Costa Caribbean charges in euros or dollars?

[mimicsr]

We are booked on the Atlantica 12/12 E.Carib. out of Ft. Lauderdale, and I'm wondering if on-board charges will be in euros or dollars. Also what about in the casino; do the slots take euros or dollars?

[monicajay]

We are booked on the Atlantica 12/12 E.Carib. out of Ft. Lauderdale, and I'm wondering if on-board charges will be in euros or dollars. Also what about in the casino; do the slots take euros or dollars?

 

 

Costa Mediteranea was all in US $ when we travelled.

[G.M.T.]

In the Caribbean, Costa ships are always US $ for the onboard account, as for the slot machines in the casino from what I remember is that you have to exchange real mones for tokens.

 

It is easy to know what the onboard currency is by the Service Charge currency:

 

For all hotel services a service charge will be added each day to guests' accounts. Payment will only be required at the end of the cruise and depends on how many days the cruise lasts. The amount will be 6.50 euros/day per adult, for all cruises lasting up to 8 nights, or 5 euros/day per adult for longer cruises with the exception of:

- 10 dollars/day per adult for 7-night Caribbean cruises on Costa Fortuna and Costa Atlantica.

- 8 dollars/day per adult, for South American cruises and South America to Europe Transoceanic cruises on Costa Magica, Costa Mediterranea and Costa Romantica.

- 6 dollars/day per adult, for cruises up to 6 nights on Costa Classica and Costa Allegra.

There is no service charge for children under the age of 14, whereas guests between the ages of 14 and 17 will be charged 50% of the above rates.

The entire service charge is set aside by the Company for staff who perform hotel duties on board as an incentive to continually improve the quality of service offered on board Costa ships. Costa Cruises has received SA 8000 international certification for ethical conduct and social accountability.

The service charge is an integral part of the total price of the cruise and therefore the amount cannot be altered.

 

Ron

[mimicsr]

Thank you, Ron, for the very knowledgeable explanation. I am assuming then that you can always add more in the form of cash for outstanding service, but you cannot deduct for poor service, because the $10.00 per person per day charge is added to your account each day and cannot be altered. Is this correct?

I was pleasantly surprised to see that children do not have service charges added. We are considering a Costa cruise again next year (if we really like our upcoming one) and taking our son and his family. If they offered the kids-sail-free program, it seem to be a real bargain. We'll definitely check it out. Thanks again.

[G.M.T.]

Of course you can always give your favourite waiter or bar keeper something extra, especially at the beginning of a cruise. Works wonders for excellent service.

 

Ron