TUI, Thompson, Marella Cruises Money issues and things you should know

Discovery 2

It's dangerous to assume anything when arranging your cruise holiday, as I found recently when I booked and went on a TUI / Thompson/ Marella  Cruise last November. 

The money assumptions that really hurt me were the ones that revolved around having money for going ashore but there are other dangers out there to be aware of.

Sterling is the currency of the cruise line so all on board spend will be added to your ships account which is maintained in sterling. You cannot use your ship account to purchase currency.

·       There is no treasury function onboard so please buy your currency needs before departing on your cruise. 

If    If you have Euro to convert the ship's reception will convert them to US Dollars but at very bad rates and will carry it out as two transactions. They will convert Euro to sterling at a poor rate and then convert sterling to US dollar at a poor rate. So Euro 100 got me USD $ 83 in November 2018. No commission is charged but the rates used are bad enough.

·         f you use an ATM in Gibraltar please be aware that in withdrawing £100 it will cost you £124 as the credit card company applies a £24 Government Tax charge on top, which you only see on your card statement sometime later. No warning is given at the ATM at the point of purchase.

·         If you are in port on any Sunday in the Caribbean or Mediterranean please be aware that most shops are closed as are all banks and possibly any bureaux de change.  Don’t expect otherwise and plan accordingly.

·         If you lose your ship account card contact reception and they will cancel the card and issue you with another at no extra cost.

·         When you get your ship account statement be aware that they have added £2 charge to your account. This is a charitable donation they have presupposed you wish to make for a charity they have chosen. You must contact reception before the end of your cruise to get the charge removed if that is what you want.

·         Note also that the UK has replaced a large number of their coins and notes in the past year so be sure the coins and notes you carry onboard the ship or the planes are still legal tender.

Happy Cruising!