Anyone else dying inside from the exchange rate?!

[sunny_stace]

Today $500 Canadian got me $380.71 USD...I almost cried at the bank!! I feel like someone literally just stole $120 from my wallet!!!
Just curious as to how other people are handling the nasty dollar? Have you made changes to your plans or budgets?

 

[Tiggs14]

We cancelled our November trip. The prices are expensive to start with compared to what they were just a few years ago adding a 25%-30% premium on top of them for the exchange made us look elsewhere.

 

[Aladora]

We are going to WDW in December and have paid too much in advance to cancel. We were toying around with the idea of going back to DL in March for my birthday but given the exchange rate, I just don't see that happening.

 

[TommyJK]

Yep. It stings Going in Feb for my 40th. Been planning for so long that despite the crappy exchange rate still planning on going.

Been keeping things very budget conscious. Using Aeroplan and Airmiles to get 1/2 of our park tickets. Plan on little to no table service meals. Plan on little to no shopping. Have been combing/searching through as many discounts (for car rental, hotels etc.) as we can find.

All in all, my budget *isn't* going to be THAT much higher than when we last went down in Jan of 2014, just slicing away non-necessities.

 

[trivial]

My most recent trip will have to be the last one for quite a while. WDW is expensive enough as it is without our dollar diving.

 

[bcwife76]

Yes and it sucks. The bills are rolling in from our trip last week.....seeing the exchange......shiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttt.

We booked another cruise while onboard but I have serious doubts that we will keep it. The deposit was $527. With exchange I saw on our credit card that it was $707CDN. And that was just the deposit!!

This blows

 

[Susie63]

yeah...I paid off our vacation rental. It was $2365 US...$3137 Cad. I used my Amazon.ca Visa... thank you Dis friends.... so I didn't have to pay the exchange fee. We thought it would be great to fly to Disneyland for 2 days for the 60th, before we head to WDW. If I hadn't booked the tickets to California with our Aeroplan points....I would skip DL.... too late now....sigh$$$$$...and I still have to book flights from DL to WDW and get my 2 day hoppers for DL....ack!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We're definitely feeling the burn. Trips in May, October and December this year and again in April 2016......with no substantial improvement to the dollar's value in sight.

Thankfully, we're travelling as a twosome versus a family for most trips (our adult son has opted to stay home for all but one vacation), which is helping us adjust.

Our annual maintenance fees for our timeshare are going to be painful on January 1st . lol, at least I'm earning some extra credit card points .

 

[Fennella Brewer]

I regret not paying in full last July when I booked the WDW trip. I am keeping a close eye on the exchange rates which will hopefully go up a little bit more before the election. It sucks but I am looking at it as a once in a lifetime trip for my granddaughter's 5th birthday.

 

[mort1331]

Look at the silver lining here. Our friends to the south had bad unemployment numbers and our dollar has risen 1cent in the past 2 days and closing mid 76 today. Hope it keeps going in this direction. Once the election is over, depending on which party gets in the markets will keep it up. Cross fingers.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I try to buy American money each pay day over the course of the year (spreading out the pain). We are going August 2016 for a two week trip (Contemporary/Beach Club/ Riverside); however, we have a 12 day Mediterranean Disney Cruise planned for 2017 and if the dollar doesn't pick up, we will likely bump it back another year.

 

[sunny_stace]

Yeah...I first felt the sting when paying off the trip balance...$1176 was over $1600 CDN! I'm traveling with family from the USA in a group of 7-10 through the trip otherwise I would be doing things a little differently (i.e. no TS dining, change dates to go during free dining, stay at a value instead of a mod. etc.) but what can we do...besides cry all over our loonies!

Thanks for commiserating with me!

 

[xlxo]

There is a slight recovery in recent days... can it be sustained?
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=CADUSD=X&t=3m&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=

 

[suebecdan]

I think we are all feeling the pain. We are booked on the MAGIC and then staying a few days at the resort. We are going with a large group and we have been planning for two years.

 

[Deanie1]

I am going to Hawaii in Mar 2016. Ouch! Last Hawaii trip for me. I am hoping for Wdw the following year and if our CAD is still bad, I either won't go or else I will stay at Pop instead of my usual POR.

 

[Susie63]

I look at it this way..... there will always be more money.... make the memories now!

 

[Disneylover99]

There is a slight recovery in recent days... can it be sustained?
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=CADUSD=X&t=3m&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=

I better get some money soon.

We are going in December and my strategy is to not look at exchange rates. Just go to the bank and get what I need without thinking about how much I paid for it.......I know, it's not much of a strategy but it helps me cope.

 

[minnie mum]

We had 2 trips to the States this year. Fortunately the money in our US$ account was put there when our dollar was worth a lot more than it is now. So we didn't really feel the pinch.

But until the exchange rate improves, were going to vacation in places other than the States for the next year or so.

 

[Average Joes]

I promised my wife to take the family to Disney in the fall of 2014 for this fall. The dollar was in the high 80s. No big deal. Then suddenly it kept loosing value. I rented DVC for a split stay. It was at 85 cents when I booked the 1st part of the stay around December. Then a couple weeks later 79 cents for the 2nd half. Not the best thing but always a risk when travelling.

FYI a Sears Mastercard has no fees on exchange.

 

[bankr63]

We had 2 trips to the States this year. Fortunately the money in our US$ account was put there when our dollar was worth a lot more than it is now. So we didn't really feel the pinch.

But until the exchange rate improves, were going to vacation in places other than the States for the next year or so.

+1
We were planning a Southern US trip (not Disney this year) for March break, but are reconsidering and thinking Mexico now. Our C$ against the Peso is pretty much at the same level as it was when we started dropping. Actually when you look at the C$ against many global currencies, it's not so much that we have dropped, it's that the US$ has skyrocketed.

We still might go with the US trip and just not shop much. Driving is still cheaper than flying, so that makes up for some of the increase in the cost of dining and accommodation in the US.