Over the many years we’ve been coming to PEI in the summer, we’ve managed to visit every corner and many stops along the way.
There have been many favourite locations we have discovered and returned to over the years, but one that we always make a point of going to is Victoria By the Sea.
Why we love Victoria By The Sea
Located only 20 minutes east of the Confederation Bridge (which is close to where we stay), it’s an easy drive to a coastal town that is perfectly picturesque.
There is a lighthouse to climb and snap photos of (every PEI trip should include lighthouse visits) and it’s situated with a backdrop that is worth seeing.
Give yourself enough time to walk around and shop the Village. I love these two shops where you can purchase local gifts, decor and more!
Of course, we don’t go anywhere without knowing we’ll be eating some amazing local food.
Richard’s is THE place to get a lobster roll. You can also order something else on the menu (my eldest opted for the steamed mussels during our last visit and they looked amazing) but I can’t get past their lobster roll and fries. And they have beer on tap for those who enjoy that!
There’s the newly re-done Landmark Oyster House that we weren’t able to get to yes, but the food sounds delicious.
We often end up at the Lobster Barn for a patio meal overlooking the water.
Other places to visit
There are many other places to check out in this small town, but here are a few more to consider:
Island Chocolates will have treats for the family or gifts to bring home (if they make it that long!) and also serves locally roasted coffee. You can see them making the chocolate too!
The Victoria Playhouse offers a season of live theatre and you can check in advance of your trip to see what’s playing.
And finally, if you are feeling adventurous, you can rent kayaks or bicycles to tour around (or even learn how to kayak!)
A few notes:
As with almost every destination on the Island, it’s worth checking to confirm that shops and restaurants are open and for what times. In high season, they are open more frequently but sometimes closed early or not at all, especially during the quiet seasons.
There are a few small parking lots but you may end up needing to street park.
Bring a camera – this is a spot where you’ll be able to capture plenty of picturesque photos!
Are you planning to travel in Ontario this summer? If you are already dreaming about your next road trip and will be staying in Ontario (or having family from afar coming to visit) you may be happy to know that Attractions Ontario has announced discount offers!
This isn’t a sponsored post but I like to share this link almost every year because I’ve used it and saved money myself!
Attractions Ontario Discounts
These offers – things like 20% off admission, or buy 2 tickets for the price of 1 – to some of Ontario’s favourite family destinations may help take a bit of the bite out of the rising costs of travel right now.
While a lot of travel plans still may be different this year for a lot of families, I know that it’s exciting to start thinking about making some trips; sometimes the ones within our own province can help create favourite memories.
And given that everything costs more right now (or so it seems), finding ways to save on some local travel is a great place to start!
We are Excited for more Travel as a Family
We have some local trips planned already. Summer travel offers so many more opportunities to have some fun and create so many memories.
The Attractions Ontario discounts are often very popular, and I’ve used them before myself. Here are some that I wanted to highlight!
A few discounts for family travel in Ontario:
Save $3 at Bird Kingdom in the Niagara area (you can read about our previous visits here)
I call the day before back to school the ‘last day of summer’, and then a whole bunch of people tell me how wrong I am because summer doesn’t end for a few more weeks. Fine. More accurately, it’s the last day of summer vacation. And one reason we love vacation so much is all of the travel we fit into the summer.
As we begin school and get back into a work routine in the Fall, we forget that our days of adventuring don’t need to end just because summer does. Fall is a gorgeous time of year for a local day trip or even an overnight staycation. As the leaves turn colour, and the temperatures drop just a bit, there are still opportunities for s’mores, bonfires and outdoor fun. Even grey November days can be made brighter.
I’m always wondering if we shouldn’t try to sneak in a quick overnight or two somewhere one weekend, just to remind ourselves that our time together and the travel that we enjoy can be year round and to get away from our new routine a bit. Here are some spots that you and your family may enjoy visiting this Fall!
We’ve been in the summer, late Fall after the holiday decorations go up, and the dead of winter and love each visit. Going when the leaves are orange and red would be a stunning time. There’s the indoor pool to enjoy no matter the weather outside, plus fitting in a game of mini putt while wearing cozy sweaters is easy to do. Here’s some info about a previous!
Feeling adventurous? Read about our overnight stay in Parc Omega. You can still reserve a spot for the Fall! I can imagine how stunning the drive through the area would be when the leaves turn colours!
This resort will make it feel like you are out of the city without really having to go very far. They have mini putt, golf, and indoor arcade and an indoor pool. Depending on the weather, the outdoor heated pool may still be open! I love the ‘kids eat free’ dining option too. We always enjoy going there!
It’s not hard to find activities to do in downtown Ottawa. Whether your family wants to visit Parliament Hill, or head over to see Mosaicanada in the autumn, it’s nice to relax and enjoy staying right in the city without worrying about driving home. The kids will love the indoor games room too.
It’s only about 90 minutes East of Orleans but Chateau Vaudrauil in Quebec is lovely in the Fall. We went a couple of years ago for Thanksgiving weekend and not only scored amazing weather but had such a fun time. There is plenty of food in the area, tennis courts on site, and since it’s right on the water it’s the perfect location for a morning cup of coffee. We bundled up and enjoyed the calm. Look for their suites to give you and your family a bit more space.
Cottage Country
Browse around and look for a cottage that is within a 90 minute drive in the area and see if you can secure a mini, secluded getaway where you can sip a beverage, stare at the water, and wear cozy sweaters while playing board games together.
Do you have any mini getaways planned for the Fall?
For years, we have been going to PEI in the summer, and this year is no exception.
If you’ve been following this blog, or any of m y online accounts, you know that PEI holds a dear place in my heart. It’s become the most fantastic travel spot for our family each summer.
We’ve been visiting since my youngest was 2 years old, so from a family travel perspective we’ve learned quite a few things along the way.
It’s become one of our most loved trips to plan, primarily because we feel like locals when we go now.
Every year, I’m asked about our trips to PEI and I highly encourage other families to make vacation plans to visit PEI as well. The memories will last a lifetime.
What to do in PEI with kids
Most people ask me what we ‘do’ on PEI while there with the kids. The answer is a bit confusing because we do nothing and everything all at once.
We spend a lot of time on the beach, we eat fantastically, we explore, we find new places, we try new things, we watch the sunrise and sunset over the ocean water, the play, we laugh and ultimately we spend time together, just the four of us, that our responsibility-filled lives don’t usually allow for, at least not in the same way.
Every year, we seem to find a new local spot to hang out. But more and more, we just sit back and enjoy our time in the gorgeous space we have.
One thing I recommend is to lean into what the kids love themselves. My son loves history so we usually find spots that have historic stories to share (Charlottetown is the perfect place for this).
My daughter, meanwhile, becomes a little mermaid when we head East so we look for new beaches or build into swimming time for her throughout the weeks.
These activities may change as they grow, but there’s always something to do.
Mostly, we spend a lot of time at our cottage making memories, playing games, reading, swimming and challenging each other to epic soccer tournaments and pop-fly 500 games.
I do recommend a few places when people ask about visiting the Island. Keep reading for some suggestions.
There are so many beaches to choose from, and those visits usually depend on where we will be and the weather, but a few to look into are Thunder Cove, Brackley Beach, Basin Head, the Argyle Shore, and North Rustico.
I also always recommend you find some lighthouses to explore. There’s a map that you can get on the Island that shows you where they all are. These make for amazing photos, history lessons, and a great way to see a lot of the province.
PEI Vacation Planning: Want more information about PEI?
Here are some posts I’ve written to help you make your own plans.
There’s so much to see and do on the Island. It’s historical significance is being celebrated against the backdrop of green lands and glorious beaches. We are pretty excited about heading back each year.
Where to stay when visiting PEI
Want to spend the afternoon looking at cottages? Check out the Tourism PEI website to start. We’ve also used Home Away and Rentalo in our searches.
There are many parts of the Island to stay on. We stay on the southern shore because we love the tide coming in and out, the red sand, the shallow (warmer) waters, and the bird life.
But that area may not be for everyone.
Another spot we love is East (Panmure Island, Souris if you go further North East).
Location based on Beach
I always recommend you think about the following before deciding where to go
a) the beach you want to be on
b) how close to the nearest larger City you want to be (Charlottetown or Summerside for example)
You need to decide if you what type of beach you want to be on first (regular, sandy style beach, or the red sand and extreme tides?) and that should help. The closer you are to open water, the better the breeze typically which has helped us greatly with bugs and not having air conditioning.
We typically would recommend you look for properties near or on the Straight or Coasts with open water because the Bays can sometimes not get enough breeze which means it can be really hot and really bug invested. The same for inland rentals.
What’s the weather like in PEI?
The weather on the Island can vary in the summer months, but typically we deal with warm, summer weather and the nights tend to cool.
Some years have been much warmer than others but the cooler mornings and evenings only add to the attraction. We love sitting on the deck with our coffee and a sweater to start the day.
It can rain, which will affect your beach time, but there are plenty of indoor activities and plans to make on rain days. But of course, we always hope for sunny weather! Also, just because the weather calls for rain doesn’t mean it will last all day. Sometimes the showers are short!
If you rent a cottage, like we do, you’ll find warm days are cooled slightly if you are near the open water and there’s a breeze.
We live in Ottawa and it’s about a 14 hour drive from Ottawa to PEI. We drive and stay over for one night on the way before taking possession of the cottage rental.
In previous years, we have stayed in Saint John and Fredericton and other places along the way.
The plan is typically to drive the furthers on the first day, and then have a leisurely morning the second day.
We usually drive to Fredericton and stop for a picnic lunch in La Pocatiere, QC. This is about a six and a half hour drive. We pack our own lunch (although there is fast food nearby) and we can stretch our legs.
When the tides are right, you could consider a stop at Hopewell Rocks (this is such an amazing area). We’ve done this on the way to PEI and on the way home from PEI before.
On the drive home, we drive it all in one day.
PEI also has an airport, so you could fly into Charlottetown and rent a car to get around the Island as well.
Summer vacation planning to PEI is so much fun! Enjoy!
Have you been to PEI? Going to summer? Let me know below!
*this post was written pre-pandemic in 2019 so it’s a good idea to check to see if there are any ticket updates/restrictions in place. But recently we were just talking about how we want to return as a family -that’s how much we liked it – so I wanted to reshare it with you as you make summer plans
We love taking the kids to Toronto for a ball game or to visit family, but sometimes our schedules are too tight to fit in too much other tourist activities.
With nearly a week in the big City for the Blue Jays baseball camp that my son was attending, we knew it was the perfect time to check out more fun places with the kids, and the Aquarium was at the top of our list.
The first thing we did was purchase tickets online in advance. We found a discount code and saved by doing it all online (from our hotel room!). Usually, if you can purchase online you’ll enjoy a savings to check that out before you go – plus, who wants to wait in a long long?
Because we were visiting in the middle of summer, it was no surprise that the place was expected to be busy as it was peak vacation season.
The website indicated that they would be busiest until about 4 pm, which worked for our schedule because by the time my son’s day at camp ended, he changed, we regrouped and headed out, it was about 3:30.
We skipped the ticket line thanks to our online tickets, and quickly started our journey. Each section of the Aquarium isn’t huge (for us humans, the space for the sea creatures seemed large!) but it was fairly easy to navigate.
The highlight was the shark tunnel, although seeing the jellyfish in person was pretty impressive.
There are hands on activities throughout the Aquarium like a mini slide, and a tunnel where the kids traveled under the sharks. I wish I could share the picture I happened to snap of my eldest in the tunnel as he looked up and saw a shark above him. Ha, so much freak out. They repeated the tunnel over and over again!
In the end, we took about 90 minutes to pass through the Aquarium which in part was because we were ready for dinner (although there is a cafe on site) and in part because we had seen everything.
We all loved the experience and left with a greater appreciation for what lives in the sea, conservation efforts, and the importance of keeping our oceans clean.
A few other thoughts:
The Aquarium is in the heart of it hall – right at the foot of the CN Tower, near many hotels (including the baseball stadium hotel we love to stay at the Toronto Marriott City Centre) and with a lot of places to eat and play for all of us.
It’s also close to Union Station so we loved taking the train and not having a car for the entire 4 days we were in Toronto. We walked everywhere (and my daughter and I cabbed it to the Eaton Centre once!)
We had a wonderful time and would definitely go back!
A few times of year I fly somewhere. Sometimes for work, sometimes for vacation, and while travelling solo can be quite different than travelling with kids (the stuff alone is a significant difference), there are still always certain items I like to have in my carry-on bag. My carry-on bag is either a book bag style bag (when travelling with the kids this is usually what I opt for) or a tote bag purse (for solo travelling I like this option). But some items remain constant. Some necessary travel items don’t even go in my bag, but they still need to come with me.
So here are 8 things I travel with when I fly:
1- Comfy shoes
I need to wear socks on a plane. I don’t want to be barefooted on a plane or when I have to take my shoes off at security. Plus, I tend to get cold feet so I need the protection and sandals on the plane don’t cut it for me. Comfy shoes also mean when I have to walk a lot on a travel day or run to make my gate, I’m not worried about tripping on uncomfortable shoes.
2- A large scarf
In the winter it’s easy to grab my scarf, but even in every other season I bring a large, thinner scarf that can act like a pillow, hoodie, blanket or wrap as needed. I love having the extra layer for warmth and comfort.
3- Headphones
And dongle if needed. The worse thing about my new iPhone is the headphone jack because while I need that special plug (or the converter plug) to listen to my phone, I can’t use the Apple headphones on the plane. It’s annoying. But I need headphones for music, podcasts and movies.
4- Deodorant
After being trapped at the airport for way longer than expected due to a cancelled flight recently, I have never been happier to have my travel deodorant with me.
5- Hand Sanitizer
So germy. Everything. So I have a spray or small lotion that helps make me feel better until I can properly wash my hands.
6- Snacks
I always have a couple snacks in my bag for delays or when on the plane. You never know when hunger will strike, and I don’t love being in a panic about not having something. Animal crackers or baby cookies and high protein granola bars are almost always with me.
7- Ginger Gravol
If you read my post about not liking to fly, you’ll understand why this comes with me everywhere.
8- A Book
I typically can’t read while on the plane itself (or when the plane is moving) but I can read in the lounge while I wait to board, or in between flights. I always like having a book with me to pass the time!
What are some ‘must have’ items you take with you when flying?
After five family trips to Walt Disney World, and many more to come (ha), I have learned MANY things about planning this trip as a family. I’m updating this massive post with my latest to help you plan your own magical time.
Pick your Date
We wanted to go at a time when it wasn’t too hot in sunny Florida but also, and more importantly, when the parks wouldn’t be at their busiest (President’s Day, our Family Day weekend is SUPER busy for example)
After speaking with friends who had gone in January, and checking out some very handy Walt Disney World blogs (like this one and this one), we found links like this one that told us when the busy times were. While we knew some rides wouldn’t be available (a common factor during ‘off peak’ weeks), this didn’t concern us.
Note: Sometimes when you go during ‘low season’ some rides will be unavailable because they use this time to work on them.
We’ve picked the last week of January or into the first week of February most years. Which sometimes happens to be my birthday as well. Woot. This year, for my 40th, we specifically kicked off the trip with my birthday at Magic Kingdom. That’s how I wanted to celebrate.
We have also gone the week before March break. Now, as the kids are getting older and we’ll soon be dealing with high school exams, we are back to looking at March Break. It will be busy, but we are confident that because of all we’ve learned over the years it won’t affect our time.
(Note: This year, the week in February was super busy for some reason. It was fine, but we noticed the difference.)
Book Ahead
Once you decide on your date of travel, you’ll need to worry about two major things when planning your trip: How you are getting to Orlando (your travel arrangements), and booking the place you are going to stay.
For the purpose of this post, because it has been our experience, I am going to talk about staying at Disney itself, at a Disney World property. There are many places nearby Disney that you can stay at, but we have always stayed on resort and love it.
We have often used points to fly (and save money!) before, or have waited for sales. When using points, you may need to book in advance to maximize which points to use.
Now, as the kids have gotten older, we’ve changed our strategy. Instead of only using Air Canada (and points) we have decided that our favourite flight is the evening on a Saturday with WestJet, and the Noon flight coming home with Air Canada (vs West Jet’s late evening flight coming home).
This is for my Ottawa friends who are planning – the reason is, the early morning wake up to make a 7 am flight is ROUGH and some of us don’t fly well to begin with. Having all day to finish packing and eating normally really makes a difference. Plus, the day we fly in is never a Park day, so really, we just end up being overly tired and hanging at the resort (which is fine, but doesn’t always work for us).
What to consider when looking at resorts
Next, you will want to book your resort stay. To book your stay, and guarantee your resort won’t be booked up, you only need to put a $200 deposit down. You then have up to about 45 days before your actual trip to make changes.
Here’s also what I learned: If a better deal comes up, and there is availability at your resort, you can sometimes get that better deal applied. We’ve had this happen multiple times (although it’s not guaranteed).
Usually, the next year accommodations get posted around mid-June. If you are planning to go, book your resort ASAP, then swap if a deal is available.
This year, we booked at Disney’s Pop Century for the first time. I secured it in June. It was sold out very quickly so while there wasn’t a deal, it was still the better purchase (it’s less expensive than some others typically). But I could have missed it completely if I waited.
One of the pool’s at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. There are three, although one is currently closed for refurbishment.
Booking your Resort
For many years, we stayed at and loved Port Orleans Riverside. We took recommendations from people who had previously been there, searched websites for recommendations, and then looked at the price differences vs the facilities to make our decision.
Here’s the long and short of it: You can spend a lot more or less money depending on what you need or want. We basically ended up in the middle ground for budget. Each resort has different restaurants, amenities, themes, and so on, but ultimately, you need to decide what your priorities are. We wanted something with easy access to food and transportation (although I would guess most have great transportation to the parks.)
Port Orleans Riverside (and nearby is the Port Orleans French Quarter which is also a great pick from what I hear) feels like you are somewhere different and it’s green and lush. In our early years, when we spent more time at the resort (and ended our park days earlier because the kids were younger) this was perfect.
Riverside has two transportation methods to use: Buses at four different stop points (it’s a big resort), that take you to the parks, but also a boat service to get to Disney Springs. We always enjoyed the boat.
Last year, when we stayed, we literally only showed up in our room for sleep, and the one ‘off park day’ we usually book.
Because of that, this year we decided to try Pop Century. It saves us about $100 a night, and has recently been refinished so the rooms were really new and well organized (lots of storage space). They aren’t huge in size, and ours had a murphy bed pull out (plus another bed) but it was perfect for our needs.
Disney’s New Skyliner is a game changer for transportation to some parks
In addition, new this year is Disney’s Skyliner transportation service. These gondolas connect Pop Century, Art of Animation, Riviera and Caribbean Beach Resorts to Epcot and Hollywood, given us the Skyliner and bus as options. WE LOVED the Skyliner. It’s a total game changer for getting to and from Epcot and Hollywood.
It helped secure our decision that Pop is our new go-to resort.
NOTE: Most resorts are set for up to 4 people. This means that families of 5 or more, start to get limited in their options. You’ll notice that while Riverside will accommodate 5, Pop actually doesn’t (but the neighbouring Art of Animation will. There is price difference though!)
View of Art of Animation Resort from Pop Century Resort.
Using the My Disney Experience App
What you should do right away is download the My Disney Experience App Sign up for an account and set up the members of your travel party. If other adults are travelling, they can sign up for their own account and then you can link them together. This will give you access, and everyone else you connect with, to your ticket information, booking dinner reservations, making FastPass selections, requesting special room needs and more.
This App is amazing. We use the app to keep an eye out on bus times at our resort, dining options nearby, booking and changing dining or FastPass selections and more. It’s the only app you’ll need the entire week you are there! Love it.
Dining and Food
I’ll update some of our favourite biets to eat in a whole other post, but there are a couple of things to note.
In the first few years of our Disney travels, we did opt for the Disney Dining Plan which included a quick service, snack and Table Service each day. Gratuities aren’t included, but a main course, dessert and drink are with table service. A main, drink and dessert is also included in the quick service. A snack is a variety of things: bakery bites are a snack, Mickey Ice Cream bars are snacks, and fresh fruit is a snack etc.
We spent a lot of time researching dining plans and deciding if it was best for us at the time because the kids were under 10. Even the first year when we had our son turn 10 and become an ‘adult’ for Disney, it still worked.
It’s nice to have the ease of buying food and booking any dinners you like. However, after that last year with our eldest being an adult (but not really eating adult portions) we decided to start going off-plan. The past couple of years we saved SO MUCH money off plan. In part because the kids are both adults (and the cost difference no longer makes sense) and because we just don’t eat that many table services, expensive meals or even that amount of food.
I’ll do a separate food post with our tips on dining, on and off plan, but message me if you have questions.
Also, it’s important to note that our goal being off plan was to still never say no to a meal or bite we wanted – even eating when and whatever we wanted we still saved.
Me enjoying a birthday dinner at Tony’s at Magic Kingdom
NOTE: You can book resort and park passes and opt out of dining. Sometimes, dining is included as a special, or you get a discount if you book a complete package with dining. It’s worth crunching the numbers to see! Bottom line – if your kids are under 10, definitely consider the dining plan.
What I do recommend is that you make dining reservations in advance. These can change right up until the day before your reservation, but some character meals and popular places to eat book up quickly. If you know where you want to eat, book it as soon as you can!
What we did find was that most restaurants took a certain amount of walk-ins the day of, but if you really want to eat with Cinderella, I wouldn’t take the chance. Dining locations with characters, or ones like Be Our Guest will all need reservations (otherwise, you can wait in a stand by line but those can be long. I may wait for some rides but I don’t love waiting for food!)
180 days before you will be notified that you can start making your dining selections. Even if you aren’t sure of all of your plans yet, it’s worth booking them, especially for the character experiences.
Here’s how we did it:
We decided which park we wanted to visit on which day, and then focused on food in or around the park. If we desperately wanted to eat at a certain restaurant, and the day we planned on being at that park wasn’t available, we swapped our park days. Yes, our trip was heavily planned around food (of course!)
We based our restaurant selections on how many stars they received on Trip Advisor, the menu, the atmosphere and the location. Menu was very important! Also, some restaurants use up two credits for a meal instead of one, so we were cautious of that. There weren’t any restaurants we looked at that didn’t have fantastic, varied options for the kids, so it was more about what we wanted to eat.
Now that we are off plan, we still basically use the same formula and focus on location and menu.
TIP: Use the My Disney Experience App to keep an eye out for ‘better’ reservation times or experiences if you don’t get them when you first try. I couldn’t get reservations at Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge when I first tried (and that was 180 days out!) but in the months leading up to our trip I kept checking and scored some!!
What Park on What Days? Our schedule
Since year 1, this has been the order we have done the parks:
Fly into Orlando Saturday
Magic Kingdom Sunday
Epcot Monday
Hollywood Tuesday
BREAK on Wednesday (swimming around the resort, shopping at Disney Springs)
Animal Kingdom Thursday
Magic Kingdom Friday
Fly home Saturday
This year, we added an extra day so after our day and doubled up on Hollywood (because of Star Wars) and Magic Kingdom.
If you can swing it, I always recommend doubling up on Magic Kingdom Days. There’s just so much to do and repeat, and it gives you the chance to make sure you see their fireworks at least one night.
The reason we pick our order like that is because we want to book end the trip with Magic Kingdom, and Epcot is usually a quieter day (lots of eating) so since Sunday is a full day after travelling, and we stay up late for the fireworks, we don’t want a go-go-go pack on Monday.
I consider Epcot and Animal Kingdom parks to be less ‘hustle’ and more chill.
Next year, we are looking at March Break so we may change up the order to ensure we don’t end up at Magic on a Saturday if possible (I worry about it being extra busy)
Also, every day, typically, one of the parks has ‘magic hours’ for people staying on resort. These are extended park hours. You could try to make your park schedule based on this if you can their hours planned in advance.
FastPass
You may have heard about the FastPass at Disney. Basically, it’s like a ‘cutting the line’ ticket that you can plan for. It’s included in your ticket. You get 3 FastPasses per park per day, and there are some limitations. When choosing your FastPass, you are given grouped options, which means you may not get the exact 3 FastPasses you want. There are different tiers.
No matter what, USE THEM. Book them as soon as you can (60 days out from your trip if you are staying at a resort). They were amazing for us. There are definitely better ways to use them – I’ll try to put together a list (for example, some rides don’t have long wait times so it’s not worth using the FP)
In our early years, when the kids were doing fewer rides, we Fastpassed a lot of character meet and greets and that was totally worth it. Now, we use them for all the most amazing rides possible.
Once you decide your priorities, plan to go for those.
One year, I stayed up until 1 am to try and FastPass (Anna and Elsa were hard to get at the time!) and the system wasn’t ready yet, so I bailed, woke up at 6:30 and got in. I actually didn’t get the first date I wanted for them (they were booked already!) but did get our additional date since we doubled up on visiting Magic Kingdom. That’s how popular some of these FastPasses can be.
A quick note about Rise of the Resistance:
I know I have to do more posts about these stuff, like about Galaxy’s Edge – but I will say this. At this time, Rise of the Resistance is the most sought after ride at Disney (and that’s saying a lot because there are still 4 hour waits some days for Avatar’s Flights of Passage!)
You can’t FastPass Rise currently, but they have a Boarding Pass System. It’s all done through the My Disney Experience App (see how important that App is?) and Boarding Pass opportunities don’t open up until the Park opens for that day. BUT you and all of your party who plans to ride will need to be scanned INTO the park to have a chance. Then, when the Park opens, the App opens up the chance and you try to get them.
This means that going there at 6 am won’t matter. Sure, Disney has been letting people into the Park earlier than it opens (because otherwise the lines were getting ridiculous) but sitting in the park that early doesn’t give you a better chance. You do want to give yourself enough time to catch a bus, or uber, and get to the park, through security and find a place to use Wifi or data.
So when we went, both days, the park opened at 8 am. We arrived on the first day at 7:15, the second around 7:30. Although we were in the park and nothing else was open, it was nice not to stress about the security line to make sure we were in.
I used wifi and the app and Andy used data and the app so at 8 am when passes were available, we both tried to get them.
We did both days, and let me tell you this ride is an EXPERIENCE. I loved it so much. I can’t say much more because I don’t want to offer spoilers – but YES it was worth us planning the extra day for it to make sure we got on it.
Oga’s Cantina at Galaxy’s Edge. This was super fun! But not a part of the dining plan and can be pricey. Worth checking it out though!
Other things to note:
Magic Bands are amazing. They aren’t mailed to Canadians ahead of time, but you get them at check in, and with your My Disney Experience App or web log in, you can customize them with your names, colours etc. They link up to your credit card too. You can pay for merchandise with them, use them for your meal plan etc. We didn’t need to carry wallets.
The Magical Express (which my son called the Evil Express upon leaving because it was going to take us home) is your transportation to and from the airport and resorts. It’s easy to find at the Orlando airport, but they do pick you up on your day of departure about 4 hours before your flight time. You need to call and add yourself to their list to ensure you have a spot on the bus when you arrive or depart. This needs to be done in advance.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that we travel with the kids quite a bit, but that we take rather relaxing vacations. A lot of downtime is involved. We weren’t sure how Disney would be for us since we are crowd-avoiders usually, however, thanks to the time of year we went, plus some great planning (and a little luck), it turned out to be amazing. You can guess how much we love it since we keep going back!
We ran the kids pretty hard some days with a few very late nights, but what we decided to do was sleep if we needed to sleep. That is, there were no days that we got to any park before it opens. For some, this isn’t great planning since it’s quiet first thing and you can get to some rides quicker, but for us, the extra leisurely morning set us up well for a really great day. Know your kids and take breaks when you need to. We aren’t rope-droppers. We don’t want to rush our mornings (we typically would arrive at the parks at 9:30ish)
You will NOT get to see everything at Disney in a week. It’s impossible, and you’ll be disappointed if you tell yourself you are missing out on stuff, so pick your priorities, expect some surprises and know that because you won’t cover it all, you should just enjoy what you can!
Be opportunistic – this works well for us. Sometimes, if we walk by and a line up is short, we just hop in! We don’t plan every moment of the day because some of our best experiences have been impromptu.
I’ll have more about food in another post! That deserves its own! Plus, some tips for planning out the week and our favourite rides and shows.
Editor’s Note: My son has written some articles about topics he’s chosen that he thinks readers, or maybe their kids will be interested in. Here’s another one and it’s all about PEI! I am often asked what we do with the kids when we go out East. His answers give you a little taste of what the kids love to do when we go.
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My family and I have been to Prince Edward Island for many years as a vacation. Every year, we have a great time. The island is home to many historic places on the island. However, history is not the only thing available on the island. Many other forms of fun can be enjoyed while on Prince Edward Island. Let’s see the top five best things to do on Prince Edward Island.
5. Visit the beaches
Some of the islands most popular areas are the beaches! There are currently 23 beaches located on the island, and all of them are different in their own way. Some of our favourites are Greenwich, North Rustico & Cavendish. However, those are just three. There are still twenty more waiting to be explored. Also, be ready to swim!
4. Explore the light houses
Another one of PEI’s most popular destinations are the lighthouses. 63 lighthouses are found in PEI. You may think that lighthouses are boring but they are pretty cool once you reach the top. Yes, you read that right, you can climb the lighthouses. Each of them are fairly similar in shape, color and size. However, some of them are pretty unique in their own way. Here are some to check out. Souris East Lighthouse, North Cape, Point Prim and Panmure. These lighthouses are all cool and besides, there are 63 of them.
Victoria-by-the-Sea
3. Visit Charlottetown
PEI’s capital and the birthplace of confederation, Charlottetown is where the magic happens. Perhaps you want a drink? They have it here. Oh, you would like some French Fries? They have it here. Perhaps you want a great place to explore? They have it here. Yes, Charlottetown has it all. One thing you need to check out is the province house. They are currently renovating it so you most likely won’t be able to go in until 2020. Nonetheless, Charlottetown is a great way to spend a day at, as it has restaurants, tourist attractions and food. Who doesn’t like food, right?
2. Visit a Cows Ice Cream shop
Cows is one of the best ice cream cones I’ve tasted in the last 10 years. I don’t think I’m alone. There are 12 locations on the island and even some in other places in Canada. Some of places are Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta and British Columbia. You’ll recognize Cows because it literally has a giant cow outside each of the shops. On top of that, make sure you visit the creamery too. It is where the ice cream is made. Also, Cows makes merchandise too. However, they are all parodies of popular movies and TV shows. An example is “Farmite Cattle Royale” Obviously after Fortnite Battle Royale. Try the ice cream it is some of the best you’ll ever have.
1. Try all the food
PEI has all these great things, but the food is what really counts. I mean seafood, of course. Lobster, Oysters, Mussels you name it they have it. You may think it’s just seafood you can find anywhere. We’re on an island of course it’s going to be better than any other seafood! You can have it for dinner, and lunch. As I said, Charlottetown will have all of this seafood. However, some stores will carry it as well. I suggest that if you’re on vacation, you’ll want to eat as much as you can, because once you leave, you won’t be able to have it again.
*editor’s note: He LOVES mussels now, and is a picky eater. Thanks PEI!
So that’s what you should do if you go to PEI. Try the food, visit the lighthouses, swim at the beach and have a good time. I hope you enjoy your time in PEI and have fun.
Here’s the thing: I love travelling. I love ending up at amazing destinations. I love the planning process, the excitement that builds up before a trip, and of course the time away.
The thing I don’t like? Flying.
I’ve never enjoyed it. Between anxiety and nausea it’s filled with terrible feelings.
I have, however, over the years, learned some ways to help with my travels. Yes, travelling with kids becomes a distraction and can sometimes help, but it’s not always the case. So my purse is always armed with go-to items I need to help get through a trip. I’ll share them here in case it can help you too!
1. Before a flight, I take ginger Gravol.
Why not the real stuff? Because it makes me too groggy and I don’t like the feeling. Plus, I’m usually travelling with the kids so I need to be alert and able to help them as needed.
2. Baby cookies
This is my secret snack when travelling anywhere. When taking off and landing, I need not only a distraction, but something to calm my stomach. Baby cookies have become the best way to do that. The taste is mild, and I can take small bites along the way.
3. Plane snacks (and tomato juice)
I can’t gorge myself with food when I fly. I need snacks that sit well. Aside from baby cookies, bagels are a filling but plain snack to have. I often also travel with trail mix or dried mango. They are a little sweet (but not too sweet) and chewy so they feel more filling.
And the tomato juice. When offered a drink on a plane I always get tomato juice. Hear me out. It’s more filling, it’s plain, and is almost a meal replacement if I can’t eat. My kids make fun of me for this because they always ask me if I am going to dip my baby cookies in my tomato juice (gross) but they know these are two of my flight coping strategies!
Find a drink that sits well with you. I find orange juice too acidy, and water doesn’t seem to help much (I always end up dehydrated on travel days).
4. The air bag
When you first sit down, prep the air sickness bag. It’s there if you need it. If you don’t have one. Get one. Just in case. Sorry folks, but better safe than sorry.
5. Distractions
I can sometimes watch movies on a plane, but it depends on the flight and turbulence. My best distraction is music (have that play list ready!) and headphones. The other thing? Sleep. When I just don’t know how I’m gonna feel, I sleep.
6. Dressing in layers
I always end up way too warm on a plane, and way too cold. There never seems to be a happy in-between. So I dress in layers. Tank top, wraps, sweaters – to be able to find the perfect balance. Scarves make for a great blanket/pillow as needed too!
7. Just get through it
It’s not fun, but the destination is almost always worth it. I just keep repeating that. And hope for the best.
After spending time in Florida’s Gulf Coast, it’s no secret that we really enjoy the area. If you followed our March Break trip on social, you’ll have seen that we were surrounded by water, pools, beaches, sun, baseball and seafood – all ranking high on our ‘what makes us happy’ lists.
One area that want to tell you about is the St. Pete Beach area where we stayed at the beginning of our trip. A couple years ago when we went on a Florida vacation to meet up with all of my family (sisters, parents etc), we had one night that we needed to book before meeting up at the house we rented. We were flying into Tampa, and looked at local hotels, but we figured that since we were so close to the open water, we would much rather find a place near a beach to enjoy – even if it was only going to be for about 24 hours.
Prices for beach properties are naturally not very inexpensive, especially during March Break, but we kept looking and stumbled on a gem. A family-owned motel resort called Bon-Aire Resort is where we booked. It was directly on the beach (and I’ll talk about the beach later), had two pools, a restaurant that served delicious, simple bites and drinks, and was so well priced we booked right away.
After that one-night stay, we always talked about going back, so when we planned another family vacation this year, and had a few days to fly in ahead of my family, we knew where we wanted to go.
Why St. Pete Beach?
Let’s start with the Bon-Aire. This became our home for three nights. There are kitchens in the suites, including fridge, microwave and an oven in the larger ones, which means when you travel with kids you can buy groceries that they’ll actually eat and you won’t have to eat out all the time. However, when you do eat out, there is Sandbar Bill’s located right at the Bon-Aire, or delicious restaurants all in walking distance. We ate at Grand Hacienda one night and it was great (not to mention, we scored an early bird buy-one-get-one-half meal!)
The Bon-Aire Resort has two heated pools and is located on the beach. Each day we would leave our room and walk out to either swim in the pool or walk the beach. The white sand is hard to describe, but baking soda may be the best way to explain it.
St. Pete’s is about 45 minutes away from Clearwater Beach, a very popular travel destination (and recently, it’s been named the best beach in the U.S.) We took a day trip in search of great food and more beach time. We went to Pier 60 and from their walked long Clearwater Beach. It wasn’t a surprise why it’s so popular. It has gorgeous white sand that is incredibly clean and soft. There’s a pier to walk out on and the area is full of shops and things to see and do. We ended up grabbing a bite at Salt Cracker Fish Camp that had an excellent kids menu, and was well priced (plus it tasted amazing) and I can’t recommend it enough.
Nearby, there is the Clearwater Aquarium and Marine Rescue Centre which we didn’t get to this time but definitely would another time, and just a bit north you’ll find Dunedin Stadium, the home of the Blue Jays during Spring Training.
St. Pete’s is near Tampa Bay (about 30 minutes from the airport) making it an easily accessible beach destination if you are flying into the area. One of the main reasons we love staying there is that everything is accessible – the beach, great food, groceries – within walking distance. We only got in the car to day trip to Clearwater. Otherwise, we had everything we needed at Bon-Aire Resort. We love the St. Pete’s Beach area and hope to make it back again soon.
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