Excursions

[chrisjen24]

Holland America Ship - Veendam May 05, 2018

Stopping at Quebec City, Quebec, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada,Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Bar Harbor, Maine, US, Boston. Has anyone done this cruise itinerary before? if so are there any excursions you can do on your own instead of the ships? Any help much appreciated.

[Keith1010]

I always think it is good ask about things to do in port on the ports of call board and when it comes to ship excursions on the cruise line board.

 

There is a Canada/New England Ports Of Call board which will have a lot of information on these ports and also a great place to ask for input.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=20

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

Just as a generic answer (and yes, we have done all those ports) when it comes to cruise line excursions versus DIY.....it really depends on the individual. For example, DW and I will probably do no more then 1 excursion per 100 ports....around the world. We prefer to do our own thing, are good at it, and strongly dislike being crammed onto a large bus with 60 other cruisers and spending half our day waiting for the slowest to get on and off the bus, go to the rest rooms, do their shopping, etc.

 

Regarding those ports they can all be done on one's own. In a city like Quebec City one can simply use their feet (to walk around that wonderful city) or perhaps take a local bus if you want to go afar to a place like Montmorency Falls (and the surrounding park). In Halifax we prefer to rent a car and explore parts of Nova Scotia away from the city. But one could easily spend their time walking in town, enjoying a nice lunch, etc. Bar Harbor is all about eating lobster (they have some of the sweetest lobster in the world) and enjoy the quaint town. If you want to go to Acadia National Park there are local tour and bus options for a fraction of the cost of a cruise line excursion...but you should look at the options and perhaps book in advance. Prince Edward Island is a wonderful place to explore and our preference is to simply rent a car and drive ourselves to wherever we please. If you want a tour you can look at the online options and book ahead (at significant savings over cruise line excursions).

 

As to Boston, one can use the local bus (which has a stop near the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal which will get you to South Station where you can connect to the public transportation system that can get you anywhere in the Boston area. If you love long walks it is possible to walk from the cruise port all the way to central Boston (Faneuil Hall area) or even to the Freedom Trail. DW and I love to do the long walk because we will often stop at James Hooks and Co. for the best lobster roll in Boston...although you might find yourself sharing a picnic table in the parking lot :).

 

Hank

[easyboy]

You can check Toms Port Guide website.

https://www.tomsportguides.com/canadanew-england.html

You can explore the website that has details on how to explore the covered ports.

 

 

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