Niagara Falls

[LKHomemail]

THe falls are BEAUTIFUL from either side. In going that far, I would consider the Canadian side because it is a great for the kids to have a little international experience. It's good for them to meet our canadian neighbors, hear a little french spoken here and there , handle a different currency, see different signs/architectures. If time allows Toronto is a great place to spend a couple days.

You can get a passport in a few days if you have an itinerary and a good enough reason. There is a RUSH expediated fee. Do you live in a City where there is an issuing passport agency, San Fran, Chicago, NY, Houston, there are others, I just can't think of them all right now. You can go in person if so. If not, you do not need to use only the one in your city. If you can get an appointment (as is needed for visas) , you can send your passport to any one of the issuing agencies for visa. I would think that getting a first time passport would be the same ?

I would turn your applications in and get passports, regardless of if you use this on this trip or not. They have a long life and there are many beautiful things to see in the world.

Have a great time.

 

[englishrose47]

I wuld not be too sure about thePassport and theMaid of theMist as I know that in the 1000 Islands the vacations for handicapped expressly say Passport required !! So figured it would be for any international waters !!

 

[dis-happy]

All costs quoted are in Canadian $, and are per person.

If you buy a one day pass direct from the water park, the cost is $44.95.

If you are staying at a hotel connected to the water park (ie Sheraton on the Falls), you can buy day passes for $29.95 (we've done this a few times).

Our local Costco's (here in Toronto) sell day passes for the water park for $28.95.

Or, you can convert your hotel stay to a water park package, in which your passes are included (and you can visit the water park on multiple days). This rate will vary (but check to make sure the package rate, is less expensive than the day passes).

Niagara Falls is great in July. But there will be lots of people. It's their busiest time of the year (I've been there in July, and we've had a great time).

We stayed at the Hampton Inn last month on a package deal that included waterpark passes. Everyone in my family enjoyed the waterpark a lot, plus it was a short walk (basically across the street and up an elevator) to get there. The room rate was less than the cost of what we would have paid for the waterpark passes alone (family of 4, room rate was $135 ca IIRC). Plus, a breakfast buffett was included. The only thing I wasn't super crazy about was the location of the hotel; exit the front door and walk to the left and down to the Falls and you end up on a nice street with the Hershey store and stuff, but exit to the right and walk down and you end up by all the wax museums...lots and lots of teens on holiday and it felt a little seedy after dark. HTH

 

[Niagara2]

I repeat, from expereince, I own and operate businesses in Niagara Falls that all deal with tourism and taking people between the two countries.....you DO NOT need a passport to ride the Maid of the Mist from the USA side.

We actually expect to see an increase in visitors to the US side this year as families realize that they do not want to pay for passports for a weekend trip, or get here and realize that they do not have the proper ID's and just stay in the USA.

Remember too, that children traveling with parents who are under the age of 16 only need an original copy of their birth certificate. The parents will need their passports, or an enhanced license, Nexus card or passport card.

In a few years this should all shake out and the majority of citizens will own one of these ID's. It will become the norm as homeland security continues to put in more and more restrictions as they try to keep our borders open and safe.

It has been rumored that Niagara Falls Ontario has been down over 30 percent since June 1 and the change of the law. What this might mean for you, is that prices may be dropping by the time you get here. I would suggest that if you pre book rooms, to make sure they can be conceled if there is a price drop. The hotels are still pre booking expecting levels of business as in years past, but with the economy and this new rule, I am sad to say that it will not be business as usual. Many new rooms came into the marketplace this year also.

The Falls are beautiful. Do not miss them. And, FYI, the USA is opening an new attraction this week. It is a snow park! It makes snow all year and has outdoor ice skating and tubing hills and snow play area for little kids. It looks really cool and I look forward to ice skating this week in our expected 80 degree weather. They say they can make and maintain the snow up to 100 degrees outside and it never gets that hot here. It is located on Main Street leading to the Rainbow Bridge.

 

[Twende]

Any campground recommendations?

We visited this area every year for soccer tournaments for our children. We stayed at Four Mile Creek campground. It is owned by the state of NY. You must spell out the word FOUR when you name the campground.

It gets very busy at times of the year. We used to reserve our spot at the first time it was allowed to make the reservation.

http://www.reserveamerica.com/welcome.do

This link might take you directly to the campground information:http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/Four_Mile_Creek_Campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NY&parkId=336&topTabIndex=CampingSpot


Our favorite site was #281. It is on a small private circle. It was near water supply and the bathrooms but you could see the lake. The sunsets on the lake are beyond incredible! We never stayed on the lake front since we tent camped and it was a way to the bathrooms plus if a storm brewed up the winds and a tent were not a good match!

It is a short drive to the falls or any of the other wonderful things to do in this area. Youngstown, NY is near for supplies and food. We found the grocery prices down right cheap. This always make it easier to not pack so much stuff when we left home. Canned goods, fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables were less expensive there than at home.

 

[Wendaeh]

All costs quoted are in Canadian $, and are per person.

If you buy a one day pass direct from the water park, the cost is $44.95.

If you are staying at a hotel connected to the water park (ie Sheraton on the Falls), you can buy day passes for $29.95 (we've done this a few times).

Our local Costco's (here in Toronto) sell day passes for the water park for $28.95.

Or, you can convert your hotel stay to a water park package, in which your passes are included (and you can visit the water park on multiple days). This rate will vary (but check to make sure the package rate, is less expensive than the day passes).

Niagara Falls is great in July. But there will be lots of people. It's their busiest time of the year (I've been there in July, and we've had a great time).

What water park are you talking about? I'm confused....

Nevermind -- found it on the Sherton site...

Thanks!

 

[disneyfanUSA]

I would suggest you apply for your passports now. If they don't arrive before your trip, I'd still plan to go to Niagara Falls and stay on the American side. I grew up in the area and feel that the U S side offers things the Candian side doesn't. It is more of a park-like setting while the Canadian side is very touristy. I agree that the "city" part of Niagara Falls, NY is not a good place to be.

If you only do the U S side, here's my highlights:
- On Goat Island, stop at the three sister islands. Bridges link the 3 small islands and you can get right up close to the rapids (churning water before it goes over the falls). I love this area.
- From Goat Island you can get right next to the Horseshoe Falls and stand on top of the Bidal Veil Falls.
- Maid of the Mist boat ride operates from both the US and Canadian sides
- Cave of the Winds - you can walk at the base of the Bridal Veil Falls - very exciting
-Take the time to travel to Lewiston/Youngstown NY and go to Old Fort Niagara - my kids love this
-There is a new speedboat ride (leave from Fort Niagara area) that goes into the whirlpool section of the Niagara River (I've never done this, but it looks great).
-At night there are fireworks over the Falls (we watched from the observation deck on the US side) - not sure what nights though....
- Hard Rock Cafe - my kids enjoyed eating here

There's plenty to do on the US side and if it means seeing the Falls versus not seeing it - DO IT!!

I live about 10 minutes from the Falls and agree with all of the above. We don't go over to the Canadian side much anymore as it is one big tourist trap. If you don't want to stay in downtown Niagara Falls there are many hotels on Niagara Falls Blvd about 10 minutes away. It is in a much better part of the city and you will find the Factory Outlet Mall, chain stores and restaurants near by. Many of the hotels are the mom & pop type and I don't know much about those. They just opened a brand new Holiday Inn Express and a new Motel Six that charges $49.00 per night. My sister stayed there when she came in town recently for a funeral. It was no frills, but all she cared about was cleanliness and being new it was.