Saint John & Halifax

[hylasgirl]

I was just wondering if I could get some information from some experts out there... First of all... How close is the cruise ports to the actual "down town" area of both of these places. The part of "down town" that has the shops and restaurants... easy walking around and looking at things?? Are the towns within walking distance from the ports or will I need some form of transportation?

 

Second... I was wondering if anyone had any information on private tour companies for these two stops? There are 4 people in our group and we are NOT interested in ship tours. We are all seasoned cruisers and do not want to spend any of our day in a bus.

 

Thank you for any information :)

[Ephraim]

Almost every cruise port in Canada is right in the thick of things. Remember. these cities were built on marine traffic.

 

Saint John (they don't like when you abbreviate) uses a cruise port called Pugsley's Terminal. It's right in the upper town. Here's a map with Google Maps. (Water street near Duke) You can walk from there to the shops, easily. The only thing that isn't really in walking distance is the reversing falls. Here's a shopping map of the area.

 

In Halifax, you end up at piers 20 through 22. Usually either 20 or 22, never 21. (Don't know why.) In any case, it's a bit off of downtown, but it's still a nice walk. Here's a map with Google Maps. (Marginal Road, near South). As you leave the port, you will walk next to what is called Historic Properties, which are the oldest surviving maritime buildings in Canada all along Upper Water street. Barrington Street is the central downtown shopping district. There is also a nice shopping area in Halifax called Spring Garden Road which is also within walking distance.

 

Oh, and if you need help, ask almost anyone in Halifax or Saint John. You will have a hard time finding nicer people on earth. They are very open and welcoming. Only place where they will hold the door open for you, even if you are 10 feet away from them.

[hylasgirl]

Thank you so much for all the information. This is exactly what I was looking for. I will check out all the maps. Thank you for taking the time to post this:)

[hvsteve1]

I was in Halifax again for a week last July. I don't cruise there, I go up for the Military Tattoo and enjoy the stay. QM2 was in port and I ran into a cruiser on Queen Garden Street, which is one of the high end shppping areas nearest the terminal. He had been advised to go there and was considering a tour to see what the rest of the city was like. He was surprised when I pointed out that he had to walk only four blocks or so to get into the main part of town. When you leave the terminal you can pick up the boardwalk which takes you along the waterfront and ends up at historic properties, which is the far end of downtown from the terminal. There are plenty of tours as everybody is on high alert when a ship is in town. One of the ones I hear the best about is the Duk, which runs from near historic properties. The nice thing about Halifax is the town (assuming you're reasonably fit) is walkable. In the week I was there I never took any sort of transportation. There is, however, a free bus that runs around town. There will be a tourst information booth at the pier to answer any questions and supply maps, brochures etc. Most of the more popular shops in town also set up at the pier which has the appearance of an indoor flea market on ship day. One of the main tourist attractions is the immigration museum which is actually in the terminal building.

 

One of the objections I have to cruising is the short amount of time in each port. You get a Readers Digest version of what the town is like. I would have a completely different impression of Halifax if I only saw it on a cruise as opposed to the trips I have made there on my own.

[TomAndJane]

I

One of the objections I have to cruising is the short amount of time in each port. You get a Readers Digest version of what the town is like. I would have a completely different impression of Halifax if I only saw it on a cruise as opposed to the trips I have made there on my own.

 

hvsteve1,

 

I agree with you 100% about only getting the Readers Digest version of the port cities, but what my wife and like about cruising is that we get to see these cities and only unpack once. If we see a city we like, like Halifax or Corner Brook, we can always take another vacation and explore it like you do. Since we started cruising we have seen so many beautiful things and places that we could have never seen if we weren't on a cruise ship.

 

Tom

[altagrace]

My husband, daughter and I were in Halifax May 2006 with the Maasdam (HAL). What we did was rent a car for the day. (about $40 to 50) The nearest rent-a-car was in a hotel 1 block away from teh pier (I think it was National in the Westin Hotel). We used the car to drive to Peggy;s cove and tour other parts of Halifax - cost us a lot lesss than 3 excursions from the ship...

 

Agree with the previous poster: highlights of Halifax are within walking distance of the pier. The walk to the Citadel is a bit of a cahllenge being uphill.

[CruisinMommas]

Ephraim, thank you for posting the information. We will be coming/cruising to your area this summer. I have saved to my favorites your info.

[Ephraim]

Ephraim, thank you for posting the information. We will be coming/cruising to your area this summer. I have saved to my favorites your info.

 

Actually, I'm in Montreal, myself. And if you are coming to Montreal.... you have to be on either Holland-America or on Crystal. No one else makes it to Montreal (the larger ships can't make it under the bridge in Trois-Riviere. Cruises usually either start or end in Montreal. The ships are here overnight on Saturdays, which make sense... overnight on a Saturday night in Montreal.

 

One of the only fresh water cruise ports in the world! (Quebec city is also fresh water, but it becomes estuary just a few kilometres up the river.)

[silverlilly1]

Check out this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=48217&page=10

 

 

Tons of advice and hints, just read the last 3-5 pages or so.

[Shiiilo]

<snip.

 

In Halifax, you end up at piers 20 through 22. Usually either 20 or 22, never 21. (Don't know why.)

<snip>

 

Just for your own info Pier 21 is an historic landmark in Halifax as the entry point for a large proportion of our immigrant population http://www.pier21.ca/ including my grandmother, who was a war bride after WW2. It is no longer a "working" pier and has instead been turned into a museum. Basically its a miniature version of Ellis Island in New York.

[Ephraim]

Just for your own info Pier 21 is an historic landmark in Halifax as the entry point for a large proportion of our immigrant population http://www.pier21.ca/ including my grandmother, who was a war bride after WW2. It is no longer a "working" pier and has instead been turned into a museum. Basically its a miniature version of Ellis Island in New York.

 

I'll ask my dad if he remembers which port he came into, when he came over from Europe after WW2. My mother was too young to remember, but my father remembers most of this vividly (usually as part of nightmares, but that's not Canada's fault... that's WW2's fault).