Canada/New England excursions advice?

[Cruise_More_Often]

We usually do a mixture of ship/private excursions. But wanted to chime in that we really enjoyed the Fortress of Louisbourg.

 

With extensive research we found that it would only be open for ship tours our port day so we elected to take the ship's tour.

 

What fun! Big bus for only a handful of people! It would have been cancelled for lack of interest BUT none of the people at the the Excursion Desk had been there before and felt that they needed to go to "experience" it to be able to talk about it (this was the first Canadian cruise of the season 2 years ago)

 

In a nutshell, we basically had a private tour of the fortress that day complete with costumes, food, etc! Great day! NO ONE was there but our "bus"!

I would love to see the Fortress of Louisbourg, but we always seem to go during leaf peeping season, when all the costumed characters and displays are closed for the season. I'm pretty sure without all that, the Fortress itself wouldn't be all that interesting.

[GradUT]

We're doing almost the exact same thing. Renting car in PEI and Sydney. Exploring Quebec City and Halifax on foot. Free bus to Acadia. Where did you find the walking tour of Halifax?

 

Here's a link to the website for Halifax Free Walking Tours:

http://halifaxfreetours.wix.com/halifaxfreetours

 

You might want to read the reviews of it on Trip Advisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g154976-d4728554-Reviews-Halifax_Free_Walking_Tours-Halifax_Halifax_Regional_Municipality_Nova_Scotia.html

[sherilyn70]

And a lobster roll in Bar Harbor (at West Side Cafe ...).

 

Or the lobster dinner as well. This is from yesterday.

 

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[sherilyn70]

In PEI we used Duncan tours. I highly highly recommend them. They customized it to our wants and needs. We skipped the Anne of Greene gables stuff since we had no interest in it.

 

In Halifax we did the ships shutterbug tour. We went to 5 stops and had just the perfect amount of each time at each to get some great photos.

 

Sydney didn't really have much so we just wandered around town a bit and relaxed.

 

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[HokiePoq]

Last year, my wife was recovering from a surgically repaired broken leg and couldn't climb up into the buses. We elected to either take tours in chauffeur driven autos driven by locals or taxis. We were on a transatlantic voyage that ended in Amsterdam. Our taxi took us on a visit to Delft as well as to the airport for our departure the next day.

 

You might want to consider this as an alternative to ship's tour offerings.

 

Glenn:cool:

 

Thank you for posting this. I am off my feet for three months and very unsure about future trips due to ankle fusion. I'd forgotten there are other options besides the ship's and private tours.

OP, will read with interest the responses you get and have a good cruise!

[Mrsfrz]

Mrsfrz, we're on the same cruise and are working through our daily activities/excursions. We've been to Halifax and Bar Harbor a couple of times. Never got to see anything but the hand in front of our face at Peggy's Cove and Cadillac Mt -- bummer. For certain we'll go the Arcadia in that I volunteer for the NPS and have an access pass. We also have a 7:30 PM flight home from Boston. Planning to rent a car and go out to Lexington & Concord for the day. Still working through the other stops which are all new to us. We like to walk a lot and will probably do a lot of that.

 

I started a roll call. Please join us there! I've listed our plans there so far.

[Susie51]

Welcome to CC. I like booking shore ex through the ship when visiting a port for the first time. I have done the Maasdam itinerary you will be doing and it was my mom's favorite cruise and ship out of about 25 cruises. The city tour and Peggy's cove is nice.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Mar56]

We used Blue Diamond tours in Halifax and it was the best tour we have ever been on. Completely custom, even got to take a boat ride out of Peggy's cove and the owner let my hubby and I drive the boat... With the assistance of a giant mastiff pup laying at our feet! Felt like family in Halifax.

 

We used Blue Diamond tours for Halifax, Sydney and PEI. All were custom tailered for us and they were wonderful.

[amster65]

Can someone elighten me on those free busses in Bar Harbor and Acadia NP. Where does one get on or off etc. Thanks

[Deep68]

Can someone elighten me on those free busses in Bar Harbor and Acadia NP. Where does one get on or off etc. Thanks

 

This is the website for the free Island Express bus for Acadia NP is http://www.exploreacadia.com/.

 

You will see that some of the routes start in Bar Harbor Village Green which is very close to cruise ship dock. Others start in Visitor Center which is about 15 mins bus ride away.

 

Routes 3 and 4 are what you would choose for Acadia NP.

Route 3 starts in Bar Harbor

Route 4 starts at the Visitor Center (Route 5 will take you to the visitor center from Bar Harbor - then you can transfer to a route 4 bus)

[TwoSue]

We just did this a couple of weeks ago. You don't need to go to the visitor center. Get on bus #3 at the village green and anyplace where it overlaps with #4, you can get off and get on the other bus. We got off at Sand Beach and walked the ocean path past Thunder Hole to Otter Cliffs. We caught bus #4 there. At Jordan Pond we transferred to #5 to get back to the village green. It was all very easy.

 

This is the website for the free Island Express bus for Acadia NP is http://www.exploreacadia.com/.

 

You will see that some of the routes start in Bar Harbor Village Green which is very close to cruise ship dock. Others start in Visitor Center which is about 15 mins bus ride away.

 

Routes 3 and 4 are what you would choose for Acadia NP.

Route 3 starts in Bar Harbor

Route 4 starts at the Visitor Center (Route 5 will take you to the visitor center from Bar Harbor - then you can transfer to a route 4 bus)

[Traveling Library]

Don't miss the Immigration Museum in Halifax at Pier 21. Leave the ship and turn left. There is a lovely boardwalk you can take from the Immigration Museum, past your ship, to the Maritime Museum. Maritime Museum has a small Titanic exhibit and an exhibit/film about the explosion in Halifax Harbor in 1917 (in thanks for the help the city of Boston sent, each year the city of Halifax sends a lovely Christmas tree).

[GradUT]

We are taking the Veendam from Quebec to Boston next month and I just finished doing EXTENSIVE research online and by reading several guidebooks. We have chosen to walk around Quebec on our own (using the Frommer self-guided walks). We are renting a car in Charlottetown to drive to Prince Edward Island NP (we aren't interested in "Anne" stuff) at a price of around $50. We are renting a car in Sydney, NS to drive to Baddeck at a price of about $70. We are doing a free walking tour (tip the guides) in Halifax. And we are taking the free buses in Bar Harbor around Acadia NP.

 

I think this combination will allow us to see the things we want to see at a price much lower than what the ship excursions would cost.

 

We just got back from our cruise and here is what we ended up doing:

 

1. Quebec - Day 1 we walked around Lower Quebec using the Frommer's self-guided walk and then went on a ghost tour in the evening. The Frommer's guide was actually very good. On Day 2, we toured Upper Quebec with the guide and had a late lunch in Aux Anciens Canadiens. They have a great 3-course special with wine or beer daily until 5pm costing as little as $20. (We had the meat pie which was one of the $20 options and it was delicious.)

 

2. Charlottetown - We rented a car from Budget (15 minute walk from where the ship docks) and drove to PEI National Park where we visited Dalkey-by-the-Sea and did a nice walk on the beach. We went to the Dunes Gallery and Cafe near Brackley which was excellent. We drove to North Rustico and did the walk along the boardwalk to the beach and then the harbor--very nice. We stopped in the PEI Preserve Company for tastings and ended the day at the Cow's Creamery where we, unfortunately, were unable to take a tour but we did eat their amazing ice cream. Cost of the rental car + gas was under $70.

 

3. Sydney - We rented an Avis car and their shuttle to their office was waiting for us near "The Big Fiddle" when we got off the ship. We drove to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum and spent a couple hours there. (Be sure to borrow one of the kites to fly!) We then continued around St. Andrew's Channel and took the cable ferry ($5.50) over to Iona. We did not have time to stop at the Highland Village Museum, but did have a nice drive back to Sydney. We talked with another couple who had done the ship's excursion which took them only to the museum for a 2 hour stay and then back to the ship. This cost them $80 each and we spent just under $100 for the car + gas + museum entry for 2 people + ferry fare.

 

4. Halifax - Instead of doing the free walking tour, we splurged and did a Segway Tour. It was a lot of fun and it was much easier riding the Segway up to the Citadel as opposed to walking it! In the afternoon, we spent 2 hours in the Maritime Museum which was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the Titanic exhibit and the ships models. We spoke to two different couples who had done the hop on/hop off bus and were disappointed. They did not realize that Halifax is actually fairly small and easy to get around on your own. They felt they paid a lot of money for something they didn't really need.

 

5. Bar Harbor - I had planned this day carefully by downloading the free Explorer Bus schedules and copying pages of hiking information from a book I got at the library entitled "Hiking Acadia National Park". We took the bus from the Village Green to Sand Beach and did the moderately strenuous Great Head Trail. We then took the bus to Jordan Lake where we did the Jordan Stream Trail. We then took a bus back from Jordan Lake to Village Green. These 3 buses gave us a nice 1.5 hour loop drive through the park. (Note: Be sure to buy your park pass at the ivy-covered Visitor's Center near Village Green BEFORE boarding the bus.) This gave us about 90 minutes to shop and have an ice cream soda at the Rexall Drug Store in town before heading back to the tender. Cost for this day was $10 (2 park passes) and around $7 for the ice cream sodas.

 

6. Boston -- We spent 8 hours in the city before heading to the airport for our flight. We took the Rowe's Wharf Water Taxi from the Black Falcon Cruise Dock to Rowe's Wharf and they stored our luggage for the day. They then took us to the airport via water taxi at the end of the day. This cruise special costs $25 pp. I purchased and downloaded the audio walking tour of the Freedom Trail from the Freedom Trail Foundation ($15 for 5 downloads) and we spent all day on the Freedom Trail with a short stop at the Union Oyster Bar for a quick bowl of soup and cornbread. After our visit to the USS Constitution, we took the city water taxi back to the wharf near Rowe's Wharf for $3.25 pp. Cost of this day trip was $71.50 + lunch. (Note: We ended up skipping going to Bunker Hill due to time restraints--an extra hour in the city would have been good.)

 

I hope this information helps others plan fun, yet budget-priced, excursions in these ports.

[Deep68]

5. Bar Harbor - I had planned this day carefully by downloading the free Explorer Bus schedules and copying pages of hiking information from a book I got at the library entitled "Hiking Acadia National Park". We took the bus from the Village Green to Sand Beach and did the moderately strenuous Great Head Trail. We then took the bus to Jordan Lake where we did the Jordan Stream Trail. We then took a bus back from Jordan Lake to Village Green. These 3 buses gave us a nice 1.5 hour loop drive through the park. (Note: Be sure to buy your park pass at the ivy-covered Visitor's Center near Village Green BEFORE boarding the bus.) This gave us about 90 minutes to shop and have an ice cream soda at the Rexall Drug Store in town before heading back to the tender. Cost for this day was $10 (2 park passes) and around $7 for the ice cream sodas.

 

GradUT,

 

We too were planning on taking the Explorer bus and hiking in Bar Harbor and I have been trying to plan a route.

We were thinking of going to Sand Beach hiking the ocean path then making another stop somewhere.

The Jordan stream trail sounds interesting how long did that take?

I was also curious did you take the #3 to Sand Beach then the #5 back from Jordan Lake? I know not all of the buses go to the village green.

[TwoSue]

We did exactly what you're planning. We took #3 from the village green to Sand Beach. We hiked the ocean path, sometimes staying on the trail and other times clambering along the rocks. We ended at Otter Cliff and picked up

#4 to Jordan Pond. From there we picked up #5 back to the village green.

 

The only issue we had was the buses run every half hour, and we just missed the #4 bus at Otter Cliff. We waited almost 30 minutes for the next one, and it was so full we couldn't get on. So we had to wait another 30 minutes! Because of this wasted hour, we didn't have time for much more than a quick peek at Jordan Pond. I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to get back.. I was a bit worried the bus would be full again, but it wasn't.

 

GradUT,

 

We too were planning on taking the Explorer bus and hiking in Bar Harbor and I have been trying to plan a route.

We were thinking of going to Sand Beach hiking the ocean path then making another stop somewhere.

The Jordan stream trail sounds interesting how long did that take?

I was also curious did you take the #3 to Sand Beach then the #5 back from Jordan Lake? I know not all of the buses go to the village green.

[GradUT]

GradUT,

 

We too were planning on taking the Explorer bus and hiking in Bar Harbor and I have been trying to plan a route.

We were thinking of going to Sand Beach hiking the ocean path then making another stop somewhere.

The Jordan stream trail sounds interesting how long did that take?

I was also curious did you take the #3 to Sand Beach then the #5 back from Jordan Lake? I know not all of the buses go to the village green.

 

Yes, we took the #3 from Village Green to Sand Beach, the #4 from Sand Beach to Jordan Pond and #5 from Jordan Pond to Village Green. If you go to the Island Explorer website, you can see and print maps and timetables for the routes. That proved very helpful to us both before and during our trip.

 

Here's the info from my "Hiking in Acadia NP" book about the Jordan Stream Path: Distance is 1.0 mile out and back. The Hiking Time is 30 minutes to 1 hour. The Difficulty is easy to moderate.

 

At the midway point (0.5 miles), you will come to the Cobblestone Bridge. While the trail continues, this is a good place to turn around and return to Jordan Pond. Because we were trying to catch the next #5 bus, we decided to go back on the carriage road (wide, gravel road) as opposed to the trail. The carriage road goes along the stream, so it's still scenic and we even came upon a doe and fawn on the road! It took us about 45 minutes to hike from Jordan Pond and back, but we were rushing at the end to make sure we made it back in time for the bus. A much more leisurely hike would be 1 hour. If you want a shorter and/or easier hike at Jordan Pond, there is the easy Jordan Pond Nature Trail that is a 0.5 mile loop and only takes 30 minutes. But expect to encounter a lot of hikers on that trail.

 

Finally, we had some time at Sand Beach before we needed to catch the #4 bus, so we decided to walk part of the Ocean Path (which I had initially hoped to walk in its entirety). We walked about halfway to Thunder Hole and were disappointed in the walk because most of it was right next to the park road and there were cars constantly driving by. While the view to the ocean was scenic, having the cars nearby severely detracted from the experience for us. I do not know if the path runs by the road all the way to Otter Point, but it may be something you want to consider when making your hiking plans.

[Deep68]

Thanks GradUT and TwoSue for the information regarding hiking and the explorer bus in Acadia NP.