What to do in Charlottetown, PEI?

[Nashna]

Our ship will be arriving in Charlottetown at 7:00am and will depart at 6:00pm in October.  The ship's tours don't look very interesting.  Does anyone have suggestions on what we might do for the day?

 

 

[BklynBoy8]

10 minutes ago, Nashna said:

Our ship will be arriving in Charlottetown at 7:00am and will depart at 6:00pm in October.  The ship's tours don't look very interesting.  Does anyone have suggestions on what we might do for the day?

 

 

 

Research best bet to your interest 

[Nashna]

I have been doing research for this port.  A walking tour appeals to me for this port.  However, there will be two ships in port on October 10th creating potentially 9,186 visitors.  With the number of visitors that day, I'm concerned that wandering around town and dining at an interesting place will be a bit difficult considering the size of Charlottetown.  

[marys350]

You might want to check out Conrad's Coastline Tours. He has excellent reviews on Tripadvisor. We recently booked a tour for the Fall and he is very prompt in responding to emails.

Edited February 15, 2023 by marys350

[Nashna]

Thank you. I'll check them out.

 

[puggymom]

I’ve booked a walking tour with See Sight Tours. Found it through trip advisor. Meeting point is very close to cruise port. 

[music&cruises]

On 2/14/2023 at 8:22 AM, Nashna said:

Our ship will be arriving in Charlottetown at 7:00am and will depart at 6:00pm in October.  The ship's tours don't look very interesting.  Does anyone have suggestions on what we might do for the day?

 

 

Hi, I agree--I haven't seen a lot that interests me.  I did find this list of boat tours in Charlottetown that look interesting for something a little more active and out on the water.  I don't know anything about them, so do your research, but we love to be on the water rather than walking or riding in a van, so I'm going to check some of these out.  THE 10 BEST Charlottetown Boat Rides, Tours & Water Sports (tripadvisor.com).  I also found a Segway tour, but it's not super close so I don't think I'll do that one.

[Nashna]

Thank you for the info.  We also enjoy being on the water.  My concern is with the weather in October.    

[Nashna]

We decided to do the Charlottetown City Highlights double-decker bus tour featured on Trip Advisor.  Many reviews mentioned that it was a great way to see the city's highlights and get some local history.  The tour is just an hour, so we plan to go back to investigate the sites that interest us and find a nice spot for lunch.   Our card won't be charged until two days before our arrival, and we can cancel up to 24 hours in advance.  The $26.00 charge per person is certainly reasonable.  I'll keep checking this site to see if something more interesting comes along.

[tring]

On 2/14/2023 at 6:16 PM, Nashna said:

I have been doing research for this port.  A walking tour appeals to me for this port.  However, there will be two ships in port on October 10th creating potentially 9,186 visitors.  With the number of visitors that day, I'm concerned that wandering around town and dining at an interesting place will be a bit difficult considering the size of Charlottetown.  

 

That is a lot.  We visited about seven years ago, in June and no more than 600 on our ship.  Times are certainly changing and not for the better.  The ship we arrive on in Sept takes about 1,800, so that itself is still three times our previous experience.  I think we are the only ship in though.

 

Previously we just strolled round, but also visited a walk round display about the formation of Canada with audio guides.  Quite a bit about political ins and outs, so probably more suitable for Canadians, but I found the costumes of the time a interesting.  I do not know if it is still there.   We were more or less alone in there, but perhaps not of particular interest to the British passengers on our ship - we sailed from the UK to Montreal and back.  This September we will be sailing from UK to New York and back, a nice leisurely journey.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by tring

[Nashna]

On 2/22/2023 at 5:46 AM, tring said:

 

That is a lot.  We visited about seven years ago, in June and no more than 600 on our ship.  Times are certainly changing and not for the better.  The ship we arrive on in Sept takes about 1,800, so that itself is still three times our previous experience.  I think we are the only ship in though.

 

Previously we just strolled round, but also visited a walk round display about the formation of Canada with audio guides.  Quite a bit about political ins and outs, so probably more suitable for Canadians, but I found the costumes of the time a interesting.  I do not know if it is still there.   We were more or less alone in there, but perhaps not of particular interest to the British passengers on our ship - we sailed from the UK to Montreal and back.  This September we will be sailing from UK to New York and back, a nice leisurely journey.

 

 

It sure is.  I'm afraid it will overwhelm the port.

[CaribbeanBound]

Last trip to Charlottetown was in 2009.  Here's what we enjoyed...

 

"Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
8:00am - 6:00pm. We berthed at the Charlottetown pier which is on the edge of town. The cruise ship terminal is a long warehouse building with a few shops and free wi-fi. The town is easy to walk. We started our day at Founders Hall (AAA Gem) about a block and a half from the ship. Pick up your coupon at the InfoCenter kiosk in the terminal. While 4 or 5 of the exhibits were out of service, the step back in time to follow the founding of the Confederation of Canada was very interesting. Founders Hall also has a Starbucks and free wi-fi.

We walked around town and saw the Provence House where delegates first discussed Canada's evolution, and visited Anne of Green Gables Chocolate Shop, near the corner of Queen and Richmond, for a free sample of their chocolate covered P.E.I. potato chips which you can watch them make right in the window. We then set out for local seafood.

We lunched at Water-Prince Corner Shop at the corner of, you guessed it, Water and Prince. We enjoyed a dozen outstanding Malpeque oysters on the half-shell and a pot of Blue Mussels. But we weren't done yet. We had to find a source for the famous P.E.I. lobsters as well. One block from the ship, right on the water, is a restaurant called Lobster on the Wharf. It's great if you want a sit down meal with all the trimmings and a price to match. The real prize is next door at MacKinnon's Lobster Pound. It's in the same building and owned by the same folks. As you approach the restaurant, the door to the right takes you into Lobster on the Wharf, while the door on the left takes you into MacKinnon's Lobster Pound. You can buy 1.00lb-1.25lb cooked and chilled whole P.E.I. lobsters and they will crack them for free (and give you a free plastic lobster pick to help get the meat out). We bought two, which they bagged for us, and walked over to the picnic table in the park next door. No need for drawn butter! The chilled lobster meat was the sweetest lobster we ate the entire cruise. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I have to go back!

Back at Founders Hall, we caught a red double-decker bus for a 1-hour narrated tour of Charlottetown. It's a worthwhile informative tour."