Skipping St. John?

[allnamestaken]

In addition you had this to say on your review.

 

Port day was a bust mainly due to the remnants of Hurricane Earl. However, there is nothing to see of note in St. John. Okay, the old general store was interesting for about 15 minutes. But look at the Reversing Falls on YouTube – it is not worth a port stop. We were going to drive out to St. Martin, but the weather put a kibosh on that. We visited the farmer’s market, which was fine but we have amazing farmer’s markets in New York so there wasn’t much to get excited about. St. John is a pity-inducing rust-belt type town and I wish its citizens the best, but they should find another source of income.

 

Your comments reveal an astonishing arrogance and ignorance. Better people than you have misunderstood Saint John, its working class people, industry, and place in history. Your comments including "it is not worth a port stop " and "pity-inducing rust-belt type town" is over the top and unkind to say the least. Trust me the people of Saint John have no need of the pity of the likes of you. Furthermore I suspect that some of your claims are dishonest given the day you were in Saint John. I doubt anyone would actually enjoy that day much. I am familiar with the city having lived there 32 years ago and visited many, many times since. I have also been to Manhattan, not my favorite place either. The OP may stay on the ship for relaxation reasons, that is fine, but your advice is offensive and even though I am not a resident I take personal offence. It is personal, you made it personal. I would like to paraphrase the last two words on your most recent post but that would not be allowed, I know someone as smart as you will get the message though.

Acey is much more polite, good for him and the fine people of Saint John. I know they would welcome you back any time, perhaps the sun will be shining on you and in you next time. It is a very historic city with deep roots in the past of both the US and Canada. Not all that pretty in some respects but very interesting to those that care to look with actual interest in learning about what to most cruise passengers ( many thousands of them ) is a unique city and area.

 

I usually ignore defensive folks such as yourself, but I will not tolerate being called a liar.

 

Yes, it was pouring rain when we first debarked the ship. HOWEVER, within 20 minutes or so the rain stopped, the sun came out and the temperatures were quite balmy. My husband and I walked from the port, through the market square, through the neighboring parks and from one end of town to the other (on a side street in an earnest attempt to get a few feel for the town), before embarking on the trolley tour. We also walked through two malls, ate at one of the local seafood restaurants, and had coffee at another local spot. (We also spent hours reading about all of the walking tours before we went about.)

 

I did not like St. John. My tablemates in the Platinum dining room, all experienced cruisers, were bewildered by the point of a stop in St. John. The folks we were sitting next to at the Chef's Table expressed the same sentiment.

 

You may consider me arrogant, but I'm truthfully arrogant. It's sad that people are wrapped up in everyone liking the same thing.

 

You don't like Manhattan. It doesn't matter to me.

[Acey]

The OP asked my OPINION. She was considering staying on the ship and I agree that she should. I not only walked through town for several hours, spent half an hour chatting with locals in the general store, and took a tour with an incredibly knowledgeable former teacher, yet even he couldn't make the town interesting nor charming. It is simply a town past its industrial heyday trying to scrape by. I can respect that, but I don't have to like it.

 

Some people prefer dark chocolate, some people prefer milk, some people don't like chocolate at all. It's not personal people. Buck up.

 

Tecnically the OP asks "if there IS something I should experience in St. John, I'd like to know before it's too late! Opinions?" You had nothing to offer in that respect. By your own admission, not all people like the same chocolate; however, go on to assume she eats the same "chocolate" as you and suggest that they stay on ship. You should have known or ought to have known this may cause offense to locals that offer advice and suggestions on this board. As for "scraping by" - I'm mystified - Saint John in an industrial powerhouse in the grips of rapid expansion in the energy sector - so I'm not sure where that came from. And when you say "bewildered by the point of a stop in St. John" - wow - cruise lines have steadily been increasing their capacity on this itinerary based on very positive reviews of the port and her itineraries. A new terminal was build to accomodate the additional ships. Anyhow, I hate this back and forth on this board - I get a negative feeling from it and for me this will be my last post on this particular subject.

[Acey]

Allnamestaken Wrote:

"St. John is a pity-inducing rust-belt type town and I wish its citizens the best, but they should find another source of income"

 

WOW! I'm speechless anyhow :)

[mele2000]

We are looking forward to doing the Zip Line when we are in this port! Our 17 year old daughter is very excited. It will be Canadian Thanksgiving Day so we were not able to rent a car to go to St. Martins and we did not want to pay the shore excursion price.

 

After doing the zip line and some lunch (back on the ship) we are planning to do some geocaching. There is one that takes you to several different buildings around town. It should be fun.

[LiftLockCouple]

To the OP and the others on this board, I appologize for what Acey calls the back and forth with the nameless one.

OP, I only lived in SJ for two years while going to school but I have deep family ties to the city going back to the time of the American War of Independence. Some of my family were United Empire Loyalists ( a nice way of describing refugees from the war who were loyal to the King ), later in 1818 more of my family from Wales first set foot in North America at Saint John. This historic city is old and that is probably the first impression cruise passengers have when they arrive. As Acey mentioned though, it is anything but a rust belt. The city is a small city of blue collar working class people and has a strong base in gas and oil with pulp and paper mills as well. The port is not nearly as busy as it once was but still sees lots of vessels deliver and pick up cargo in the main harbour plus oil in a smaller harbour. There is a strong base of smaller industries that supply the larger companies. The city is not any different when the cruise ships are there then the rest of the year other than more people in the stores etc. No one hassels you to buy anything and indeed the city has a reputation of going out of its way to make the cruise passengers feel welcome. The city market is not a farmers market but has a wide variety of businesses there including produce and seafood plus other dry goods. I have been in that market many times in the past 40 plus years and it really isn't much different now then it was. When I visit, I go to the market to get Lobster rolls or dulse at Lords Fish Market, year round. There is great coffee there or at the famous Tim Hortons elsewhere in the area. The area has also attracted cruise passengers with the ecology of the Bay of Fundy and its very dramatic tides and wildlife. Ss you may have noticed many people enjoy the simple things like finding their favorite mints of visiting a historic church. As we all have seen, it is not everyones "must do" destination but certainly is not worthy of the character assasination directed towards it on these boards. It is to bad I felt I had to respond strongly but my ties to a great city of very friendly people demanded an appropriate responce. I hope you will have some time to both explore and to relax. A cruise holiday is after all meant for one to be pampered and to relax from normal daily responsibilities. Have a great cruise and be sure to enjoy yourself on or off the ship.

[Princess422]

To the OP and the others on this board, I appologize for what Acey calls the back and forth with the nameless one.

OP, I only lived in SJ for two years while going to school but I have deep family ties to the city going back to the time of the American War of Independence. Some of my family were United Empire Loyalists ( a nice way of describing refugees from the war who were loyal to the King ), later in 1818 more of my family from Wales first set foot in North America at Saint John. This historic city is old and that is probably the first impression cruise passengers have when they arrive. As Acey mentioned though, it is anything but a rust belt. The city is a small city of blue collar working class people and has a strong base in gas and oil with pulp and paper mills as well. The port is not nearly as busy as it once was but still sees lots of vessels deliver and pick up cargo in the main harbour plus oil in a smaller harbour. There is a strong base of smaller industries that supply the larger companies. The city is not any different when the cruise ships are there then the rest of the year other than more people in the stores etc. No one hassels you to buy anything and indeed the city has a reputation of going out of its way to make the cruise passengers feel welcome. The city market is not a farmers market but has a wide variety of businesses there including produce and seafood plus other dry goods. I have been in that market many times in the past 40 plus years and it really isn't much different now then it was. When I visit, I go to the market to get Lobster rolls or dulse at Lords Fish Market, year round. There is great coffee there or at the famous Tim Hortons elsewhere in the area. The area has also attracted cruise passengers with the ecology of the Bay of Fundy and its very dramatic tides and wildlife. Ss you may have noticed many people enjoy the simple things like finding their favorite mints of visiting a historic church. As we all have seen, it is not everyones "must do" destination but certainly is not worthy of the character assasination directed towards it on these boards. It is to bad I felt I had to respond strongly but my ties to a great city of very friendly people demanded an appropriate responce. I hope you will have some time to both explore and to relax. A cruise holiday is after all meant for one to be pampered and to relax from normal daily responsibilities. Have a great cruise and be sure to enjoy yourself on or off the ship.

 

Thank you! I sort of understand - my hometown is an old blue-collar coal mining town (or was, before the Knox mining distaster, which flooded all the mines, killed the industry and sent the area into poverty), and it's near Allentown, and, well, you probably know the Billy Joel song. ;) My town could easily be described as a "pity-inducing rust-belt type town" by outsiders who don't understand its history or its people, so I certainly don't pass judgment. I will spend some time exploring and some time relaxing on the ship, and I'm sure I will enjoy both.

[mowb07]

I was in Saint John a couple of wks ago on the CB. Did an idependent tour of the city that was about 3 hrs long. Although the city is industrial, it is also charming, in my opinion and has a lot of interesting architecture - in fact, the most pictures I took at any port was in Saint John. The people are incredibly friendly and open and obviously proud of their city and it is infectious.

 

If you don't want to do a tour, your plan to visit City Market and the church sounds like a nice low key way to take in some sights and get a feel for the town.

 

It will also leave you plenty of time to get back to the ship and enjoy it - when I went it started getting crowded again around 2pm as that night is formal night and people w/ 5:15 dining headed back early.

 

That said, the demographics on my sailing was such that very very few people were on the Lido deck or in the bars, so although I'm not sure what your "day at sea" was going to include, at least those outside places won't be congested (can't say the same for the Piazza area though).

 

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy your vacation! It is a great itinerary and a great ship! :)

[Princess422]

I was in Saint John a couple of wks ago on the CB. Did an idependent tour of the city that was about 3 hrs long. Although the city is industrial, it is also charming, in my opinion and has a lot of interesting architecture - in fact, the most pictures I took at any port was in Saint John. The people are incredibly friendly and open and obviously proud of their city and it is infectious.

 

If you don't want to do a tour, your plan to visit City Market and the church sounds like a nice low key way to take in some sights and get a feel for the town.

 

It will also leave you plenty of time to get back to the ship and enjoy it - when I went it started getting crowded again around 2pm as that night is formal night and people w/ 5:15 dining headed back early.

 

That said, the demographics on my sailing was such that very very few people were on the Lido deck or in the bars, so although I'm not sure what your "day at sea" was going to include, at least those outside places won't be congested (can't say the same for the Piazza area though).

 

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy your vacation! It is a great itinerary and a great ship! :)

 

Well, first, I'll enjoy sleeping in for the first time on this cruise! That will be my morning "ship time" and then in the afternoon I will probably hit Crooner's, which is usually nice and uncrowded in the afternoon - although (as a smoker, and a lover of anything English) I also like Churchill's. I like the bars in the afternoon when there aren't many people around. (I've been on the ship twice for the 9-day Caribbean RT NYC, so I already have my favorite spots. ;) Although my favorite outdoor spots, like Outriggers, will almost certainly be too cold for most of this cruise!)

 

I have to ask about the formal night thing though - I know it's off-topic on this thread, but I read elsewhere that the formal nights were Newport and Halifax - so now I'm confused, and I'd really like to know ahead of time (as I take FOREVER to get ready, LOL), so please clear this up! Thanks!

[tuffy0317]

I think you can have the best of both world's:

 

My husband and I got off in the morning, and enjoyed walking around the historic section and the city market - both of which were great. Then, after a great lunch, we went back to the ship and enjoyed some time there before everyone came back.

 

We were there on a weekday morning, and unfortunately it was very overcast and rainy, so that might have played into us not spending the whole day there. I think, like any port, it is what to make of it. Check out this guide, which helped us a lot: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1147722

[SOMBRERO6]

We did the Harbor Cruise and City Highlights in St John, just 2 weeks ago. I have to say, we enjoyed walking around the town, much more than riding through this old city. It reminds me of a town that is trying to be revived by the cruise ships. We enjoyed the harbor sights more than the city sights. My husband totally agrees with this. Please get off the ship if only for a little while, there are fun things to see. Find your way to Barbours General store, which by the way is a museum, not a store. In this area, there are wonderful carvings of wood statues. Look them over and see if you can find the statue with an extra hand made by the carver. You might also find the world's most living statue on your way to or from the cruise ship. I truly had a hard time finding something to do in Saint John, before we left, and many others said this, too. I am glad we didn't stay on the ship, we are easily entertained, however I do wish we wouldn't have spent the moaney on a ship excursion.

[Princess422]

We were there on a weekday morning, and unfortunately it was very overcast and rainy, so that might have played into us not spending the whole day there. I think, like any port, it is what to make of it. Check out this guide, which helped us a lot: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1147722

 

That is a really great and helpful guide, especially for someone who's not doing an excursion - there really does seem to be a lot within walking distance of the ship that you can see on your own. Thanks!

 

We did the Harbor Cruise and City Highlights in St John, just 2 weeks ago. I have to say, we enjoyed walking around the town, much more than riding through this old city. It reminds me of a town that is trying to be revived by the cruise ships. We enjoyed the harbor sights more than the city sights. My husband totally agrees with this. Please get off the ship if only for a little while, there are fun things to see. Find your way to Barbours General store, which by the way is a museum, not a store. In this area, there are wonderful carvings of wood statues. Look them over and see if you can find the statue with an extra hand made by the carver. You might also find the world's most living statue on your way to or from the cruise ship. I truly had a hard time finding something to do in Saint John, before we left, and many others said this, too. I am glad we didn't stay on the ship, we are easily entertained, however I do wish we wouldn't have spent the moaney on a ship excursion.

 

I hear you - I have already booked almost $300 in excursions at other ports, and I'd rather save the rest of my money for wine and shopping! That being said, I'm glad that you and others have told me that I can see & do quite a lot at St. John without an excursion. It sounds like I will enjoy walking around and exploring myself (and, yes, probably more than I would enjoy an excursion anyway).

[CMM]

I'm taking a New England/Canada cruise for the first time next month. My cruise has only one sea day (the last one) and I have not heard too many wonderful things about St. John, so I was thinking about skipping that port altogether and relaxing on the ship. (I like spending a day on the ship, and I will be very busy with excursions at all the other ports.) However, if there IS something I should experience in St. John, I'd like to know before it's too late! Opinions?

 

The people of Saint Johns are so so friendly and nice. We were just there last week and were there on a previous cruise too. If I was to go again I would like to see some of the further away nature attractions like the Sea Caves and the Bay of Fundy. The tides were not low on the day we were there so we did not opt for that.

 

If you are interested in another day on the ship and are debating on which port to do this in, I would choose Saint John. The first time there we took the bus tour offered by the public transit and last week we followed a walking tour from the visitors center. Everyone was very nice along the way, but if I had stayed on board and relaxed that would have been fine too. The other ports stood out in our memories much more.

[janhtx]

We are looking forward to doing the Zip Line when we are in this port! Our 17 year old daughter is very excited. It will be Canadian Thanksgiving Day so we were not able to rent a car to go to St. Martins and we did not want to pay the shore excursion price.

 

After doing the zip line and some lunch (back on the ship) we are planning to do some geocaching. There is one that takes you to several different buildings around town. It should be fun.

 

If you really want to rent a car and go to St. Martins try the airport car rentals. They are open on Thanksgiving. And the airport looks to be pretty much on the way to St. Martins. Taking a cab to the airport will add to the cost but it doesn't appear to add to the trip.

 

jan

[mele2000]

If you really want to rent a car and go to St. Martins try the airport car rentals. They are open on Thanksgiving. And the airport looks to be pretty much on the way to St. Martins. Taking a cab to the airport will add to the cost but it doesn't appear to add to the trip.

 

jan

 

Jan, we did think about that but decided to just stay in town this time. It will give us an excuse to come back again so we can go to St. Martins. I will enjoy the zip line along with our daughter. Hubby will be keeping both feet firmly on the ground. He's got two rods in his back so zip lining is off his list of things to do.

[springerx2]

We just got back, its a cute little town, my husband did the photo tour and I did St John St Martin Bay of Fundy tour, it went to reversing falls and sea caves it was okay and the scenery is really pretty, but I would maybe save the money go into town get a feel then go relax on the ship, we had 3 ports in a row before a sea day and it is quite tiring to vacation that hard. I just always feel I`m missing something if I skip a port.

[nmg222]

We just got back, its a cute little town, my husband did the photo tour and I did St John St Martin Bay of Fundy tour, it went to reversing falls and sea caves it was okay and the scenery is really pretty, but I would maybe save the money go into town get a feel then go relax on the ship, we had 3 ports in a row before a sea day and it is quite tiring to vacation that hard. I just always feel I`m missing something if I skip a port.

 

Did your husband enjoy the photo tour and get much out of it? I will be there in 2 weeks and have been thinking about that tour.

 

Thanks.

[xanadu seeker]

I just returned from the Crown Princess NYC to QUebec. Of all the stops, I would choose Saint John as a pretend sea day. We were there late and left early, and our view of reversing falls was at high tide and was not that great. We had the pink hop on hop off bus. The scenery was nice, but if you want to skip a port, this would be my choice. I am not bashing this port. The tour operator was great. The people me met were friendly and all, but I would choose this port unless you are there at low tide.

 

Just my two cents

[vickila]

What is the Pedway? Is that part of the Old City Market? I ask because you mention coffee. :D I am an addict, and if there is good coffee to be had in St. John, I must try it!

 

Pedway is what they call the pedestrian walkway in Saint John. I guess because the weather is freezing cold in the winter, they devised this system for warmth. I discovered it due to the steep hill needed to climb to get to the market -- not w/c or scooterable easily. So, it begins in the square inside a doorway where there is an escalator or elevator -- first one leads to the level where the Museum is. Going further through walkways there is another level -- all with stores, etc. finally leading to the market which is on the 3rd level and is uphill. Note: The elevators for w/c or scooters must have been an afterthought as they are not easy to find -- but there!

 

As far as coffee is concerned, in this mall there is a Tim Horton's which only has one kind of famous coffee and a Starbucks. Have fun.

[Acey]

Pedway is what they call the pedestrian walkway in Saint John. I guess because the weather is freezing cold in the winter, they devised this system for warmth. I discovered it due to the steep hill needed to climb to get to the market -- not w/c or scooterable easily. So, it begins in the square inside a doorway where there is an escalator or elevator -- first one leads to the level where the Museum is. Going further through walkways there is another level -- all with stores, etc. finally leading to the market which is on the 3rd level and is uphill. Note: The elevators for w/c or scooters must have been an afterthought as they are not easy to find -- but there!

 

As far as coffee is concerned, in this mall there is a Tim Horton's which only has one kind of famous coffee and a Starbucks. Have fun.

 

Saint John is home to Java Moose coffee http://javamoose.com/ They have a location in the city market and on Prince William Street. The "fog horn" blend is popular.

[Princess422]

Thank you Vickila & Acey for the coffee info. I may very well have to try both!

[CrusinAgain]

I would just get off the ship and see the town. The market is about a block away and there is a talking intersection pedestrian signal there (never seen one before or since). Personally we did not like St. Johns or their mall. But that is us. Others seem to love the reversing tides while others cannot see the difference unless they are there for both tides. Next time our ship stops there we may go down to the tents by the ship but it will be considered a sea day for us.

[paiagirl]

Saint John is home to Java Moose coffee http://javamoose.com/ They have a location in the city market and on Prince William Street. The "fog horn" blend is popular.

 

Besides coffee, can you tell me about the Ganong candies. Also is it sold in Halifax and Saint John? If so, where? Is it very famous in Canada?

Thanks.

[Acey]

Besides coffee, can you tell me about the Ganong candies. Also is it sold in Halifax and Saint John? If so, where? Is it very famous in Canada?

Thanks.

 

Ganong Chocolates http://www.ganong.com/ are made in St. Stephen, 70 minutes west of Saint John. They are sold in Saint John. You can purchase them at Lawton's Drugs on the first level of the Brunswick Square Shopping Centre a few blocks from the ship. It's Canada's oldest candy company, but I'm not sure how famous they are in other parts of Canada. IMO stick to the more quality boxes of "Delecto". Brunswick Square also has a Laura Secord store for quality chocolate: http://www.laurasecord.ca/ Laura Secord would be the one of the 2 most recognizable chocolate makers in Canada.

[paiagirl]

Ganong Chocolates http://www.ganong.com/ are made in St. Stephen, 70 minutes west of Saint John. They are sold in Saint John. You can purchase them at Lawton's Drugs on the first level of the Brunswick Square Shopping Centre a few blocks from the ship. It's Canada's oldest candy company, but I'm not sure how famous they are in other parts of Canada. IMO stick to the more quality boxes of "Delecto". Brunswick Square also has a Laura Secord store for quality chocolate: http://www.laurasecord.ca/ Laura Secord would be the one of the 2 most recognizable chocolate makers in Canada.

 

Thank you for the info. Is that were the escalators are?

 

At the mall, about 2 years ago, where your produce market is, I purchased handmade fall colored maple leaf clay brooches from a fellow that gathers the clay from the Bay of Fundy. It brings back memories of our cruise day at Saint Johns. I hope to see him again if I have time next week.

[PennyAgain]

The most recent time I visited St. John via a ship, it was a freezing cold and rainy day with dark skies. We walked around for a little while, got some coffee and sweets and gave up on the idea of doing more. You have to judge your visit based on the weather and time you have.