Canadian Dollar & Cruising

[pkrchkr]

[quote name='yanjan']im military and tried on our last cruise to get a discount, no go. so cancelled that one and booked with rccl. they gave me the same discount they give to the U.S. military and 50 OBC. for our april cruise.

nick[/quote]
we did our first cruise on RCCL do to the interline rate we get.We came over to Carnival because our TA made a mistake and gave us the interline rate and we weren't intitled to it:D .We had huge problems on that cruise( during the SARS thing) and the discounts got bigger and so did the problems.We swore we would never do carnival again but this one DM who is A/C employee got us the interline rate and paid for the cruise so we are back and Carnival has a last chance to change our mind.I have heard great things about Carnival Pride but we will see. I think if they open up the discount that will encourage the CF to book with them.It sure would us!

[pkrchkr]

[quote name='CruiznWithHubby']I agree,,,it's not about the war, which I absolutely HATE,,,,it's about the men and women SERVING and risking their lives! My suggestion? Call Carnival and tell them RCCL gives Canadian Military the discount and if they can't match it, your next cruise will beon RCCL,,,

might work:p Holly[/quote]
tried that..Not gonna work..but get this...HAL and NCL doo..Isn't HAL their sister company?:rolleyes:

[pkrchkr]

[quote name='CruiznWithHubby']One thing some of you may be able to get some use out of, if you're ever going out on the Inspiration out of Tampa,,,

Call and double check first, because these things change all the time,,,

BUT,,,,,,Busch Gardens was giving Canadian Military and their ENTIRE families the same discount they gave to US Military,,,which someone told me was one day FREE,,,so if you have an extra day, and you're in Tampa anyway, you just may be able to take advantage of it,,,

Again, double check before you go,,,don't know how long it will go on, but it's been going on for about a year now,,,They had letters of appreciation all over the park from US and Canadian military,,,,

Holly[/quote]
Wow that's awesome!!I went to Busch gardens as a little girl and loved it.It kind of would be nice to go back with my own kids.Hmmm something to look into for planning next years cruise.

[QFSYDLAX]

You Canadians are lucky! Us Aussies are in even worse doo doo than you guys. 3 months ago we were getting 1USD for about 1.02AUD. Today it's 1.60:eek:. Lucky my cruise is not until November 2009, and I hope the rate gets better. We lost nearly 10% in just 2 days this week:mad:. It defies all logic to me how a currency can lose 10% value in 2 days when basically nothing has changed from one day to the next. Yeh, I heard all the experts on the TV tell me why, but it's all BS to me.

All this cr*p started in the US. Their economy is down the drain, and "investors" take their money out of "risky" currencies like the AUD and CAD, and put it into the "safe" USD currency! Yeh, of course, that makes perfect sense!

[big_duck]

[quote name='QFSYDLAX']You Canadians are lucky! Us Aussies are in even worse doo doo than you guys. 3 months ago we were getting 1USD for about 1.02AUD. Today it's 1.60:eek:. Lucky my cruise is not until November 2009, and I hope the rate gets better. We lost nearly 10% in just 2 days this week:mad:. It defies all logic to me how a currency can lose 10% value in 2 days when basically nothing has changed from one day to the next. Yeh, I heard all the experts on the TV tell me why, but it's all BS to me.

All this cr*p started in the US. Their economy is down the drain, and "investors" take their money out of "risky" currencies like the AUD and CAD, and put it into the "safe" USD currency! Yeh, of course, that makes perfect sense![/quote]

At least you have the option of cruising out of Aus.

We're pretty much tied to cruising out of the US, on US brands paying with US dollars.

[pkrchkr]

I'd love to cruise around Austrailia and New Zealand.The dollar and AUD will come back it has been this way since I can remember up and down back and forth kind of like a cruise ship:D . Give it time and we should be doing better against the USD.

[CruiznWithHubby]

[quote name='pkrchkr']tried that..Not gonna work..but get this...HAL and NCL doo..Isn't HAL their sister company?:rolleyes:[/quote]


It surely is,,,,Carnival owns them,,,so it makes no sense whatsoever,,,,go figure,,,,,,Holly

[misguidedangel]

Alberta weather--It gets damn cold here in Alberta. Fort Mac gets even colder because it is even further North than Edmonton. We had -43C this paet winter for two consecutive days. and then four or five days of high -30's. The week we were on our cruise in February it dipped back down to -43C again and then warmed up to the -20's..

Military discount--military is military. The way I see it is if our soldiers can be side by the side the Americans in Afghanistan our soldiers should qualify for military discount.....

Aussie Buck--my oh my, that is truly a major dip. Our buck has gone down $0.17 in under weeks. I feel for you travelling anywhere at that rate.

As for the US being the root cause, yup, it us. Investing in the US buck cuz it's better is not really true. Many Eu countries have good economies still, same with Canada. Perhaps they think if they boost the US buck it will make their economy better...uhm, no, the subprime mortgage problem is bigger than huge, it's collosal!

I am still going to book the Glory for Jan 2010, but I just hope the buck has gone up to the high 90 cent range. I wish I would have paid my Sept 09 cruise off in full when I booked it on board the Liberty when the dollar was at 96-98 cents/US buck.....As it is, the cruise was $3410 and when I paid it off it was just under $4000!!!!! Thus, a loss of nearly $600 in money I could have spent...

I was thinking of doing a back to back in Jan 2010, but I have to reconsider....

[pkrchkr]

Perfect I could not have said it better. Military is military!
I remember all to well what Edmonton winters are like, We lived in gibbons for 2 years.It can be as bad as here.
The exchange on the dollar also effected my excursions even off the ship but I still ended off saving money doing it:D

[Safetyal]

[quote name='misguidedangel']
I was watching CBC Newsworld and someone asked why are the Canadian and other world economies taking a hit because of the US subprime mortgage fiasco/scandal/calamity? Well, it turns out it is all about securities. Our banks and the worlds banks and investment companies bought into the companies that were giving these subprime mortgage company the money to lend to the people. Now, they got lax, and didn't do any investingation if it was going to be good. The real estate agents, the lenders, and the lack of regulation in the states caused the problem. They were giving mortgagees to people who coulnd't have gotten a loan for a cheap used car at Uncle Ed's Bargain Basement car lot!!!!! The homes they also bought were severly overvalued. A house that was bought at 400 000 really was worth perhaps 250 000, and the mortgage company can't recoup the loss when they forclose because the house is being sold for 250 000. Those that invested in the companies are out 150 000, so multiply that by 10 000+ and you will see why we have problems now....Thanks America!!!!!!!! [/quote]

Well, it having read your past posts it is easy to see you are certainly no fan of the US. Now, any companies that invested in the subprime mess knew what they were getting into, that includes Canadian banks and investment houses. They are experts in this and were well aware of the risks which have been sounding for years from consumer watchdog groups. They saw an opportunity to hopefully realize some quick profit and took it. No one duped them into their investments. They had the same profit making mindset all of those involved in those securities.

If you are suggesting that they were naive and did not understand the market, I would pull my money from their most basic accounts. These are highly paid, shrewd MBA's. They knew the risks and saw profit.

[yst347]

We all know the United States is the source of all the troubles in the world. We also know that Carnival Cruise Lines, as a wholly owned subsidiary of American foreign policy denies military rates to the Canadians out of petty spite.

Why would a bank pay any more attention to the securities they buy than say an individual signing mortgage documents. Doesn't the law prohibit doing anything bad?


[SIZE=1](for the many that won't understand this post...tongue is firmly planted in cheek)[/SIZE]


Seriously though, keep telling Carnival they should offer military discounts to Canadian service men. It is Carnival's policy, not the policy of the US military or NATO or the US government.

[Payd]

[quote name='pkrchkr']I'd love to cruise around Austrailia and New Zealand.The dollar and AUD will come back it has been this way since I can remember up and down back and forth kind of like a cruise ship:D . Give it time and we should be doing better against the USD.[/quote]

I have heard a few analysts report a 0.75 CAN dollar that could stay there 4-6 months.

The AUD story is like ours only the results much worse.

[Up North Cruiser]

You have caught me on a bad/good day depending whether you agree or not. I am a Canadian through and through. Why does anyone blame the United States for the troubles in the world. If you want to blame anyone, blame the media. They are the ones that continually minute by minute create the hysteria we are experiencing today. You can't read a paper, watch television, go on line without it "in our face" the troubles in the world. Everyone is reacting to this. The media do it all the time. They have a great influence in what happens because the common people don't have the answers so they believe what they see or hear, that is all they have. The price of oil, why did it all of a sudden go sky high and now it is going down below $60. a barrel. Could it be manipulated by chance. Told it is because of the hugh consumption in the development in China right now, and we all have to pay for that, what happened to that consumption the last two months, did that change. We are the little people and we just have to wait it out. For the 1st time in 42 years I can now go to Florida for the winter because I just retired. Guess what, I am now paying 25 cents on the U.S. dollar and my RRSPs (401K in U,S,) have lost $6,000. Does it hurt, yes it does, and it hurts me and the travel industry more because it is being manipulated by the media and our governments, but you know what, it just happens. We just have to wait it out. As for Carnival giving Canadian military discounts. Carnival isn't saying they don't respect the Canadian military but they are an American company and they are honouring their men and women. If they honored Canadian military, then they would have to honor the British, French, Italian military etc. etc. They are a business not a charity. Disney World doesn't give any Canadian discounts even for 6 month residents during the winter season so why should any other U.S. company. If they do that's terrific, but it isn't their obligation to do that. They give Canadian resident discounts and I think that is terrific. So please try to use some perspective here as to why these things are happening and don't always expect someone to bail us out. I think Carnival happens to have the best value for the $ American or Canadian.

These are my opinions only and sometimes they just have to be said.

Sue

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

[quote name='Up North Cruiser']You have caught me on a bad/good day depending whether you agree or not. I am a Canadian through and through. Why does anyone blame the United States for the troubles in the world. If you want to blame anyone, blame the media. They are the ones that continually minute by minute create the hysteria we are experiencing today. You can't read a paper, watch television, go on line without it "in our face" the troubles in the world. Everyone is reacting to this. The media do it all the time. They have a great influence in what happens because the common people don't have the answers so they believe what they see or hear, that is all they have. The price of oil, why did it all of a sudden go sky high and now it is going down below $60. a barrel. Could it be manipulated by chance. Told it is because of the hugh consumption in the development in China right now, and we all have to pay for that, what happened to that consumption the last two months, did that change. We are the little people and we just have to wait it out. For the 1st time in 42 years I can now go to Florida for the winter because I just retired. Guess what, I am now paying 25 cents on the U.S. dollar and my RRSPs (401K in U,S,) have lost $6,000. Does it hurt, yes it does, and it hurts me and the travel industry more because it is being manipulated by the media and our governments, but you know what, it just happens. We just have to wait it out. As for Carnival giving Canadian military discounts. Carnival isn't saying they don't respect the Canadian military but they are an American company and they are honouring their men and women. If they honored Canadian military, then they would have to honor the British, French, Italian military etc. etc. They are a business not a charity. Disney World doesn't give any Canadian discounts even for 6 month residents during the winter season so why should any other U.S. company. If they do that's terrific, but it isn't their obligation to do that. They give Canadian resident discounts and I think that is terrific. So please try to use some perspective here as to why these things are happening and don't always expect someone to bail us out. I think Carnival happens to have the best value for the $ American or Canadian.

These are my opinions only and sometimes they just have to be said.

Sue[/quote]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=purple]Thank you Sue.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=purple] I am an American who will be going on a cruise with quite a few Canadians & probably some Aussies too. So far all the Canadians I am speaking back & forth with on our roll call are very nice & I would hope they do not hold us U.S. citizens accountable for Canada's dollar issue. I can't believe anyone would blame just the U.S. for all the financial problems in the world today. And as a U.S. citizen I am hurt & offended at statements of this kind. And just as this crisis is hurting Canadians it is also hurting many U.S. citizens. In my opinion this was caused by all the greedy investors throughout the world ( not just in the U.S.) trying to make a quick buck & are the responsible parties. As you said, and said very well, the media keeps things hyped up anything to sell news !!![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[pkrchkr]

They should honor all military personel not just there own. the service men and women that are serving in harms way or on courses or excersizes, it really doesn't matter what they are doing they are fighting for the country they love.Why is carnival so discriminatory when it comes to this.They are losing out on potential cruisers by not recognizing every countries military.
The canadian armed forces in not a charity they are soldiers, sailors and air force personanel that are fighting along side the US military and would till the end if needed.It is just a kind gesture that should be brought forward to show recognition and validation.
Do we blame you for the falling dollar..no it is all about trading and the US can't not predict what is going to happen.I hope things stabilize after the US elects a new president,no matter who it is.

[big_duck]

[quote name='pkrchkr']They should honor all military personel not just there own. the service men and women that are serving in harms way or on courses or excersizes, it really doesn't matter what they are doing they are fighting for the country they love.Why is carnival so discriminatory when it comes to this.They are losing out on potential cruisers by not recognizing every countries military.
The canadian armed forces in not a charity they are soldiers, sailors and air force personanel that are fighting along side the US military and would till the end if needed.It is just a kind gesture that should be brought forward to show recognition and validation.
Do we blame you for the falling dollar..no it is all about trading and the US can't not predict what is going to happen.I hope things stabilize after the US elects a new president,no matter who it is.[/quote]

I don't expect Carnival to offer deals to non-US servicemen. Maybe CANEX should get off their azz and negotiate some deals. :p

[pkrchkr]

Now there's a thought!!!I'm heading into Shilo on Friday I'll stop by the mall and talk to the store manager.I don't think they handle cruisng though because the MFRC uses our interline TA to advertise military discounts on "other" cruiselinesand would ahve told me to go the the Canex to talk to a TA..but since there is one that leaves our TA as the only one:D .I know the one in Winnipeg is nothing more then a convenince store. The one in Shilo has the mall attached to it with all the trimmings except a TA.Things that make you go HMMMMM!!!

[ubouu]

The exchange rate depends on the trade balance. The US imports oil and Canada exports it. so when the demand for oil fell because of the slowing economy in the US the price of Oil fell and the dollar amount of imports for the US and and exports from Canada declined, and the trade balance shifted and so did the exchange rate. It was the reverse of the process that caused the Canadian dollar to rise when oil prices were increasing.

[misguidedangel]

SafetyAl-no, I am not anti-american. I know some really nice Americans I keep in touch with from my cruises I've been on.

I think the big problem wit the subprime mortgages was that the US or the various states had no regulations in place to control who was lending money and how shoddy the loans were, but if a regular bank wouldn't give you money but ABC mortgages would, you'd jump at it (even though you really knew you probably couldn't afford it).

When you look at it, the US tends to throw it's weight around as the superpower, but when you look at the balance sheets as to how much you owe, that tells all. I've seen the national debt clock and the last time it was shown your national debt was 10 Trillion dollars. It makes Canada's 500 billion or less debt seem pretty good, which is why I can't see why investory aren't putting money back into the Euro, Pound, Canuck Buck, etc.....

I can sense if it stays as low as it 75 cents I'll have to adjust my spending and cut out half of my spa visits/products and think twice about the more expensive shore excursions. I'll likely try to find excursions for $40-60 or less. I'm still going to do a tour in Miami after the cruise because I have a 5:25pm flight....

I'm thinking I should have bought excess US cash when the rate was around $1.05 early this year.....

[Safetyal]

[quote name='misguidedangel']
When you look at it, the US tends to throw it's weight around as the superpower, but when you look at the balance sheets as to how much you owe, that tells all. I've seen the national debt clock and the last time it was shown your national debt was 10 Trillion dollars. It makes Canada's 500 billion or less debt seem pretty good, which is why I can't see why investory aren't putting money back into the Euro, Pound, Canuck Buck, etc.[/quote]

One of the reasons is an investors belief of how well an economy will recover and the overall stability of the government itself helps determine currency that is used. But debt is also considered as a percentage of GDP (this determines a country's ability to repay the money), while the newest numbers are not out as of yet, I shudder to think what they may be, as of 2007, the Canadian debt to GDP was 65 versus the US 60.8. That is why the preference of the greenback.

[calicruise74]

[quote name='misguidedangel']SafetyAl-no, I am not anti-american. I know some really nice Americans I keep in touch with from my cruises I've been on.

[B]I think the big problem wit the subprime mortgages was that the US or the various states had no regulations in place to control who was lending money and how shoddy the loans were, but if a regular bank wouldn't give you money but ABC mortgages would, you'd jump at it (even though you really knew you probably couldn't afford it).[/B]

When you look at it, the US tends to throw it's weight around as the superpower, but when you look at the balance sheets as to how much you owe, that tells all. I've seen the national debt clock and the last time it was shown your national debt was 10 Trillion dollars. It makes Canada's 500 billion or less debt seem pretty good, which is why I can't see why investory aren't putting money back into the Euro, Pound, Canuck Buck, etc.....

I can sense if it stays as low as it 75 cents I'll have to adjust my spending and cut out half of my spa visits/products and think twice about the more expensive shore excursions. I'll likely try to find excursions for $40-60 or less. I'm still going to do a tour in Miami after the cruise because I have a 5:25pm flight....

I'm thinking I should have bought excess US cash when the rate was around $1.05 early this year.....[/quote]


Who do you think backed these mortgages you are referring to?? Investors and "regular banks".

[yst347]

Japan's public debt is a whopping 170% of GDP yet the yen is the strongest G7 currency. Public debt is only a part of the picture.

[Safetyal]

[quote name='yst347']Japan's public debt is a whopping 170% of GDP yet the yen is the strongest G7 currency. Public debt is only a part of the picture.[/quote]

For the sake of sounding like an economics class, you are correct. Other factors such as political risk, stability, contract terms etc all play into the value of a currency.

Now my head hurts, to much thinking... I need to find a good old thread with people arguing over dress code, smoking or kids on ships. Otherwise I may think I am on the wrong board. :D

[Payd]

[quote name='Up North Cruiser']You have caught me on a bad/good day depending whether you agree or not. I am a Canadian through and through. Why does anyone blame the United States for the troubles in the world. If you want to blame anyone, blame the media. They are the ones that continually minute by minute create the hysteria we are experiencing today. You can't read a paper, watch television, go on line without it "in our face" the troubles in the world. Everyone is reacting to this. The media do it all the time. They have a great influence in what happens because the common people don't have the answers so they believe what they see or hear, that is all they have. The price of oil, why did it all of a sudden go sky high and now it is going down below $60. a barrel. Could it be manipulated by chance. Told it is because of the hugh consumption in the development in China right now, and we all have to pay for that, what happened to that consumption the last two months, did that change. We are the little people and we just have to wait it out. For the 1st time in 42 years I can now go to Florida for the winter because I just retired. Guess what, I am now paying 25 cents on the U.S. dollar and my RRSPs (401K in U,S,) have lost $6,000. Does it hurt, yes it does, and it hurts me and the travel industry more because it is being manipulated by the media and our governments, but you know what, it just happens. We just have to wait it out. As for Carnival giving Canadian military discounts. Carnival isn't saying they don't respect the Canadian military but they are an American company and they are honouring their men and women. If they honored Canadian military, then they would have to honor the British, French, Italian military etc. etc. They are a business not a charity. Disney World doesn't give any Canadian discounts even for 6 month residents during the winter season so why should any other U.S. company. If they do that's terrific, but it isn't their obligation to do that. They give Canadian resident discounts and I think that is terrific. So please try to use some perspective here as to why these things are happening and don't always expect someone to bail us out. I think Carnival happens to have the best value for the $ American or Canadian.

These are my opinions only and sometimes they just have to be said.

Sue[/quote]

Do you honestly want us to believe that the media is to blame for all the troubles in the world?

That seems a little over the top. The media reports what is current and relevant, maybe it is the market analysts that you are bothered by?

You are down $6,000 in your RRSP. So many people would call you lucky. Add a zero to the end - I have heard from many that they are down in the mid-tens of thousands.

On the bright side, most of the people responding on the thread sound pretty realistic. Still planning to vacation if they can afford to pay for it - and looking at how to scale back a bit while still enjoying life.

[jmcancruise]

OK guys, let's do a reality check. If our biggest problem is whether or not we can afford to take a cruise, we are among the truly fortunate in the world. We are all feeling the financial pinch in one way or another, but we all on these boards have a roof over our heads and warm clothes to wear and food to eat. Let's just be thankful.