And We're Off......

If you've never been on a cruise before, you truly do not know what you are missing, and if you have, you will understand when I say that it is the most incredible vacation experience. My best friend asked me if I wanted to join her and her family on a Caribbean cruise in 2011, and of course I jumped at the opportunity. We flew to Florida, and sailed out of Miami. I remember seeing the ship before we boarded, and just thinking how massive it was up close.

We enjoyed the photography sessions

On my 7 day western Caribbean cruise, we visited Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, Mexico. Cruising is an amazing way to see multiple destinations in one vacation for an affordable price. Personally, I do not enjoy sitting on the beach for 7 days, so this was an entertaining, cultural, and intriguing vacation. The cruise ships have so much onboard entertainment and activities that it is almost impossible to get bored. When you first embarck, the crew takes care of your luggage and it gets delivered within a few hours, so we headed to check all that Valor had to offer.

From water slides, pools, karaoke, shopping, kids and teen clubs, discos, a casino, they have it all. Every afternoon into the evening, they have photographers set up and you can have your photo taken professionally to be purchased the next day in the photo lab. Each photographer has a different scene set up, and you can have your picture taken at all of them if you wish. It is a great way to remember your vacation.

Carnival is a very fun cruise line and caters to families, and people of all ages. You will notice all of their ships are very luxurious, with lots of color, and lots of neon. The floors and ceilings make you feel like you are in a palace.

The picture to the left is of the casino. You have to be of age to gamble, but is very open and is located in a main hallway. They have couches and chairs all the way down the hallway so you can sit and enjoy a drink. The windows all the way down allow for an incredible view of the ocean.

Okay and the food! I've never met a person who doesn't enjoy eating....so here is the scoop. The ships have 24 hour buffets, with anything you can think of it. They have different kinds of food to cater to the passengers, and your basic pizza, chicken fingers and french fries. Every morning they have breakfast, hot and continental.

24hr room service is also available if you don't feel like leaving your room. Just a warning....the caeser salad has anchovies in it. If that's your idea of a good time, have at it. Personally, I just enjoy your basic cheese and croutons.

When booking your cruise, you can decide if you want early or late dining. The dining rooms are for supper only, and they are more fancy and you are expected to dress up a little bit. Some cruise passengers dig out the ball gowns, but we opted for a more simple summer dress, which is also acceptable. The cool thing about the dining rooms, is you sit at the same table every evening with the same server, so they get to you know a bit and you get to know them. I even added my serves on facebook after the cruise. We still talk sometimes!

bottomless bubbles at the bar

Cruising is definitely an incredible experience, and I have been dying to go on another one ever since. It was so much fun, and I got to experience a bit of royalty. You'll never know how truly amazing it is until you experience it for yourself, because having someone tell you about it, or pictures will never be able to do it justice. Carnival is the biggest cruise line in the world, and they sail pretty much everywhere. It's a lot of fun, so go experience it! I promise you won't be disappointed, and don't forget to purchase some souvenirs onboard in the gift shop, and at your destinations. Happy cruising!

Top deck pool and dive in movies

Sun tanning.....and go

Niagara Falls Experience

Have you had the opportunity to be mesmerized by Niagara Falls? If you haven't, you have no idea what you are missing out on, because pictures do not do it justice. Niagara Falls is a world famous set of 3 large waterfalls in the Niagara River, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Directly across the Falls, is the American city of Buffalo, New York. I am lucky enough to have had the chance to spend some time in this beautiful city with my family in the summer of 2011.

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Feeling adventurous? We certainly were when we suited up for the experience of a lifetime. Whirlpool jet boat tours, and I repeat, whirpool jet boats. These small boats cruise up to the falls allowing for a spectacular view, and you even catch some serious rapids on the way . Don't wear anything you don't want to get wet, you will absolutely get drenched. It was an absolute blast, an unforgettable experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.


Every night the falls get lit up with multi-coloured lights and fireworks are set off in the sky. Take the time to charge your iPhone, or professional camera before you go because this view at night is exceptionally stunning, you will want to capture it on camera.


Not only are there an abundance of hotels located in a very close vicinity to the Niagara Falls, but there is also many restaurants, bars and pubs to chose from. Who doesn't love to eat, am I right?

My favourite spot was Magaritaville on Fallsview Blvd. It is a family friendly restaurant that offers a really enjoyable, and fun dining experience. They greet you with complimentary lei's when you arrive. There are extremely skilled individuals walking around on stilts, and you can take your picture with them if you want. Enjoy a really comfortable atmosphere, great customer service, and some really great food. I'm still to this day wondering how many margarita's the people drank in order to decide to get up on the stilts though.. (Kidding...kind of)

The multi-attraction passes

Are you looking for something to entertain the munchkins? Not to worry! Allow me to mention, "Street of fun." I was younger when I visited Niagara Falls, and I remember having a blast. Street of fun is a street with nothing but fun attractions, more restaurants, and shopping. Some of the most notable attractions, that I got the opportunity to visit, are the Upside Down House, Guinness Museum of World Records, Ripley's Believe it or not, Mystery Maze, and House of Frankenstein. Those are only a few, among many others. They offer packages where you pay a certain price and you can visit a bunch of different attractions throughout the day. Not only is Street of Fun perfect for entertaining children, it is a lot of fun for the whole family, and offer more mature and age appropriate activities for teens or adults even. Check out the website to see the full list of attractions.

Magaritaville

 I had such a blast at Niagara Falls. I would highly recommend this as a destination for any family, or any individuals with a sense of fun and adventure, and looking to see such an incredible world wonder that is the falls.  It is truly breath taking in real life, and is definitely a Canadian must see. I Hope I can get back in the future, but until then...I just have the memories. Go make your own, you won't regret it!

take me back......

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands are a territory of three islands in the western Caribbean Sea. Grand Cayman is the largest, and a major cruise port, and the smaller islands Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. I had the chance to spend a day in Grand Cayman on a cruise excursion in 2011. I fell in love right away.

View from the Cruise Ship dock

Not only is Grand Cayman island inhabited by such warm and friendly locals, it has a lot to offer tourists. We had the opportunity to visit Seven Mile Beach. This white sand, public beach is home to the majority of the islands luxury and resort hotels. It was absolutely stunning, and a notably popular with cruisers. A lot of people on the ship parked themselves there for the day to relax and soak up some sun. Interestingly, this beach recently received the award for "the Caribbean's Best Beach" from Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine.

Seven Mile Beach

Next on the list? Stingray City. Stingray City is a series of shallow sandbars of the Grand Cayman island with an abundance of southern stingrays. I really didn't know what to expect with this excursion, but it turned out to be such a good time! Basically, the stingrays know they are going to be fed when the boats circle in the water so they are not harmful. We jumped into the ocean, which in this area was only about 4 or 5 ft deep. The stingrays were all around your feet. It was incredible. The tour guides picked them up and held them so we could pet them and even encouraged a back massage. They get you to bend over a bit and place the stingray on your back and he moves around. Once you get over the fear that a stingray is on your back, it's a pretty amazing experience. Swimming with stingrays on the bucket list, check!

Don't fear, they are friendly!

The Cayman Turtle Farm is another popular tourist attraction. This turtle farm is home to Green Sea Turtles, the largest hard-shelled sea turtles and second largest of all turtle species. Some of them even weigh over 500 pounds! At the farm you can hold and interact with the turtles at the turtle touch tanks and wading pools.

In the Education Centre, you can learn all there is know about the turtles. You can also view the turtle hatchery where during breeding season (May to October) you can witness new hatchings making their way up through the sand of their incubation boxes!

This destination is a must see if you are a turtle lover or animal lover in general. So much to learn about this incredible species! Don't forget to snap a selfie!

Last but certainly not least on the tour of this breathtaking island, Hell. There are many versions of how Hell got its name, but they are generally variations of the exclamation "this is what Hell must look like." Roughly the size of half a soccer field, are these short, black, limestone formations.

Tourists are not permitted on the limestone formations, but viewing decks are available. Hell also has red hell-themed post office where you can find an abundance of postcards to mail back home to loved ones from Hell. When you enter the building, there is a man dressed as Satan, who greets you with phrases like "How the hell are you" and "Where the hell are you from?" Postcards not your thing? Check out the t-shirts, ball caps, and souvineers from Hell. It's kind of inevitable, I mean, who wouldn't want something to remind them of their adventures in the mysterious town of Hell.

Welcome to Hell Post Office & Gift Shop

If that didn't convince you to want to visit the Cayman Islands, I don't know what would. The Tour guides and locals were so inviting and welcoming and really were experts in knowledge of their island. This was my first travel destination where they drove on the opposite side of the road as North America, too cool! I absolutely adored every minute of this day adventure and would love to get to go back and spend more time and see more. *mentally awards Grand Cayman my favourite cruise destination*

Philippines bound!

In the Summer of 2013, I had the opportunity to visit the Philippines, Asia, with my family. This was my first time leaving North America, and I was so excited, but anxious not knowing what to expect. Since my step mom is Filipino, we were taking a month long vacation to her hometown to see the country and bring back her son to live with us. We flew for 16 hours total with a layover in YYZ and a direct flight from there with a stop in YVR. The Philippines is a country in South-east Asia, consisting of thousands of small islands, on the other side of the world.

We had landed in Manila, the capital city. Honestly, I was just happy to have my feet on the ground after such a long flight. The Philippines have a 12 hour time difference advancement. It was pretty weird to be landing there in the morning and texting family back home and they were going to bed.

Our next flight wasn't until later that day, so we headed over to SM Mall of Asia for the day.

Panoramic view of SM Mall of Asia

Mall of Asia is the 9th largest in the world with over 1000 stores, 360 dining outlets, an olympic sized skating rink, multiple cinemas, concert grounds, an amusement park and mutiple buildings connected by walkways. We spent the day walking around and shopping, eating at TGI Friday's, and of course, checking out the Starbucks. (My first frap in Asia!)

Manila is a really large city, and way over populated. They do not have any rules regarding driving and it is basically a free for all. If you fit, you go. There is always 1-2 lanes of traffic more than there should be. I would never ever attempt to drive there but the locals seem to have chaos down to a science.

Our next flight to Tacloban City, on Leyte island, was that night and we were off to the airport. One of the things that really surprised me was the fact their security is non existent compared to what we are used to in North America. They ask you to put your luggage through the scanner and then you pick it up on the other side and walk onto the flight. Luckily, this flight was only 40 minutes long.

We went straight to the hotel, were her family was there to great us. It was great they all came out to meet us and invited us over to their house for some food. We eat a lot of Filipino food in my house at home so I was already accustomed to the excess amounts of rice they eat, and the different meat dishes, and noodles. I honestly would rather eat their food than Canadian food most times.

Rise and Shine! 

Downtown Tacloban City

Pedi cabs (left and far right)

The most common transportation in the Philippines is by pedi-cab, which is a bicycle with a side car and it can hold up to 2 passengers. They also have jeeps which can hold a lot more passengers and they all sit in the back while the driver is in the front. They have these all over the town and you just flag one down. It is a really cheap way to get around, fun too!

One of my favourite day trips we took was in Abuyog, Leyte about an hour away, Castanas Spring Resort. It is a river that runs through the jungle and it has been formed into 3 swimming pools, with all different depths. The park has a karaoke hut so you can listen to music while you hang out and swim. Don't like hanging by the pool? If you are feeling adventurous, you can take a 20 minute hike through the jungle and you will come to a beautiful waterfall at the other end of the river.

San Juanico bridge

We took another day trip to Samar island. Leyte and Samar are connected via San Juanico bridge. The bridge is 2.14km and is the largest in the country. We went to the beach in Samar, primarily because of the white sand, and picturesque views. I may or may not have filled two bottles with sand from here.

We actually were fortunate enough to be there during the Tacloban City fiesta to celebrate Tacloban City day. This fiesta is every year on June 30th, and the whole downtown area is decorated and they have a parade.

We got to celebrate Canada day in the Philippines. We made poutine, had rice with butter, hot dogs with buns, and pepperoni and cheese. Some of our typical Canadian foods, that they had never tried. They decorated the house with the Canadian flag and red decorations and bought a cake reading Happy Canada Day.

Did you know that McDonalds in Asia serves rice with all meals instead of fries? You can order fries if you want but it automatically comes with rice unless you specify! As a rice lover, I thought that was the coolest thing.

I got to experience eating fresh coconut, taking a tour of a local elementary school (pictured above), visit a rice field, oh and seeing the excessive amount of wild dogs and cats! We went to see a movie at the theater and had to buy snacks and drinks at the grocery store before because popcorn at the theater is not a thing. They do not even have a concession stand, everyone just brings their own treats.

Some of many wild dogs

Family photo at the waterful in Abuyog

This trip was absolutely incredible and hands down unforgettable. I am so grateful for the hospitality we received and to have shared this experience with my family. I could probably talk about this trip forever and not have told you everything, but these are some of my highlights and most memorable adventures. I would absolutely go back in a heartbeat...as soon as the locals learn to stop starring at white people. Just kidding. But seriously guys..is there lettuce in my teeth?!

Samar beach or paradise.. I'll let you decide.

Moncton, NB!

Moncton's geographical location

Welcome to Moncton, New Brunswick! I am lucky enough to call this "not too big and not too small" town, my home. Although I didn't grow up here, I have lived here for the second half of my life. There is so much to explore and take advantage in this city, located in Atlantic Canada. Allow me to shed some light on some of my favourite spots and attractions.

Why come to Moncton? We have amazing riverfront trails along the Peticodiac River that runs through the city. These 5km, mutli-use trails, are perfect for a walk, bike ride and ideal for wheelchairs. The riverfront park offers great scenery, perfect for the background of your smartphone! Visitors can enjoy floral displays, benches, monuments and quick access to the downtown area. 

Moncton's riverfront trail

Restaurants!! Who doesn't love to eat? Moncton has a wide range of restaurant selections located downtown, and in other areas of the city. One of my favourite places to stop for a bite is the Pump House Brewery offering great pub food including wings, salads, chicken, burgers, and sandwiches. Don't forget to try their unique, home brewed, blueberry beer! You can find it at 5 Orange Lane downtown.

Downtown Moncton is alive!

After you dine at Moncton's famous Pump House..take a stroll over to the Capitol Theatre. The theatre's 782 seat theatre offers great shows, concerts and comedy. Check out their wall outside the building, on Main St. downtown to see what's going on.

Capitol Theatre, Main St.

Moncton's other attractions including the Magnetic Hill, an optical illusion in which your car is pulled up the hill, Magnetic Hill Zoo, Magic Mountain water park, and Centennial Park. Others including Parlee Beach Provincial Park only a 15 minute drive away and Hopewell Rocks "Flower Pot Rocks" only 40 minutes away.

Downtown Moncton on a sunny summer day

Downtown Moncton is my favourite place to spend a few hours having lunch on the patio of a restaurant, catching a coffee at Starbucks and just going for a stroll on a nice day. You know what they say..there's no place like home. Come and see for yourself! 

Hey it's me

Hey there, guess you've found my travel blog, welcome! My name is Allyssa and I live in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. I'm 19 years young and a major travel enthusiast. I love everything about travel, from the airport coffee shops, to living out of a suitcase that never seems to stay neat and organized no matter how hard you try, to learning everything there is to know about another country's culture and way of life.

Moncton, NB, waterfront trail

I'm currently taking the Travel and Hospitality course at Oulton College, with the hope that I get to start a career in this field that I have such a huge passion for. It's only my third week, but so far it is going great. I'm so excited to learn more about the wonderland we live in, and what is out there to explore.

I've been pretty fortunate to have traveled to a few different and interesting places in my life. My favourite trip by far being the Philippines, Asia, in the summer of 2013. It was the most incredible experience, I think, of my whole life.

I can't wait to see what this year at college brings and where it will take me in my future. Stay tuned for more posts on my past and future travels.

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." unknown