January 27th, 2015 - Tanya's Quebec Winter Carnival Trip: Day 3

Elisa's Daily

Snowmageddon 2015!

Hello and welcome back today!

I'm sitting inside my house, looking out the window at the insane amount of snow piled up outside!

I was up a few times through the night and couldn't help peering outside each time to see the accumulation.  Actually, in the middle of the night, it was far more peaceful without the cars and trucks driving around and the silence of the white stillness was just too peaceful staring out as the fluffy flakes continued to fall.

Although it is still snowing outside, as of now, Nassau County, Long Island only got 12" versus the 20"-30" they had predicted.  Suffolk County, on the other hand got walloped with 24"!!

I'll be cooking it up in the kitchen today - Vegetable Barley soup and Baked Chicken.  That should keep me busy!

6AM this morning - main road completely covered

Me & Gianna lovin the snow!

Gianna made a snow angel and had trouble getting up

Liberty having had enough of the snow, walking up her doggie ramp

Now, considering it's the ultimate winter day here in New York, I decided to chat a bit about Disney World, Florida.  Why not mentally transport myself to a warmer climate!!

And what a perfect day to talk about it since it's Travelin' Tuesday!

As you know, my Florida Road Trip is coming up in just a few weeks.  I'm in great shape - everything is booked from plane tickets to hotels, car rentals, theme park tickets and even restaurant reservations. I only have 2 items to finalize: my Park Ticket to LegoLand and my Disney Dining Plan tickets.  I'll be completing those today.

I know that many people are not the Disney regulars like I am.  In fact, many people I know prefer to "wait" for the right time to visit this amazing theme park, say, when the kids get a little older, for instance.  

Of course, considering my lack of patience and waiting for the right time, (which is a foreign concept to me!); and while I completely respect that approach, the good news is, my more than a dozen trips to Disney World, Florida, and expertise with this magical place, can dramatically assist you when and if you decide to go.

I'm going to stick to the basics: The Disney.com website...
 
The official Disney website is forever evolving, and with each modification, it becomes more perfected for planning and personalizing a trip to any and all of the Disney theme parks worldwide.

You are able to visit all of the Disney properties, with virtual tours of the room accommodations and a detail of on-site amenities. The same is true for theme park attractions, rides and shows.  The site makes it easy for you to book your trip online, or enlist the help of a Disney representative, who I've always found to be extremely friendly and helpful.

There are two features on the site, in particular, when booking your trip, which I find immensely helpful in saving time and energy later.

The first is the Online Dining Booking.  Yes - it is possible to visit each and every restaurant online, view menus and book your reservation in advance.  If your trip is planned methodically, as mine always are, you should have an itinerary of which individual park you will be visiting on which day (i.e.: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios), allowing you to pick the appropriate day for making your restaurant reservations.

A credit card is required to hold the reservation and the more popular ones have a 24-hour cancellation policy with a penalty of $10 per person. I always keep a printed list of my reservations with confirmation numbers in the event I need to cancel.

The Second and more recent additions to the site is the ability to reserve Fast Passes prior to your trip - 60 days prior, to be exact.  Fast Passes allow you to reserve a spot for a particular attraction or ride, without waiting on the line.  With a Fast Pass, you are given priority entry at a specific time window.

Fast Pass can be a real time-saver, particularly for the popular attractions that would normally have you waiting on long lines.  The only catch is that you are bound to a specific time.  With the two kids, I'd prefer to have my day planned with specific times and forfeit flexibility for a day that moves along quickly, to avoid complaining and boredom.

I encourage you to check out the Disney.com site and use all of the features, if you are planning a trip.  The site also has a plethora of information on the latest Disney entertainment, trip planning, videos and games for the kids.

Well, friends, enjoy this snowy day if you are in the New York--area.  Hope your day is fabulous, wherever you are today!!
-E

Tanya's Daily

It's a Mont-Tremblant type of day!

It’s a new day and for me that means a new city, or village on this particular trip! 

Today my greeting is from Mont-Tremblant, still in Quebec, still in Canada!

And today we are hitting the mountain! 

We’ve got our First Tracks lift tickets and since we are staying in the village it’s nice and super close to hop on to the Cabriolet lift and get started!

Before heading out on this trip, I had decided to leave our skis at home and do the rental thang this time around. 
I luv my skis, but oh well. With me luck! 
And yes, I have my knee brace with me!

The temperatures have been mighty low, and I have been staying mighty covered up! Can't say the same for Cosette, who must enjoy freezing more than wearing her hat!

We went into to see the Basilica Notre-Dame of Montreal yesterday before heading out of town. 

The Basilica Notre-Dame in Montreal remains one of my absolute favorite and most beautiful churches that I’ve ever stepped foot inside. 
This church also happens to be the location of Celine Dion’s December 17, 1994 wedding to Rene Angelil. Believe me when I tell you that it is gorgeous!!

After spending and enjoying some time there, I had notched that poor Dominic’s boot was completely falling apart! 
He couldn’t go another block with the condition of this footwear! 
A most necessary stop at the Magasin de Chaussures (shoe store) will be in order along our way..

So on our way out of Montreal and heading up to the mountain, we had passed by the Parc Olympique de Montreal stadium (home to the 1976 summer Olympic games).

Montreal Olympic Stadium

And then on our leisurely way, driving up to the Les Laurentides - which are par of a shield of forested peaks enclosed by Ottawa and to our destination of Mont-Tremblant, which is the highest peak in the Les Laurentides and one of the most popular ski resorts in North America! 

Passing several adorable villages along the way...which I loved!

Which brings us back to today! And me being on my way to hit the slopes!

à plus tard (see you later)
-T