*** Updated for 2008 *** FAQ's for Saint John, New Brunswick

[mom23guys]

Our family of eight adults will be in Saint John in June. 2 couples in mid twenties, 3 fifty somethings and 1 85 year old. We are looking at hiring a taxi(hopefully van sized that could take us on a private tour. How do we go about doing that? Are their larger sized cabs available by the ship or is there someone we can contact before we arrive? We were in Saint John last summer and took the St. Martin tour through the ship so we are really not interested in that tour again.

 

If we decide to go our separate ways in the morning it there a great fun pub we could meet in for an afternoon beer?

[Acey]

Our family of eight adults will be in Saint John in June. 2 couples in mid twenties, 3 fifty somethings and 1 85 year old. We are looking at hiring a taxi(hopefully van sized that could take us on a private tour. How do we go about doing that? Are their larger sized cabs available by the ship or is there someone we can contact before we arrive? We were in Saint John last summer and took the St. Martin tour through the ship so we are really not interested in that tour again.

 

If we decide to go our separate ways in the morning it there a great fun pub we could meet in for an afternoon beer?

 

For the afternoon Beer I would suggest O'Leary's Pub on Princess St http://www.olearyspub.com/

 

If it is a nice sunny day you could sit out on the boardwalk and get a beer from the Saint John Alehouse and people watch all the visitors

http://www.saintjohnalehouse.com/

 

For a van that carry 8 pax you can call Diamond Taxi to have it reserved for a tour. Their number is 506-648-8888.

[belle907]

Should we only expect to pay for goods/services in Canadian Dollars? I have no problem if that is what is expected. I have to go order currency for my July cruise and if I need to get Canadian Dollars while I there I will.

Thanks so much.

[mom23guys]

Thanks Acey for the tips great to have the inside scoop. If you ever come to Cape May, NJ(my town and a definite tourist destination) just ask away.

[sapper1]

Should we only expect to pay for goods/services in Canadian Dollars? I have no problem if that is what is expected. I have to go order currency for my July cruise and if I need to get Canadian Dollars while I there I will.

Thanks so much.

My first reply to your question ended somewhere in cyberspace so I will try again.

You can easily spend your US dollars here but you will get your change back in Canadian dollars. You will receive a better rate of exchange by buying some money at a bank. If you use your credit card you will be charged in Canadian dollars and your credit card company will do the conversion on your statement.

We have one and two dollar coins here (called loonies and toonies) and paper money starts at five dollars. Try not to leave the country with too many loonies or toonies in your pocket as banks will not deal in foreign coin--only paper. Just change them somewhere for a five or ten dollar bill which you will be able to convert back once you get home.

[old bag]

Hi Acey,

I have a question ...

 

My husband and I have settled upon going to Irving National Park and seeing the reversing falls (Next trip it will be the caves of St. Martin). My husband is concerned about renting a car, feeling we would get lost, but I don't want to pay the price for a family of four and be constrained on our trip to go by cruise tour.

 

I see that we will be docked right across the way from a car rental place. My question is, how hard is it to get around St. John's? I saw in a previous post that the roads can be confusing, but we would just go to the Reversing Falls, then onto Irving National Park, park the car and walk around, then return.

 

Thank you for your help --- my husband thanks you too!

[belle907]

My first reply to your question ended somewhere in cyberspace so I will try again.

You can easily spend your US dollars here but you will get your change back in Canadian dollars. You will receive a better rate of exchange by buying some money at a bank. If you use your credit card you will be charged in Canadian dollars and your credit card company will do the conversion on your statement.

We have one and two dollar coins here (called loonies and toonies) and paper money starts at five dollars. Try not to leave the country with too many loonies or toonies in your pocket as banks will not deal in foreign coin--only paper. Just change them somewhere for a five or ten dollar bill which you will be able to convert back once you get home.

Thanks. I don't mind bringing home coins, that's just an excuse to go back and spend them :D

I will bring some paper currency with me to get started.

Wow, 2 weeks from today we will board the Victory and be in your lovely city 2 days after that.

Thanks so much for all your help and Acey's help too.

[CruisnGram]

Our family of eight adults will be in Saint John in June. 2 couples in mid twenties, 3 fifty somethings and 1 85 year old. We are looking at hiring a taxi(hopefully van sized that could take us on a private tour. How do we go about doing that?

 

Our group of 8 will be in St. John in Sept and we booked a private tour through Freedom Tours. We are touring highlights of St. John and St. Martin's including the sea caves. They will customize the tour just for your group. Website is: http://freedomtours.com

[Acey]

Hi Acey,

I have a question ...

 

My husband and I have settled upon going to Irving National Park and seeing the reversing falls (Next trip it will be the caves of St. Martin). My husband is concerned about renting a car, feeling we would get lost, but I don't want to pay the price for a family of four and be constrained on our trip to go by cruise tour.

 

I see that we will be docked right across the way from a car rental place. My question is, how hard is it to get around St. John's? I saw in a previous post that the roads can be confusing, but we would just go to the Reversing Falls, then onto Irving National Park, park the car and walk around, then return.

 

Thank you for your help --- my husband thanks you too!

 

I would walk (if you are able) to Reversing Falls and then cab it to Irving Nature Park. Cabs are relatively cheap and being stranded will not be an issue in Saint John. I would not recommend a car rental for going to these local attractions - you'll need to drive through a dangerous and confusing intersection called Simms Corner and it's a free for all for cars coming and going in 8 directions and it takes a while for locals to master it. There are many one way and willy nilly streets.

The park has a payphone and the larger cab companies have toll free numbers to dial for a cab.

[sapper1]

I would walk (if you are able) to Reversing Falls and then cab it to Irving Nature Park. Cabs are relatively cheap and being stranded will not be an issue in Saint John. I would not recommend a car rental for going to these local attractions - you'll need to drive through a dangerous and confusing intersection called Simms Corner and it's a free for all for cars coming and going in 8 directions and it takes a while for locals to master it. There are many one way and willy nilly streets.

The park has a payphone and the larger cab companies have toll free numbers to dial for a cab.

For Old Bag----On another post I gave you instructions on how to drive to the Irving Nature Park from the uptown area. That would be quite easy. However, I totally agree with Acey on the advisability of an unwary tourist trying to drive to the park from the Reversing Falls area. Simms Corner is not for the faint of heart!!!:eek:

[Acey]

Another suggestion is to join your cruise's rollcall and perhaps you can meet up with like minded individuals who are also looking at the same excursions as yourself and go as a group.

[old bag]

Acey, Sapper, and Cruisin Grannie, thank you all for your great suggestions.

 

I will take all of those great suggestions into account. For now, I will say ... we will pass on renting the car.

[willysgrandma]

Are there any hop on hop off bus's that pick up and drop off at the terminals?

 

How about private tour vendors when you get off the ship?

[Acey]

There are no hop on/off buses as the area where the cruise ship docks and the location of the attractions are in a relatively compact area. There are horse drawn trolley rides that tour the historic areas and then drop you off at the Old City Market afterwards. Otherwise you can stay on for the ride back to the terminal.

 

I noticed a couple of private tour vendors parked on Water St. offering city tours and tours of St. Martin's. (Be sure they legitimately have a commercial licence and insurance). There are lots of taxis that will take you on tour also for an hourly rate. There is no need to haggle with drivers as pricing is regulated, honest and fair.

[willysgrandma]

Thank you. We are wondering whether it is necessay to do an actual tour vs. going on our own.

 

Are the Reversing Rapids the real must see in this area? The Bay of Fundy tours we looked at looked - frankly - a bit boring. But it seems many tours have the Reversing Rapids as a highlight, but if the tide isn't right, there may be nothing to see anyway, correct?

[Acey]

Thank you. We are wondering whether it is necessay to do an actual tour vs. going on our own.

 

Are the Reversing Rapids the real must see in this area? The Bay of Fundy tours we looked at looked - frankly - a bit boring. But it seems many tours have the Reversing Rapids as a highlight, but if the tide isn't right, there may be nothing to see anyway, correct?

 

I would not say the Reversing Falls are a "must see". If the tours look boring to you then there is no harm in just checking out the historic area where the ship docks - I think it's the best part and it's free.

[jerin]

Any recommendations for somewhere that has a nice high tea? We'll be there 2 weeks from Monday, and I'm thinking that a fancy tea for my birthday might be nice.

[willysgrandma]

I would not say the Reversing Falls are a "must see". If the tours look boring to you then there is no harm in just checking out the historic area where the ship docks - I think it's the best part and it's free.

 

 

We are interested in seeing some of the phenomenon of Fundy Bay. We just aren't sure which offers the best oportunity - just seeing the Rversing Falls or whether it is worth doing a Bay of Fundy tour.

[Acey]

Any recommendations for somewhere that has a nice high tea? We'll be there 2 weeks from Monday, and I'm thinking that a fancy tea for my birthday might be nice.

 

I recommend the Infusion Tea Room: http://www.infusiontearoom.ca/

It is located at the historic city market. They have WIFI also if you have a laptop.

[Acey]

We are interested in seeing some of the phenomenon of Fundy Bay. We just aren't sure which offers the best oportunity - just seeing the Rversing Falls or whether it is worth doing a Bay of Fundy tour.

 

You can see the effects of the tide right where the ship docks. Saint John Harbour rises and falls approx. 28 feet during a cycle. Many find St. Martin's interesting because you have fishing boats laying on their sides with no water: http://observatory.ou.edu/BayofFundy.jpg

You don't need to take a ship's tour for this - you could hire a cab for a couple hours if the tide schedule is right.

[artvlay]

We are thinking of getting a taxi to the falls. My son is 12 and I don't know how interested he'll be. How long would you think our stay would be?

[Acey]

We are thinking of getting a taxi to the falls. My son is 12 and I don't know how interested he'll be. How long would you think our stay would be?

 

Probably 15-30 minutes. Maybe he would prefer the aquatic centre???

[artvlay]

Probably 15-30 minutes. Maybe he would prefer the aquatic centre???

 

Thanks for the information. What is the Aquatic Centre?

[sapper1]

Thanks for the information. What is the Aquatic Centre?

www.aquatics.nb.ca

 

This is the link to the Canada Games Aquatic Centre which is a short walk from whichever pier your ship will be docking at. It was built for the Canada Summer Games which were held in Saint John back in the early eighties and is a very popular family venue.

[Acey]

www.aquatics.nb.ca

 

This is the link to the Canada Games Aquatic Centre which is a short walk from whichever pier your ship will be docking at. It was built for the Canada Summer Games which were held in Saint John back in the early eighties and is a very popular family venue.

 

Besides the olympic size pool, it has 2 hot tubs, 3 leisure pools, water slides, tarzan rope, diving boards, a diving platform (very high) - basically a 12 year olds dream.