Hello Robert, welcome to planDisney! It’s always great to chat with a fellow Canadian and assist with vacation planning questions.
As a Canadian, I feel so lucky that a trip to
Walt Disney World Resort isn’t too far away distance-wise and depending on where you live, it can also be a scenic road trip. One thing that Canadians are always calculating is the CAD to USD exchange rate. (It’s a whole other thing trying to explain to my children that an American price tag isn’t the same when we think of Canadian dollars!). Thankfully, there are many options for Canadians when spending American dollars at Walt Disney World Resort. Guests can use both American and Canadian credit cards, debit cards and Disney Gift cards to name a few possibilities. Robert, when it comes to purchasing your
Theme Park tickets, it's really up to you. If you have a US credit card and US funds, you'll save on any conversion charges.
Tip: If you plan to use credit cards or a debit card while traveling, contact the issuing banking institution before you depart and inform them of your dates of travel so they don't suspect fraudulent charges and put a hold on your card. I have forgotten to do this before and had a freeze put on my card (not a big deal but it did require a phone call to have it lifted). Calling beforehand will make sure things will go smoothly and you'll be swinging along just like Tarzan in the jungle!
Many Canadians prefer to use Disney Gift Cards for their main mode of spending since the Gift Cards do not have conversion fees like credit cards. They are relatively easy to find in stores and are converted using the exchange rate from the previous day. When you receive a receipt from your purchase, you'll see the balance of the Gift card listed so you can keep track. If you have multiple Disney Gift Cards, you can visit www.disneygiftcard.com and register your Gift Cards there. This website allows you to combine Gift Cards (as long as they are all Canadian-purchased or American-purchased - no mixing of the two currencies) and you can see the amounts of each Gift Card.
One last thing to note: Canadians can currently take advantage of the
Canadian Resident Offer when purchasing Walt Disney World Theme Park Tickets for a 5-day or longer stay. I'm not sure if the dates coincide with your travel plans but it might be worth a peek!
Robert, I hope this information is useful to your vacation planning. Thanks for visiting
planDisney and be sure to come back again if you have other questions!
Your fellow Canuck,
Candace