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Shore Excursions NE/Canada recommendations please


Caddy928
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Tell us what kinds of things you like to do and we can be more helpful.  Like, in Newport you can tour the mansions, or you can take an adventurous sailboat trip or lots of other things.  

 

Same in the other places. Tours range from sedate to extremely active.  What works for you?

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If you're interested in touring some of the mansions, consider joining the Preservation Society of Newport County. We did before our cruise and toured six of them for a lot less than touring just one would have been through the cruise line. The great thing, especially, was being able to skip the line and go to the members' entrance. It was a lot of walking, though. 

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On 1/26/2022 at 7:01 AM, Caddy928 said:

Heading out on the Norwegian Breakway in September out of NY.  Need recommendations for these ports…

Newport,Rhode Island
Portland,Maine
Bar Harbor,Maine
Saint John,Bay of Fundy
Halifax,Nova Scotia

Our favorites are Newport, Bar Harbor and Halifax for landbase meals.

 

Greatest Lobster Dishes are in most of the restaurants in Bar Harbor. Boiled or Lobster Roll.

 

Halifax if you would like to enjoy a great restaurant - Salty's along the Harbor Walkway.

 

In Newport we enjoy Red Parrot restaurant

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On 1/27/2022 at 4:38 PM, geoherb said:

If you're interested in touring some of the mansions, consider joining the Preservation Society of Newport County. We did before our cruise and toured six of them for a lot less than touring just one would have been through the cruise line. The great thing, especially, was being able to skip the line and go to the members' entrance. It was a lot of walking, though. 

How did you get to them?

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/26/2022 at 4:01 AM, Caddy928 said:

Heading out on the Norwegian Breakway in September out of NY.  Need recommendations for these ports…

  • Newport,Rhode Island
  • Portland,Maine
  • Bar Harbor,Maine
  • Saint John,Bay of Fundy
  • Halifax,Nova Scotia

Private booked tours with our roll call we have done and loved !!!

Bar Harbor.....At Your Service

Saint John...Dave's Taxi Tours

Halifax...Halifax Historical Tours with Paul McNeil...AMAZING !!!!

 

Portland ...no tour needed...walked into town and went to "Holy Donuts"

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On 2/12/2022 at 6:39 PM, Ashland said:

Private booked tours with our roll call we have done and loved !!!

Bar Harbor.....At Your Service

Saint John...Dave's Taxi Tours

Halifax...Halifax Historical Tours with Paul McNeil...AMAZING !!!!

 

Portland ...no tour needed...walked into town and went to "Holy Donuts"

How do you contact these people???? Interested in Halifax & Saint John

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On 2/12/2022 at 6:39 PM, Ashland said:

Private booked tours with our roll call we have done and loved !!!

Bar Harbor.....At Your Service

Saint John...Dave's Taxi Tours

Halifax...Halifax Historical Tours with Paul McNeil...AMAZING !!!!

 

Portland ...no tour needed...walked into town and went to "Holy Donuts"

When we travel sometimes I write to the Chamber of Commerce of those places we are traveling to for a Handbook or Travel Book of the area. Like us.....we go to AAA.....

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We took the Land & Sea Tour with Portland Discovery.  You can purchase tickets ahead of time online or buy that morning.  The ticket center for Portland Discovery tours is an easy 10 minute walk along Commercial St.  Take the trolley in the morning, eat lunch at Portland Lobster Co, and then take the lighthouse lovers cruise after.  We thought the trolley tour was much better than the sea portion.

 

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For Bar Harbor, google “Island Explorer Acadia” and you’ll find the maps and timetables for the free bus that takes you into Acadia National Park.  Walk up Main St. to the Village Green and check in at the visitors booth there. If you have a National Park Pass, bring it for free entrance into the park.  The schedules have changed since covid, but a good itinerary used to be to take bus #3 to Otter Cliff.  Hike the Ocean Path back to Sand Beach.  Ocean Path is mostly flat, easy, and parallels the loop road, offering scenic views and numerous access points to outcroppings above the rocky shore, including major attractions like Thunder Hole.  Then taken Bus #4 to Jordan Pond.  Have lunch here by the lake.  Very good chowder and popovers.  Return to town on bus #5 and look at the shops.

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When I last toured New Brunswick, several years ago, it was from Moncton rather than from Saint John. I engaged Roads to Sea Tours for a very good and personal tour to the Hopewell Rocks and elsewhere along the coast, given by the company's owner, Anna-Marie Weir. I was traveling overland by myself, and had enough flexibility with time that Anna-Marie was able to match with another solo traveler and provide an all-day tour by automobile for the two of us. I understand--though not with certainty--that she also operates out of Saint John. I was quite satisfied, and I can give my stamp of approval to her company.

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On 2/28/2022 at 5:14 PM, GTJ said:

When I last toured New Brunswick, several years ago, it was from Moncton rather than from Saint John. I engaged Roads to Sea Tours for a very good and personal tour to the Hopewell Rocks and elsewhere along the coast, given by the company's owner, Anna-Marie Weir. I was traveling overland by myself, and had enough flexibility with time that Anna-Marie was able to match with another solo traveler and provide an all-day tour by automobile for the two of us. I understand--though not with certainty--that she also operates out of Saint John. I was quite satisfied, and I can give my stamp of approval to her company.

Roads to the Sea are fantastic, but I'm not sure they operate from Saint John. There are a few ship tours to Hopewell Rocks from Saint John, but you will spend a lot of time on the bus (much as I love the place). However, the Fundy Parkway is close to Saint John and during the pandemic they opened up all the way to Sussex and they are supposed to open the link to Fundy National Park this summer. It offers spectacular scenery, so it might be better option. I've included some pics of the Fundy Parkway1614870837_fundyparkwaycoastline.jpg.74ccaa51ee5282865d2fdfd83ce87314.jpg1190952605_seacavesnotfoggy.jpg.84f6ad27949222585458140bc27d6442.jpggraveyard.jpg.588cefec115e6ac0dfed69e9d81d0ed9.jpg485998434_suspensionbridge.jpg.166074ad1441f083521f6e3a95abb978.jpg226683040_waltonsglengorge.jpg.1704da42b60602224f35b625cd3d75a1.jpg

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If you have the opportunity to visit Peggy's Cove while in Halifax you should check it out. A quaint little place with on of the world's most photographed lighthouses. Halifax is a very walkable city with lots to see and do. 

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On 2/22/2022 at 4:43 PM, SueMo said:

We took the Land & Sea Tour with Portland Discovery.  You can purchase tickets ahead of time online or buy that morning.  The ticket center for Portland Discovery tours is an easy 10 minute walk along Commercial St.  Take the trolley in the morning, eat lunch at Portland Lobster Co, and then take the lighthouse lovers cruise after.  We thought the trolley tour was much better than the sea portion.

 

 

We used the same company several years ago and took their trolley tour called the Portland City and Lighthouse Tour. It was wonderful. An interesting and fun introduction to Portland and a visit to the Portland Head Light. 

 

OP and others: even though you may see the Lighthouse on your sail-in, we thought it was worth seeing up close from land as well.  We took the tour in the morning, had a lobster roll lunch in town, and for dessert -- Holy Donut -- DO NOT MISS THIS.  Best donuts we've ever had, ever, ever.  Yum.  And then we spent our remaining time walking around on our own.  

 

Our day in Portland was one of our favorites of our entire NE/Canada cruise (which, I confess, surprised us!).

 

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(Portland Head Light, photo by turtles06)

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On 2/12/2022 at 6:39 PM, Ashland said:

Private booked tours with our roll call we have done and loved !!!

Bar Harbor.....At Your Service

Saint John...Dave's Taxi Tours

Halifax...Halifax Historical Tours with Paul McNeil...AMAZING !!!!

 

Portland ...no tour needed...walked into town and went to "Holy Donuts"

 

Thank you for these suggestions.  We have been to NE and Canada before but not with 7 grandchildren ranging from age 9 to age 13.  Would love suggestions from anyone for family tours--for example, I think we need to go to Acadia National Park with the kids (not a foodie tour which we would book as adults!).  In Halifax, I think they would like Peggy's Cove with all the rocks surrounding the lighthouse.  I know nothing about St. John other than the weird tides.

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6 minutes ago, SeeZee said:

 

Thank you for these suggestions.  We have been to NE and Canada before but not with 7 grandchildren ranging from age 9 to age 13.  Would love suggestions from anyone for family tours--for example, I think we need to go to Acadia National Park with the kids (not a foodie tour which we would book as adults!).  In Halifax, I think they would like Peggy's Cove with all the rocks surrounding the lighthouse.  I know nothing about St. John other than the weird tides.

 

Not that it makes a big difference but I have 5 grandchildren, not 7.  The age range is correct at least.  Another senior moment.

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If you aren’t a hiker, Bar Harbor is a charming little town with great lobster rolls and ice cream. Easy walk up from the tender. There is a dock with a whale watching boat. I asked the captain where to sit where it wasn’t bumpy and he pointed to the dock( Maine humor). Try to take a private tour in Newport so you can see more than one mansion. They are spectacular. We will just browse the shopping village downtown as we have been to Newport many times. 

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On 3/9/2022 at 1:34 PM, SeeZee said:

 

Not that it makes a big difference but I have 5 grandchildren, not 7.  The age range is correct at least.  Another senior moment.

We deserve a senior moment now and then...sometimes more than a moment.

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On 3/9/2022 at 5:27 PM, SeeZee said:

 

Thank you for these suggestions.  We have been to NE and Canada before but not with 7 grandchildren ranging from age 9 to age 13.  Would love suggestions from anyone for family tours--for example, I think we need to go to Acadia National Park with the kids (not a foodie tour which we would book as adults!).  In Halifax, I think they would like Peggy's Cove with all the rocks surrounding the lighthouse.  I know nothing about St. John other than the weird tides.

If they don't seem interested in a bus tour to Peggy's cover, there are a lot of kid-friendly museums right near the Halifax waterfront. The Maritime Museum is right on the waterfront and it has a good Titanic exhibit that my kids always enjoyed. The Pier 21 museum is also on the waterfront. there is also the Discovery Centre (Science and Stem interactive exhibits) just up a bit from the waterfront and the Citadel has kid-friendly activities like using a comic book to solve clues as you tour the battlements (but the hill up from the dock is steep if they aren't walkers). My daughters also enjoyed the soldier for a day activity. You used to be able to explore HMSC Sackville as well, but I think Hurricane Dorian took that option away just before the pandemic hit. It's a very walkable port.

 

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We are truly not fans of Peggy's Cove per say.

 

Yes is a very nice location and what a cute very very small town or village it is. We walked around to see the Lighthouse which is also very nice. We also wanted to see the location where the well known aircraft accident happened which has a memorial plaque placed.

 

One thing we did not care for was the lobster lunch that went with the bus tour from the ship was less to be desired. The restaurant was filled with our ship and most ordered the lobster lunch. Waste of money. Lobsters were not desirable. If you didn't like the lobster choice, a chicken cutlet was the alternate. DW did not like it. Lobsters were over done and could not separate them from the shells.

 

It was a nice idea but not again. Tourist trap as one said. But you do want to help Peggy's Cove people by visiting for their livelihood.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you want a food tour, check out Maine Foodie Tours. I've done Bar Harbor and one of the Portland tours. Both had great food offerings and excellent guides. The Portland tour guide gave us lots of local lore (including the story of $2 Dewey's) as we walked from one tasting site to the next. 

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