exchange rate ...

[poffles]

Totally sucks. Thankfully we had our cruise paid off before the big drop but we've been slowly converting money for cost of resorts and spending and just converted the last of it yesterday ... ouch. Sad to have gotten a little less every trip to the bank.

We don't want to use a card for anything and I am so glad we made that decision because we at least have the exchange already accounted for and a good chunk of it done when it was a better rate. Now when we pay for the resorts there will be no exchange surprises in addition to what the credit card company charges. I like knowing exactly what something will cost.

Here's hoping it doesn't drop too low. Even though this trip is here now (yippee ... so excited) and the money taken care of, I would hate to see it get so bad that it makes it difficult for future trips.

 

[Ham Ham]

 

[MomDad&2boys]

We are so lucky that we bought DVC at the end of our September trip & paid it off in full and hooray for the annual passes too. If we had held off buying, we would certainly not own DVC now. Unfortunately, the dollar does impact our flight costs, food & souvenirs.

 

[joech]

We are so lucky that we bought DVC at the end of our September trip & paid it off in full and hooray for the annual passes too. If we had held off buying, we would certainly not own DVC now. Unfortunately, the dollar does impact our flight costs, food & souvenirs.

Same here except we bought in May. I was joking with my DW that we would make some money if we sell DVC now.

 

[michellev]

Same here except we bought in May. I was joking with my DW that we would make some money if we sell DVC now.

We're in the middle of a DVC (resale) right now! EEK! The dollar started to fall right as we began the transaction, so we RAN (really fast :lol: ) to the bank and opened up a U.S. bank account. The teller gave me attitude, he rudely asked me if I realized this wasn't a good time to put 15, 000 into U.S. funds. Well, duh! Anyway, I am so thankful we did that as we would have lost quite a bit more than we did if we had waited. Sigh.

Of course I still have to pay for tickets and dining.

 

[misslissa]

Any prediction as to what is going to happen next? Our final payment is due on December 25th for our February trip.... it isn't only us traveling but our family too and we're all kind of waiting to see if first there will be a promo for our dates and then to make the final payment when the dollar is ok. Do you think it will go up again? Do you think the American election will impact it much? We don't want to wait it out if the dollar is going to drop again, but we also don't want to wait until it is higher! I'm at a loss as what to do

 

[beebumble]

What the heck. How can it poosibly be dropping so quickl????

We need some Disney Magic

 

[drag n' fly]

Today I went to the post office to get a US money order. They gave me 70 cents on the dollar

 

[FantasticFour]

Tip 1: Buy Canadian.
Some Canadian travel agencies-- online and otherwise-- negotiated prices with US carriers before anyone anticipated the price drop. Normally, the Canadian sites charge a bit more, but in this instance it is worth your while to comparison shop. Confirm that the site or agent doesn't charge your card in US dollars. I'll give you an example. I just booked a series of NCL cruises with an online Canadian agent (PM me if you want details). The company negotiates rates every two months or so with NCL. I booked a rate in Canadian dollars at the equivalent of a 90cent Canadian dollar. Now... two months ago that would have been a crappy deal. Today, it is a savings of about 15% (after you add in the percentage the credit card company charges). DCL does not have Canadian dollar rates with this agent, but I believe that CAA does sell disney product in Canadian dollars. You can also get park passes this way at exchange rates set prior to the drop. Check out the price difference. Be aware that some of the major Canadian online travel agencies quote in Canadian, but bill in US funds. So... you still have to pay the credit card company an additional 2.5% to convert the funds.

BTW-- this also applies to other US product currently in Canadian stores. Prices will be going up as new merchandise is shipped in. I was in the Lands End dept of Sears on Sunday and the clerk told me that they already had the list of price increases. Books are also a good deal right now.

Tip 2: Check out the prepaid rates on Canadian sites for hotels. For our upcoming DCL trip, I booked a prepaid, no cancel hotel for before and after the cruise at a great price in Canadian dollars on a major *Canadian* online travel agency site. These prepaid prices are usually billed in Canadian dollars, but check to make sure. The US hotels also offer discounted prepaid rates, but these are in US funds. This will insulate me against further declines in the dollar and I figure that these rates were also set at a 10% exchange rate. This won't last as the rates will be renegotiated soon.

Tip 3: Keep our fingers crossed.
I, like others, have been trapped by having to pay out a trip to Hawaii today at the lousy exchange rate.

Do I think that the dollar will drop to 55cents. No. But I do think that it will hover around 75 cents for a while. I doubt that it will get back to par for a long, long, long time and we will be well off if it settles in at 85. Do I have a crystal ball... wish I did.

 

[SydneyFalco]

Crud! It's official. My wife and mother-in-law want to pay off the trips tonight. I'm outvoted and will concede defeat.

77 cents. I could cry.

Official losses for not putting in all my credit card in March? $1500.00

Somebody hold me.

 

[Narnia]

ohhhhhnooo!!!! I've left buying amarican money to the last min! I'm going friday to exchange my money and now my $700 is going to get me $500 at best! Good thing other then tips all our food has been paid for when the dollar was almost par( deluxe dining). I am so going to hate tipping at 18 %( not forced too since we have only 3 people going 1 adult and 2 kids). I bought a gift basket full of things I would have bought anyways so i don't need much spending money

 

[SydneyFalco]

ohhhhhnooo!!!! I've left buying amarican money to the last min! I'm going friday to exchange my money and now my $700 is going to get me $500 at best! Good thing other then tips all our food has been paid for when the dollar was almost par( deluxe dining). I am so going to hate tipping at 18 %( not forced too since we have only 3 people going 1 adult and 2 kids). I bought a gift basket full of things I would have bought anyways so i don't need much spending money

Hey, only ONE week, Narnia! Woo hoo!

I will hate tipping at 18%, too. But it's not the exchange rate; I grew up with fifteen percent being the standard tip for excellent service, with obvious flexibility downward and no shame in that. (Still, I will grit my teeth and pay out 18%, cause I don't have the guts not to.) Only now you have reminded me that in a month or two I will have to get my tipping cash exchanged and it will have to be, like you say, about 700 bucks, and not the 400-something I had planned.

More ouch. The ouch never ends. But good things come after the ouch.

 

[TammyLynn33]

Hey guys Im new to the Canadian boards. Our air is paid thank goodness and we arent going to april so our payment is due feb I dont know whether to put it on a credit card now, or wait and see...

thoughts anyone?

 

[cndnchicky]

Hmm thats a tough one, i've been checking on the business news network daily to see whats going on with our dollar. Someone today said that they expect that the dollar will get stronger after the US election is over. I too am having to pay off my balance in the next few months. Personally I'm just watching and listening to what the business news network is saying. Here's to hoping for parity!!!

 

[TreesyB]

We're in the middle of a DVC (resale) right now! EEK! The dollar started to fall right as we began the transaction, so we RAN (really fast :lol: ) to the bank and opened up a U.S. bank account. The teller gave me attitude, he rudely asked me if I realized this wasn't a good time to put 15, 000 into U.S. funds. Well, duh! Anyway, I am so thankful we did that as we would have lost quite a bit more than we did if we had waited. Sigh.

Of course I still have to pay for tickets and dining.

YIKES! One thing I'm thankful for is paying off my DVC at $1.07. So even if I have to pay for tickets and dining, the hit isn't as bad. Maybe I'll cook instead!

 

[SydneyFalco]

Okay--paid it off last night!

This morning, the dollar jumps from 77 to 81 U.S. (according to the site I check).

Sigh.

 

[rewok]

Currently sitting at 82.3 cents (or 1.213 CAD for 1USD), what a rise this morning! I'd love if it would get back at around 1.10-1.15, this is a comfortable level for me, more logical, helps for exports (our jobs...), and still high enough that I can go on vacation!

 

[glenpreece]

Currently sitting at 82.3 cents (or 1.213 CAD for 1USD), what a rise this morning! I'd love if it would get back at around 1.10-1.15, this is a comfortable level for me, more logical, helps for exports (our jobs...), and still high enough that I can go on vacation!

Thank god for small miracles. lol

 

[snickerboo]

Stay up, stay up!!! (at least until the end of my vacation!) I have been watching that sucker go down for two and a half weeks. I can't believe it's up. Keeping my fingers crossed. If it will go up to .85, I might actually had hit the outlet malls. I'd nixed shoppping plans expecting it to be below .75.

PS: You know why it's going up? So dh can say, "I told you so" because I've been freaking since the dollar dumped and kept asking (especially last week), "should we get some more USD, I really think we should", and he kept saying, "no". LOL

 

[SydneyFalco]

D'oh! D'oh! D'oh!!