Ontario Residents What are Your Summer Plans?

[Jrb1979]

As Canadian citizens and residents of this country we will be paying for all that our country has done to flatten the curve for decades.

I'm glad selfish self centered individuals feel it is OK to put a little more burden on all of us. All we have been asked to do is stay in our country/province and wear a mask. Is that really so difficult?

I have cancelled trips twice this year (April and November). I am also out of pocket a large sum of money as a result. I would like nothing more than to go back to Disney but we have been asked to flatten the curve in this country. So I stay home.

To paraphrase a quote. "Our parents/grandparents were asked to go to war. All we are being asked to do is stay home"

IMO this is the summer to support your local business. Within the next month Wonderland should be opening if you need a theme park fix.

 

[KCanuck]

That's exactly what I say to DH any time he suggests renting a cottage. Sure, it's fun, but there's beds to be made, laundry to do and meals to make, only now I have to boil water and use someone else's stove and equipment. AND I have to be paranoid about staining their floors or rugs or counters, so I'm chasing the kids with towels after being outside. Yep, lots of fun for me.

I rented a cottage in Grand Bend for two nights so that my daughter and her friends could have some socially distanced fun because their prom was cancelled. On top of all the inconveniences you mention the place had a weird smell! They girls had fun but I could not wait to get out of there lol!

 

[KCanuck]

For anyone with younger kids I can recommend Severn Lodge in Ontario. We stayed there once and loved it. They have cottages and hotel rooms. You can get a meal plan. They have a lovely restaurant. It’s a very relaxing place on a lake with a small pool.

 

[AdamsMum]

We are going to Disney for a total of three and a half weeks...I can’t wait. We are not really into camping (no offence to those that are, I just have a horrible relationship with mosquitoes and black flies from time spent in Muskoka through the years) and there is nothing else to do here in Toronto with the Islands closed and things not really opening up. We did manage to squeeze a few weeks of camp out of the whole mess, so that’s a welcome thing! We thought about going to NYC to visit friends, but ultimately decided that having more to do during the day at Disney would be preferable.

When are you going? As far as I've heard the border is still closed for recreational travel.

 

[Etch]

When are you going? As far as I've heard the border is still closed for recreational travel.

The land and sea border with the U.S. is closed. You can still fly there provided you quarantine for 14 days when you arrive back to Canada.

 

[badiggio]

I can't believe that a canadian family physician has said the "safest" place to be is in Florida at disney.

 

[bcwife76]

I can't believe that a canadian family physician has said the "safest" place to be is in Florida at disney.

Right? Time to find a new doctor, one who actually takes this virus seriously. It's blows my mind how people can rationalize taking a trip to what is now the epicentre of this virus.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I can't believe that a canadian family physician has said the "safest" place to be is in Florida at disney.

It probably IS the safest place... in Florida right now. That said, a life boat is better than a life raft, but if you're on the high seas with sharks circling, neither is a great place to be.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

Joining into the thread late.
I didn't read every post because well I just didn't. Our summer plans were all abolished. 3 day quick getaway anniversary cruise next week cancelled. That was going to be a quick getaway but we wanted to get back quick because of 2 teenage boys taking care of the 2 year old dog. Most likely the dog would have been the dog keeping the boys in line. To make it up for them we had a cottage rental booked in Peterborough for a week in August. Wildwood Cottages is a small place with 6 small cottages. We were there last year and loved it. If you go look at their website our dog is in the picture right in front of one of the wildwood cottage boats that come with the rental. Anyways job loss hit us hard and we cancelled everything. Tying to lay low and look for work. Wife keeps me busy with the todo list. Right now it's summer stuff. Last week I was building a washer toss game and the past 2 days it's a giant Jenga game. I'm pretty much yellow now from sanding wood for 2 days. Basically after a paragraph I can say our summer plans are taking us to the back yard.

 

[vegs1]

Joining into the thread late.
I didn't read every post because well I just didn't. Our summer plans were all abolished. 3 day quick getaway anniversary cruise next week cancelled. That was going to be a quick getaway but we wanted to get back quick because of 2 teenage boys taking care of the 2 year old dog. Most likely the dog would have been the dog keeping the boys in line. To make it up for them we had a cottage rental booked in Peterborough for a week in August. Wildwood Cottages is a small place with 6 small cottages. We were there last year and loved it. If you go look at their website our dog is in the picture right in front of one of the wildwood cottage boats that come with the rental. Anyways job loss hit us hard and we cancelled everything. Tying to lay low and look for work. Wife keeps me busy with the todo list. Right now it's summer stuff. Last week I was building a washer toss game and the past 2 days it's a giant Jenga game. I'm pretty much yellow now from sanding wood for 2 days. Basically after a paragraph I can say our summer plans are taking us to the back yard.

So sorry about the job loss. Sounds like you’re very positive so I am sure something will come up for you.

I took a look at those cottages. They look great. Very cute dog. What kind? We are always looking for vacation places and I love that area. Will have to check it out one of these days. Thanks for sharing although I’m sorry you can’t go this year.

 

[Kaadk]

That's exactly what I say to DH any time he suggests renting a cottage. Sure, it's fun, but there's beds to be made, laundry to do and meals to make, only now I have to boil water and use someone else's stove and equipment. AND I have to be paranoid about staining their floors or rugs or counters, so I'm chasing the kids with towels after being outside. Yep, lots of fun for me.

That's what I like about owning an RV. At least it's your own linen, your own dishes, your own floors, etc.... You still have your own beds to make, your own laundry to do and your own meals to make, but if you're going to do that anyways, why not do it where you can also be outdoors?

To be fair though, even with the trailer, this year has really changed our camping plans. We've already cancelled some of our trips, and haven't booked a whole lot either. Of the ones we do have booked, the only ones I'm positive we're doing are the ones in the provincial parks, where there's plenty of room to spread out and often, an actual physical barrier (in the form of trees, brush, etc...) between you and your neighbours. I'm not sure yet what's going on with our annual Halloween and Thanksgiving trips this fall. If things are looking up, maybe, but at the rate we're tracking, good chance no on those. And definitely no KOA, packed in like sardines and going into town for sight seeing type trips this year. That's going to be a big disappointment for the kids, as they prefer those trips, but I'm just not risking it. All in total, we're probably going to be under 20 days out this year, when most years we're closer to 48-50.

 

[wdwmom3]

So I’m seeing that more things in Niagara Falls are opening up. It looks like even things like the go carts are open. People are required to wear masks. Hotel rates also look amazing for the summer.

My husband is at a higher risk or else I would be taking the kids for a day or two.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

So sorry about the job loss. Sounds like you’re very positive so I am sure something will come up for you.

I took a look at those cottages. They look great. Very cute dog. What kind? We are always looking for vacation places and I love that area. Will have to check it out one of these days. Thanks for sharing although I’m sorry you can’t go this year.

She's a bernadadoodle. Very friendly loyal goofy and amazing with kids

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

So I’m seeing that more things in Niagara Falls are opening up. It looks like even things like the go carts are open. People are required to wear masks. Hotel rates also look amazing for the summer.

My husband is at a higher risk or else I would be taking the kids for a day or two.

The mario style carts are a lot of fun. We went last year when they first openned.

 

[wdwmom3]

The mario style carts are a lot of fun. We went last year when they first openned.

My kids love those go carts. Especially at night.

 

[AngelDisney]

My travel plan to Ottawa and Montreal with my elderly mom was cancelled. Still need to call BMO World Elite Rewards to cancel my flights. Aeroplan let me cancel with points returned online, but BMO needs to wait till Air Canada extends free cancellation to include my flight dates. We have no travel plan this summer. Thinking of doing Toronto Zoo Drive Thru with my mom to cheer her up as she’s been staying in since March. DD has depression for years, and she’s really down now for not getting into medical school the second time. She had two interviews in March, and are on the waitlist for both universities, but as time goes by with no good news, her hope diminishes. We want to get a puppy for her as a companion to keep her spirits up. She’s been asking for a pet many times over the past year. We think a pet can ease her depression. We are thinking of getting a Coton De Tulear or any hypoallergenic puppy. Any good advise on pet insurance? Any advice for reputable breeder? TIA!

Have fun with your summer plans!

 

[petunia]

Looking for ideas here...going nuts with the wasted time off Ive taken...big 40th bday cruise cancelled in May and we have finally decided we cancelled our group of 16 trip (our family-WDW vets and the rest newbies) to WDW in August (that Ive been planning for a year). We did Fern Resort last weekend, couple hours from GTA, had tons of outdoors stuff for us to do and meals were included (so it felt like a vaca for me). Looking for something for the time off I had in August, wish there were "all inclusive" type of options within Canada, as I wouldnt even mind flying out of Ontario at this point. I would consider the Caribbean if it werent for the quarantine when returning, but I do feel good about spending the $ in Canada. Looked into renting at Sherkston Shores but theyre pretty much sold out for what we need for 7. Will likely do a Niagara weekend at some point.

 

[wdwmom3]

Looking for ideas here...going nuts with the wasted time off Ive taken...big 40th bday cruise cancelled in May and we have finally decided we cancelled our group of 16 trip (our family-WDW vets and the rest newbies) to WDW in August (that Ive been planning for a year). We did Fern Resort last weekend, couple hours from GTA, had tons of outdoors stuff for us to do and meals were included (so it felt like a vaca for me). Looking for something for the time off I had in August, wish there were "all inclusive" type of options within Canada, as I wouldnt even mind flying out of Ontario at this point. I would consider the Caribbean if it werent for the quarantine when returning, but I do feel good about spending the $ in Canada. Looked into renting at Sherkston Shores but theyre pretty much sold out for what we need for 7. Will likely do a Niagara weekend at some point.

There are things in Niagara but you already mentioned that. Maybe Ottawa? I think the museums etc are closed. But there are lots of outdoor things in the region. Or maybe Tremblant In Quebec? I’m not sure what open there, but there are lots of outdoor activities like horseback riding, hiking, zip lining. There are many places where you can rent a condo type accommodation. We have stayed right in the pedestrian village area before.

 

[wdwmom3]

So we took the kids to Africa Lion Safari today. We had a great time. The drive through area was not busy like it normally is in the summer. So we could actually take our time in areas we wanted to. We sat and watched the giraffes for a while, and watched the rhinos go and walk around in the water. You can only take your vehicle through, no Safari bus. But the baboons aren’t out so your car won’t get damaged.

The splash area, boat ride and shows aren’t open. But they have opened up the area where you can walk around and look at lemurs, some birds and the elephants. There were so few people there we were often in an area by ourselves.

They also have food available to buy and lots of outdoor seating. So we were able to get some ice cream and funnel cakes and sit on an empty patio over looking the empty splash pad.

Not the normal experience, but a fun afternoon out. Who needs animal kingdom lol.

 

[MamaLema]

Looking for ideas here...going nuts with the wasted time off Ive taken...big 40th bday cruise cancelled in May and we have finally decided we cancelled our group of 16 trip (our family-WDW vets and the rest newbies) to WDW in August (that Ive been planning for a year). We did Fern Resort last weekend, couple hours from GTA, had tons of outdoors stuff for us to do and meals were included (so it felt like a vaca for me). Looking for something for the time off I had in August, wish there were "all inclusive" type of options within Canada, as I wouldnt even mind flying out of Ontario at this point. I would consider the Caribbean if it werent for the quarantine when returning, but I do feel good about spending the $ in Canada. Looked into renting at Sherkston Shores but theyre pretty much sold out for what we need for 7. Will likely do a Niagara weekend at some point.

This sounded fun so I looked into it. Costs $3000 for 2 nights for our family of 5. Back to the backyard we go