NCL Excursions Looking Sad for Fall Canada/New England Cruise

[RN_Prof]

We are booked for an end-of-September cruise on the NCL Pearl from Quebec to Boston. I picked this itinerary because of the stops in Charlottetown and Sydney (along with Quebec and Boston). But after looking at the NCL excursion offerings, I am kinda disappointed. While we are fine with doing walking tours on our own as Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, and Bar Harbor are nice ports but everyone makes a big deal about seeing the Anne Green Gables Museum in PEI, but I do not see any excursions offered by NCL. Also, NCL only offers three excursions in Sydney, mostly pub or restaurant crawls. Do you think NCL will add more as the summer/fall sailing season starts, or is this just it?

[marys350]

Have you checked out any private tour companies? We are going on a Canada/New England  cruise in September and have booked several private tours including a tour through Blackwood Tours in Sydney (they have several options) and a 4 hour tour through Conrad's Coastline Tours in Charlottetown that includes a stop at Ann of Green Gables. 

 

Have you signed up for the cruise critic roll call for your NCL ship and sailing date? I find roll call forum boards are helpful in sharing ideas for excursions, hotels, etc. Good luck finding excursions either through NCL or private companies.

[Nitemare]

does the Anne Green Gables Museum in PEI interest you? Or are you just mentioning it because Everybody Else Does?

When we did a NE/Canada cruise we were all about landscapes and nature.  We rented cars and did boat cruises to see the land.  Sydney and that part of NS (Cape Breton) is just incredibly beautiful -- we drove it in a, well, driving rainstorm, and we still loved it.

[RN_Prof]

We like to hear, see, and experience the history and culture of a port. So while "Anne Green Gables" is not too important, we prefer the museum experience over just seeing the landscape. We've never used an outside vendor for an excursion, except for Hop-on-hop-off buses that the cruise line uses.  We don't get into Charlottetown until 1 pm, which may be the reason for the poor offerings.

[lissie]

1 hour ago, RN_Prof said:

We like to hear, see, and experience the history and culture of a port. So while "Anne Green Gables" is not too important, we prefer the museum experience over just seeing the landscape. We've never used an outside vendor for an excursion, except for Hop-on-hop-off buses that the cruise line uses.  We don't get into Charlottetown until 1 pm, which may be the reason for the poor offerings.

Are they not offering a  trip to Louisburg? That would be the obvious place to go in Sydney for someone interested in history.  We're hiring a car to  do it independently - but our cruise does offer it as a 1/2 day tour 

[Cali Viajera]

Check the Louisburg website. They close up most of the exhibits come fall. There aren’t any ‘actors’ around after September.

[briternik]

I was disappointed with the Sydney offers also. The town itself looks pretty bleak to 

just walk around.

[Nitemare]

20 hours ago, briternik said:

I was disappointed with the Sydney offers also. The town itself looks pretty bleak to 

just walk around.

It's a cute little town, but the "selling" point of that region is Cape Breton in general.  Spectacular scenery

[tring]

Another vote for Louisbourg, which is very interesting and fun. We went on their shoulder season, early June, which is well off season.  It was cold with not all buildings open and only a few actors, but still well worth going imo.  I suggest you go to their website to see what is said about when you are there.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2023 by tring

[briternik]

Thanks.  I went ahead and booked Louisbourg through Blackwood Tours that was mentioned above.   

[alwaysfrantic]

I’m happy to see a few private companies listed.  I will look there.  The Holland America ones look……not sure what the right word is…..all on a bus looking out windows.  There doesn’t appear to be much sporty.  I’d rather hike at a waterfall than simply be looking at it from the bus.  

[marys350]

5 hours ago, alwaysfrantic said:

I’m happy to see a few private companies listed.  I will look there.  The Holland America ones look……not sure what the right word is…..all on a bus looking out windows.  There doesn’t appear to be much sporty.  I’d rather hike at a waterfall than simply be looking at it from the bus.  

If you are interested in a private tour with a short hike and waterfalls, you might want to check out Sydney Cape Breton Taxi Tours. They have many options for tours listed and I think one includes a short hike and a waterfall. Although I haven't booked a tour with this company, I have researched and read good reviews about them on Trip Advisor.

https://www.sydneycapebretontaxitours.ca/home

Edited April 28, 2023 by marys350