Looking for a helpful Canadian or someone in the know...

[katefromny]

I live in Western NY near the Canadian Border and was thinking about taking a short trip into Niagara Falls, CA to see if I could buy 7 day park hopper passes at The Disney Store. Does anyone happen to know if there is a Disney Store in Niagara Falls (the canadian side?) or where the closest canadian Disney Store is to Buffalo, NY? For a party of 5 adults and 2 children (ages 3-9), with my DC discount, Canadian exchange and no tax, I figure I can save around $300. Makes it worth looking into. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[SandraC]

Hi, I am a helpful Canadian and I live about one hour east of Niagara Falls!

The closest Disney Store is in Mississauga, Ontario.

Take the QEW from Niagara Falls go east
From the QEW take HWY 403 East
From HWY 403 exit HWY 10 (Hurontario Street) south
You can't miss the mall ~ The Disney Store is located in the Square One Shopping Centre (Burnhamthorpe & HWY 10) on the first floor.

BUT! You can buy 7 day hopper passes at any travel agent, so you might just want to hop over the border and visit a TA before you drive an hour to Square One.

ALSO! We get a deal around Jan/Feb to April/May. Buy one 7 day hopper pass and get the companion pass half price. This pass does expire, it's limited. But we saved about $400.00 Canadian Funds.

Since you are close to Niagara Falls, I have news for you! During the first weekend of Festival for Lights, Disney hosts a character breakfast. We have been going for 4 years ~ this year will be our 5th year. Since my birthday is around that weekend, we make a big deal about staying in the Falls and having a Disney breakfast. It's usually in one of the nicest Falls hotels and features Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Pluto,one year Donald was there too. There is also a Disney Show with the above mentioned and Chip and Dale. It's quite DISNEY! It only costs abtou $15.00 Adult and $10.00 kid, and that's Canadian Funds so it's more like $10 adult USF and $6.50 kid USF!

 

[Alysa]

There is also a Disney store in Hamilton on the mountain at Limeridge mall. Go east on the QEW - you should be able to map-quest it quite easily.

SandraC - what is the festival of lights and when does it take place? We love going to Niagra on the Lake for the blossoms in spring - can we make a slight detour for this?

 

[tori]

Festival of lights is in late Nov. and Dec. as a part of the Christmas light celebrations.
Kate, before you run across the border for tickets check into your savings. I've looked into purchasing here in Canada or ordering from Disney. The Disney store changes its prices on the passes almost daily with the exchange rate so as our dollar changes so does the pass price. No saving there. I assume you're looking at a G.S.T. rebate on the passes but you can't claim a tax rebate unless you've been in the country long enough to declare your purchase. Also be cautious of buying the Canadian Hopper Pass when it is available. You must have a Canadian address, and you may be asked to show I.D. at the Disney store at time of purchase and/or at the gate.

Hope this helps, Tori

 

[katefromny]

Sandra C writes:

BUT! You can buy 7 day hopper passes at any travel agent, so you might just want to hop over the border and visit a TA before you drive an hour to Square One.

ALSO! We get a deal around Jan/Feb to April/May. Buy one 7 day hopper pass and get the companion pass half price. This pass does expire, it's limited. But we saved about $400.00 Canadian Funds.



Sandra, are the 7 day passes I can buy at a TA the Canadian passes? And can I qualify for that special buy one/get one half price deal if I am not a Canadian? Not sure if you know the answers to these, but worth a shot.

katefromny


Tori---
Thanks for the info re: the need to be Canadian. I sure don't want to buy the passes and get stuck at the gate. My first thought was the Florida resident thing (who doesn't know someone who lives in Florida?), but I now know that wouldn't work either. The only real reason I figured into buying Canadian was to hopefully save a little on the exchange rate and the tax savings. I didn't realize that I had to be in the country a certain amount of time in order to qualify for that. Very depressing!!!!!!