Niagara Falls Activity Pass question
 

I was reading in a travel guidebook about getting an activity pass called The Great Gorge Adventure Pass. It includes unlimited use of the People Mover and Incline Railway. The activities included in the pass are:
Maid of the Mist
Journey Behind the falls
White Water Walk
Butterfly Conservatory

The price is 38.51 adult and 25.50 for children. We have children in the age span of 8 to 15. Would you recommend getting these passes? I know that the Cave of the Winds is better than the Journey Behind the falls, but is it worth the effort going across the border just for that one activity? Thanks for your help!

Ashley24,
It all depends on how long you will be there. They are all good tours. If you will be there for more than 2 nights then you will have a chance to do all of those tours and still relax with leisure time. The price of the pass is good. I would have done it on my last visit if I had stayed longer than 2 nights.
I hope you have a wonderful time!
Annika

The guidebook said that all that could be done in one day. We will be arriving late Wednesday and leaving Friday afternoon. I am assuming that you would not suggest craming all that into one day then?

It all depends on how you want to do it. Sure it can all be done in one day if you like. I see your time there is short so I understand. Why not do one (or 2) of those tours the Wednseday you arrive? I personally would not enjoy shuffling from tour to tour in one day but that is just me. I will say that all the tours we did move rather quickly even when busy. So it really depends on you and how you want to spend your time.
I do know this. Maid of the Mist and Journey Behind The Falls are located near each other. Would not take long to do those tours especially if you were staying in the Fallview blvd. area where the incline railway is located. Where are you staying in Naigara Falls?

The US side also offers a similar adventure pass that includes Cave of the Winds and deletes the Butterfly Conservatory... they are available at the Goat Island State Park... have a look at the US Pass and you can decide which to buy... We prefer the US pass because it offers a more nature oriented look at the Falls, however you may want to see the Butterflies...

Both passes can be used in one day if you go from one attraction to the next... have fun

We will be staying at the Sheraton on the falls. We will be arriving Wednesday evening around 8 pm so I was hoping to get an early start on Thursday. We can also stay as long as we want to on Friday before heading home (takes us about 4-5 hours for travel).

I've been planning my next trip to Niagara Falls and will be getting the pass. Here's some info I've gotten on the activities:

Maid of the Mist 1 hr minimum starts at 9 a.m. (no set closing time, changes according to weather)

Journey Behind the Falls 30 min minimum starts at 9 a.m. (closing same as MotM)

White Water Walk 30 min minimum 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Butterfly Conservatory 1 hr minimum 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

MotM is a short walk to JbtF and you can get timed tickets. FI is next to JbtF and you can take it before you do JbtF. WWW is a bit further past MotM at Whirlpool Bridge and BC is past that and you can grab the People Mover to make that trip.

You could do it in a day JbtF (9-9:30), FI, MotM (11-12), WWW (1-1:30), BC (3-4) that gives you some "sit and rest" time between, but it's a full plate. It might be better to do it in reverse order. Get your timed tickets for JbtF and MotM first thing in the morning, then catch the people mover to BC and work your way back up.

The Pass also includes a discount on tickets for the Aviary (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and the Whirlpool Aero Car (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) both are a 30 min minimum.

Hope that helps.

Ashley what no one has told you here is a huge thing you need to know.

The lineups for these activities are so long that many of us who have travelled even farther than you don't want to wait in line for 2 hours in heat with screaming children areound for a 30 minute adventure.

We had hoped to do all you listed too. Getting to them all was a hassle even with the shuttles. But the crowds just spoiled it all last August.

I was there in 04 and didn't find the lines to be as bad as what I had thought. Also the folks at the ticket counter were very helpful. They informed me that you can get timed tickets for MotM. That way you're not spending the time waiting to get on a boat. Pick your time and get there 1/2 hour before. I had to stand in line at JbtF, but it didn't seem that awfully long. Once you're down the elevator, you can go at your own pace. I was able to do MotM, JbtF, and the Aviary in one day with plenty of time to spare.

I would suggest to the OP that she do the Incline Railway, JbtF and MotM on the first day, and then WWW and BC on the second. That would leave plenty of time for walking, shopping and eating.

Also, if you're leaving family behind, a really neat thing to do is pick a time for them to go to this site:
http://www.fallsview.com/Stream/PanLive.shtml

It's a live camera of Niagara Falls and shows the walkway next to the Horseshoe Falls. Tell your family (or friends) where you'll be standing and at what time and they will be able to see you. I did it on my last trip, and my young nieces loved seeing me wave to them from over 2,500 miles away. I also found that my cell phone connected from the American side, so I had free calls while I was there. I stood waving to them and talking to them at the same time. (Yes, folks looked at me weird, but I had a few actually start waving with me.)

I think you will really like the Sheraton! The incline railway will be close to you there and that will save you some time.
I know I mentioned this in another thread about the crowds / lines. We were just there last weekend and it was busy both Saturday and Sunday (and hot). I was very impressed with the whole tour process. Yes we waited in lines but they were always moving and the waits were not longer than 1/2 an hour.
You seem to have a good idea of what you want to do and see. You'll have plenty of time for all those tours.
Have fun!
Annika