Roy's Cab in Saint John, NB

[SacredHeart]

Has anyone used this service as a tour provider? Any information at all would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Acey]

Has anyone used this service as a tour provider? Any information at all would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Must be one of the few single person cab companies in Saint John as it is not well known here.

[SacredHeart]

I found his email address listed on one of Saint John's tourism websites... can't recall which one... so I've been communicating with him. He's offered a really good deal for a tour, but I'm just a tad bit nervous about booking with someone who isn't well-known. The plus side of this is that he isn't charging me anything until AFTER the tour, so maybe it's not a bid deal. I do tend to worry too much lol.

 

Thanks for your post.

[travelbig]

Do you mind sharing the itinerary he is offering and the price? Is his quote in CAD or USD? If CAD, make sure you convert it that morning to USD, and he should accept USD as payment.

[SacredHeart]

Do you mind sharing the itinerary he is offering and the price? Is his quote in CAD or USD? If CAD, make sure you convert it that morning to USD, and he should accept USD as payment.

 

He quoted me USD... $50/hr total for our group of 4 ($50 hour will cover up to 6 passengers), which is quite a bit less than many of the others I have checked out. The tour he will be giving us covers all the highlights... sorry I don't recall word for word, would need to find the email..., but he said the tour usually runs 4-6 hours. We basically just want to see as much as possible and take lots of photos.

 

He seems geniune and trustworthy from the emails we've exchanged however, I know you really can't tell that much about someone's character through email if they're really trying to be deceptive. The fact that he is not asking for any money up front is reassuring so my hope is that my judgement call on this is right! And he was, afterall, listed on an official tourism website. As I mentioned before... I do tend to worry too much :rolleyes: lol

[Acey]

The going rate is $50 CDN, but it's a question of whether he should be penalized for a strenthening US dollar. He cannot offer tours unless he has a license, so atleast he is vetted that way. I would say not to worry - any guy who is actively seeking out clients from the cruise ship is probably a decent guy with an interest in showing the city off - plus in general people are very friendly and welcoming here. If he is anything like the taxis that line up at the port - you can tell by their demeanor that it's not all about the fare, but additionally the pride they have of their city and anxious to show people around.

[SacredHeart]

The going rate is $50 CDN, but it's a question of whether he should be penalized for a strenthening US dollar. He cannot offer tours unless he has a license, so atleast he is vetted that way. I would say not to worry - any guy who is actively seeking out clients from the cruise ship is probably a decent guy with an interest in showing the city off - plus in general people are very friendly and welcoming here. If he is anything like the taxis that line up at the port - you can tell by their demeanor that it's not all about the fare, but additionally the pride they have of their city and anxious to show people around.

 

Ok... it's settled then... no more worries :) I appreciate the feedback.

[travelbig]

SacredHeart,

Thank you for the info. This will be good advertising for him. I'm sure you will have a great time. As for us, we have a tour reserved with Freedom Tours to go over to St. Martins and the Fundy Trail. Such a beautiful country. It's hard to decide what to do. Have fun.

[SacredHeart]

SacredHeart,

Thank you for the info. This will be good advertising for him. I'm sure you will have a great time. As for us, we have a tour reserved with Freedom Tours to go over to St. Martins and the Fundy Trail. Such a beautiful country. It's hard to decide what to do. Have fun.

 

I checked out Freedom Tours also, but it was not in our budget.... although for what they are offering, it's definitely a good price.

 

I will be sure to come back and post on CC about the tour with Roy's Cab... hopefully it will go well and he can pick up a few more customers. Enjoy your trip as well!

[CCMP]

Sacred Heart,

 

Did you use Roy's Cab and were you pleased? I am considering using Freedom Tours, but am looking into other options. Thanks, CCMP

[gary9742]

SacredHeart,

Thank you for the info. This will be good advertising for him. I'm sure you will have a great time. As for us, we have a tour reserved with Freedom Tours to go over to St. Martins and the Fundy Trail. Such a beautiful country. It's hard to decide what to do. Have fun.

i'm booked on crown princess leaving ny 10/13. your tour with freedom tours sounds good. could you tell me if you need a large group or can 2 book this tour. gary9742

[travelbig]

i'm booked on crown princess leaving ny 10/13. your tour with freedom tours sounds good. could you tell me if you need a large group or can 2 book this tour. gary9742

 

 

Hi gary,

I think they want minimum of 4 on a tour. We have 4 in my group, so I didn't verify that with her. We are working with Heather at Freedom Tours. E-mail her with that question and ask her to e-mail you their 2009 list of cruise ship tours. She will be glad to, she has been really nice to work with in getting details straight. You will see our tour on the list. Many other tours to choose from, too. Have fun.

[swdke]

Has anyone used this service as a tour provider? Any information at all would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

SacredHeart, have you been on your cruise yet? Did you use Roy's Cab? What was the itinerary he proposed? Thank you.

[swdke]

Just to share, for my visit to Saint John, I've decided to book with Roy's Cab. Cost is $50 per hour and offers a 5-6 hour tour in a van. Tour includes sights and attractions in Saint John, St. Martins, allowing for lunch at the Caves Restaurant, beach walk to see the caves, and a drive down The Fundy Trail. The Fundy Trail is closed after October 12, but Roy has access. Since I'd be unable to rent a car and drive The Fundy Trail on my own, due to the road being closed, as well as visit sights in Saint John, and St. Martins, this tour for us is a good way to see and do as much as possible, as well as all that I wanted to do, for our port day in Saint John. I found no other tour that visited all 3 areas, plus I have a group of 3, and the cost is far cheaper than any cruise tour or other private tour, which don't even include all there areas. I have found some positive reviews on Roy, so I hope we will have a great day.

[MalibuCA]

Could you please provide the website and email contact for Roy's Cab and for Freedom Tours?

 

Thanks,

 

Shelley

[swdke]

Could you please provide the website and email contact for Roy's Cab and for Freedom Tours?

 

Thanks,

 

Shelley

 

 

Roy's Cab, I believe he also works for Diamon Cab, and his name is Roy Flower's, email: royscab@hotmail.com

 

Freedom Tours, Heather Mackenzie, email: Hmackenzie@freedomtours.com

[swdke]

I've just returned from our New England cruise and in Saint John, I took the tour with Roy Flowers, and it was excellent. I had previously emailed Roy at royscab@hotmail.com and he replied that although he was already booked with a group of 25 from the day, he could add my group of 6 and stated that we would have our own van and driver who would follow Roy to all the various stops. During our port visit to Saint John, I wanted to see the sights of the city, including the Reversing Rapids/Falls, and on to St. Martins to enjoy the famous seafood chowder as well as walk on the beach and to checkout the sea caves. I also wanted to do the Fundy Trail Drive, but prior to discovering Roy, assumed that it was not possible to visit all three areas, Saint John, St. Martins, and the Fundy Trail. In my research, I found no tour that could do all three areas, and I had come to assume it was not possible due to time limitations. However, Roy assured me it was possible and so I agreed to take the tour with Roy. In fact, the Fundy Trail was technically closed for the season, but Roy had access to the gate. That's basically how I discovered Roy, I had emailed the Center at the Fundy Trail, http://www.fundytrailparkway.com and they confirmed that the Fundy Trail was closed after October 12, and we were going to be there on October 14. I asked them what they recommended regarding access, and they referred me to Roy and provided his email address.

 

We were promptly greeted by Roy once we disembarked the Caribbean Princess and met up with Roy and his other group of 25 from our ship. Roy took us to our van and driver, and we began our tour. Our driver's name was Jimmy and he was excellent, Roy did a great job with assigning us a knowledgeable and fun driver. Everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed Jimmy and the tour. The tour began with a prompt visit to the Reversing Falls while the river was at high tide and we were able to see the river flowing in reverse, upstream. Afterwards, we were taken to several sights in Saint John with photo opportunities. At each stop, Roy checked on us to make sure we were enjoying our tour, and confirming if we were satisfied with our guide. I appreciated the fact that although Roy had a bigger group of 25 to look after, he made time to continuously check on us to see that we were all being well taken care of. Indeed, we were very pleased.

 

After Saint John, we then drove on to St. Martins, and Jimmy was very interesting and amusing all along the way. In St. Martins, we stopped for lunch at The Caves Restaurant which really does have fantastic seafood chowder. When we arrived at the restaurant, I was concerned there would be available inside tables for us because there appeared to be a bus of tourist that had just arrived. I was impressed to see that Roy had already made prior reservations for us and indeed we had our own table. After lunch, there was time to walk the beach and for me to take photos of the nearby sea caves. At this time, Roy informed me that due to time considerations of his larger group of 25, that his group would not be going on to The Fundy Trail, but that Jimmy would take us there. Roy knew that I wanted to see the Fundy Trail as part of our tour, and I appreciate him making the arrangements to permit us to continue on. Jimmy our driver was skeptical that the gate to the Fundy Trail Drive would be open, but Roy assured that he had made arrangement for access. Sure enough, when we arrived, we were greeted by the entrance gate attendant who stated they had been waiting for us. I was very impressed with Roy’s thoroughness.

 

On the return from the Fundy Trail back to Saint John, we stopped again for photo opportunities of the fishing boats and covered bridges. Back in Saint John, we were taken again to the Reversing Falls to see that the river had indeed reversed and the river was now flowing downstream. I appreciated being able to see the river during both high tide and low tide to witness both directions of flow of the river.

 

All in all, it was a great tour, and I highly recommend Roy Flowers. He provided us with an excellent guide, and looked after us throughout the tour. More importantly, he delivered all that he promised with visiting Saint John, St. Martins, and The Fundy Trial Drive. The cost of the tour was $50 USD per hour, and our tour was 6 hrs. This rate was far cheaper than any other tour, either from a local tour operator, or ships tour. In fact, there was no tour other than Roy's that provided stops in all three locations: Saint John, St. Martins, and The Fundy Trail. We returned back to the ship, all 6 of us, very satisfied with a wonderful visit to Saint John thanks to Roy and Jimmy. Both are very proud of there hometown, which is indeed is a beautiful city, they both enjoyed sharing their city with us, and we enjoyed being with them.

[maryllynn]

We will be arriving on Emerald Princess Ship on Oct 12, 8:00-5:00. After reading and talking with Roy, we are very impressed and anxious to book our day with him.

 

We are amateur photographers and most interested in photo ops as well as experiencing local culture, fishing villages, sites etc. We are a family of 2 and wish to share the trip with 2-4 other tourists.

 

I have told Roy that we would like to be contacted if others would like to join us.

 

Hope some of us can share this exciting experience together.

[fundy]

We will be arriving on Emerald Princess Ship on Oct 12, 8:00-5:00. After reading and talking with Roy, we are very impressed and anxious to book our day with him.

 

We are amateur photographers and most interested in photo ops as well as experiencing local culture, fishing villages, sites etc. We are a family of 2 and wish to share the trip with 2-4 other tourists.

 

I have told Roy that we would like to be contacted if others would like to join us.

 

Hope some of us can share this exciting experience together.

 

Try http://fundytour.com

[not2old]

Has anyone used this service as a tour provider? Any information at all would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

We have used him twice and have booked with him for our Oct 17th cruise this year. Very good experiences both times! Can't beat his prices. We booked the first time with Freedom and they cancelled the morning of our tour :-( We were able to contact Roy who added us on to an already booked tour and we had a great time!!

[cupcake7645]

My husband and I just returned from a week-long cruise to Canada that included Saint John. We had not been there before and were looking forward to seeing the Bay of Fundy. I found Roy Flowers here on Cruise Critic and contacted him through his website: http://roystours.webs.com/

We had a wonderful 6+ hour tour and saw everything we'd hoped for and more. Roy is a really nice guy and has a great knowledge of the area. I'd recommend him to anyone wanting a private tour in the area. He's still only charging $50 per hour, pay at the end of the tour. It was a day we'll remember!

[1stimecruiser]

I just returned from our New England/Canada cruise and our group of 6, organized on Roll Call used Roy's tour. We had a very nice day. If smoking is an issue you should cover that immediately as Roy is a heavy smoker. I would have asked for a non-smoking driver/guide if I'd known how much he smokes. He didn't smoke in the van but the smell was always there.

[RCmommy]

We have this tour booked with other CC members for a little over a week from from now. I have read rave reviews. I don't think we have Ray himself as he was already booked but do have another of his drivers. Did you go to St Martins? Also curious where you stopped to eat? We have kids and need to keep the rug rats fed or pay later :)

[piazza]

We took Roys Tours in September. There were 5 of us and it was a very tight fit - we were very glad our 6th person had dropped out, I have no idea where he would have sat. It was difficult to get in and out each time and quite often we just waved Roy on. Lots of driving, nice scenery, we wished for more towns, and loved the lobster rolls at the restaurant near the caves. Very good value. Perfect sunny day.

[sunlover5]

We had a wonderful day with Roy Oct. 15....there were 6 of us. We were all "fit" so fitting into the van was no problem. It was a wonderful day. Our whole group loved the tour and Roy.

Roy is trying very hard to quit smoking. The smell was not over powering when we had our tour.

He was so kind and considerate to all of us. When he found out my husband had a pacemaker he was making sure he was ok, telling him to take breaks, etc.

The restaurant was great, as were the lobster rolls. The Bay of Fundy trail was closed, but Roy being so well known got us in. We watched a short film on the area and toured and went to the beautiful falls.

Top notch tour:)..........