2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal

[Judy]

Do American banks hand out Canadian currency?

Yes .. foreign currency etc. all banks do in any currency not just Cdn. I know with Canadian banks you’d likely have to order in eg if I was Japan etc.

 

[BittyBug]

Or exchange money at the airport.

 

[Judy]

They can order it in for you if they don’t have it on hand. Takes a couple of days though.

Yes I always ordered for x amount. Last time was Euro. I used my sister for a staff rate (not much of a difference).

 

[Judy]

Why? Most food trucks have Square machines nowadays and can easily accept credit.

Businesses get charged a lot for using debit and also for credit. It’s very expensive. A lot - well here anyways do use debit though not sure they’ll paying for credit cards anyways but better to be safe. I haven’t worked for the bank since 2000 too.

 

[Aceon6]

At a small business, I always ask what they prefer. Many want to avoid the fees associated with a card, so I always have sufficient cash on me. I use cash for tipping, too, unless it’s a fancy restaurant.

 

[Judy]

Or use an ATM.

Is it compatible for Americans though? I know I can in different countries ..

 

[Sylvia]

Posted earlier in this thread:

For Bank of America users, Scotia Bank is zero fee and you will not be charged a conversion fee.

Practice rink (metro stop is De L'Eglise on the green line): https://montreal.ca/en/places/auditorium-de-verdun

Centre Bell metro stop (orange line): Lucien-L'Allier

Transfer from orange to green & vice versa at Lionel-Groulx: https://www.stm.info/sites/default/files/media/Stminfo/images/a-plan-metro-blanc.pdf

ETA - do all event ticket holders have to purchase a pratice ticket separately for Verdun? Sounds like it:

Ticket Information

Day Tickets On Sale Now! Day Tickets Day tickets for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2024 are now on sale. The championships will take place from March 18-24, 2024, at

montreal2024.com

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/champio...ating-championships-2024-tickets-852485586337

 

[victorskid]

For those with an interest in history, Skate Guard Blog has a very interesting post up about the first Worlds in Canada - it was also the only other time Montreal hosted a Worlds - in February 1932: https://www.skateguardblog.com/2017/12/the-1932-world-figure-skating.html

 

[4rkidz]

Posted earlier in this thread:

Practice rink (metro stop is De L'Eglise on the green line): https://montreal.ca/en/places/auditorium-de-verdun

Centre Bell metro stop (orange line): Lucien-L'Allier

Transfer from orange to green & vice versa at Lionel-Groulx: https://www.stm.info/sites/default/files/media/Stminfo/images/a-plan-metro-blanc.pdf

ETA - do all event ticket holders have to purchase a pratice ticket separately for Verdun? Sounds like it:

Ticket Information

Day Tickets On Sale Now! Day Tickets Day tickets for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships® 2024 are now on sale. The championships will take place from March 18-24, 2024, at

montreal2024.com

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/champio...ating-championships-2024-tickets-852485586337

yes I think the all event passes are for the main rink and those practices - not for Verdun which is $10 a day - i think?

 

[TanithandBenFan]

It’s total BS that the practice arena isn’t included in the all-event ticket. It’s an all-event ticket, not an all-Bell Centre ticket.

 

[Spikefan]

It’s total BS that the practice arena isn’t included in the all-event ticket. It’s an all-event ticket, not an all-Bell Centre ticket.

Practice arena isn’t included for Boston either.

• Admission to the secondary venue, Steriti Rink. The secondary practice venue will be closed to individuals without credentials (including All-Event ticket holders) due to the lack of seating.

 

[AJ Skatefan]

The easiest way for me to get foreign currency is to go to an ATM. Super easy.

 

[honey]

Practice arena isn’t included for Boston either.

I don’t think it’s quite the same. It doesn’t sound like it will be available to get into the practice rink in Boston. It’s not that they are charging separately for it.

 

[skategal]

The easiest way for me to get foreign currency is to go to an ATM. Super easy.

That what we usually do too but we are in Palm Desert right now and have had more trouble than usual with finding ATM machines.

Weird for us as the only other place we have run into this was Tokyo.

 

[Spikefan]

I don’t think it’s quite the same. It doesn’t sound like it will be available to get into the practice rink in Boston. It’s not that they are charging separately for it.

Thanks, I didn’t realize Montreal was charging extra.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Is it compatible for Americans though? I know I can in different countries ..

I believe ATMs that run on the Plus or Maestro systems should work for most Americans. They can't use our debit pay system, however.

 

[AnnM]

Or exchange money at the airport.

An ATM will likely have a better exchange rate.

 

[4rkidz]

It’s total BS that the practice arena isn’t included in the all-event ticket. It’s an all-event ticket, not an all-Bell Centre ticket.

I don’t recall access to a practice rink in Helsinki or Milan with all event? I think it’s the norm? Usually I think it just includes practices at the main rink?

 

[TanithandBenFan]

I don’t recall access to a practice rink in Helsinki or Milan with all event? I think it’s the norm? Usually I think it just includes practices at the main rink?

Were those rinks open to the public, though?

 

[Sylvia]

It’s total BS that the practice arena isn’t included in the all-event ticket. It’s an all-event ticket, not an all-Bell Centre ticket.

You could go to Verdun and feign ignorance/try saying that? Let us know what happens!

 

[4rkidz]

Were those rinks open to the public, though?

No not to the public in Helsinki you had to have credentials so an all event pass made no difference. As soon as you open the practice rink to the public it costs a lot more money for the LOC. So you either close it to the public or charge a nominal amount to cover costs

 

[levineismine]

With one week to go, ask away if you have any last minute questions here or by PM, I'm a Montreal local!
Also I'm looking for 1 extra Saturday ticket and possibly 1 Thursday!

 

[levineismine]

About currency, I would assume that usual foreign credit cards (Visa, Mastercard etc) work on ATMs and it's probably cheaper to directly wd money if your bank doesn't apply large extra fees.

I can't remember the last time I paid in cash here in Montreal, I think most places accept both credit and debit, with perhaps the smallest ones only debit or interact.

Weather wise, meteomedia.com is the usual site we check here, it's currently showing no sign of snow next week, with sun and temperatures just above zero Celsius during the day and a few degrees below during the night. If it snows only a little, downtown and the area around the arena is quite busy so snow wouldn't accumulate really.

 

[levineismine]

The bell center and the verdun arena are both super easy to reach by metro (Verdun looks far on the map but in reality is probably 15-20 min max to the arena from the bell centre with a switch at lionel groulx to the green line exactly opposite of where you exit the orange metro).
Buses are generally slow and get caught in traffic so I would always prefer the metro, but otherwise Montreal is really walkable and bike friendly too. The Bixi shared bike system is gearing up for the spring too.
For the metro and other stm transport, they have multiple days passes but they are really worth only if you plan to take transport more than twice a day.

 

[Lana K]

Have the practice group lineups been released yet? Trying to perfectly time sneaking out of work on Monday and Tuesday…

 

[levineismine]

For anyone interested in skating, the weather has sadly be so warm or variable this winter that I managed to skate outdoor on natural ice exactly once. Even the Lac Aux Castors on top of Mount Royal is closed. The artificial outdoor rink at L'esplanade Tranquille near Place des Arts should still be open, they have skates rental service and lockers and sometimes events going on. Otherwise the indoor one at the Atrium 1000 in the underground downtown system is open but skating outdoors near Place des Arts is much nicer.

 

[Sylvia]

Have the practice group lineups been released yet? Trying to perfectly time sneaking out of work on Monday and Tuesday…

Not yet.

Link will be posted here and in the Worlds 2024 subforum in Kiss & Cry when it's online.

 

[sus2850]

Sorry, it was talked about already, but I wanted to make sure: I was told that to get from the airport to the city by bus you apparently need cash. Is this really still true?
As this site here talks sbout an app or being able to use a vending machine that takes credit card.

747 YUL Montreal-Trudeau Airport: routes, schedule and fare purchase

Line 747 runs between YUL Montréal-Trudeau airport, Lionel-Groulx and Berri-UQAM métro stations and the Gare d'Autocars de Montréal. Texte important Buy your transit fare The fare is $11 per person and gives you a 24-hour pass for the bus, métro, exo train and REM in Zone A (agglomeration of...

www.stm.info

 

[Judy]

Sorry, it was talked about already, but I wanted to make sure: I was told that to get from the airport to the city by bus you apparently need cash. Is this really still true?
As this site here talks sbout an app or being able to use a vending machine that takes credit card.

747 YUL Montreal-Trudeau Airport: routes, schedule and fare purchase

Line 747 runs between YUL Montréal-Trudeau airport, Lionel-Groulx and Berri-UQAM métro stations and the Gare d'Autocars de Montréal. Texte important Buy your transit fare The fare is $11 per person and gives you a 24-hour pass for the bus, métro, exo train and REM in Zone A (agglomeration of...

www.stm.info

I googled:

Paying for Your Ride​

When it comes to paying for your ride, Montreal’s public transportation system offers various options to suit your preferences. You can pay in cash or use a credit card for your fare.
If you don’t choose to go for the OPUS card, using credit cards for fare payments is convenient and widely accepted. You can simply tap your credit card at the fare gate or on the bus card reader. It’s a hassle-free way to pay, and it eliminates the need for exact change.

 

[sus2850]

I googled:

Paying for Your Ride​

When it comes to paying for your ride, Montreal’s public transportation system offers various options to suit your preferences. You can pay in cash or use a credit card for your fare.
If you don’t choose to go for the OPUS card, using credit cards for fare payments is convenient and widely accepted. You can simply tap your credit card at the fare gate or on the bus card reader. It’s a hassle-free way to pay, and it eliminates the need for exact change.

Thank you, but the question was just about the airport shuttle, not the normal metro (we get a pass for it). But I guess the site I found and linked must be valid.