Key Aspects:
- Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed which currencies are used onboard for upcoming repositioning sailings of Carnival Luminosa.
- The ship splits her deployments between Australia and the US, and her currencies change based on where she departs from.
- No currency exchange services are available onboard except for Canadian dollars, though ATMs offer euros on Europe sailings.
Cruising is a fantastic way to travel the world, often visiting multiple countries in one voyage. But when traveling on unique journeys that start and end in completely different countries, what type of currency is used for onboard purchases?
This can be a critical question for guests who want to plan their budget for onboard spending so they aren’t confused or surprised by charges, especially on special repositioning cruises.
Carnival Cruise Line has offered clarification on currencies for several upcoming sailings of Carnival Luminosa. The 2,260-guest vessel is homeported in two different hemispheres and two different countries, spending April through October in San Francisco, US, but spending November through March in Brisbane, Australia.
On the lengthy cruises that move between those two homeports, which currencies are used onboard? Carnival’s brand ambassador, John Heald, has received that question many times but has now set the record straight.
“Carnival Luminosa has some very special voyages coming up this year and next year. Over the last few days I have had multiple guests who are booked on these cruises ask me which currency will be used on board,” Heald explained.
The question has arisen because of incorrect information being shared on social media, as well as some conflicting answers from contacting customer service. Heald puts it very clearly, however, that the onboard currency will be based on the ship’s departure port for these cruises.
“Sailings from Australia to United States are in AUD currency. Sailings from United States to Australia are in USD,” he confirmed.
Three specific upcoming voyages need to be especially aware of the onboard currency. On September 20, 2026, the ship will depart San Francisco on a one-way, 20-night voyage that will visit multiple destinations in Alaska and Japan before arriving in Tokyo on October 9. On that cruise, USD will be the onboard currency.
On April 6, 2027, Carnival Luminosa will depart Australia (from Sydney, rather than her typical Brisbane homeport) for a 23-night sailing to return to San Francisco.
Along the way, the ship will visit ports in Fiji, French Polynesia, and Hawaii, where the Fijian dollar (FJD), French Pacific franc (XPF), and US dollars (USD) are used, respectively, but Australian dollars (AUD) will be the onboard currency for the entire sailing.
Read Also: What Is a Transpacific Cruise?
When Carnival Luminosa finishes her 2027 summer season of alternating Alaska and Mexico voyages, she will depart San Francisco on October 2, 2027 for a one-way 17-night voyage to Tokyo, Japan.
On that cruise, the ship will visit Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point in Alaska, followed by Sapporo and Aomori City in Japan before arriving in the Japanese capital. USD will be the onboard currency rather than Japanese yen (JPY).
Why Does Currency Matter?
Guests who want to plan carefully for their onboard budget will want to understand which currency is used onboard. Different nations’ currencies fluctuate in value compared to one another, and it can be a surprising expense if one dollar is significantly more or less valuable than another.
At this time, for example, one US dollar is worth approximately $1.41 Australian dollars. When traveling from Australia to the US, this can be a pleasant surprise if one spends $500 onboard, but the US total is just $354.
On the return trip, however, spending $500 USD onboard would amount to $707 AUD, which could be quite the sticker shock for guests on a budget.
According to the cruise line’s website, Carnival does not offer currency exchange services onboard, except for Canadian dollars at the current exchange rate for a small fee.
For domestic cruises setting sail from the US to ports in Mexico and the Caribbean, US dollars are widely accepted. No other currency exchange services are available onboard, though on Europe cruises the ATMs onboard will dispense Euros as available.
