Tell me about a vacation to the Niagara Falls, Canadian Side!

[aristocatz]

We are planning a trip to the Niagara Falls, Canadian side in a few weeks!!

We live in the states & have never traveled to Canada before.

We have two kids (4 & 2).

Wanting to stay in a hotel with a great view of the Falls from the room. Also interested in doing one of those boat tours.

We are looking at the Embassy Suites, Fallsview room.

Any reviews on that hotel or other reccs for a hotel with falls view rooms?

Any reccs on affordable & fun boat tour companies?

Thanks!

 

[rastahomie]

My mother and stepfather did Niagra Falls a few years ago, and they loved it! They did the tour boat thing, the walk-right-up-to-the-water thing, all of that. She did say that the Canadian side was a little tacky - casinos, cheap T-shirt shops, strip clubs, that sort of thing - but in a fun way. She said the American side was boring.

 

[fab1976]

If there are strip clubs they are off the beaten path! We go a couple times a year for a night away, haven't come across a strip club yet. There are some adult novelty type stores but not in the hotel areas, you have to drive to them.

I have not stayed at Embassy Suites but have been there for dinner at the Keg steakhouse, very popular and very overpriced when in that location. Everything costs more there though! I believe they have deals sometimes that include breakfast when you stay there, check their specials section on their website. We usually stay at one of the hotels that connects to the Fallsview casino, so the Hilton or I think it's a Sheraton. Not as important when going with kids but we have stayed there when my son was 3 or 4. Not sure about the others but the Hilton has an indoor pool. Everywhere is busy, especially in the summer.

Check Costco to see if there's a city pass or anything for Niagara Falls. I don't think there are choices for things like boat operators, they tend to be monopolized by one company that does everything, like the boats and behind the falls things. Living an hour away we honestly don't do that sort of thing so I'm not sure about stuff! Your hotel concierge can help. There are fireworks that are awesome to watch from your room, perfect for little ones who might be scared by the sounds.

Lots of walking, and staying at the Embassy Suites (or any Fallsview named hotels) there's a big hill to go up and down. The view is pretty amazing and such a wonder of nature, something we tend to take for granted here! Have fun!

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

The Sheraton we stayed at was great! It overlooked both falls, connected to the indoor water park, and near Clifton Hill entertainment area. Loads of dining and fun things in walking distance.

 

[cdndisneymum]

I am from Niagara!!
I love and miss it everyday. My advice to you is to preface each purchase (hotel, restaurant, attraction, etc) with asking them to remove the tourist tax, you are not obligated to pay it.

HAVE FUN! !

 

[antmaril]

Embassy Suites Fallsview is great! Wonderful views of the Falls from the room. Great breakfast and afternoon snacks included. I can highly recommend.

 

[rigs32]

There are dozens on threads on this topic if you do a search of the boards

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We only stayed on the American side (since we were just visiting as a side trip from another trip) and we had a great time. I never understand when people say the American side is boring - we found plenty to do over two days, including visiting Old Fort Niagara, and lots of other things in the area. The one thing we didn't do, but I wish we did do, was the Journey Behind the Falls (I think it's called). By the time we changed our mind about doing it, it was closing for the day.

 

[North of Mouse]

Have only been once several years ago - truly amazing views from the Canadian side - the American - so,so! But worth viewing from both sides.

Dh & ds went on the boat near the falls - I had 'no' interest!

 

[Gigi@Disney]

We are planning a trip to the Niagara Falls, Canadian side in a few weeks!!

We live in the states & have never traveled to Canada before.

We have two kids (4 & 2).

Wanting to stay in a hotel with a great view of the Falls from the room. Also interested in doing one of those boat tours.

We are looking at the Embassy Suites, Fallsview room.

Any reviews on that hotel or other reccs for a hotel with falls view rooms?

Any reccs on affordable & fun boat tour companies?

Thanks!

We love love love the Marriott Fallsview on the Canadian side. You will be amazed by Niagara Falls!

ETA: https://www.niagarafallsmarriott.com/

 

[misse336]

I am in the process of planning a trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It will be me, dh and three elementary aged children. I'm a little unsure of how much time to budget for each activity. I've tried searching other threads for this information and other websites but I haven't had luck.

I'd like to cross the Rainbow Bridge to see the falls from both sides. I also plan to purchase the Adventure Pass and do; The Hornblower Cruise, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk and Niagara's Fury. Can anyone tell me about how long it takes to do each of these activities so I have an estimate for my planning. If time allows I'd also like to do Cave of the Winds and the Skylone tower. Unsure about doing the Goat Island tour. Any reviews/time estimates on these activities would be greatly appreciated.

Any information about how the light show/fireworks are at night would be appreciated too. How long to get there beforehand to get a good viewing spot? Where are the good viewing spots?

There seems to be so much less information about planning for Niagara Falls than for Disney.

 

[cabanafrau]

The Provincial Parks on the Canadian side provide passes for individual or combo deals for the parks attractions, some of which are located right near the falls and others are located up the gorge. I'm not sure Costco would sell those since they're a bit different than the City Pass offerings you might find at other destinations. The gardens and conservatory are quite lovely, Journey Behind the Falls is unique, Spanish Cable Car is enjoyable. I personally find the Floral Clock a bit dull.

While a look at the falls reveals most of "the view" is on the Canadian side, the experiences offered in the State Park on the US side offer a beauty I was not expecting. Cave of the Winds is quite an experience, although I am not certain it is one I would undertake with both a two and four year old. That would be something for each family to judge based on their own circumstances. Heading out all the way to the park boundary closest to the Rainbow Falls brink is an experience not to be missed IMO. Yes, the complete panorama of "the view" of the entirety of Niagara Falls as a whole is best viewed from the Canadian side. On the American side you are able to stand much closer to the brink of the Rainbow Falls and experience the power of the American Falls directly via Cave of the Winds. The areas of the State Park in and away from the falls are quite beautiful and picturesque in their own ways, with trams to take you around from the various areas that you can hop on and hop off to experience all that is offered.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Don't forget to check out the Canadian forum here on the Dis!

Also a good resource -

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowForum-g154998-i97-Niagara_Falls_Ontario.html

https://www.niagarafallstourism.com/

 

[cabanafrau]

I am in the process of planning a trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It will be me, dh and three elementary aged children. I'm a little unsure of how much time to budget for each activity. I've tried searching other threads for this information and other websites but I haven't had luck.

I'd like to cross the Rainbow Bridge to see the falls from both sides. I also plan to purchase the Adventure Pass and do; The Hornblower Cruise, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk and Niagara's Fury. Can anyone tell me about how long it takes to do each of these activities so I have an estimate for my planning. If time allows I'd also like to do Cave of the Winds and the Skylone tower. Unsure about doing the Goat Island tour. Any reviews/time estimates on these activities would be greatly appreciated.

Any information about how the light show/fireworks are at night would be appreciated too. How long to get there beforehand to get a good viewing spot? Where are the good viewing spots?

There seems to be so much less information about planning for Niagara Falls than for Disney.

I would plan a full day on the American side to take in the offerings at the State Park. If I remember correctly you can walk into the parking area directly from crossing the bridge to purchase the pass and take the tram to whichever destination you want to start with. If Hornblower Cruise is the new name for the Maid of the Mist ride to view the falls, know you will get wet even though they provide ponchos. Cave of the Winds is also an experience where you should plan to get wet and windblown as well. Both are quite worth it IMO -- and I am not a person who cares to ride Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids because I do not care to be wet the rest of the day as a comparison.

When you are there it will become apparent to you how the fireworks and lighting of the falls works. We prefer to be at the rail in the vicinity of Table Rock, however it's all viewable from anywhere along the promenade along the parkway. Unless crowds are crushing at the time you are visiting it's not tremendously necessary to camp out very long to have a spot to enjoy.

 

[clori]

My kids were 8 & 12 when we went. We drove from Boston which with our stops took around 12 hours. We arrived at our hotel around 7:30pm. We stayed near the top of the Hill at Country Inn and Suites in a 1 bedroom suite, microwave, hotel breakfast, and indoor pool. It was ranked in the top 10 hotels on trip advisor at the time. We arrived, went swimming for an hour, took quick showers, ate pb and jelly sandwiches and walked down the hill to see the fireworks. I'm not in shape but the walk up was fine since we stopped here and there anyways. We never used our car in Canada.

We had prepurchased the Canadian Adventure Pass and the Clifton Hills fun pass (with bonus ferriswheel ride). Monday morning we started doing the attractions on the pass and finished by 3 or 4 though we stopped for lunch, browsing etc. I know we rode the ferriswheel when the falls were lit up to see if from up high. Tuesday we did almost all of the Clifton Hill pass. We also used the included trolley from the Adventure Pass as well as some of the coupons. We went to the Floral Clock, Spanish aerocars, water plant etc. We also made sure we stayed on for an entire loop on the trolley to see/hear everything. We debated between the butterfly garden and a flower place but ended up surprising the kids with playing Magic Quest at Great Wolf Lodge (we have a local one now but didn't then). I think we spent time both nights swimming.

The only extra activities we did on Clifton Hill not included on the pass was dd8 wanted to do a haunted house so she did that with dh and I think we all did some glass house. Not really worth it but still fun. Wednesday morning we played minigolf after we checked out of the hotel then drove to the American side of the border. We did Cave of the Winds (all of our most favorite Niagara activity on either side) and the trolley ride. It started to rain so we left. Going home we had a hotel booked for 1 night in Syracuse since we didn't know how long we would spend with the border and American Activities. It worked out great. - I had found a deal in which a 2 bedroom was cheaper than a standard room and figured we would end up in a standard room. We got the two bedroom. The hotel had a free BBQ. We relaxed and got our laundry done before getting home.

 

[aprilchem]

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Fallsview last Thanksgiving (American Thanksgiving, not Canadian) and have decided to go back for this Thanksgiving. It's a great hotel and the rooms are spectacular - we had a wonderful view of the falls and I got it for a great deal - I think I paid $95 CAD for the fallsview room for 5 people, which is spectacular considering the exchange rate.

My only complaints about that hotel are that it is HUGE and crowded, all the time. But all the hotels at Niagara are. The breakfast was a madhouse, but we were able to get seated in a timely fashion by going really early to breakfast. It's a good breakfast and you are expected to tip the people who bus the tables, which I've not really seen in the US. Otherwise it was a great experience and we will stay there again.

I am in the process of planning a trip to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. It will be me, dh and three elementary aged children. I'm a little unsure of how much time to budget for each activity. I've tried searching other threads for this information and other websites but I haven't had luck.

I'd like to cross the Rainbow Bridge to see the falls from both sides. I also plan to purchase the Adventure Pass and do; The Hornblower Cruise, Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk and Niagara's Fury. Can anyone tell me about how long it takes to do each of these activities so I have an estimate for my planning. If time allows I'd also like to do Cave of the Winds and the Skylone tower. Unsure about doing the Goat Island tour. Any reviews/time estimates on these activities would be greatly appreciated.

Any information about how the light show/fireworks are at night would be appreciated too. How long to get there beforehand to get a good viewing spot? Where are the good viewing spots?

There seems to be so much less information about planning for Niagara Falls than for Disney.

The Hornblower was fun and took us about 2 hours total (including standing in line) but we did it in November. Behind the falls was ok, Niagara's Fury was a waste of time, IMO. It's a "simulation" where you get a tiny bit of water splashed on you and watch a cartoon about the formation of the falls, but I didn't find it very informative at all. That's the one thing I wouldn't recommend doing.

One thing we really enjoyed was Elements Restaurant, which overlooks the falls. If you go at night you can eat dinner and watch the fireworks (or the lights, in the wintertime). We did that instead of trying to watch it from outside because it was very crowded.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Cave of the Winds on the American side is way better than Journey Behind the Falls