Currencies

[susie2shoes]

My sister and my Mum are booked on Serenade OTS May 2nd - 14 nights. What currencies should they take? - I'm thinking US$ and Canadian$ or could they use US$ in Canada?

 

Thanks for your help.

[StevenW]

My sister and my Mum are booked on Serenade OTS May 2nd - 14 nights. What currencies should they take? - I'm thinking US$ and Canadian$ or could they use US$ in Canada?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Hi. You haven't told us where your Serenade cruise commences from; ports of call; and where it finishes.

 

I believe most (or all?) of the ports on any Alaskan cruise are in the US, so you'll need US dollars in most or all of those towns.

 

If you're going into Canada at any point before, during or after the cruise then you need Canadian dollars....

 

Or if you're asking what currency you'll need on the ship, then most of the time you don't need any cash as everything on-board goes against your ship account and you can either pay by credit card or cash at the end ofthe cruise. In most ship casinos they accept USD cash, but then you can always change or access cash on-board.

 

Hope this helps.

 

(Post Script: I'm Sorry. I can now see your main question is whether the Canadians will accept USD. Probably, but I don't know. I'll be there in June)

[Putterdude]

My sister and my Mum are booked on Serenade OTS May 2nd - 14 nights. What currencies should they take? - I'm thinking US$ and Canadian$ or could they use US$ in Canada?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Short answer is that US currency is quite acceptable in Vancouver and Victoria but you will not get the full exchange rate. In as much as you are going to have to purchase some US currency you may as well purchase a few CDN dollars at the same time.:)

[susie2shoes]

Double post

[susie2shoes]

Sorry for not being clearer. I tried to post the itinerary but it didn't work. I'll try again later as I have to go out now. Thanks for the replies.

[woodworker&knitter]

Yes we do accept US currency

[bearbait]

They accept US currency but they sure don't give a very good exchange rate. I always stop in at a Canadian bank and do a currency exchange there.

[RoofingPrincess]

The May 2 Serenade is a 14-day leaving from San Francisco, stopping in Oregon and Washington, then going to Alaska (4 ports), Prince Rupert BC and Victoria BC before ending in Vancouver.

I'd advise getting both $US and $Cdn if you're doing it before leaving home since, as the others posted, you don't get a very good exchange rate from a merchant.

[bottom-dragger]

buying foreign currency in advance from your bank is a wonderful way to get ripped off. unfavorable rates, transaction fees.......

 

just hit the first atm machine, they're everywhere. probably the best exchange rates, probably a small transaction fee though some banks have mutual no-fee agreements, and no standing in line or keeping bankers hours.

[bearbait]

I agree. Exchange currency once you get there. Best double check on the ATM fees though with your bank. The first and last time I did that it wasn't worth it.

[neecee23]

I hit an ATM in Victoria for cash. The exchange rate was good and I paid very little in fees, actually less than I would here if I used another banks ATM. You could do the same at the US ports, just to have cash for incidentals, most places do take credit cards. So just find an ATM to get cash. You will find them almost anywhere. In Victoria there is one at a shop on the dock, but we used one in the city.

[kenish]

Credit cards are widely accepted too. Then you only need a small amount to cover tips, cabs, etc. and don't need to carry around lots of cash. In the US and Canada, even small purchases of a few dollars are no problem.

 

I don't know how Aussie bank cards work, but here in the US the bank can charge a foreign transaction fee and the card company (Visa, Mastercard, etc) adds their own. The total can be as high as 4%. I have a card that does not charge a foreign fee, and refunds the fee that Visa adds so I pay 0 for charges out of the US and get a very good exchange rate.

[skedman]

You can also use your Visa/MC debit card in some store (grocery, drug, big-box) and buy something, like a bottle of soda and get cash back (usually $40 is the limit). Unless the store has a fee, I don't think the bank will charge any. That is what I plan to do before we leave Vancouver in May.