Canadian Dollar is going to cancel our trip.

[Susie63]

Well yes and no. I haven't done the concrete dollar to pound back track, but even though it's shifted some, I think our dollar to the GBP has always been relatively around what it is now. I could be wrong but I've always estimated a little over .50 on our dollar to give me a rough idea. So yes, it's a lot for the exchange, but considering in 2 years we can get a lot more bang with our buck in the US, it almost makes sense to do the trip that will always cost us around $6000 - $7000 At any point vs the trip that generally costs us $5000 but this time will cost a little over $6000. That's my logic behind it, if that makes sense.

So it's not really about the dollar to GBP as much as it is what the chances of us applying the inflated amount to the same type of trip we normally have for less, or apply it to a trip we've been wanting to do for years but always go with Disney because it's cheaper.

I have been checking in on currency converter lately for my USD exchange. The British pound cost over $2 CAD. Sorry

 

[thetallone101]

I have been checking in on currency converter lately for my USD exchange. The British pound cost over $2 CAD. Sorry

My husband is from the UK and my inlaws go back every year. His family really wants us to come visit, but when it costs $2.20 at the bank to buy it's too expensive right now! Way worse than the US dollar! Sorry to bust your bubble...

 

[peimikes]

Can you not look at other options? Staying in a Value instead of a moderate? Staying off site?

Values were not part of the Free dining bounce back deal at the time. CBR was the least expensive option.

 

[squirrel]

AirTransat has a great deal for Cabana Bay in September at least (other months might be good too). I had already booked my dates with someone else and the cancellation costs are more than the savings. 9 nights is $760 CAN for a standard room and $1080 for the Family suite.

 

[sherilaine]

Wouldn't it still be really expensive since our dollar is so low to exchange it into pounds...I believe you would still lose a lot of money. Just curious

We have actually used the fact our $ is unbelievable crappy compared to the pound to make a trip to the US a lot easier to justify - not only does it cost more than $2 for £1 - the U.K is a much more expensive place to visit. Always good to have stuff that is even worse to make our situation feel a bit better!

 

[Raimiette]

$1950 CDN including tickets, flight, accomodations???! I'm assuming only 2 people? Even still, how did you swing this? Where are you staying, flying from etc? How many days at US?

Yep 2 adults.

Here is the breakdown:

Two 3 Park Unlimited passes from Undercover Tourist (they are good for 14 days at US, IOA and W&W): $638.20CAD ($456.26USD)
Two return flights with Delta Airlines from Buffalo (not direct, 1 stop in Atlanta but the times are reasonable): $667.22CAD ($458.40USD)
8 nights in a standard room at Universal's Cabana Bay Resort from Air Transat: $668.10

So it's actually $1,973.52 (a little over my initial estimate but still good though )

 

[mshanson3121]

Vs were not part of the Free dining bounce back deal at the time. CBR was the least expensive option.

Off site would be cheaper, but for a Disney site yes I suppose that would be cheapest.

 

[mshanson3121]

Yep 2 adults.

Here is the breakdown:

Two 3 Park Unlimited passes from Undercover Tourist (they are good for 14 days at US, IOA and W&W): $638.20CAD ($456.26USD)
Two return flights with Delta Airlines from Buffalo (not direct, 1 stop in Atlanta but the times are reasonable): $667.22CAD ($458.40USD)
8 nights in a standard room at Universal's Cabana Bay Resort from Air Transat: $668.10

So it's actually $1,973.52 (a little over my initial estimate but still good though )

Nice!!!

 

[geergirl]

The only reason we're going is that I booked the entire package (flights, hotel, park passes, and character breakfast) with air miles. We paid taxes and fees in CAD with money we were gifted at Christmas. The meals and spending money are on us but I also cashed out nearly $800CAD of foreign currency we had stashed in the house. This will likely be the last trip to the US for quite a while and we're doing it now while our kids are into princesses and we're both employed. With oilpatch jobs, who knows how long that will last!

 

[momof2gr8kids]

The only reason we're going is that I booked the entire package (flights, hotel, park passes, and character breakfast) with air miles. We paid taxes and fees in CAD with money we were gifted at Christmas. The meals and spending money are on us but I also cashed out nearly $800CAD of foreign currency we had stashed in the house. This will likely be the last trip to the US for quite a while and we're doing it now while our kids are into princesses and we're both employed. With oilpatch jobs, who knows how long that will last!

Wow - that must've been a kazillion airmiles!!! That's awesome!

 

[WishingMom]

I feel your pain too. Even with the new summer dining offer, and with upgrading from QS dining to the DDP, and along with the the exchange rate, a week at Pop would cost us no less than $4200, and that excludes airfare from NL...that would be at least $1600 for three people. That brings my total, without spending money nearly $6000...

 

[ILovePixieDust]

Well yes and no. I haven't done the concrete dollar to pound back track, but even though it's shifted some, I think our dollar to the GBP has always been relatively around what it is now. I could be wrong but I've always estimated a little over .50 on our dollar to give me a rough idea. So yes, it's a lot for the exchange, but considering in 2 years we can get a lot more bang with our buck in the US, it almost makes sense to do the trip that will always cost us around $6000 - $7000 At any point vs the trip that generally costs us $5000 but this time will cost a little over $6000. That's my logic behind it, if that makes sense.

So it's not really about the dollar to GBP as much as it is what the chances of us applying the inflated amount to the same type of trip we normally have for less, or apply it to a trip we've been wanting to do for years but always go with Disney because it's cheaper.

Unfortunately, our dollar to te pound hasn't always been what it is now. We are losing just as we are with US dollars. We go back every year and it is such a sad state of affairs. The Canadian dollar value fluctuates with the UK sterling at the same time and rate as the states. When we were on par with the states the point was alsouch much cheaper ($1.40-1.50 canadian as opposed to $2.20 cdn for 1 pound)

 

[xtinewashere]

that is a great price!! i am waiting on universal park tickets-- debating between an annual pass or the 3 park.. hoping prices will go down-- but i doubt it...

 

[Honeystar120608]

Unfortunately, our dollar to te pound hasn't always been what it is now. We are losing just as we are with US dollars. We go back every year and it is such a sad state of affairs. The Canadian dollar value fluctuates with the UK sterling at the same time and rate as the states. When we were on par with the states the point was alsouch much cheaper ($1.40-1.50 canadian as opposed to $2.20 cdn for 1 pound)

Ughh... well that changes things...

 

[keaster]

We are DVC members so the maintenance fee bill we had to pay this month did hurt! We are going to AKL in March (fortunately we purchased our airfare in Canadian dollars and bought our park tickets in August when the dollar was better.) We are going to do most meals in our room as we have a full kitchen so that will hopefully save some money.

We have two long weekends planned to Dallas and Chicago this spring, but after that we will be staying on this side of the border until the dollar gains some strength.

On the flip side...we just got back from a cruise that took us to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman...our exchange rate to the Dirham was actually quite favourable!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Values were not part of the Free dining bounce back deal at the time. CBR was the least expensive option.

Values were not advertised in the brochure as part of the Free Dining Bounce Back were available if you asked about them. This often happens. They advertise what they want you to select but if you ask about values for the bounce back the answer has been yes whenever I've enquired.

I have a Free Dining Bounce Back booked for September at Pop Century, booked during our Sept 2015 stay. The offer included included the Quick Service dining plan and I upgraded to the Disney Dining Plan. This is the 5th year in a row that we're going in September booked via a FD BB the previous year and always staying at Pop even though it's not been advertised as an option.

Hope this helps others. Call x8844 from your resort room and see what available, including requesting about value resorts.

Not sure if someone booked a moderate if they could possibly now switch it to a value without losing the FD BB. It's always worth asking, especially with our crazy dollar!

 

[mab2012]

Well yes and no. I haven't done the concrete dollar to pound back track, but even though it's shifted some, I think our dollar to the GBP has always been relatively around what it is now. I could be wrong but I've always estimated a little over .50 on our dollar to give me a rough idea. So yes, it's a lot for the exchange, but considering in 2 years we can get a lot more bang with our buck in the US, it almost makes sense to do the trip that will always cost us around $6000 - $7000 At any point vs the trip that generally costs us $5000 but this time will cost a little over $6000. That's my logic behind it, if that makes sense.

So it's not really about the dollar to GBP as much as it is what the chances of us applying the inflated amount to the same type of trip we normally have for less, or apply it to a trip we've been wanting to do for years but always go with Disney because it's cheaper.

Others have already commented on the currency. The current spot rate (not bank rate) is 2.03 GBP/CAD. That's similar to where it was at 10 years ago (bar a relatively short period around 2007 when the GBP was higher still), but much worse than it was 2-5 years ago. Whether or not we'll get a lot more bang for our buck in the US (or the UK, for that matter) in two years remains to be seen. Currency is tremendously volatile. Nobody knows where it'll be in two years.

More to the point, taking a family of 4 (I'm going off your icon) to the UK on a budget of $6000 - $7000 is going to be very tight. Maybe not impossible, if you travel off season and choose your accommodations carefully (avoid staying in the big cities), but definitely difficult. I don't want to discourage, but here are a few notes for your planning purposes:

• It will most likely cost at least $4000 just to get there. More on some routes / seasons. You might do a little better off-peak (November through about April, not including Christmas or Easter periods), or on discounted or multi-hop routes, but don't expect to pay less than $800/ticket. In addition to London, consider flights into Manchester, or even Glasgow or Edinburgh, if you're interested in going that far north.
• Almost everything is more expensive in the UK. Often a lot more expensive. The only things I've found to be cheaper are domestic flights, cell phone coverage, and cheese. Groceries aren't too bad, but eating out is almost prohibitive. Think list prices similar to what you'd see in Canada, except priced in pounds. So roughly twice the cost. Likewise gasoline will be around £1/litre.
• Contrary to popular belief, train travel isn't really that cheap in the UK, particularly if you're paying for 4 tickets. If you're comfortable with driving, you'll probably do better with a rental car, with much greater flexibility. Again, car rentals are considerably more expensive than what you can usually find in Canada or the US. Best case, assume around £300/week. Most UK rental cars are standard transmission; you'll pay more for an automatic. Also keep in mind that cars are a lot smaller in the UK, so travel light, or consider reserving a larger size category than you normally would (but keep in mind that large cars are harder to manuver on narrow UK roads and parking lots).
• We stay with family in the UK, so I'm not really up to date on accommodation costs. But the last time I looked for a hotel in a major UK city, it was going to cost over CAD$300/night. That was 15 years ago, off-peak. It's a safe bet that they haven't gotten cheaper since then. If you have access to a timeshare system, that's probably a good alternative. Otherwise you might find a vacation rental in some parts of the country, or look for lower-cost B&Bs.
• A small bit of good news: kids travel free with an adult on the London Tube! Get an Oyster card; the rates are much lower and the upfront deposit is fully refundable.
• Another tip: if you're interested in visiting historical sites, join the Canadian National Trust *before* you go. It's cheap (much less than UK residents pay for their National Trust membership), and will get you into UK National Trust sites for free. They mail your membership card to your residence though, so you need to plan ahead (wish I knew this before our last trip)

I hope you are able to go; it's a beautiful country. If not this year, save up for another time. It's definitely worth waiting for.

 

[AmandaM84]

I feel your pain. Today my fiancé and I decided to cancel our wedding at Disney. The cost for less than 30 guests was outrageous with the horrible Canadian dollar. I am devastated but I just can't spend that much for one day....even if it is the most important day.

 

[alc571]

Threads like these drive me bonkers. Just curious, when you booked your bounceback vacation in September, did you think our dollar would be at par? It was already heading down at that point, and was at 70 cents. Did you not budget for at least a dollar that bad? We have 8 nights booked in June as a bounceback from our trip in September. We budgeted for a 70 cent dollar. This trip is going to cost us an extra $541 (give or take). I'm not cancelling my Disney trip for $500. Yes it sucks, but there is nowhere our family would rather go so it's still worth it. We will go, have an awesome time, and enjoy every bit of Disney we can soak in. And we'll probably book a bounceback then for this fall.

As a previous poster mentioned, the bounceback was available for value resorts - you just get the counter service plan instead of the regular dining plan. If the dollar is hurting you so much, just downgrade your hotel or stay less nights. It doesn't have to be everything or nothing. Just modify to fit your budget....

 

[thetallone101]

Threads like these drive me bonkers. Just curious, when you booked your bounceback vacation in September, did you think our dollar would be at par? It was already heading down at that point, and was at 70 cents. Did you not budget for at least a dollar that bad? We have 8 nights booked in June as a bounceback from our trip in September. We budgeted for a 70 cent dollar. This trip is going to cost us an extra $541 (give or take). I'm not cancelling my Disney trip for $500. Yes it sucks, but there is nowhere our family would rather go so it's still worth it. We will go, have an awesome time, and enjoy every bit of Disney we can soak in. And we'll probably book a bounceback then for this fall.

As a previous poster mentioned, the bounceback was available for value resorts - you just get the counter service plan instead of the regular dining plan. If the dollar is hurting you so much, just downgrade your hotel or stay less nights. It doesn't have to be everything or nothing. Just modify to fit your budget....

Not everyone can afford the extra several hundred/thousands of dollars, so it's easy for you to say.