Hop on VS FRED in Halifax in early september?

[RHL28041]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me which do you think is better if money is not an issue? the FRED or the Hop on in Halifax?

 

Thanks

Rosa

[EGG]

I did not take the HOHO bus but here is my opinion of Fred. It was our third cruise stop in Halifax. We got off the ship and could not tell where the FRED stopped so we decided to walk. On the way back we knew there was a stop in front of the Maritime museum. We waited there for 15 minutes and decided to walk. We visited a few stores while walking on the way back and as we left a building we saw the bus stop accross the street - well at least we knew what the bus and the stop sign looked like.

 

Anyway, when we got back to the ship, rested, did some shopping and went out again to find the FRED. The security guard was able to tell us when he last saw a FRED bus and where the stop was so we had an approximate time and place. We did the circuit. There is no commentary. There is some sort of mesh on the windows so you cannot take pictures. The bus made a 10 minute stop at the fort so you could take pictures. We got what we paid for.

 

Would I do it again - yes. We had a few hours left at the end of the day, we were tired and it gave us an overview of the city. But I would not use it as a HOHO bus. It does not run that often and does not have a set schedule. My guess is (unless things have changed) there is one bus doing a continuous circuit. If you have a half day tour in the morning and want another look at the city the FRED might be the way to go. But if you are taking the FRED in the late afternoon and you are getting off, make sure you have a plan to get back to the ship.

[grammax3]

We have been to Halifax several times, and never had any luck with the "FRED". Either wasted a lot of time waiting for it, and finally gave up, and started walking or it just passed us by because it was full. HOHO would be worth it. That's what we will do in October when we are there.

[retired travelers]

I noticed that the ship has a tour that includes the HoHo bus at the cost of $40.00+ dollars. What is the cost of the HoHo if you buy a ticket on shore and where do you buy the tickets for this bus? Thanks Retired Travelers :)

[Big Al B.]

Here is a copy of the email I received when I inquired about the HOHO in Halifax:

 

Thank you for contacting Ambassatours Gray Line. We are only offering our Hop-on Hop-off tour through our Cruise Department for cruise ship passengers, so the tour would only be running on days that cruise ships are in Halifax . Last season, customers were able to purchase tickets for the tour on days that ships were in Halifax . They could buy them at our kiosk located on the waterfront. I not positive, but I would assume this would be the case for this year as well.

 

 

 

I hope this answers your questions, should you have any further questions, please let us know. You can reach us at 1-800-565-7173 or email us at reservations@ambassatours.com

[missjanet]

We will be in Halifax for a day in October & I'm looking at an RCCL excursion that combines a trip to Peggy's Cove with the HOHO bus. It only costs $12 more to add on the Peggy's Cove stop which seemed reasonable to me.

 

I have been trying to research the HOHO bus online to see where it stops, but I haven't been able to find that info yet. I believe the ship's brochure mentions the Maritime Museum and the Citadel as stops. If anyone knows where else this might stop, I would appreciate that information.

 

This excursion seems like it might be a good way to combine 2 sightseeing opportunities for a fairy reasonable cost.

 

Thanks.

[downeaster70]

Fred is an approximate 40 passenger bus operated by Metro transit here and there is no charge.The disadvantage is there are many who use it and usually quite crowded, runs every 45 minutes from the pier to downtown shopping The HO Ho is Grey Line where you can hop on and off throughout the downtown as well , not sure of times, believe every 30 minutes, you can check the website Ambassador tours, Lots to do and see in Halifax

[KroozFoolz]

 

I have been trying to research the HOHO bus online to see where it stops, but I haven't been able to find that info yet. I believe the ship's brochure mentions the Maritime Museum and the Citadel as stops. If anyone knows where else this might stop, I would appreciate that information.

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

I think this might be what you are looking for:

 

http://www.grayline.com/Grayline/GraylineAssets/files/franchises/HalifaxHopOnOffMap.pdf

[PennyAgain]

Anyone can ride FRED and that is why it is often crowded. I prefer to walk Halifax but if that is not possible then the HOHO is a cheap alternative.