Canada/New England on the Golden in Oct

[RWayne]

We've booked the Canada/New England cruise in October (our 25th anniversary) in October but not the air (flying from Colorado). Any suggestions for:

 

a. air travel?

b. where to stay after flying in - close to port?

c. hotel with shuttle to port?

d. comments regarding this ship on this particular route (Halifax, St John, Bar Harbor, Boston, New Port)?

 

Very excited about the trip, but haven't ever toured/cruised that part of the country and would appreciate any insight that will ensure this trip is as memorable as I already believe it will be. Thanks.

[captainron]

See the following sites:

 

Halifax, NS www.halifax.worldweb.com/

 

St John NB www.gonewbrunswick.com/

 

Bar Harbour, Maine www.maineguide.com/barharbor/

 

Boston, Mass www.boston.worldweb.com/

 

Newport, RI www.visitri.com/newport.html

 

 

Hope some of these sights give you an idea of some of the highlights of your Ports of Call.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[mringenoldus]

We are also on the Golden (Oct 15). Will you also be onboard? I'll be interested to see what responses you receive.

 

We are leaving tomorrow for our 25th anniversary trip to Hawaii!

[whale-watcher]

Hope some of these sights give you an idea of some of the highlights of your Ports of Call.

Thanks for posting these links!

[RWayne]

Thank you. We'll be leaving on 8 Oct.

[susancruzs]

I love that itinerary! A tip for Bar Harbor! The national park is great and you don't need to do a ship's tour. Bar Harbor has a great trolley ride and you can get on just a few blocks from the pier. They take you through the park, stop a few places to look around and way cheaper than the ship tour.

 

One thing people miss and I thought was very good is the museum/display right at the Halifax Pier. There is a charge but very well worth it. They have a movie set up that you swear the people are on stage telling you their stories about coming to Canada.

I would do it again.

 

I did do a ship tour in the a.m. in Halifax, riding the "ducks" so you got a waterfront view and a city overview. I still had time to take a cab to the cemetary, went to the Maritime Museum, had lunch on a pier with shops/restaurants and still did the pier stuff, too and I didn't feel rushed at all.

 

Susie

[sunprincess]

I have friends from the UK & California that have done this cruise & loved it.

 

Hope you do as well.:)

[bjkTX]

My DW and I made the cruise in October 2 years ago - our first cruise. We had a mini on the Golden and left NY sitting on our balcony eating strawberries and sipping champagne - it was our 30th anniversary trip. We flew in the day of the cruise - and took a cab to the port instead of the Princess shuttle. It was much cheaper and much faster and even though there was a lot of traffic the cab took an alternate route and we were at the port and on the ship in 30 minutes - before the shuttle even left the airport.

 

Since it was our first cruise and we had never been to New England we took lots of the day tours - and we loved all of them, at every port. The lobster bake at a camp was great, and we spent the whole week amazed at the ship, the service and the places we were visiting. We've since taken an Alaska cruise on princess and we're going to the Caribbean in Feb - and we're still smiling over the fact we finally found out about cruising :-)

 

Enjoy your trip - and happy anniversary.

[Joy2Day]

I sailed this itinerary last year on the Grand Princess. In 2003, I did a similar cruise on RCCL. Both cruises were mid-October. A few thoughts:

 

New York -- We flew into New York on Friday for a Sunday departure. I tried to get a reasonable hotel via Priceline, but it was a very busy weekend in New York. We ended up at the New Yorker (34th St & 8th Ave) -- a little further from the port, but more affordable. It was older and tired, but a great location by Penn Station, Madison Square Garden. We spent Friday night and Saturday seeing everything we possibly could in New York. A $7 all-day subway pass came in very handy. We went up to the top of the Empire State Building, rode the subway up to Rockefeller Center, then down to Battery Park to take the free Staten Island Ferry. Walked around Times Square Saturday night. Sunday, the cab ride to the pier was $10-12.

 

Halifax -- Been there twice. Rented a car each time. 2003, we went out to Peggy's Cove. In 2004, we went out to Mahone Bay and Lunenbourg. Looks like you'll be in Halifax for Canadian Thanksgiving. In 2003, many of the shops in Halifax were not open on Thanksgiving. Enterprise, Hertz, and a thirde company (Avis, maybe?) are your car rental options here. Enterprise is in the train station 2 blocks away, but may not be open on Thanksgiving. Hertz is in the Casino Nova Scotia hotel. They all have kiosks at the pier and Hertz has a shuttle. If you drive out to Peggy's Cove, I highly recommend Shaw's Landing restaurant in West Dover (on the way). A small and simple restaurant with the best fish 'n' chips ever. Mr. Shaw moved to Nova Scotia and opened the restaurant after his daughter perished in the SwissAir 111 crash off the coast. There is also a memorial to the victims in Peggy's Cove.

 

Saint John, NB -- Also rented a car both times. Avis and Hertz are 3-4 blocks from the ship. Several small fishing villages with nice drives. Also some great walking tours in the area. The market is fun.

 

Bar Harbor -- Trolley at the pier is definitely cheaper that ship's tour option. Great lobster lunch at the Chowder House on Cottage Street. We found this from a tour guide recommendation. It closes around mid-October. It was open in 2003, but closed in 2004.

 

Boston -- Only stopped here in 2004. It was a cold dreary day. World Series traffic and preparations made traffic a little more crazy. Princess provided transfers into Boston and so did another trolley company. The trolley was a little cheaper, so we chose that. After we got underway, they announced that our ticket was good for several dollars off the normal trolley/boat tour combo. Having no other plans, we jumped at that. We got off at Quincy Market/Faniuel Hall and stopped somewhere else for lunch. By the time, we rode the circuit around, we were cold and wet, so a boat tour was not appealing. We were rushed on this day, mostly because the trolleys were going to provide less-frequent service after 3 pm, since many of the vehicles had been chartered to carry World Series crowds to parties. Still a pleasant day, and I'd do it again.

 

Newport -- Rough ride on the tenders here. It was very choppy all day. No need for a ship's tour to tour the mansions. However, it appeared that the ship's tours jump to the head of the line. We were in Newport on a Saturday, and this was only a factor at The Breakers. We got off the tenders and walked down the Visitor's Center (about 4 blocks to your left). From there, we caught a bus out to the mansions. There are combo tickets available at the mansions. We bought the 'Breakers + 1' combo, and toured the Breakers and Marble House. Bus fare + admission was around $30 each - which is about 1/2 of the ship tour price. We went to Marble House first (no wait), then to the Breakers where we waited about 1.5 hours. It was cold and windy in line, but everyone was very friendly. We did a little shopping down by the pier and were still back onboard by around 2:30 pm.

 

New York disembarkation -- With 5 ships disembarking, it was crazy. Princess transfers were only for those with flights after 2 pm. Our flight was at 12:00 pm. We asked for an early color and we were in the second group called around 9:45. Knowing we were in a rush, we had made arrangements for a private car and were staying in contact with her via cell phone. We got our luggage, then took an elevator down to street level where she picked us up on 12th Ave. That way, she didn't have to get stuck among all the other pier traffic. Taxis were difficult to flag down, just because of the mass of people. Since we were disembarking on a Sunday, she got us to LaGuardia in about 45 minutes and we made our flight easily. However, I'd recommend a flight at 1 pm or later. Good news for you -- I checked the New York port schedule at http://www.nypst.com. It looks like you're the only ship in port, so it won't be as crazy.

 

If you have any more questions, just ask away. I really enjoy the Canada/New England sailings.

[RWayne]

Thanks again. I appreciate all the input. As thanks, I'll write a review when we get back.