St. Andrews by the Sea--ship tour or private

[BAYA]

We were in Saint John, NB on a cruise in Sept. 2010 and absolutely loved the people and the city. We did a private van tour that took us to St. Martin and the Bay of Fundy coast. We had a super seafood lunch on the beachfront by the sea caves but I can't remember the name. We collected "lucky stones" (one per person) from the beach, as recommended by our guide :) The stone is white with brown lines running through it, but I forgot what he called it.

 

We are returning to Saint John in Sept. and this time I am thinking of heading to St. Andrews. There is a ship's excursion for 4 hours (total time, round trip to ship) and I'm trying to decide whether I should use a private guide again in order to spend more time in St. Andrews. Any advice greatly appreciated. We will not want to do a whale watch in St. Andrews, so that doesn't factor in to deciding which way to go.

 

Thanks!

[kazu]

The ship's tour is not allowing for much time in St. Andrews by the sounds of things. By the time they load the buses, stop for 'rest break', etc. I would do it private myself:) especially if you can get a small group together.:D

[maryann ns]

Have you considered just renting a car? That would give you much more freedom to just explore as you see fit.

[BAYA]

I always plan private tours when they look to be the best way to see what I want to see. The private driver I used before in Saint John would end up charging me $200 for 4 hours, $250 for 5 hours. I am looking for more info to know whether or not I should go private this time, plus how much time to plan for in St. Andrews. The ship's excursion beats the private price in this instance -- that's not usually the case.

 

Believe me, I always love the freedom and flexibility that a private tour provides. I would not rent a car because I really like to get the commentary that the guide provides.

[BAYA]

I live in Nova Scotia but I have been to St Andrews a number of times and stayed over night I certainly have and could take at least a day there.

Not sure what your interests are-here is a website that may help your decision making!!

http://www.standrewsbythesea.ca/visit/

you could also get in touch with your previous tour operator and ask him what he usually covers?

 

Good luck, hope you enjoy your visit which ever way you decide.

 

Thanks for the link, Lulu! I checked out the site and found some really nice looking crafts shops, galleries, and Kingsbrae Garden. I am definitely leaning toward a longer visit than what I'll get via the ship. I notice that the cafe at Kingsbrae has a nice menu and also serves afternoon tea -- love that! Any experience eating at the Kingsbrae Cafe? How was it?

[mizLORInj]

We rented a car from Avis, right across from the port. We took a leisurely drive to St. Andrews and then stopped at various places on the way back. I liked having freedom with our own car.

You would also have time to drive to St. Martins, which was very cool too.

[sunshine002]

I took a ship tour to St. Andrews, the first thing they did was stop by the reversing fall, which I have been to many times.

We had lunch in St Andrews at the Fairmont hotel and stopped off at an historic site. We were then given about an hour to walk around the town, I felt like I could of used more time in town.

If you can go on your own, it a wonderful town.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Coral]

I think they were called "wishing rocks".

[BAYA]

Thanks, everyone, for all the very helpful info. I'm hoping the weather is good on Sept. 27th in the region around Saint John and St. Andrews. I'm really looking forward to this cruise!

:)