Freaking out about the USD/CAD exchange!

[mjhtvchick]

Anyone else nervously watching the exchange rates for an upcoming trip?

We are heading down in May and I am starting to freak out as I am watching the CAD slide.

I bought some USD cash in January when the rates were reasonably good and now I wish I had bought more...have to pay the balance on my townhouse in the next couple of days and pick up some Universal tickets while I can still get them at a good rate. Not to mention all the costs when we are actually down there in May!

Can anyone talk me off the ledge or are you as nervous as I am that this is just the beginning of a major slide?

 

[Gigi22]

I was just talking one of my travel buddies down from the same ledge this morning! Generally speaking it’s a good idea to purchase everything you can (airfare, tickets, etc.) in Canadian dollars before you go on vacation. So, do what you can, but don’t stress about what you can’t do. Is there any way you can cut your discretionary costs in May? Also, you may want to look into a new Forex-free credit card, there’s still a couple of credit cards out there. I believe Scotiabank may have one, for a fee.

And, don’t worry about the exchange rate, there’s nothing you or I can do about it.

 

[deedubb]

What a tumble it has taken! Fortunately, I have already paid for almost everything already and did so when the dollar was much higher. The only things left to pay for are food (and I still have a lot of US cash on hand) and a car rental for the Disneyland trip. Will have to book some dessert parties for the WDW trip as well but hopefully the dollar will be higher by then. It sure would be nice if Disney did a promotion for everything to be at par for Canadians!

 

[PanamaMike]

Try visiting 18 years ago when the exchange rate was $1.54.

That was painful.

 

[starvenger]

Try visiting 18 years ago when the exchange rate was $1.54.

I was working in the Detroit area at the time, so it worked out for me as I lived in Windsor

FWIW the dollar has not hit the lows of Jan 2016 or even May 2017. Yet. There's probably 45 reasons why the dollar has been going down, but I'm just as certain that, at some point, there will be 45 reasons that it will go back up. And that's all I'll say about that.

 

[mjhtvchick]

I was just talking one of my travel buddies down from the same ledge this morning! Generally speaking it’s a good idea to purchase everything you can (airfare, tickets, etc.) in Canadian dollars before you go on vacation. So, do what you can, but don’t stress about what you can’t do. Is there any way you can cut your discretionary costs in May? .

We don't have a lot of big plans for our second week - planning to stick to some low-key stuff - relaxing at the pool, minigolf, maybe Aquatica, I-Drive 360 and/or Orlando Science Center.
Our shopping will definitely take a hit - not that we planned to do a lot but we always head to the outlets for at least one day.
We will also be adjusting our dining plans while at Universal - picking up some breakfast foods for the room and cutting down on table service meals.

I really don't want to have it affect our vacation too much though - we are paying so much to go, we want to enjoy ourselves.

Try visiting 18 years ago when the exchange rate was $1.54.

That was painful.

That is my biggest fear - I have actually seem some projections that that is where it is heading...I really, really hope that is not the case.

 

[sherilaine]

There is really nothing you can do about it at this point except pay for what you can now if you feel it's only going to go down between now and May and not up. I thing the entire trade issue is making our dollar less stable and if there were to be some closure on that end, then we'd see an improvement. My theory is when you make a decision to go then when you are there you do not do the math in your head every time you go to buy something as that is just depressing - you stay within your budget you have set and move on.

 

[mshanson3121]

I've been watching, and yeah, I'm a bit nervous. The predictions are all over the place, some say the dollar is going to go back up to $0.80, some predict it tumbling as low as $0.72. If it goes much below $0.75 we'll be canceling, as we already have a large US trip coming up this summer. Can't afford to take a hit on both of them.

 

[hdrolfe]

I go in 4 weeks! I still need to buy my USD but can't afford it for another 2 weeks. I have paid off everything except the gratuities on the cruise, and what I plan to spend cash on. I am glad I did most of that a month ago! I am also glad I got those Disney gift cards so I am at least saving the extra credit card exchange. Still makes me leery to book another trip any time soon in anything other than CAD though...

 

[CaperCris]

I'm watching. We go in August and I was going to pay my trip balance off last week but I'm holding off in hopes the dollar rebounds somewhat. Even if it goes back up to $0.80 would be a nice savings for me, it would at least cover my car rental for the day and lunch for our shopping day. These little things add up

 

[isabellea]

We decided that as soon as DH's bonus or income taxe refund is deposited in our account we will pay half what we owe for our December trip and pay the rest with monthly payments (I don't want to pay it in full like DH in case it climbs back).

 

[pigletto]

We took two trips last year when it was around .70
We had free flight vouchers for both trips plus annual passes so it was going to be super super cheap. Then the dollar fell big time. I ended up adjusting anywhere I could to try to recoup. I cancelled a few things and because we had units with kitchens we ended making a lot of meals in the unit which was fantastic. It was the only way we managed to keep the costs reasonable. We ate offsite for dinners or counter service and had lots of easy to prep food for lunches and snacks. We were in a Cabana Bay suite for one trip, and offsite Disney for another.

We’re going to the Canadian Rockies for our 2018 trip, and as much as I am dying to plan Florida or a cruise for next winter (2019) I am holding off. The exchange just eats so much of the trip budget .

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Well I sadly deleted my trip countdown ticker a few days ago... so that says something...

DH has been so disenchanted over all these new changes from our last trip that he pretty much doesn't want to go now. A typical Florida beaches and Space Centre and LEGOLAND trip, sure he's up for that, but... neither of us can see the value in paying Disney $10/hr or more (when you do the breakdown of time spent in park vs. dollar amount paid) to stand in crowded hot lines with other people for hours on end. We have a local summer rodeo for that ;-P AND season passes to our local amusement park for this year. I don't think it would be as magical to my DD to be told, "we didn't pay for that" and "you just have to wait" throughout an entire vacation spot that she has GREAT memories of.

Soooooo I don't know what we are going to do.

 

[Silvermist999]

I was working in the Detroit area at the time, so it worked out for me as I lived in Windsor

FWIW the dollar has not hit the lows of Jan 2016 or even May 2017. Yet. There's probably 45 reasons why the dollar has been going down, but I'm just as certain that, at some point, there will be 45 reasons that it will go back up. And that's all I'll say about that.

Yep, our May 2017 WDW trip wasn't a cheap one at all. Watching the CAD nosedive leading up to our trip was brutal. We still enjoyed our 10 day trip, but sadly, my outlet shopping was kept to a minimum. Luckily, our park tix and car rental were courtesy of AirMiles.

 

[mjhtvchick]

Thanks everyone - hate to say that "misery loves company" but I do feel a bit better. I think I just have to stop watching the rates and accept that "it is what it is" - we are too far in to cancel now!

Fingers crossed!!

 

[Sue M]

I’m worried too. We have 2 trips coming up. DL late April/May for 6 days off-site with one daughter. Luckily airfare was paid before Loonie took the nose dive. And tickets. But still have to pay for hotel & food.

WDW with Labour Day Deal at end of August with the other daughter. I have an AP and daughter has the 10 day Canadian ticket deal bought at higher dollar. Again flights were pail a long time ago, and I only have $400 more to pay on resort. So I’m good there. But again I have food to pay for. At wdw this time we are mostly eating CS with a few TS sprinkled in. Probably minimal souvies. We always pack breakfast stuff for the room. Easy to throw a couple of bags of bagels in luggage and packs of instant oatmeal. Then get cream cheese at resort store and juice.

We have a CIBC USD acct and every month I’ve been putting cash in it. Still need more. I’m thinking of buying Disney Gift Cards to avoid forex but worry what if CAD drops more? Is it better to lock in a rate you know buying USD, rather to buy cards and hope for the best that dollar doesn’t drop more by the time I get there

Yes, wouldn’t it be great if resorts too were at par?

 

[star72232]

Try visiting 18 years ago when the exchange rate was $1.54.

That was painful.

I started 3 years of school in the US in 1998. Finished at the end of 2000. Paid for it in US dollars. It was painful.

 

[Mama_Cass]

This happens every time we go (we go to Disneyland twice a year)...leading up to the trip the exchange rate gets worse and then shortly after our trip it gets better again...until our next trip. I miss the days we were on par...

 

[momof2gr8kids]

We have no trips planned yet, but would like to go somewhere warm next year over Christmas break if possible, or an extended March Break. We have enough Aeroplan points to get us to Hawaii or Central America. Have to wait til June to plan anything, but researching where our dollar will go further! But we might say screw it and put the $$ towards a new boat instead and stay here in Canada. Although I really hate going through a winter without getting away to somewhere sunny.

 

[goofyintoronto]

This happens every time we go (we go to Disneyland twice a year)...leading up to the trip the exchange rate gets worse and then shortly after our trip it gets better again...until our next trip. I miss the days we were on par...

I miss those days too! Its just brutal right now.

On a side note, im helping my sister plan her disney trip (2 adults, 2 kids). And OH MY GOODNESS, its almost $6k CAD for a family of four??? with the DP its almost $10k!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it? I convinced her not to take the DP, totally not worth the hefty price tag. They will come out on top cheaper if they paid OOP for expenses. In any case, with the CAD dollar the way it is, i'll have to tell her to hold off on paying for it outright until the dollar improves a bit. Crazy times I tell ya.