Halifax and St. John excursions

[sellwingri]

Thanks for all the info on this post! Leaving on the Glory in 9 short days and now have my list started of "to do's" for both Halifax and St. Johns.

 

You gotta love Cruise Critic!!!!!

[iletired]

Anyone know much about the Province House? (Seat of Nova Scotia gov't)

[maryann ns]

Province House is a wonderful old building.

 

http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/about/contact/

http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/about/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_House_%28Nova_Scotia%29

[Aldeya]

. For your first visit I would recommend a horse-drawn trolley to introduce them to the city and its history and then do a walking tour along Harbour Passage - great views of the harbor and an easy walk from the ship. You can have lunch aboard Glory or have lunch in one of the many restaurants near the waterfront; Grannan's, in Market Square, has a nice outdoor dining area that kids like (with very kid-friendly food and beer on tap for the adults), and Steamer's, across the street from the dock area, have really good food.

 

Could you give me some information about the horse-drawn trolley? How do I find it, what is the cost, etc? TIA

[serene56]

Bay of Fundy Trail:

 

 

how do we get here?

[marys350]

how do we get here?

 

Here is a link to their website, which includes directions and extensive information:

 

http://www.fundytrailparkway.com/

 

We have rented a car in Saint John, New Brunswick and are planning to drive there on our upcoming New England/Canada cruise.

[Diver Deb]

Mary, we are planning on doing the same trip on Oct. 2. Will be in St. Martin during high tide so hope to drive the trail and do short hikes. Have you already taken your cruise?

[Beach4me]

The last time I was in St. John, last year, we took a trip to St. Andrew by the sea. It was a nice trip.

 

I'm doing the St Andrews trip through RCCL next month. Anything I should make sure I do/look for? Or anything I shouldn't bother with? Would love to hear a bit about this excursion! Thanks!!!

[marys350]

Mary, we are planning on doing the same trip on Oct. 2. Will be in St. Martin during high tide so hope to drive the trail and do short hikes. Have you already taken your cruise?

 

Yes, our cruise was Sept. 15-22 on Brilliance of the Seas. The ship changed their clocks so that the time matched local time for Saint John and Halifax. We had an excellent experience renting an intermediate SUV through Enterprise. Our trip to St. Martins and the Fundy Trail Parkway was outstanding and the scenery was spectacular. We picked up our rental car at 8:30 and were back to the ship at 3:00.

 

The person at the entry gate recommended that we drive to the furthest point (P11) on the parkway and work our way back to the entrance so that we wouldn't be late getting back to the ship. There is so much to see, that it would be easy to spend all day there, expecially if you are hiking.

 

We decided to stop very briefly at the Interpretive Center (which I believe was P7 or 8, not sure) to visit the restroom, purchase coffee and a snack, and watch the brief video about the parkway's history. Then we walked on the suspension bridge over the Big Salmon River and on a path along the river back to our car.

 

We then drove to P11 and stopped at all the scenic overlooks along the trailway as we worked our way back. It was awesome climbing down the wooden stairs to the viewing platform at the waterfall. We did not do any hiking on the trails, but did see some trails that were marked on the signs at the scenic overlooks or along the parkway.

 

Around 1:00 p.m. we stopped for a quick lunch at the Caves Restaurant in St. Martins before driving back to Saint John.

 

This was our favorite day of all of our independent excursions on our cruise. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

 

Mary

[Diver Deb]

Thanks, Mary! We are looking forward to it. Last time we visited the wonderful New Brunswick Museum and were intrigued by the unique geology of the area. Driving to the furthest point always is a good plan; hope we will have time to do a couple of short hikes.