Niagara Falls, Ontario

I posted on tripadvisor concerning my hotel, the travelodge. For the price, the consensus is that it's fine. We will save our money for the excursions.
 
It looks as though you have a lot of great advice here. I don't want to sound like a downer or a germophob, but seriously be sure to wash your hands, bring hand sanitizer and try your best not to touch too much publicly. We were there just after Christmas and were not able to enjoy our stay as 3 of the 4 of us ended up really sick. The health department checked all of the food in the area as at first they thought perhaps it was the food, but all of that came back with a clean bill. After talking with the bellhop, front desk and the gentleman at the border we were told that this happens often anymore and it is because there are so many orientals that are visiting the area. I'm not positive that it was them but there were more orientals than any other nationality when we visited. I don't recall it being that way when we were there about 12 years ago. I hope your trip is much better than ours was!
 
It looks as though you have a lot of great advice here. I don't want to sound like a downer or a germophob, but seriously be sure to wash your hands, bring hand sanitizer and try your best not to touch too much publicly. We were there just after Christmas and were not able to enjoy our stay as 3 of the 4 of us ended up really sick. The health department checked all of the food in the area as at first they thought perhaps it was the food, but all of that came back with a clean bill. After talking with the bellhop, front desk and the gentleman at the border we were told that this happens often anymore and it is because there are so many orientals that are visiting the area. I'm not positive that it was them but there were more orientals than any other nationality when we visited. I don't recall it being that way when we were there about 12 years ago. I hope your trip is much better than ours was!
"Orientals", do you mean Asian visitors? What's the link between them and your family getting sick?
 
When we went a few years ago we drove from Boston. We did the adventure pass through AAA I believe and stayed at Comfort Inn at the top of Clifton Hill. The adventure pass came with a coupon book that gave us half price at a few other places. It also included two days on the local sightseeing trolley. We parked at the hotel and never used our car again until time to leave. We did everything on the Adventure Pass plus a few extras like the Floral Clock, Spanish Aerocars, and a water power plant tour (forgot name).

I had two girls 8 and 12 so we also did the Clifton Hills Funpass which by purchasing online at the time gave us a bonus ride on the ferris wheel. We did it once during the day and once again at night to see the falls lit up from up high. If there are fireworks find out which nights of your trip and if not its still nice to go see the falls at least once at night when they are lit up. I don't recall where we ate other than breakfast was included at the hotel. After leaving Canada we stopped off on the US side and did the trolley tour and Journey Behind the Falls (camera needs some type of water). Journey Behind the Falls was everyone's favorite activity of the trip. Otherwise we preferred the Canadian side.

Clori - how long of a ride was it? We are going in July from MA and trying to judge the time.
 
I left from just north of Boston at 7:30 (about 15 minutes to Mass Pike) then we just took the Pike to New York State thru way (good thing its easy since we forgot the gps after dh brought it in to update the maps) We stopped once for coffee then maybe 45 minutes for a lunch break. We may have stopped two or three more times for 10-15 minutes for gas and stretching/restroom breaks. I don't recall how long we waited to get over the border but it wasn't that long. The ride wasn't bad and we were singing to cds almost the entire trip. The hotel was probably a mile from the border. We were in our hotel room about 8pm went swimming for a bit, ate something quick in the room, and went to see the fireworks.

Going home after we left we did the American side (Cave of the Winds and trolley ride) then divided the trip up by staying one night at a hotel in East Syracuse since we didn't know how long we would need to cross the border and visit the American side. I don't remember the name of the hotel but a 2 bedroom suite was cheaper than a room with two beds. I figured it was a mistake but it was the price they charged us. It was so nice stopping. The hotel had a free bbq that night that we didn't know about ahead of time so we were able to just stay in and the hotel had free laundry and the girls had their own room/tv to relax a bit and we went home with clean clothes.
 
I can't wait! We are going in July and will be walking across the Rainbow Bridge to bridge from Cadette to Senior level of Girl Scouts! Can't wait!!
 
This fireworks picture was taken from our room on the 17th floor of Embassy Suites Fallsview.
image.jpeg
The building lit in green is the Fallsview Casino. You can see the skywheel on Clifton Hill in the distance.
 
Question - where did everyone purchase their tickets? I've just seen two different prices $55 and $45. One includes admission to an aquarium and both include a movie about how Niagara was created. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to buy the maid of the mist and wind of the cave tickets individually.
 
Question - where did everyone purchase their tickets? I've just seen two different prices $55 and $45. One includes admission to an aquarium and both include a movie about how Niagara was created. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to buy the maid of the mist and wind of the cave tickets individually.
I haven't bought mine yet. I will be purchasing our hornblower tix when we arrive.
 
image.jpeg Nina belle. There are stairs to climb. It is a pretty easy climb but even if you went up a partial way it is still cool. You can see it in this picture.
 
hello all!! I'm from Buffalo Ny and have been over to Canada more times than i can count! We take short day trips over or even spend the night. a few weeks ago on Hotwire we got a room at the wingate by wynham for around 40.00 us! great location and very clean hotel. If your a Margaritaville fan i suggest trying the restaurant up there!! Food and drinks were great!! Clifton Hill is alot of fun for the whole family! there are a lot of different things to do. Make sure you check out the Hersey Store by Hard Rock!! try a Smore, they are soo good!! the science center in Toronto is fun for the whole family too!!
on the US side they have Jet Boat tours in Lewiston! i highly recommend checking those out!! they are tons of fun! and then have lunch at the Silo, try a haystack!! if you have the time and are here in the summer i would definitely recommend checking out the harbor in Buffalo. Its all been redone and has a lot of summer time activities at Canal Side downtown~ and of course why you are downtown try some wings at the Anchor Bar!!!
Have fun and please feel free to Pm me with any questions!
 
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Op here. We've decided to stay at the double tree in Niagara Falls. I'm bummed about losing the money from the travelodge but I want to be comfy.
 
With regards to people getting sick, I've decided that a lot of people (including Americans, Australians, rest of the world) just do not wash their hands properly anymore. A quick soap and rinse doesn't cut it, time needs to be spent washing the backs of hands and in between fingers and thumbs. As well as washing hands prior to eating and not touching the face.

I've canceled my original booking and have booked the Embassy - I highly doubt we'll be back over winter so happy to splurge even if we don't get any discounts. Now I'm trying to work out how long it might take us to get from the hotel to Buffalo airport, I'm assuming to avoid peak hours at all costs?
 
Thanks for all the great information. We are leaving for Niagara Saturday! So, after reading all of this I would like to stay at Embassy. We also want to go to Fallsview waterpark. Embassy has a package for the waterpark, but how do you get from the hotel to the park? Is it walkable? I can't figure out how far apart they are. We originally planned to stay at the Sheraton connected with the waterpark, but Embassy would be much better with the suite. Thanks so much. This thread has been so very helpful.
 
With regards to people getting sick, I've decided that a lot of people (including Americans, Australians, rest of the world) just do not wash their hands properly anymore. A quick soap and rinse doesn't cut it, time needs to be spent washing the backs of hands and in between fingers and thumbs. As well as washing hands prior to eating and not touching the face.

I've canceled my original booking and have booked the Embassy - I highly doubt we'll be back over winter so happy to splurge even if we don't get any discounts. Now I'm trying to work out how long it might take us to get from the hotel to Buffalo airport, I'm assuming to avoid peak hours at all costs?
where were you originally booked?
 
















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