

Enjoy your cruise!

[kitty9]

You're in a foreign country, so you'll need the local currency. I don't know if you remember pay toilets in the US, but you needed US money for them because you're in the US. Same for any other country with pay toilets or vending machines. They can't have vending machines in Stockholm that take US money because Swedes don't use US money.

[vickykay]

there is a long thread about this on the ports of call site - under Europe and then Baltics

[Gonzo70]

They pay you to use the toilets? Are they that bad?!? :confused:

[bubbie617]

On our Baltics cruise in June, the only place I needed to pay for a bathroom was in St. Petersburg (I believe it was at The Hermitage.) There was an attendant in the Ladies' Room who would take your US dollar and give you the correct Russian coin to get into the stalls. I believe it was two tokens/rubles for $1. I just gave the extra one to the person behind me in line.

 

Enjoy the Baltics. It was the most fabulous trip we have ever taken, and we've taken a lot of them.

[osiebosie]

Love the title!

 

I have to tell this: friends of ours took the Tulum tour once, and he had to use the "bathroom". All he had on his person was a $100 bill. The cost was something like .50. He couldn't find his wife, and he really had to go. I think the story goes that he was walking around with his legs crossed til he found her so he had change to potty!

 

Moral to story: Always, always have that quarter that Mom used to tell you to always keep handy, but make it two!

 

Shay

[highworth]

We were on the Baltic cruise last summer and toilets always seemed to be an issue. Not always easy to find and then when you did you always needed the local currency....actually it caused lots of laughs!! When touring St Petersburg we quickly realized there was always a longer line-up for the ladies washroom so we frequently used the mens! Again with many a laugh.

For the person asking about the paper, its always good to have back up with you...some we went in and couldn't find the paper only to realize that it was out by the place where you paid your money and you needed to take it on the way in!!

[LouisV]

We were on the Baltic cruise last summer and toilets always seemed to be an issue. Not always easy to find and then when you did you always needed the local currency....actually it caused lots of laughs!! When touring St Petersburg we quickly realized there was always a longer line-up for the ladies washroom so we frequently used the mens! Again with many a laugh.

For the person asking about the paper, its always good to have back up with you...some we went in and couldn't find the paper only to realize that it was out by the place where you paid your money and you needed to take it on the way in!!

 

Patd!

 

How the heck are you anyway? Where's your next cruise? Mom and I are going to the Caribbean in Nov on the Constellation...it's her first cruise so should be fun...

 

Maureen

[Dale]

We're wondering if we will need local money in the different ports for the pay toilets in the Baltics. Also, my wife wants to know if the toilets will have tissue. Anyone have any info from experience?

:D I don't remember, but I think this one was free. :D

 

[chrismch]

not only the Baltics will you need money for the w/c but also in London!

[LouisV]

not only the Baltics will you need money for the w/c but also in London!

 

Where in London? I have been there a few times and never found that I had to pay for a toilet.

[Host Walt]

Where in London? I have been there a few times and never found that I had to pay for a toilet.

Most railway stations, Harrods Dept Store and most museums in London require payment of from 20 pence to one pount to use a toilet.

[LouisV]

Most railway stations, Harrods Dept Store and most museums in London require payment of from 20 pence to one pount to use a toilet.

 

Sorry, we have been to Harrods and never had to pay to use the ladies washroom.

[Ine]

I know in the USA I can find a free bathroom in many places.

Unfortunately not so in Europe. First you will see less bathroom, since most shops have it only for their staff, not for customers.

Since many bathrooms are taken care by a lady who also cleans and supervises this, it is more or less her pay. This can be in major stores, but even sometimes a place like McDonalds. Usually not in toprestaurants.

My best tip: walk into one of the major hotels, act like a guest and you have a clean free bathroom.

 

If you need local money, yes....we have ATM.

[highworth]

Hey Maureen..great to hear from you!! We are fine here in Ottawa although totally buried today in another huge snowfall!!

Did the Baltics last June with 12 other people and had a great time. We have now booked another Med cruise for this October...slightly different to the one we all did..going Barcelona to Venice but it has some different ports including Turkey.

Still have such great memories of the Med cruise we all did.....

Have a great cruise...it was the Constellation that we were on for the Baltics. It is my favourite one of the Millenium class.

Take care,

pat d

[kjwinston]

so I am a little confused...we have to pay for toilets on the cruise????

 

 

Just kidding, boy did we get off track.

 

In paying for the "extra" in the dining room is the charge per person?

 

:p

[burm]

We're wondering if we will need local money in the different ports for the pay toilets in the Baltics. Also, my wife wants to know if the toilets will have tissue. Anyone have any info from experience?

 

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS travel with toilet paper!!!! A friend of mine once ended up ripping pages out of his travel guide.

[spearmint]

On our Baltic cruise, we had no problem. Our guide with DenRus, Ljudmilla, always told us when there was a bathroom available e.g. in a store, she said to just go in and browse and to make use of the washroom the location of which she gave us. She did this whenever there was such a place available. (There were only 10 of us on the tour, so small washrooms easily accommodated us....not all at once, though!:eek:)

In other places, like Gdansk, if you are unsure, go to a pub, order a beer and use their facilities. Easy. And kills two birds with one stone; by the time you have walked around somewhat, you will need both a pee and a beer.:)

[Pontius Navigator]

Toilets:

 

In London use the Ritz or Fortnum and Mason, both free, including the perfumes. If you throw in 50c of so I am sure they collect enough to exchange.

 

In St Petersburg our guide was brilliant. She took us to every free, queueless toilet on the tour. She knew we would lose too much time queing etc in teh Hermitage etc.

 

Other places there are plenty of free toilets in public or in cafes.

 

Money:

 

In London I think you will definitely need Sterling as we are very insular - taxis, cafes etc. At Heathrow however you can pay in any currency. It is a good way for us (UK) to off load foreign coins.

 

In Sweden, in a park, the Ice Cream kiosk would take dollars or Euro.

 

In Finland and Germany - Euro - and in the Baltic Republics too.

 

In Denmark they will take generally Euro although in a supermarket it was Krona only.

 

In Russia, dollars or Euro.

 

The ship will do an exchange in notes only. If you exchange $100 to Euro they will take back the same amount; you could not exchange twice as much and expect $200.

 

In settling your onboad account the ship will accept $/c in coin.

[big_duck]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Spartan: [whispering to Lenina] Look, I don't know if you guys know it, but uh... you're out of toilet paper.

Alfredo Garcia: [confused] Did... did you say toilet *paper*?

Lenina Huxley: Um... they used handfuls of wadded paper back in the 20th...

[Lenina, Alfredo, and Erwin all laugh]

John Spartan: I'm happy that you're happy, but the place where you're supposed to have the toilet paper, you've got this little shelf with three seashells on it.

Erwin: He doesn't know how to use the three seashells!