2012 Guide - Places to See in Saint John New Brunswick for Cruise Ship visitors

[cdubmom]

Just wanted to thank everyone for this thread!! We'll be on the July 14 sailing of Glory!! :)

 

 

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[cdubmom]

Oh!!! Any recommendations for things to do with a 5 year old in tow? He's well behaved and likes to walk to explore. We're Catholic and would love to attend the noon mass! :)

 

 

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[fundy]

You can walk or take a cab to The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Waterloo Street. Its about 15-20 min walk from the port and 10 min from uptown once you are by the city market. 3-5min by taxi which will cost $8 for 3 ppl. Its an amazing church, beautiful, and have mass everyday at noon.

[fundy]

Where can I find information on the times of high and low tide at the sea caves? We will be there on June 11th.

 

You can check it here.

 

http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/eng/station?type=0&date=2013%2F06%2F11&sid=65&tz=ADT&pres=1

[croozlady]

Kind of a strange question, but does anyone know if they sell Cadbury Flake anywhere in town? My sister loved them when she was in France, but can't get them here in the states, and we get back on her birthday, so was hoping to get her some!!!

[fundy]

Kind of a strange question, but does anyone know if they sell Cadbury Flake anywhere in town? My sister loved them when she was in France, but can't get them here in the states, and we get back on her birthday, so was hoping to get her some!!!

 

Not strange at all :) I know someone who hugged me to death when I gave them a Kinder chocolate coz he remembered it from his elementary school years and couldnt find it in the states!! If you go to the City Market, at the bottom door entrance (by Germain Street), look for Pete Frootique. They sell mostly veggies and fruits but the have a small side table that has candy and cookies etc and you should find Cadbury Flake there!!

[croozlady]

That's awesome, thank you so much!

[Giantfan13]

We will be in Saint Johns on July 23, 2013. Looking at that chart about the tides, if I am reading it correctly, it will be high tide thru most of the day. If so, walking to the caves seems to be out?. Am I correct in how I am reading it?

 

Cheers

 

Len

[sellwingri]

Is it possible to get off the ship and hire a cab to take you on a tour - possibly 3 hours - around the city? How can you tell if the driver is reputable? Anyone know approx how much he/she would charge?

[Acey-SJ]

Is it possible to get off the ship and hire a cab to take you on a tour - possibly 3 hours - around the city? How can you tell if the driver is reputable? Anyone know approx how much he/she would charge?

 

There are cabs outside of terminals to take you on city tours. The standard rate is $50 USD per hour. The taxi must begin with an "H" on the license plate to legally offer you cab services. As for reputable the only question really is do they know the city well enough themselves to be able to offer you a commentary on the history of the different stops. I'm confident they could at least get you to the places.

 

The most well known and sought after taxi tour operator in the port is Roy Flowers or one of his associates. He gets high reviews from his cruise customers and the tour includes St Martins http://www.roystours.webs.com/

Having said all that I personally don't think you need to spend $50 an hour for a tour. Most everything you'll want to see is right off ship in the historical Trinity Royal district of the city. Unless of course you prefer to do an excursion to St. Martin's for the tidal experience. If that's the case, I would recommend reputable local tour operators such as Freedom Tours or Fundy Tours. Taxis will also take you to St. Martin's - you would just need to decide if its worth paying $50 an hour not to sit with others on a bus.

 

Hope this helped and didn't confuse.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Acey-SJ

[4spring]

If low tide on 6/11 is at 8:30am & our ship arrives at 8. If we rent a car & its about an hours drive. if we arrive about 10am - would that still give us enough time to walk to the sea caves? (I'm not the best at figuring out these high tides & low tides). how long a walk is it to the caves (doesnt look too bad from the pictures on the web.

[Acey-SJ]

If low tide on 6/11 is at 8:30am & our ship arrives at 8. If we rent a car & its about an hours drive. if we arrive about 10am - would that still give us enough time to walk to the sea caves? (I'm not the best at figuring out these high tides & low tides). how long a walk is it to the caves (doesnt look too bad from the pictures on the web.

 

There is a slack tide for a couple hours so you'll probably have a half hour window to explore the caves. You park near the beach and walk to caves is under 5 minutes. You'll have an opportunity to watch the tide fill in quickly.

[elleusion]

Is there any horse drawn carriage rides near the port and if so prices?? Thx

L

[jl001]

If low tide on 6/11 is at 8:30am & our ship arrives at 8. If we rent a car & its about an hours drive. if we arrive about 10am - would that still give us enough time to walk to the sea caves? (I'm not the best at figuring out these high tides & low tides). how long a walk is it to the caves (doesnt look too bad from the pictures on the web.

 

Isn't low tide time in AST, and ship arrival time in EDT? Effectively, low tide is at 8:30am local time, but ship arrives at 9:00 am local time?

I don't think there is any walk-around time at the sea caves.

I may be at different date, but the same situation.

[Acey-SJ]

Isn't low tide time in AST, and ship arrival time in EDT? Effectively, low tide is at 8:30am local time, but ship arrives at 9:00 am local time?

I don't think there is any walk-around time at the sea caves.

I may be at different date, but the same situation.

 

Ship's time is typically Atlantic Time for Canadian maritime stops. But double check schedule here to know for sure: all time listed is local time

http://www.cruisesaintjohn.com/media-centre/key-information/cruise-schedule/

[jl001]

Ship's time is typically Atlantic Time for Canadian maritime stops. But double check schedule here to know for sure: all time listed is local time

http://www.cruisesaintjohn.com/media-centre/key-information/cruise-schedule/

 

Thanks! According to the schedule 4spring's ship arrives at 9 (not 8)... That's a loss of another hour... Not likely to walk in the sea cave, then.

[serene56]

Thanks! According to the schedule 4spring's ship arrives at 9 (not 8)... That's a loss of another hour... Not likely to walk in the sea cave, then.

 

 

We are sailing on the Glory and I see the Halifax and Saint Johns is one hour ahead of NY time.

More then likly Glory will not change time to reflect the change of time so plan your excursions accordingly

[4spring]

I appreciate the calculations folks have been making in order to determine whether or not we'd have time to walk to the sea caves. I completely missed the hour difference between ship's time & Saint John's time.

 

So if we're not able to walk out to the sea caves, is it worth renting a car to go out to St. Martens vs something in town? I know that at St. Martens we could still watch the tide come in & see the beautiful scenery. I also note that the Fundy trail has hiking in June & some scenic pull offs if by car. I'll have two teenagers with me & they might get antsy in the car for too long. Any thoughts?

[fundy]

I appreciate the calculations folks have been making in order to determine whether or not we'd have time to walk to the sea caves. I completely missed the hour difference between ship's time & Saint John's time.

 

So if we're not able to walk out to the sea caves, is it worth renting a car to go out to St. Martens vs something in town? I know that at St. Martens we could still watch the tide come in & see the beautiful scenery. I also note that the Fundy trail has hiking in June & some scenic pull offs if by car. I'll have two teenagers with me & they might get antsy in the car for too long. Any thoughts?

 

You should be able to walk in the caves. The tide levels and timings are not the same in Saint John and St. Martins. As long as you get there by 11am you should have 1.5hrs or so before the tide starts coming in to the caves level where you will have to start leaving. You could then go to the trails and spend 2 hrs or so there - Fuller falls, Flower pot rock, Video at the info building, and a swing at the suspension footbridge would surely entertain everyone including the teens. By the time you drive back to St. Martin Caves the water levels would have changed and you will have the before and after pics taken again before heading back to Saint John. Also make sure you stop by the Reversing Falls in Saint John for a brief 5 min before you go to the caves. You would have done yourself a great favor by doing that especially with the tide timing for June 11 and once you return to the city you can swing by for a second visit to see it flow the opposite direction.

[fundy]

Here is an official page with tide schedule.

 

http://www.waterlevels.gc.ca/eng/data/table/2013/wlev_ref/65

[Maryscooking]

We will be on the Glory departing June 25th, with stops in St. John and Halifax, and this thread has been very helpful! We have reserved rental cars at both ports for about $50/day, and will be doing self-guided tours.

 

I just wanted to mention, because the topic of whale watching came up, that the New England Aquarium in Boston offers reasonably priced whale watching trips (much more reasonably priced than if you book a trip through Carnival at one of the Canadian ports). AND they have such reliable whales :) that they guarantee that you will see them, or get a free ticket for another trip.

 

http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/boston-whale-watch/

[tigtink]

Thank you so very much for this string. We happily but unexpectedly will be on the Carnival Glory starting next Sunday with only the one stop in St. Johns on the 18th.

 

Would love specific directions on the best and most economical way to accomplish the following:

1) jet boat ride

2) city tour

3) get back on the boat in plenty of time

 

We really are not looking for much more than that. Thank you so much for your help. We definitely appreciate your expertise and patience with answering all these questions. :D

[Acey-SJ]

For the jet boat tour, just hop in a taxi to go to Fallsview Park where the boat leaves from - 5 minute taxi ride. For city tour, you'll already have a close up of Reversing Falls, so if you plan on staying in the city I would just explore the historic area near the ship by foot - there is no need to hire a taxi or guide to see the historic area - it's easily self-guided. You'll have ample time - I recommend doing jet boat last because you'll get wet and will want to go back to ship to get dry clothes.

[tigtink]

For the jet boat tour, just hop in a taxi to go to Fallsview Park where the boat leaves from - 5 minute taxi ride. For city tour, you'll already have a close up of Reversing Falls, so if you plan on staying in the city I would just explore the historic area near the ship by foot - there is no need to hire a taxi or guide to see the historic area - it's easily self-guided. You'll have ample time - I recommend doing jet boat last because you'll get wet and will want to go back to ship to get dry clothes.

 

 

Thank you so much! IS there only one jet boat ride? I think we will do first thing in the am - go back and change and then meander around the city. Thank you again - it is soooooo wonderful having people in the know. If we met up - I would buy you a drink!:p

[Acey-SJ]

Thank you so much! IS there only one jet boat ride? I think we will do first thing in the am - go back and change and then meander around the city. Thank you again - it is soooooo wonderful having people in the know. If we met up - I would buy you a drink!:p

 

There is only one operator authorized to navigate falls. I would reserve in advance at a time that is "most thrilling" (depends on tides). May be a good idea anyhow seeing how it would be busy on a cruise ship day. Morning may not be best time - at this parallel it tends to be a lot cooler in morning then gradually warms up for a few hours. http://www.jetboatrides.com

Edited June 8, 2013 by Acey-SJ