All New Atlantic Canada Thread....

[Charleyann]

Hi ALL!

We're a family of four from Fredericton, NB .. travelling to disney this september... we have our house booked from the 24th to Oct 1...going to rent a car ....spend 3 days at disney , 1 day seaworld, 1 day aquatica (if the weather is good ) ... thinking about a day trip to the beach (either cocoa or st. pete's ) ...still waiting on flights to go down ... so far our plan is to fly out of portland ... but would be swayed if a good deal came out of moncton or halifax ...

Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated ...

also on my mind is joining CAA ....what does any one know about the benefits? id like to get our travel insurance from them also...

from what we've heard from other travelers , getting tickets once you get there is much cheaper ... so that is also one of our plans ...

RBC offers an awesome travel insurance package. Best part. You don't have to pay first in the event of accident, illness , etc....You call and they pay...

Keep and eye on Delta out of Bangor . They have great deals. I got Christmas for $137 each way.....

Charleyann

 

[bluenosemickey]

Just noticed that I replied on this board earlier and didn't introduce myself.

I feel like I'm at an AA meeting.... My name is Melissa and I'm a Disneyaholic! We live just 15 mins from the Halifax airport and have never flown out of it on a family vacation!

We try to get to Disney twice a year, march breaks and august. This year we are breaking the pattern and skipping august and going on our first cruise next march break. We'll see if we can stay away that long.

We have driven the whole trip 5 or so times and otherwise we fly out of MHT. With five of us it's a numbers game and both options beat the pants off flights out of YHZ.

Looks like spring just might stay here at least for the time being. Fingers crossed!

 

[Fundytrail]

bluenosemickey, welcome aboard the Atlantic Canada Thread!

See where your childer are the prefect age to enjoy Disney World, that is if there is a prefect age

We too live outside Halifax in East Hants.

 

[dvcdisney]

We try to get to Disney twice a year, march breaks and august. This year we are breaking the pattern and skipping august and going on our first cruise next march break. We'll see if we can stay away that long.

We're the same way, we go 2 weeks for March break and 2 weeks in August. We are also going on our first cruise on the Dream this August. Can't wait! Hopefully we'll like it because I booked another cruise Aug 2012 on the Fantasy!

Last year, we skipped Disney in August and went to Universal/SeaWorld/Busch Gardens and it was fine. We did miss Disney, but liked the new experiences (first time at Busch Gardens). We decided we'll do that more often. Since we just purchased APs, we will most likely not veer off Disney until it expires though...

Good Luck!

 

[bluenosemickey]

Yes, my kids really love Disney, they are great ages. But I think my hubby enjoys it more than anybody, so I would say mid-40s appears to be a perfect age!

Really think next years cruise is going to start a new addiction.

I haven't been yet, and I'm already thinking about the next one!

 

[pooksma]

Anyone else wishing away the cool weather?

I read in the paper that today's predicted temp for Orlando was 31 C. Even 21 is better than ours.
Makes our -2 look soooo

Sorry I've just had enough of being cold.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

I was wishing the cold away in December !

 

[Dimples1973ca]

We went for a walk today and I told my husband to remind me off this cold when we are at WDW in August. I promised I would never complain about the heat again.

 

[mcgraws]

Hi bluenosemickey and others.

I saw that you (bnm) have driven from NS to Disney a few times. How have you found that drive? We are going in August and have enough time allotted to drive, do 10 days at Disney and a few at US/IOA.

We just aren't sure we want to drive. We've been to WDW 2x before and wanted to do something different this trip since this is our last summer free before my girls hit University. We thought the idea of going to US and maybe driving would make for a different experience.

How bad is the drive? Did you stick to the I95 or did you try to by-pass NYC and Washington?

Thanks for your input.

 

[SplashMom]

Hi mcgraws! I don't want to butt in but we have driven twice from NS in August and we loved it! We did stick with the I-95 the entire way. The first time we drove, we didn't really hit too much traffic at all. Last August, we hit tons of traffic around NY and Washington so I would probably avoid those areas if we drive again. We are considering it again for this year but we just went in February (flew) so we may go somewhere else for a drive, lol! My husband loves driving and he drives the entire way. We usually stop by 6 or 7at night so it takes us a bit longer. We also stop and enjoy some of the places on the way down so it is really like two vacations. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer!

 

[mcgraws]

Thanks SplashMom! I think I have found a route that will take us off the I95 for most of the Northeast corridor since I've been told weekend traffic is incredible along there due to beachgoers.

Where have you stopped along the way and what sights were worth seeing? We'd like to do some stuff like that as well. We've got lots of time really because we plan on leaving Thursday the 18th and don't have ressies at WDW until the 22nd and then we check out on the 31st (maybe will add one day or maybe add a day at the beginning depending on our driving schedule) and then go to Universal for 2/3 nights and head back from Orlando around the 3rd and have until the night of 5th to get home.

Any ideas for stop off points and points of interest would be appreciated.

 

[SplashMom]

We always stop for some shopping in Freeport, just because we find it a relaxing little village and we love LL Bean. We have also stopped in Washington DC for a while to see the White House and the other sights. Last summer we stopped in Savannah, Georgia, for an afternoon and enjoyed that. We went to Paula Deen's restaurant for dinner that evening and it was wonderful! We have done a few other shorter stops in Virginia and North Carolina, and you have to stop for a visit at Pedro's South of the Border for a blast of tacky, lol!!

All this talk about the drive has made me want to do it again! We haven't done Universal in a few years so maybe we should do that. I do mind the August heat though. We just got back March 1 and our weather was incredible--80 to 85 daily and nothing but sun! I wish I was there now...lol! Have fun planning!

 

[sprmom]

Hi fellow Atlantic Canadians. I am thinking of doing a very last minute trip to the WWOHP at US this Spring and surprising our DDs (9 and 11). Has anyone stayed on the US resorts? Apparently you to "Jump the Lines", its like a Fast Pass for the whole park. Any thoughts? I will also post this on the US forum as well. Just prefer to ask the "local experts" first!

 

[dvcdisney]

Hi fellow Atlantic Canadians. I am thinking of doing a very last minute trip to the WWOHP at US this Spring and surprising our DDs (9 and 11). Has anyone stayed on the US resorts? Apparently you to "Jump the Lines", its like a Fast Pass for the whole park. Any thoughts? I will also post this on the US forum as well. Just prefer to ask the "local experts" first!

We stayed last August onsite at the Portofino Bay Hotel - club level. We enjoyed it. The fotl (front of the line) access was great. However, at the time we went, the Harry Potter Forbidden Journey ride was not set up for the fotl so it was still quite a long wait. But a lot of the rides such as The Mummy has the fotl and it was great not waiting at the standby line. For us, it was worth the extra money to stay onsite.

Usually, we will go to US once every 2 years. The rides were great, but my family prefers Disney. We are planning to go there again next spring.

The week before our stay at Portofino Bay, we were offsite near SeaWorld and Aquatica. We spend most of the time in Aquatica since it was sooooo hot. We spent 2 days at Busch Gardens, 2 days at SeaWorld and the rest of the time at Aquatica. So, when we moved over US onsite, we felt a little tired going to those other parks that we planned to relax and leisurely walk to each of the US parks.

I will admit that maybe, even if though we knew we would take it easy, we found that we spent quite a bit of time (more than I expected) at the Portofino Bay resort at the pool and at the Club. With the fotl access, we found we had more time to do the rides several times and still be at the pool for 2-3 hours per day and since we had Club access we had time to stop by and get some snacks. I suppose it was because it was hot and the pool was refreshing. The fotl access allowed us to do both parks in 3 days leisurely.

When we visit again in the spring, we will most likely only spend 5 nights onsite again. However, if for some reason they no longer offer the fotl, we would not stay onsite, we would just stay at our DVC resort.

If you have anything specific, you can ask. I do think that the US board is full of great info and I learned quite a bit before our trip. Good Luck.

 

[bluenosemickey]

Hi Mcgraws:

We have driven to WDW multiple times. We usually stick to the 95 but DH likes to drive overnight. Used to all night shifts in a car, so not a big deal to him. This is the only way to beat the traffic from NYC-DC. It's a 6 hr corridor that turns into a 12 hr corridor if you get unlucky. On the weekend I would definitely use an alternate route. We have done this before and it's a fine way to go in the summer, just not great in the winter because it takes you west and higher up in elevation and the snow becomes an issue.

We typically take 2 nights down and three nights back. Haven't really done much sight seeing except in DC, and some shopping in Freeport, Kittery and the Potomac Mills Ikea (South of DC just off the 95).

We always stop at the Cracker Barrel to eat and browse the store. Imagine if the Irving Bigstop and the Masstown Market had a much more polished American cousin....that's the Cracker Barrel. Except that a family of 5 can easily eat for $35.00! The first one is in Portland Maine and from there you can pretty much find one just off the highway all the way to Orlando.

We use coupons from roomsaver.com for all the nights on the road, never pay more than $79/ night for Hiltons and Marriotts. We don't pay less than $59 usually, the hotels get sketchy at anything lower.

Whatever route you take, you must AVOID the corridor just south of DC to Fredericksburg Va from Friday noon until late Sunday evening. Unless you are going through after midnight. It is gridlocked almost every weekend along with parallel routes in the vicinity. So if you go west to avoid NYC-DC, be sure to stay west until you get to Fredericksburg, then cut back over to the 95.

We really enjoy the drive in the summer. It's a long grip, but my 3 kids love
the adventure of it all and it's part of the vacation to us. FYI it is approximately $1300 round trip. Two good meals a day and a free hot breakfast in the hotels.

Have fun planning.

 

[silverhaze269]

Hi fellow Atlantic Canadians. I am thinking of doing a very last minute trip to the WWOHP at US this Spring and surprising our DDs (9 and 11). Has anyone stayed on the US resorts? Apparently you to "Jump the Lines", its like a Fast Pass for the whole park. Any thoughts? I will also post this on the US forum as well. Just prefer to ask the "local experts" first!

Hey! I've stayed on-site at the Hard Rock Hotel on the club level a few times. It was fantastic! If I were doing a USO trip again that's definitely where I would chose to stay. It's closest to Universal and the overall atmosphere of the hotel is pretty cool. That being said, the hotel may be a bit loud for some people, and if you want a more relaxing atmosphere I'd suggest trying one of the other resorts. While I have never experienced loud people above or beside my room, because it is a HRH I could see the potential for partying being a lot higher there than at Portofino Bay or Royal Pacific. As for the front of the line access perk, it was excellent. We were able to ride our favorites multiple times a day and take the parks at a more leisurely pace. The other thing to keep in mind is that the last time I stayed on-site at the HRH was in 2005 or 2006, so things have probably changed since then, especially since WWoHP opened. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[Celidh]

Hi everyone. Just a quick post for now since I have spent far too much time on here looking at Disney stuff already and it is past my bedtime!

My name is Tammie and my partner and I are planning a trip with my 3 kids, ds 13, ds 11 and dd 7, hopefully in September. (Hoping for FD) We live in Debert.

I haven't read many of the posts on this thread but I will save that for another day.

TTYL

 

[mcgraws]

Awesome info bluenosemickey, thanks so much. We will definitely hit the Cracker Barrel (can't believe I've never been before, been to Portland and New Hampshire dozens of times, oh well).

Also the Ikea sounds great in DC (but we'll likely avoid that area).

We are really looking forward to the drive down now. It is going to make the whole Orlando thing like new for us since it will be an adventure itself and then we'll have the car down there with us so we can explore Orlando a little and go to Universal for a few days.

I can't wait until August now!

 

[RainbowsMist]

Hi everyone. Just a quick post for now since I have spent far too much time on here looking at Disney stuff already and it is past my bedtime!

My name is Tammie and my partner and I are planning a trip with my 3 kids, ds 13, ds 11 and dd 7, hopefully in September. (Hoping for FD) We live in Debert.

I haven't read many of the posts on this thread but I will save that for another day.

TTYL

It sure is a small world! I'm in Crowes Mills Chances are I know you and your children - I use to be the Admin. Assistant at the school in Debert! Close friend of mine is there now

You've come to a great place and will gain a wealth of information and meet lots of great people!

 

[Fundytrail]

Born and raised in Debert, but have lived outside Debert for the last 39 years but return often as we have camp in the area

It sure is a small world! I'm in Crowes Mills Chances are I know you and your children - I use to be the Admin. Assistant at the school in Debert! Close friend of mine is there now

You've come to a great place and will gain a wealth of information and meet lots of great people!