What currency should I take on mediterranean cruise?

Question

We are taking a 20-day Mediterranean cruise on Holland America. Should we take Euros or US Dollars?

Answer 1

US dollars is the only currency in the world that is accepted in every country. I would take US money and if you would ever need to get Euros, i'm sure you could do this at the purser's desk or at the port you're at that day.

Answer 2

Take some dollars, take some Euros, and maybe even British Pounds. If you go to countries, like Malta, take more euros.

In my opinion take the follow

60% euros

25% Dollars

15% Pounds

Answer 3

For everything you do while on the ship, everything will be charged to your stateroom.  So, while on the ship, it's "cashless".  At the end of the cruise, if you have any charges, you can pay them with your credit card or with cash.  I believe Holland America Line operates in US dollars as the primary currency, but I can almost guarantee you that they'll also take British Pounds and Euros, and probably also Canadian dollars.

When you're OFF the ship, then you will need whatever currency is used in that port.  Spain, France, Italy, and Greece all use the Euro now.  If your cruise stops at an African port, such as in Egypt or Tunisia, then you'll need some local currency there.  I've found you can usually get this on-board as well.  Sometimes all you need is a small amount of cash that you can obtain from a bank or ATM.  You don't need lots of cash on any cruise unless you plan to do some serious shopping.

I think a little bit of both US dollars and Euros will work for you, and you can almost always exchange money at the purser's desk if you need it.  They'll probably sell stamps for your postcards, too.  Should you need more cash than you brought from home, use a shore-based ATM instead of the one on board.  The on-board ATMs usually have exorbitant fees.