Well that hurt...

[thetallone101]

Went to the bank to get $1000 US and it cost $1377 Cdn

Every financial expert I've talked with said it's just going to get worse for quite awhile too Now really debating on whether it's financially worth it to go to Disney in 2016.

 

[Alexsandra]

I know how you feel! We booked our flight right before the dollar dropped. Needed to book early because using our points to fly during March Break. When it was time to book the resort the exchange killed us even with the discounts we got. If we would have known we might have planned something else. Now it is done so we are just trying to save up some more and being extra careful with our expenses. Been asking for some US money for xmas so hopefully that will help.

 

[thetallone101]

I asked for US $$$ too lol. I haven't seen the dollar this bad in years. Oh well, the price we pay for magic! I think the next time (if it happens in my life time) the dollar is on par or over I'm going to buy as much as possible for situations like this.

 

[bcwife76]

The only way we can do our upcoming Maui trip is because we paid CDN for the airfare (Air Canada, $350pp round trip from Vancouver!) and we are renting a condo from our friend. On VRBO she charges $130US/night, we are getting it for $100CDN/night. But our 2017 cruise......that will hurt when we go to pay it in full

 

[kitntrip]

I had to recently cancel a 10 day cruise for next year because I couldn't stomach paying a few thousand dollars more by the time I finished paying it off. So we're going to Disneyland instead, where I'm able to book hotel and flights in cdn funds to help offset the exchange.

 

[Blackadder337]

We're still planning on going in Oct. 2016, but I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it won't get too much worse. The most major or minor world event can shift the dollar, so I figure we aren't required to pay our trip in full until the end of next August. I'll just keep watching the markets and hope the dollar goes up by then. If it doesn't, I mentioned in another thread that I'm going with the thinking of "I can pay the trip off later, but its not always easy to capture magical family moments later."

 

[Donald - my hero]

Someone mentioned a few weeks ago something that has stuck with me and I've used it a lot lately. One of the problems we're all having with the exchange right now is that our currencies are both "DOLLAR" We need to stop thinking about how it "equates" or doesn't and simply look at it with the thought "how much will i be willing to pay for this" if I am willing to pay X for whatever then i'll pay it. I've just stopped saying "it's not fair that Jimmy only has to pay $100 for that and I have to pay $130" If i would pay $130 for it then I'm happy Since I've stopped thinking that way I've set all of my sites up so i see the CDN cost of everything and then make my decision based on that figure.

 

[scboyd]

Someone mentioned a few weeks ago something that has stuck with me and I've used it a lot lately. One of the problems we're all having with the exchange right now is that our currencies are both "DOLLAR" We need to stop thinking about how it "equates" or doesn't and simply look at it with the thought "how much will i be willing to pay for this" if I am willing to pay X for whatever then i'll pay it. I've just stopped saying "it's not fair that Jimmy only has to pay $100 for that and I have to pay $130" If i would pay $130 for it then I'm happy Since I've stopped thinking that way I've set all of my sites up so i see the CDN cost of everything and then make my decision based on that figure.

I do this exact thing! I don't look at the cost of the trip in American, I set up a spread sheet that converts the amounts to CDN and base our decisions on how much the trip is costing in CDN. I also have an american savings account that put small amounts in on a regular basis because other than the disney package we pay cash for everything (fuel, food, souvenirs,)

 

[starvenger]

The only way we can do our upcoming Maui trip is because we paid CDN for the airfare (Air Canada, $350pp round trip from Vancouver!) and we are renting a condo from our friend. On VRBO she charges $130US/night, we are getting it for $100CDN/night. But our 2017 cruise......that will hurt when we go to pay it in full

That's basically what happened to us for our Oahu/Maui trip this pat July. Got all our flights and rental homes (the only way to go in Hawaii, imo) locked in just before the dollar took a nose dive.

And we're in the process of putting in a deposit to go to Beaches Ocho Rios for next July. And with the dollar I may just consider pif sooner rather than later.

 

[wendyt_ca]

Someone mentioned a few weeks ago something that has stuck with me and I've used it a lot lately. One of the problems we're all having with the exchange right now is that our currencies are both "DOLLAR" We need to stop thinking about how it "equates" or doesn't and simply look at it with the thought "how much will i be willing to pay for this" if I am willing to pay X for whatever then i'll pay it. I've just stopped saying "it's not fair that Jimmy only has to pay $100 for that and I have to pay $130" If i would pay $130 for it then I'm happy Since I've stopped thinking that way I've set all of my sites up so i see the CDN cost of everything and then make my decision based on that figure.

This is how I look at it too!

 

[Madame]

Thinking of the CAD & the USD differently, in different terms, is ideal. It is not, however, helpful when you start planning at 12 to 18 months out. I always tag an extra 5% onto the current rate when budgeting & calculating exchange.

Well last March the rate was $1.21. Now its $1.42. That's double & blows my budget to hell. I don't think it's that both currencies are expressed in 'dollars' that's the problem. Nor is it the fact that the CAD is so low (or at least not entirely). It's that fact that many of us plan more than a year out & in that year the CAD has been on a downward spiral. Even my 5% cushion wasn't nearly enough...

 

[Donald - my hero]

Thinking of the CAD & the USD differently, in different terms, is ideal. It is not, however, helpful when you start planning at 12 to 18 months out. I always tag an extra 5% onto the current rate when budgeting & calculating exchange.

Well last March the rate was $1.21. Now its $1.42. That's double & blows my budget to hell. I don't think it's that both currencies are expressed in 'dollars' that's the problem. Nor is it the fact that the CAD is so low (or at least not entirely). It's that fact that many of us plan more than a year out & in that year the CAD has been on a downward spiral. Even my 5% cushion wasn't nearly enough...

Yup you're right, it does BITE! I'm not a happy camper either since we neglected to get cash out before Monday and we knew it was gonna drop again <sigh> We leave 2 weeks tomorrow, just means we won't have as much spending cash as usual i guess

 

[sherilaine]

Our last three trips to Disneyland (from the west side of the country) were when the dollar was doing great - 2 of the trips we were actually at or above par - so the problem I think many of us are having is our memories are short term - we are comparing the current state to how things were only a few years ago when historically having an 80 cent dollar was seen a pretty good. That is why when we did up our budget to work out our trip we compared the $ as it is today, which is only 72 cents to a more ideal dollar of 80 cents as it's not likely going to hit that for a few years. If you can stomach that difference then that is a good comparison. The days of comparing it to being at par are very unrealistic and unfairly negative.

Just my 2 cents - or 1.44 cents American I guess....

 

[mshanson3121]

Our last three trips to Disneyland (from the west side of the country) were when the dollar was doing great - 2 of the trips we were actually at or above par - so the problem I think many of us are having is our memories are short term - we are comparing the current state to how things were only a few years ago when historically having an 80 cent dollar was seen a pretty good. That is why when we did up our budget to work out our trip we compared the $ as it is today, which is only 72 cents to a more ideal dollar of 80 cents as it's not likely going to hit that for a few years. If you can stomach that difference then that is a good comparison. The days of comparing it to being at par are very unrealistic and unfairly negative.

Just my 2 cents - or 1.44 cents American I guess....

Very true. How quickly we became spoiled by a very abnormally strong dollar. $.80 is pretty much a "normal" dollar. I do think however that the banks also charge more now, than they used to, which is part of the problem. The dollar may be trading at $0.72, which is a discount of 28%, but banks are charging $1.42 to buy. If we could actually buy closer to what the REAL exchange rate is, it wouldn't quite so badly. Stupid banks

 

[badiggio]

As I write this,our dollar is 72.20 U.S.this means it costs 72.2 cents u.s to get 1 dollar Canadian.However to get 1 dollar U.S. it costs 1 dollar 38.5 cents Canadian.The rest is banking fees to convert.it's tricky.So basically whatever price you see in U.S dollars add 42% on top.

 

[Fennella Brewer]

As I write this,our dollar is 72.20 U.S.this means it costs 72.2 cents u.s to get 1 dollar Canadian.However to get 1 dollar U.S. it costs 1 dollar 38.5 cents Canadian.The rest is banking fees to convert.it's tricky.So basically whatever price you see in U.S dollars add 42% on top.

It pays to shop around. My credit union is currently charging $.02 less than RBC. The bank charges are ridiculous and if you use a credit card, they add another 2%.

 

[CaseyK]

As West Coasters we have flown to Disneyland numerous times. Exchange never bothered me but we stayed off site, watched what we spent, and preloaded gift cards for the kids. I have just booked DW and Universal for March. Flights are in Canadian funds as Westjet now flies direct to Orlando from Vancouver. I was a bit worried about the exchange but for me it is worth it to fly across the country to experience DW. Hubby got a nice bonus from work last August and was told take your family on a vacation. So we are. I am also lucky enough that my brother and sister in law can get US money at par- they work concerts at BC Place and US money is done at par there. I stocked up during the Women's World Cup as there were a ton of US fans using cash.
It is kinda painful given how strong the dollar was two years ago. But looking at it in terms of is it worth it for me to pay this helps. It is worth it for me to pay this extra amount, stay on site, and really have a wonderful vacation. We won't be back to the East coast for many years after this trip.