What to do in St. John NB

[Chi Diva]

Thanks, Acey. YIKES! Will we have ample time to go to St. Andrews, or will the roadwork make it impossible? We are in port from 9:00 to 6:00, and I don't want the ship to sail without me! Please advise.

 

Thanks,

Shelley

 

Shelley,

 

I know your question isn't addressed to me, but I thought I would weigh in with my experiences. I am from New Brunswick, my parents still live just outside Saint John along the road to St. Andrews. Approximately 30 minutes outside the city the highway turns into a two lane road. I have spent many hours sitting in the car while waiting for an accident to be cleared away. Obviously this doesn't happen every day, but it could happen at any time.

 

While St. Andrews is lovely, to me it isn't worth it. It is a fair distance from Saint John along some lonely stretches of road. It is a busy road, but there are stretches with no houses, communities etc.

 

Personally, being familiar with the area, I wouldn't go to St. Andrews on my own. If you are with a ship tour, then you have the protection of the ship waiting for you, but if you are on your own, you really are taking a risk.

[MalibuCA]

Angela --

 

Thanks for your input. Now, I'm really nervous about missing the ship. Maybe I should go back to our original plan of St. Martin and the Fundy Trail. That's a safe bet on our own, isn't it?

 

Thanks,

Shelley

[Chi Diva]

Angela --

 

Thanks for your input. Now, I'm really nervous about missing the ship. Maybe I should go back to our original plan of St. Martin and the Fundy Trail. That's a safe bet on our own, isn't it?

 

Thanks,

Shelley

 

 

Shelley,

 

Saint Martin is a lot closer. It is even more of a country road, but you are so much closer to the city. It is a nice scenic drive. I don't think you would have any difficulty in the 8 hours you have in port.

 

The Fundy trail is beautiful. You can drive along it, and there is also a walking trail and scenic outlooks where you can park and get out to look at the view. There is an interpretive centre that shows a movie about the history of the area. There is the covered bridge which is fun, and the beach with the caves (which aren't really that exciting.) It is a very small village, but quaint. When home visiting my family we often make a trip there.

 

In Saint John itself there is the Irving Nature park which also has a complete driving loop around it as well as walking trail and scenic outlooks. It isn't as dramatic as the Fundy Trail however, but you do often get to see some wild life like birds and harbour seals.

 

I am not trying to sell St. Martins and I didn't mean to dampen your spirits, but I was worried for you. Don't get me wrong, St. Andrews is one of my favourite places in New Brunswick, but I know if it were me, I would spend the whole day anxious about gettting back to the ship.

 

New Brunswick is a beautiful area of Canada. I hope you enjoy yourself.

[Acey]

I concur with Angela. St. Andrew's may be just fine - but there are some unknowns and I wouldn't enjoy the day as much worried about getting back to the ship. Unfortunately you have a 2 lane highway running along a scenic coastline which distracts drivers - accidents are not uncommon. In a few years time a new 4 lane highway will be completed.

[MalibuCA]

Angela and Acey --

 

Thank you so much for your input. Wow, am I glad I read your postings. Originally, I planned to spend the day in St. Martins and drive the Fundy Trail. However, after reading so many postings here about how wonderful St. Andrews is, we decided to change our plans and go there instead. But, now, with the news of road obstructions, I think we will follow your advice and go back to our original plan of St. Martins. I hope I didn't delete all that info from my computer! Back to the drawing boards! At least, I still have my rental car reserved -- it will just have to drive in a different direction.

 

Thanks again!

 

Shelley:rolleyes:

[Alayne]

We're going to be in Saint John on Sept. 6th, Labor Day in the US. Is Labor Day celebrated in Canada, and if so, will there be businesses closed?

 

Also, my mother uses a walker to get around and cannot climb hills. Is there any way to get to the old City Market without climbing hills? I read somewhere that there exists some sort of elevator system?

 

Thanks for any info!

 

Hi Barbara and Rita, I think we sailed together on the 2008 trans-Atlantic. Kathy and I will be in Saint John about a month after you. We are booked on the Jewel on October 2, roundtrip from Boston. We've never taken such a short cruise but decided to try this one since we live only 20 to 30 minutes from Black Falcon pier and I love the fall weather.

 

Cyndi

[Chi Diva]

I concur with Angela. St. Andrew's may be just fine - but there are some unknowns and I wouldn't enjoy the day as much worried about getting back to the ship. Unfortunately you have a 2 lane highway running along a scenic coastline which distracts drivers - accidents are not uncommon. In a few years time a new 4 lane highway will be completed.

 

Acey,

 

That's good news about the highway! Are they taking it further inland like they did the trans canada along the Saint John river? I hope not, because that is such a pretty drive to St Andrews. Perhaps that will enable new tour options for cruisers in the future.

 

Cheers!

Angela

[Chi Diva]

Angela and Acey --

 

Thank you so much for your input. Wow, am I glad I read your postings. Originally, I planned to spend the day in St. Martins and drive the Fundy Trail. However, after reading so many postings here about how wonderful St. Andrews is, we decided to change our plans and go there instead. But, now, with the news of road obstructions, I think we will follow your advice and go back to our original plan of St. Martins. I hope I didn't delete all that info from my computer! Back to the drawing boards! At least, I still have my rental car reserved -- it will just have to drive in a different direction.

 

Thanks again!

 

Shelley:rolleyes:

 

Good luck with your planning and I hope you have a fabulous day in New Brunswick! Happy Cruising!

[sapper1]

Sapper1 --

 

Thank you so much for all of the helpful information. Your postings are invaluable to we, the tourists.

 

My question relates to the roadwork that you described. We will be in Saint John on October 6, and we plan to spend our day in St. Andrews. Is the construction expected to be finished by then, or could it still impact us in October?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Shelley:)

The construction on the Harbour Bridge is to take two years. It just started last month and will continue until the weather gets too cold. October is still construction season around here.

[sapper1]

Shelley,

 

Saint Martin is a lot closer. It is even more of a country road, but you are so much closer to the city. It is a nice scenic drive. I don't think you would have any difficulty in the 8 hours you have in port.

 

The Fundy trail is beautiful. You can drive along it, and there is also a walking trail and scenic outlooks where you can park and get out to look at the view. There is an interpretive centre that shows a movie about the history of the area. There is the covered bridge which is fun, and the beach with the caves (which aren't really that exciting.) It is a very small village, but quaint. When home visiting my family we often make a trip there.

 

In Saint John itself there is the Irving Nature park which also has a complete driving loop around it as well as walking trail and scenic outlooks. It isn't as dramatic as the Fundy Trail however, but you do often get to see some wild life like birds and harbour seals.

 

I am not trying to sell St. Martins and I didn't mean to dampen your spirits, but I was worried for you. Don't get me wrong, St. Andrews is one of my favourite places in New Brunswick, but I know if it were me, I would spend the whole day anxious about gettting back to the ship.

 

New Brunswick is a beautiful area of Canada. I hope you enjoy yourself.

I agree with this assessment. St. Andrews is also one of my favourite spots in NB, having lived there myself many years ago. If you are on a ship's tour then go for it, but there are just too many variables to risk it on your own. If you miss your ship and your next stop is in the US, you would have to fly to Montreal to connect to the US from Saint John. There are only a few flights each day and the small puddle jumpers are usually full. If your next stop is in the Maritimes it would not be too much of a problem to take a rental car to get there---costly by easy. But who wants that hassle?

Be advised that there is road construction on the Saint John Thruway as well, if you are heading to St. Martins. They are building a new overpass which is causing slowdowns in peak periods. It just seems as though you can't move anywhere around the city this summer without running into some kind of construction. In the end it is all for the better, but it is sure a headache while it lasts.

[Acey]

Acey,

 

That's good news about the highway! Are they taking it further inland like they did the trans canada along the Saint John river? I hope not, because that is such a pretty drive to St Andrews. Perhaps that will enable new tour options for cruisers in the future.

 

Cheers!

Angela

 

Here is a link to the plan map: http://www.gnb.ca/0113/route1/docs/ProjectMapWithInsert-July07-2009-e.pdf

It appears it is running parallel to the existing road - but I'm guessing you will not be able to see the water.

[MalibuCA]

I certainly understand the inconvenience of roadwork. Here in Malibu, we are having roadwork done (both at the SAME time) on our two main access roads through the canyon. I don't know what genius decided to work on both single lane roads at once, but it is what it is. For me, I spend a lot of days at a dead stop waiting for the "other side" to come through so that I can then move forward. I just never thought I would go as far as New Brunswick to find the same thing! At least I'm experienced at being patient!

 

How long is the drive normally each way between Saint John and St. Martins? How much extra time should we allow for the roadwork? We are indeed traveling from Saint John in the direction of the USA, and I absolutely, definitely, hold-no-bars do NOT want to MISS THE SHIP! Thanks for the help, and I will definitely error on the side of caution!

 

Thanks,

Shelley:)

[Chi Diva]

How long is the drive normally each way between Saint John and St. Martins? How much extra time should we allow for the roadwork? We are indeed traveling from Saint John in the direction of the USA, and I absolutely, definitely, hold-no-bars do NOT want to MISS THE SHIP! Thanks for the help, and I will definitely error on the side of caution!

 

Thanks,

Shelley:)

 

 

The distance between St Martins and downtown Saint John is about 35 miles, so about an hour driving time. It is a divided highway out of the city and across to the airport and then country road the rest of the way. The website MapQuest gives really good step by step instructions along with distances and times.

[sapper1]

I certainly understand the inconvenience of roadwork. Here in Malibu, we are having roadwork done (both at the SAME time) on our two main access roads through the canyon. I don't know what genius decided to work on both single lane roads at once, but it is what it is. For me, I spend a lot of days at a dead stop waiting for the "other side" to come through so that I can then move forward. I just never thought I would go as far as New Brunswick to find the same thing! At least I'm experienced at being patient!

 

How long is the drive normally each way between Saint John and St. Martins? How much extra time should we allow for the roadwork? We are indeed traveling from Saint John in the direction of the USA, and I absolutely, definitely, hold-no-bars do NOT want to MISS THE SHIP! Thanks for the help, and I will definitely error on the side of caution!

 

Thanks,

Shelley:)

The drive to St. Martins takes about 45 minutes if you don't get behind slow moving traffic on the two lane sections. There are few opportunities to pass and there is a lower speed limit.

I think the only construction you should encounter would be the overpass construction on the thruway and that should not be a problem if you are back in the city with your car returned before 4PM. The problem is that since all the exits from the city are jammed up, the uptown area jams up with people trying to get out of the city after work. The cruise docks just happen to be located in the uptown area.

 

When I go uptown these days I make sure I clear out shortly after 3:30 and I have no trouble.

 

I am not aware of any construction between the airport and St. Martins which is the two lane section of the road. If Acey is reading this maybe he could weigh in as I haven't been out past the airport recently.

[sapper1]

Further to my last post, here is a link to a feature in this morning's newspaper.

 

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/1075503

 

It's just not pretty.

[MalibuCA]

Thanks for the information. I can't believe your traffic issues in Saint John. It sounds almost as horrendous as the traffic that we have in Los Angeles. I didn't think anything could come close to LA! I will be sure to allow lots of time to get back.

 

Too bad, but it looks like we will miss the low tide at the caves. The water table shows low tide at 4:40 a.m. (obviously impossible) and 5:08 p.m. I recall reading somewhere on these boards that the low tide is low for a certain amount of time before and after the exact time of low tide indicated on the water table. Is that correct? How early could we visit the caves (walking on the sand) if the low tide is indicated at 5:08 p.m? Is that doable, or will it get us back to Saint John well after 4:00 p.m. considering the traffic?

 

Thanks again,

Shelley

[Kaylas Mom]

Bonnie,

 

We're still planning to go to St. Andrew's, but I do like your suggestions just in case. I never worry about missing the ship - I am not a worrier by nature and haven't missed one yet. Our next stop is Halifax anyway, sio it's no biggie. I will be excited to hear how your day goes. Have a lovely cruise.

[A&Jfamily]

sapper1:

 

We will be visiting on 6/16. How much time should we allow to get back from the Fundy Trail and turn in the car? The ship leaves @ 4. Is 2 hours enough?

[Acey]

sapper1:

 

We will be visiting on 6/16. How much time should we allow to get back from the Fundy Trail and turn in the car? The ship leaves @ 4. Is 2 hours enough?

 

The drive back to the ship is 45-50 minutes (maybe a few more minutes due to road construction throughout the city) - so 2 hours is plenty.

[JaniceW]

We visited St John's about six years ago. Our children enjoyed Reversing Falls (I believe it was called). We took a short taxi cab to the river and then we took a jet boat ride. I remember that we saw some sea life, including a sea otter and the ride was a lot of fun. The cruise line offered the tour but we did it for a lot less.

[bonnieg]

Kayla's mom, I still plan on going to St. Andrews. I'm also not a worrier and have rented cars at numerous ports along the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. There's nothing like getting in a car and exploring places on our own. I'm also renting in Halifax for Peggy's Cove. I will leave plenty of time to get back to St. John's though. I will definitely let you know how it goes. It's been nice chatting. My roll call is very quiet and not much talk about excursions.

Bonnie

[SacredHeart]

I was checking out all the excursions in St. Johns. I think we are going to do our own touring. How far from the ship are the sea caves in St. Martins. That seems like a fun thing to do. I have a 9 year old son coming so I want him to have a great time. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

My friends and I were on the Triumph last June and were the first ship for the season in Saint John. It is such a beautiful town!!! We decided to hire our own personal tour guide and we would do it again in a heartbeat. His name is Roy Flowers and he is a cab driver as well. The rates were very reasonable and he was so much fun to talk to!

I can't wait to go back to Saint John.... I would move there if I could lol!

 

Here's Roy's website, if you're interested. He has the rates and everything listed on tabs at the top.

http://roystours.webs.com/

 

If you go to the Caves Restaurant, you have to try the chowder. It's the best ! :) Have fun and enjoy your trip!!!

[Acey]

My friends and I were on the Triumph last June and were the first ship for the season in Saint John. It is such a beautiful town!!! We decided to hire our own personal tour guide and we would do it again in a heartbeat. His name is Roy Flowers and he is a cab driver as well. The rates were very reasonable and he was so much fun to talk to!

I can't wait to go back to Saint John.... I would move there if I could lol!

 

Here's Roy's website, if you're interested. He has the rates and everything listed on tabs at the top.

http://roystours.webs.com/

 

If you go to the Caves Restaurant, you have to try the chowder. It's the best ! :) Have fun and enjoy your trip!!!

 

Thanks for Roy's info - We had a lot of requests for his contact info, but was never able to find it. I'm sure a lot of people will be apreciative.

[SacredHeart]

Thanks for Roy's info - We had a lot of requests for his contact info, but was never able to find it. I'm sure a lot of people will be apreciative.

 

No Problem! Glad I could help. :)

[Kaylas Mom]

Bonnie - I wish we were sailing together. We sound a lot alike. Have a truly wonderful cruise.