St. John's Newfoundland

[chefestelle]

As promised, here is my review of St. John's, Newfoundland as viewed from a cruise perspective though I am on a conference. We have arrived in Newfoundland after a fairly arduous series of flights from British Columbia. I can't say much about St. John's yet as we were pretty delirious. But we did pop out for a brisk walk before dinner. We are at the Delta and can see down to the water where I assume any cruise ships would dock. It's misting rain but blowing which made for a chilly walk in 9 degree weather. It never gets particularly warm here but 9 is harsh in July.

 

The down town core is very walkable if you are not mobility challenged. It has been described as a mini San Francisco, which I poo poo'd when I first heard it. Suffice it to say that our glutes, calves and thighs got a really good stretch on our walk. We walked a good length of Water Street, turned up and then walked back along Duckworth. Water has lots of shopping though nothing particularly gripping to my 15 year old DD. I'll examine the shops more closely for places that may appeal to cruisers. This street is just up from the waterfront and so it should be accessible from your cruise ship without transit. I'll see if I can nail down where the ships come in.

 

Duckworth is gloriously speckled with restaurants. We can't wait to try as many as we can for lunches and dinners. There are chains, to be sure, but most look to be independent bistros and the like.

 

George Street above Duckworth is the pub row and a must see. So we shall see it - when we are less tired!

 

And the painted ladies! I haven't seen Jelly Bean Row yet, but the painted ladies are everywhere and done in marvellous colours. I'm anxious to get out with my camera.

 

I'll report more on all of this once my conference is done for the day. Last night, we retired after a simple dinner of cod au gratin for me and fish and chips for DD. We were well satisfied.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[chefestelle]

Well, we went to dinner at the ubiquitous Jack Astor and then moved on to George Street. It is a short, fun street bursting with pubs. Take your pick! We went to O'Reilly's on the recommendation of our taxi driver (from the airport). I even got screeched in. Luckily they use rum now instead of moonshine. I think rum runners used to follow this maritime route so it's probably been a screech in option for some time!

 

We also took a taxi ($11 each way from our hotel) to Signal Hill and took in the mist laden sights. There is a lot of mercantile and naval history there for people keen on that sort of thing. A word of caution, though. The wind really blows up there. It was driving the misty rain fiercely sideways and we were thoroughly chilled to the bone. Wear an anorak or some such other jacket over your warmest sweater if it looks at all grey in the skies on your visit day. Newfoundland does not get particularly warm at the best of times so that's not going to be fun if you're not dressed for it and it's rainy.

 

We walked down from the tower to the visitor information centre where we took in a charming twenty minute history film and viewed the small exhibits. It's only about $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for youths and seniors so don't expect much. Attached to it is the Chocolate Cafe where you can order hot beverages, ice cream, chocolate and goodies made or dusted with various forms of chocolate. The prices were reasonable. The ticket desk will call a cab for you if you do not want to walk down the hill to the bus stop. City transit will bring you to the bottom of the hill and pick you up from there. It's only $2.25 each way. Have exact change. Still, on a cold rainy day the taxi is worth it!

 

Another option if you're there Wednesday to Sunday is the step on step off trolley. It's $5 and takes you to all the main sights: Cabot Tower, the Railway Museum, the Newman Wine Vault and the Geo Centre. I think the whole circuit takes about an hour. I'll report more tomorrow after I've taken it!

 

I still haven't figured out where the cruise ships put in as none have been here and I've seen nothing that screamed passenger terminal. I'll probably see it from the trolley tomorrow. I'll report back!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[chefestelle]

Today we took the step on step off trolley. It was actually a city bus dedicated to the route. I'm not sure whether that's normal or if the trolley is broken down. The driver was absolutely wonderful, taking time with every query to offer options. I still can't tell where cruise ships dock but the trolley makes several stops along water street and though it shuts down after August, it runs any day a cruise ship is scheduled to be in port in the fall. So it must be close to the cruise ship terminal. I haven't found any tourist shops that would stand out, though I have now been in several. However, we did pass a craft shop on the top end of Duckworth that looked well worth popping into. It's in a grand old painted lady and can't be missed.

The trolley passes all the highlights. For a cruise passenger wanting to maximize time at the sites in a short period of time, I would take it to the Newman Wine Vault, tour it, walk to the Railway Coastal Museum, tour it, hop on and carry on to the Cabot Tower at the top of the hill. Don't get out at the Geo Centre or the Interpretation Centre. Get out and see the sights at Cabot Tower, walk down to the Interpretation Centre (it's steep but winding and doesn't take very long). The Interpretation Centre is not a long visit unless you stop for the twenty minute film or take in the Queens Battery or stay for Taps, or have a cup of hot chocolate at the Chocolate Cafe. From there, it's a fairly short walk down to the Geo Centre. It covers the astronomy and geology of Newfoundland. You can catch the trolley here and carry on along for the rest of the trip. If you ask, the driver will let you out at the right stop with a transfer for the city bus that takes you by the Rooms. Walk down to Water Street from there and get back on the trolley at the start of its route! That would cover all the highlights. You could get out anywhere along Water Street or Duckworth to shop or eat. It's only $5 for the day so it's a bargain, for sure.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[maryann ns]

Thank you so much for giving us all this great information. I will keep it in my notes for when there are future queries.

 

I hope you continue to enjoy your trip to "The Rock."

[chefestelle]

I am! I went to the Reluctant Chef for dinner tonight and I could not be happier! What an incredible dinner! It's a five course dinner and you can get half wine pairings (which I recommend if you have to walk to your ship or hotel after). Perfection!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[chefestelle]

To wrap up our stay here in St. John's we took a whale watching tour that hoped to give you glimpses of the puffin colony, humpback whales and icebergs. We knew getting on that icebergs had not been spotted this far down this year but my real hope was for the puffins. We did see plenty but the colony had already dispersed for the season. They are like penguins in flight and are fun to watch. The humpbacks did not make an appearance. There was one minke whale behaving abnormally and sticking close to the surface.

It had started as a gorgeous day but turned quite cold. Because we are in open sea, there was a whole lot of rocking and rolling, and sometimes the horizon disappeared on one side! It is not a trip for even the slightly queasy. We are most fortunate in our inner ear functions...the rain did drive us inside eventually. You can't see much from there but we watched anyway.

If I had just a day in port, I wouldn't do a whale tour. The risk of not seeing any of the advertised delights is too high compared to any other whale watching area we have been in, and we have been skunked in some of those better places! What makes up for the lack of sightings is great scenery. You can't see scenery when huddled inside averting your gaze from the poor sea sick folks lolling around like drunken sailors.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app