Canadians Traveling to the USA in 2025

[ellbell]

Disney is our go to place. We have been going once or more per year since the kids were little. We get Memory Maker every trip and I look back on the photos frequently with fond memories. We have had so many laughs at Disney and I'm not about to put our lives on hold for 4 years. The kids are getting to the age where every trip could potentially be the last trip where we are all together. I feel I owe so much to Disney for the great times we have together there and I couldn't care less about spending my money there even if they are a US company. We spend the entire trip on Disney property, so pretty much all of our $ goes to Disney when we are there, aside from a bit to Mears and Instacart/Publix. Sorry if that doesn't align with your beliefs or values.

No need to be sorry. Everyone has their own reasons to go or not. I'm going next month even though I struggle with the guilt and fear as mentioned above. My partner on the other hand refuses to step foot in the US until January 2029. Everyone has a right to do what they feel is best for them. There should be no shame in either choice.

 

[hdrolfe]

I'm also struggling with some guilt, I didn't go for my birthday this year but plan to next year. My son no longer wants to travel with me but I think I can do a short Disney trip without worry on my own. So I am planning to leave him home for 3 nights and go to my happy place. Mind you I will also feel some guilt or nostalgia for being there without him. As much as I would love to go to Europe or something, I don't think I can plan a long weekend there so this will be a trial of travelling on my own to some place I know and am familiar with, and getting my Disney fix, and doing it solo, with him left home for a couple days. But I am still feeling some guilt supporting the US right now. I hope it will go smoothly, and that guilt won't diminish my feelings about being there too much.

 

[ellbell]

I'm also struggling with some guilt, I didn't go for my birthday this year but plan to next year. My son no longer wants to travel with me but I think I can do a short Disney trip without worry on my own. So I am planning to leave him home for 3 nights and go to my happy place. Mind you I will also feel some guilt or nostalgia for being there without him. As much as I would love to go to Europe or something, I don't think I can plan a long weekend there so this will be a trial of travelling on my own to some place I know and am familiar with, and getting my Disney fix, and doing it solo, with him left home for a couple days. But I am still feeling some guilt supporting the US right now. I hope it will go smoothly, and that guilt won't diminish my feelings about being there too much.

Do it. Some of my favorite trips are solo. I have 4 sons and none of them want to go all the time and my partner isn't a disney guy. I'll go with friends and it took me years to feel like going by myself was an option. It's so freeing. Specially as a mom. Being totally selfish and doing everything you want to do without having to consider others is a special kind of feeling. Disney is also very solo travel friendly.

 

[AquaDame]

No need to be sorry. Everyone has their own reasons to go or not. I'm going next month even though I struggle with the guilt and fear as mentioned above. My partner on the other hand refuses to step foot in the US until January 2029. Everyone has a right to do what they feel is best for them. There should be no shame in either choice.

Be prepared for that to be longer depending on how the next election goes. Hopefully the Democratic Party finds a solid candidate who has a chance.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I did notice some people in another line were having their fingerprints taken as well as a photo. It may have been they were from a country other than Canada or the US.

Disclosure this is merely a guess and it's from an American but it's possible they were doing Global Entry enrollment. That does require fingerprints to be taken and a picture taken. You can do it at an applicable airport upon arrival back into the U.S. when you've been conditionally approved for Global Entry as an option. Some people have used that when they can't get an appointment anytime soon near them for the interview portion that is required for full approval.

 

[CanucksRock]

I’m just returning home from trip to Disneyland. Nothing felt different from any other trip …other than the extreme security when we checked into Disney Grand Californian …but that as it turns out was because Vance was staying there. It was all back to normal by the afternoon of our second day. (Although it was helpful knowing which way to turn when we got off the elevator because it wasn’t the way that had the secret service We also may have been pixie dusted because we booked partial theme park view and our room was right above the World of Disney store with a perfect view of the Fireworks.)

We saw no signs of the wildfires or protests. So just a reminder that LA is a very big place - what you see on TV, is not what is happening everywhere. We did Disneyland & Universal.

 

[Reepicheep]

I’m just returning home from trip to Disneyland. Nothing felt different from any other trip …other than the extreme security when we checked into Disney Grand Californian …but that as it turns out was because Vance was staying there.

I can match that story. I'm sure everyone recalls that Marshmallow and Yam were the names of the turkeys that were given presidential pardons by President Bush back in 2005 (Thanksgiving). That was the first year that the pardoned turkeys got to spend the rest of their lives at Disneyland (those lucky turkeys, why can't I get a presidential pardon and spend the rest of my life at Disneyland; but I digress...). I attempted to get Marshmallow's autograph, but his secret service detachment decided I was a threat and wrestled me to the ground. Good times, good times...

THIS BIRD IS GOING TO DISNEYLAND / Marshmallow the turkey, you've just been pardoned by the president. What are you going to do now?

 

[ellbell]

Be prepared for that to be longer depending on how the next election goes. Hopefully the Democratic Party finds a solid candidate who has a chance.

I don't have to be prepared for it. It's his choice. I still go. He might not care beyond the current situation.

 

[Reepicheep]

I'm seeing more and more videos on US TV channels about the effect the various boycotts are having on the US economy. Below is a link to a 9 minute video which was shown on CNBC (the NBC business channel) a few days ago. The video has around 2.5 million views, so there is certainly interest in the topic.

The video is divided into three segments:

5 min - Canadian boycott of US imports
2 min - Canadian and European boycott of travel to the US
2 min - European boycott of US imports

I have also seen numerous news reports where American politicians talk about how much Americans miss Canadians. What they miss, of course, is our money.

Some of the comments (in the comment section) of the following video are quite interesting. The consensus by Canadians seems to be that the boycott is primarily caused by That Man's threat of annexation and not his tariffs. I agree with that sentiment, although the issue of tariffs alone would be enough to cause me to join the boycott.

We Went To Canada To See The U.S. Product Boycotts — And What We Found Was Striking

 

[asc]

I don't think I have seen this many people from the EU in our city in a very long time. Also large groups of kids on a group tour overheard them and they noted the US was apparently not even an option for them to consider. Yes.

 

[Reepicheep]

We (me, my wife, and oldest daughter) went through customs in Montreal this past Tuesday morning for our flight to Orlando. I've never had an easier time at customs than during this trip.

My wife and I went through together, and the customs agent said "bonjour", scanned our passports, took our photos, and then said "merci". That was it, the agent said two words total.

My daughter went through customs separately, and had a similar experience. She is starting a one year work term at the Canadian pavilion at Epcot, so had some visa related paperwork in her hand, but the agent still waved her through. My daughter had to mention that she was entering the US on a visa and hand him the paperwork. He scanned the paperwork without comment and sent her on through.

On two of three previous occasions when my daughter entered the US on a visa for a summer job at Disney World, she was sent to a special room for an interview. I have no idea why it was so easy this time.

My 2nd daughter is also in Orlando now, finishing up her summer work term, so she will be returning to Edmonton with us. I admit to feeling some guilt for being in the US, but because we had non-refundable plane tickets, plus two daughters here, deciding to fly to Orlando was an easy decision to make. In all probability, since our oldest daughter will be in Orlando for the next year, we will probably take two more trips here during her work term.

We should all know more by tomorrow, but the current news on tariffs does not look promising.

As an aside: we flew Air Canada Rouge for the first time. Surprisingly, they offer free beer in economy, so my 9am breakfast consisted of a package of pretzels and two beer (I assume it is one beer per person, but my non-drinking wife also ordered a beer and gave it to me). Kind of early to start drinking beer, but as a frugal beer drinking ethnic German Lutheran, I couldn't let this opportunity go to waste.

"It is better to think of church in the ale-house than to think of the ale-house in church." - Martin Luther