My Escorted Tours

I have just returned home from the beautiful "City of Lights", Paris!! After a wonderful direct flight with WestJet from Calgary, on their new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, I landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport, where I transferred out to Paris Disneyland for three days! Having been to two other Disney Parks, I was looking forward to seeing what Paris had to offer. I had a very short 2 minute train ride from my hotel to the park, and after getting my ticket I was on my way!! I always love that first moment when you walk into Disney and see the castle in the distance and hear the classic Disney music playing in the background. I enjoyed my time at Disney as it did have some of the original rides such as "It's a Small World", "Pirates of the Caribbean", and "Peter Pan's Flight". I found the park a fair bit smaller than Disneyland and even though they have a second park, Disney Studios, I think 2 days at the park would be sufficient for anyone wanting to get their fill of Disney :)  From Disney, I made my way into Paris via train, which was super easy to use and once I had the hang of it, I actually ended up using the train a few times within Paris. I booked into a lovely little boutique hotel which was only about 10 minutes walk to the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero Square, and a metro station.  I purchased a Hop on Hop Off bus pass, which is fantastic if you only have a short time to see everything. In the first day, I had seen the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, visited the Louvre including seeing the famed Mona Lisa, and Notre Dame!!  The following day I had booked a tour from Paris to Normandy, where I visited the UNESCO site of Mont St. Michel. This has been on my bucket list for some time, and I was not disappointed with my visit. My tour included entrance into the Abbey, as well as roundtrip transportation from Paris. The rest of the day was free for me to explore. I was able to wonder around the island, do some souvenir shopping and take in the beautiful sea views the Abbey offered.  My last day in Paris, I was back on the Hop on Hop Off Bus, where I seen Moulin Rouge and visited the historic Montmartre area. This area is known for its artists and narrow alleyways, along with amazing views from Sacre Coeur Basilica. I finished my trip off with an evening river cruise along the Seine River. The City of Lights did not disappoint, I must say the Eiffel Tower looks so beautiful at night!! Overall, I had a fantastic time in Paris and I would highly recommend visiting. I found everyone to be very helpful and pleasant!  Make sure you try a fresh made crepe and a Parisian Macaroon!

I did an 8 day Cosmos Coach Tour at the end of April. The tour had stops in Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. The tour started in the Capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, with an included buffet dinner and overnight hotel stay. The hotel used was the clean and comfortable M Hotel. The following morning we travelled from Ljubljana to the amazing Postojna Caves! What a wonderful experience, with a highly knowledgeable local guide.  From there we travelled into Croatia, with our first stop in the city of Zadar. Another local tour guide provided us with all the highlights of the old town. Hotel accommodations for the night were at the Porto, which was about 10 minutes outside of Zadar. The hotel was in somewhat of a sketchy area, and the rooms were nothing to write home about. However, we were only there for one night, and there was a nice included buffet dinner. Day 3 saw us stopping in the morning in the city of Split, home to Diocletian's Palace. This was a fantastic and very interesting stop, with an extremely knowledgeable local guide. After lunch we travelled along the Dalmatian Coast and arrived into Dubrovnik in the Evening. We had lovely accommodations in Dubrovnik for 2 nights, staying at the Lacroma, which was in eyesight of the Adriatic Sea and a short walk to the beach. We had an included city tour of Dubrovnik and then free time to explore. We spent some time wondering around the Old Town, including having a drink at a cliff side bar, with the "best views in the city!" On Day 5 we headed to Mostar, which is in Bosnia & Herzegovina. What a beautiful and unique stop!! We had a local guide show us the Mosque, Turkish Quarter, and the famous Bridge. The afternoon had us arriving into Sarajevo, with another included city tour. Our hotel was located minutes from the downtown area in Sarajevo, and another dinner was included. The following morning we left Sarajevo and drove back into Croatia, where we visited the beautiful Plitvice National Park. Our hotel for the evening was located in the park, and an included buffet dinner was enjoyed after our 2 hour walk through the National Park. Our final full day of the tour, saw us stopping in the Capital City of Croatia, Zagreb, with an included city tour. The day ended with another city tour of the Capital City of Slovenia, Ljubljana. I would definitely recommended anyone who wants to see and do a lot in a shorter amount of time to try a Cosmos Tour!

After a few trips to Disneyland, I decided to brave the crowds and visit Disneyworld! I was on a direct flight with WestJet from Calgary to Orlando, which made getting there very easy. I stayed at a resort in the Lake Buena Vista area that offered Shuttle to and from Disney several times throughout the day. The shuttle ride took about a half an hour between all the stops and just the driving time to Disneyworld. My first day saw me visiting the Magic Kingdom, which of course is a similar layout to Disneyland in California. I was a bit disappointed to be honest, as the Magic Kingdom lacked some of the "classic" rides that you find at Disneyland. It was still a great experience and I did manage to ride Pirates of the Caribbean 4 times!! The line ups are extremely long, so I highly recommend taking advantage of the "Fast Pass" to make sure you get on the rides you want. I would also suggest first thing when you arrive at the park, to ride on the Disney Express Train that travels around the Magic Kingdom, as it gives you the general idea of the park layout and size!  Day 2, I visited Epcot, which had a very different feel than the Magic Kingdom. I enjoyed all the different countries pavilions, and even stopped for lunch in "Morocco". Epcot is home to many futuristic ideas and rides, such as Soarin' Around the World, Mission: Space, and Frozen. I took a break from Disney on my third day and visited Universal Studios, with my main goal of visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For any Potter Fans, this park, complete with a fire breathing dragon on the roof of Gringotts Bank, a ride on the Hogwarts Express, and a glass of Butter Beer is a must do!! My next stop was Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Kilimanjaro Safari was the highlight! The park features the magnificent Tree of Life, which is worth a photo stop. Overall, I enjoyed my trip to Disneyworld, and glad I was able to experience it. I personally prefer Disneyland, as it is smaller in size. I found Disneyworld very large and although they offer great transportation options between the parks, I felt that once I arrived, I would be there for the day. Be prepared to spend a lot of money on drinks and food at the park, but do keep an eye open for complimentary water stations. I would recommend people spend at least 7-10 days in the area in order to see all that is offered!