July 6, 2010 - 7/6/2010 ~ Pounds to Rubles ~ Mickey invades the Baltic Sea

[scottishwee35]

Scottishwee35


Your PM BOX is full I could not reply!!!!!!

But 'understood'.

hee hee I just deleted it now

Scottishwee35

 

[slg]

I'll probably go on excursions and not change any money other than euros and pounds. If I need to make a purchase I'll use my credit card.

 

[DW2DH&DS]

I'll probably go on excursions and not change any money other than euros and pounds. If I need to make a purchase I'll use my credit card.

We agree. The best exchange rate will be through the credit card companies. At that time anyway. I still would like to bring home a set of coins from each country...even Russia. shhhhhhh!!! Where there is a will, there isa way!!

 

[CarolAnnC]

I don't believe that the Euro is good in all the countries we are going to. I googled and came up with the following (rates as of today, 10-29-08) Unless I did something wrong we are going to need all kinds of different money!

England use Pound Sterling..........exchange rate $1.00 US to .607425 Pounds

Norway uses the Norwegian Kroner...exchange rate $1.00 US to 6.7077 NOK

Denmark uses the Danish Kroner....exchange rate $1.00 US to 5.7972 DKK

Germany uses the Euro.........exchange rate $1.00 US to 0.78229 Euro

Sweden uses the Swedish Krona....exchange rate $1.00 US to 7.6814 SEK

Finland uses the Euro...exchange rate $1.00 US to 0.78229 Euro

Russia uses the Rubble...exchange rate $1.00 to 26.72 Rubble

Depending on the web site I get slightly different exchange rates...
here's one site http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi (green for money )

Wow! I am going to have to study up and make Cliff notes in this info! LOL

As far as loading up on Euros for the Med. cruise last year, we bought Euro packs from AAA that came with a variety of currency bills. I can't remember how much we paid and how much we got, but it was convenient.

Yes the AAA trip paks are convenient - keep in mind they sell them for the exchange rate that was in effect at the time AAA obtained them. So it may behoove us to wait a little while if we are going to AAA for them...

I'll probably go on excursions and not change any money other than euros and pounds. If I need to make a purchase I'll use my credit card.

The thing is there may be small things you might need cash for such as a bottle of water, tipping the excursion guides, or even coins for the pay bathrooms that seem to be so prevalent in Europe. I know we needed them on the Med Cruise last year..

 

[slg]

Even on excursions you needed to pay for the bathrooms? That wasn't included in the price of the excursion? Yikes....I was hoping they were all inclusive! I know all my other cruises pretty much were. And can't we just take a bottle of water of of the ship?

Sigh. I'll sort all that out later. I may end of buying a CAA pack if I must.

Good to think about these things ahead of time. I'm sure DCL will be giving us advice closer to the time.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

hee hee I just deleted it now

Scottishwee35

It was just to acknowledge your last PM, I understand you cannot book hotel or train until 12 months out!

 

[OurDogCisco]

I'll probably go on excursions and not change any money other than euros and pounds. If I need to make a purchase I'll use my credit card.

That's what I thought last time until we Aix en Provence (spelling??) and I wanted to buy this pottery I saw. Well... the lady only took cash. And, I didn't bring enough off the ship with me. So, I ended up going to the ATM to buy the stuff. So, you might want to carry a little cash but not much. You'll need some for waters, snacks, etc...

 

[eeyorelvr10]

here you go - please pass on:

Hey all, with Halloween coming tomorrow - I received this from my SIL who works in Costco. Not sure if its nationwide but thought I'd pass on:

BTW, I checked as I didn't want to get caught believing something and according to snopes - its true. Please be aware and inform others. Better to be safe than sorry. Thank God I got mine from Target - I usually do Sam's or Costco.

According the snopes.com this is a true claim.

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

Don' t let them eat any chocolate pirate coins!

Please take note of this Candy recall

There is a new warning put out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency....

Sherwood brand Pirate ' s Gold Milk Chocolate coins are being recalled due to the fact that they contain Melamine, the ingredient in milk product that has caused many infant deaths in china. These candies are sold at Costco, as well as many bulk and dollar stores. please make sure to check your children¢s Halloween candy and DO NOT LET T HEM EA T THE PIRATE COINS (you know the ones wrapped in the shiny gold foil) and please let other parents know about this!

 

[denise]

I know there is a lot of chatter about London pre/post stays. Is anybody considering Disneyland Paris?

We are looking into Paris....called American Airlines today to find out about "open Jaw" trips, we had done this in 1996 and wanted to make sure they still do it, and it will be easy to do..Fly from California to Paris, then we take the train to Dover and then fly home from London..Now just have to find a place to stay near Disneyland Paris! I am working on it.

I'll probably go on excursions and not change any money other than euros and pounds. If I need to make a purchase I'll use my credit card.

When we went to the Med last year I got a credit card from Capital One. Although I didn't get my miles from charging there were no fees for the exchange either. We just had to figure out the fees and just how much they were and which card was best. Also I called my bank, Bank of America, before the trip and they waived all fees for ATM's...So when we needed some Euro's we just got them at a ATM. Worked out perfect.

The Euro's are very cool. We got some nice ones while in Greece too.

 

[DW2DH&DS]

i was thinking DLP bc we have DVC points to use that year. I know our entry into the park will probably equal what it would cost for hotel in London. Wimbledon ends July 4th and London may be very crowded at that time. Just one of those things I kep in the back of my mind.

 

[Deb T.]

We are looking into Paris....called American Airlines today to find out about "open Jaw" trips, we had done this in 1996 and wanted to make sure they still do it, and it will be easy to do..Fly from California to Paris, then we take the train to Dover and then fly home from London..Now just have to find a place to stay near Disneyland Paris! I am working on it.

i was thinking DLP bc we have DVC points to use that year. I know our entry into the park will probably equal what it would cost for hotel in London. Wimbledon ends July 4th and London may be very crowded at that time. Just one of those things I kep in the back of my mind.

We used DVC points to stay at Disneyland Paris' Newport Bay Club Resort during our trip to Europe last summer (Austria, Germany, & France). A 3-night stay cost us 111 points plus the mandatory purchase of length-of-stay park hoppers for four of us (all adults) @ $179.04pp plus a $95 booking fee for a grand total of $811.16 US. It also included a continental breakfast buffet each morning.

We were very disappointed with the Newport Bay Club hotel even though it's supposed to be on the same level as WDW's Yacht & Beach Club resorts. We found it to be very dirty and in disrepair. All the hallways had ground-in dirt in the carpet and a lot of the wallpaper was peeling off. The airconditioning was broken in the first room we were assigned to so they switched us to another room. The fan worked in the second room, but it never cooled off so essentially that airconditioning system was broken, too. The handle was broken off of the patio door rendering it useless. Part of the wood paneling next to the bathtub had been pulled off leaving pipes and grime under the tub visible. One odd thing: there was a safe deposit box in the first room but not in the second room.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Even on excursions you needed to pay for the bathrooms? That wasn't included in the price of the excursion? Yikes....I was hoping they were all inclusive! I know all my other cruises pretty much were. And can't we just take a bottle of water of of the ship?

Sigh. I'll sort all that out later. I may end of buying a CAA pack if I must.

Good to think about these things ahead of time. I'm sure DCL will be giving us advice closer to the time.

We took all Disney excursions on our Med Cruise and had to pay for many of the bathrooms we visited. There would be an attendant outside who you would pay and then you would be allowed in. Sometimes they just sent you in, sometimes they accompanied you in to point you to a stall. More than once there was no toilet paper available, too. We had heard this on our cruise thread prior and had brought the little travel toilet paper rolls in our purses. One bathroom was actually giving a couple of sheets each of toilet paper but only after you paid. A couple of times I can think of where we did not pay were in a restaurant in Rome where we had lunch, and at a farmhouse in Sorrento. Many of the souvenir stands we encountered also took cash only. Then there are tips for bell services, car drivers, and others.

We used DVC points to stay at Disneyland Paris' Newport Bay Club Resort during our trip to Europe last summer (Austria, Germany, & France). A 3-night stay cost us 111 points plus the mandatory purchase of length-of-stay park hoppers for four of us (all adults) @ $179.04pp plus a $95 booking fee for a grand total of $811.16 US. It also included a continental breakfast buffet each morning.

We were very disappointed with the Newport Bay Club hotel even though it's supposed to be on the same level as WDW's Yacht & Beach Club resorts. We found it to be very dirty and in disrepair. All the hallways had ground-in dirt in the carpet and a lot of the wallpaper was peeling off. The airconditioning was broken in the first room we were assigned to so they switched us to another room. The fan worked in the second room, but it never cooled off so essentially that airconditioning system was broken, too. The handle was broken off of the patio door rendering it useless. Part of the wood paneling next to the bathtub had been pulled off leaving pipes and grime under the tub visible. One odd thing: there was a safe deposit box in the first room but not in the second room.

Yikes, I think I will be saving my points for more cruises, lol. Sorry your stay was so disappointing there...

 

[nzdisneymom]

We took all Disney excursions on our Med Cruise and had to pay for many of the bathrooms we visited. There would be an attendant outside who you would pay and then you would be allowed in. Sometimes they just sent you in, sometimes they accompanied you in to point you to a stall. More than once there was no toilet paper available, too. We had heard this on our cruise thread prior and had brought the little travel toilet paper rolls in our purses. One bathroom was actually giving a couple of sheets each of toilet paper but only after you paid. A couple of times I can think of where we did not pay were in a restaurant in Rome where we had lunch, and at a farmhouse in Sorrento. Many of the souvenir stands we encountered also took cash only. Then there are tips for bell services, car drivers, and others.

We had similar experiences in the Med - all DCL excursions and we had to pay for some of the restrooms (oops, toilets!) that we visited. Once in Marseilles, Gary and the boys went to the men's toilet while I went to the women's. Fortunately for them, the restrooms were located together and I could just pay the attendant for the four of us at once. If they had gone on their own, they would've been out of luck. One lesson learned there -- make sure everyone (at least all adults) have some coins in their pockets.

We also packed travel t.p. and i carried it with me on all of our excursions but only needed it on our afternoon in Pisa - and that was because the toilet at the gelato bar/restaurant was out. I was "woo-hoo!" when I finally got to use my travel T.P. On the other hand, I did make judicious use of the seat covers that we brought.

Regarding cash for excursion tips, we noticed that a lot of our fellow passengers were not prepared to tip our excursion guides, and we noticed that when we tipped, our guides were very gracious. I think to some degree it's that folks didn't think about it, and to another degree, folks didn't have the cash on them to tip. We made sure to set aside tip money for each of our excursions before we set out each day so we'd know what we had to spend for souvenirs, etc., without running out.

We did get a bit low on Euros about midway through, so we found an ATM in one of the ports that had English as well as Italian (the first one we found was only Italian). It was actually one of the things I wanted to do - use the ATM to get some Euro's.

This is such a great trip down memory lane.


And related to 2010 trip - we get the Conde Nast Traveler magazine and the issue we received in today's mail has an article about Stockholm.

 

[CarolAnnC]

We had similar experiences in the Med - all DCL excursions and we had to pay for some of the restrooms (oops, toilets!) that we visited. Once in Marseilles, Gary and the boys went to the men's toilet while I went to the women's. Fortunately for them, the restrooms were located together and I could just pay the attendant for the four of us at once. If they had gone on their own, they would've been out of luck. One lesson learned there -- make sure everyone (at least all adults) have some coins in their pockets.

We also packed travel t.p. and i carried it with me on all of our excursions but only needed it on our afternoon in Pisa - and that was because the toilet at the gelato bar/restaurant was out. I was "woo-hoo!" when I finally got to use my travel T.P. On the other hand, I did make judicious use of the seat covers that we brought.

Regarding cash for excursion tips, we noticed that a lot of our fellow passengers were not prepared to tip our excursion guides, and we noticed that when we tipped, our guides were very gracious. I think to some degree it's that folks didn't think about it, and to another degree, folks didn't have the cash on them to tip. We made sure to set aside tip money for each of our excursions before we set out each day so we'd know what we had to spend for souvenirs, etc., without running out.

We did get a bit low on Euros about midway through, so we found an ATM in one of the ports that had English as well as Italian (the first one we found was only Italian). It was actually one of the things I wanted to do - use the ATM to get some Euro's.

This is such a great trip down memory lane.


And related to 2010 trip - we get the Conde Nast Traveler magazine and the issue we received in today's mail has an article about Stockholm.

The toilets in the Cinque Terre train station area had absolutely no toilet paper not even for a price. And DH was sure glad he took the tp with him to the mens room near the Monaco royal palace as there was none in there either, lol.

The seat covers too, well indispensible! Even the very nice restaurant we ate at in Rome while on our excursion had toilets without seats, just the ceramic bowl. But any of these sure beat the old hole in the ground that some countries serve up as bathrooms, ugh. I encountered this decades ago on my first European vacation. I am not a roughing it kind of gal, lol.

Yes, the tips for the tour guides are much appreciated by them. Maybe I will need to bring a few different wallets to keep this money separated. I can see myself in Denmark shuffling around some Krones or other such currency, lol.

I think I need to make up a binder with sections marked with all these must plan areas!

 

[sharper_fin]

London may be very crowded at that time

London is ridiculously crowded all the time. I don't think there are any times quieter than others. It's one of the busiest cities in the world, zero privacy. Some love that, some hate it.

 

[sharper_fin]

Just a question about how people obtain foreign currency in the States. You keep mentioning getting packs from AAA? Is it not possible to just walk into a bank and get currency? Here in Britain we can pretty much just walk in and pick up what we want, when we want. Many high street stores and post offices carry foreign currency too.

 

[cmaelltt1]

We get paid in dollars, but pay our rent and utilities in Euro. So I'm very happy with this exchange rate. I hope it stays down a while. My rent changes every month depending on the exchange rate on the 1st of the month, it's always the same amount of Euro. Tomorrow I am expecting it to be $700 lower than it was earlier this year. However, my dh's car broke down and is in the shop right now.
It will cost over 700 Euro to fix. So that's not so great.

I leave in 6 hours to take my kids to Post for trick-or-treating. My 8 yo dd is going as a dice cube. But I have no idea what to do for my 6 yo ds. I didn't get around to ordering costumes on time and the post exchange had very few. So unless I can convince him to be Superman again, I am going to have to get pretty creative pretty fast.

My oldest daughter is 15. She left yesterday for a snowboarding trip in Austria. She will be gone until Sunday night. She is probably on the slopes right now. Or even more likely drinking hot chocolate at the lodge with her friends.

We were planning to visit Berlin over Thanksgiving. But have decided to postpone until next year, probably early springtime. I am thinking we will spend the Berlin day of the cruise on the ship. It will be nice to have one day with the ship to ourselves, well at least less crowded. Instead of Berlin for Thanksgiving, we are going to take a bus tour to Rome over Christmas. We are also considering a tour to a Medieval castle that will serve Thanksgiving dinner. I have to go to the USO to sign-up and I'm hoping it's not already booked up.

 

[cmaelltt1]

Most US banks don't carry other currency. You have to order a few days in advance. And it usually has to be over a certain amount.
Carrie

Just a question about how people obtain foreign currency in the States. You keep mentioning getting packs from AAA? Is it not possible to just walk into a bank and get currency? Here in Britain we can pretty much just walk in and pick up what we want, when we want. Many high street stores and post offices carry foreign currency too.

 

[scottishwee35]

London is ridiculously crowded all the time. I don't think there are any times quieter than others. It's one of the busiest cities in the world, zero privacy. Some love that, some hate it.

Yes, I am okay with London, not fond of it!! But decide to go and stay for 2 nights before the Cruise and take the bus hop on hop off to around or contact my family to meet up?

We get paid in dollars, but pay our rent and utilities in Euro. So I'm very happy with this exchange rate. I hope it stays down a while. My rent changes every month depending on the exchange rate on the 1st of the month, it's always the same amount of Euro. Tomorrow I am expecting it to be $700 lower than it was earlier this year. However, my dh's car broke down and is in the shop right now.
It will cost over 700 Euro to fix. So that's not so great.

I leave in 6 hours to take my kids to Post for trick-or-treating. My 8 yo dd is going as a dice cube. But I have no idea what to do for my 6 yo ds. I didn't get around to ordering costumes on time and the post exchange had very few. So unless I can convince him to be Superman again, I am going to have to get pretty creative pretty fast.

My oldest daughter is 15. She left yesterday for a snowboarding trip in Austria. She will be gone until Sunday night. She is probably on the slopes right now. Or even more likely drinking hot chocolate at the lodge with her friends.

We were planning to visit Berlin over Thanksgiving. But have decided to postpone until next year, probably early springtime. I am thinking we will spend the Berlin day of the cruise on the ship. It will be nice to have one day with the ship to ourselves, well at least less crowded. Instead of Berlin for Thanksgiving, we are going to take a bus tour to Rome over Christmas. We are also considering a tour to a Medieval castle that will serve Thanksgiving dinner. I have to go to the USO to sign-up and I'm hoping it's not already booked up.

Sound fun that your oldest daughter - snowboarding trip in Austria. How lovely.

Scottishwee35

 

[nzdisneymom]

Most US banks don't carry other currency. You have to order a few days in advance. And it usually has to be over a certain amount.
Carrie

And one thing to know about ordering from AAA's foreign currency exchange, if you use your credit card to buy them, it will be processed as a cash-advance.

We found that we could've exchanged at the Atlanta airport before going, but it was easier and actually got a better rate by getting them through AAA (as a PP mentioned, with AAA, you get it for what they paid for it plus the transaction fee).

It seems that many of us here sailed the Med in summer 2007. That will definitely help us all with planning for summer 2010 - just knowing some of the logistics for DCL sailing in Europe. And how wonderful to have some "locals" who are familiar with our departure area to help us figure out pre- and post-cruise stays!