Bus to Hopewell Rocks, what to expect

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

I've been booked on a Hopewell Rocks excursion in St. Johns for the Bay of Fundy for a long time, but I've always been unsure I want to go.  The excursion itself sounds great, with 2.5 hours at the rocks (I've looked at tide tables and it is partial for awhile and then full for the rest of the excursion, so I'd be able to walk on the ocean floor).  The problem is the 2 hr each way bus ride.  I'm just not sure I'm up for it b/c I have a neuralgia for which sitting is a bad thing.  I'm also just averse to long drives to begin with, too.  This bus ride will  actually be much longer than the train to get to the cruise or the plane to get home.

 

I have a special cushion I have to bring for things like this.  I do have a couple of other excursions where there is a 1 hr bus ride but that isn't nearly as daunting.  This is my first cruise so I don't know what to expect.  Will they let me leave my cushion on the bus?  If I had to carry it around with me on this particular excursion it would be very difficult, as it is a cumbersome thing (doable, but big and in the way, on a strap).  I am traveling solo so there is nobody to help me carry it.  I do travel with an extra cushion just in case I lose one, so if someone stole it I'd not be without (but it would be back on the ship).

 

Also, should I expect these buses (on this excursion and others) to have bathrooms?  I've been assuming they do but wouldn't be surprised if they don't, or if they are out of order.  I don't know how to contact the tour operator and have heard so much about Princess reps getting things wrong that I'm hesitant to trust info from them about these things.

 

I'm seriously thinking of canceling the excursion and just doing something easy that day, but a friend's photos of the Hopewell Rocks were part of why I decided to go on this cruise instead of another I was considering.  I am aware that some of the more famous rock formations collapsed but I still like what is there.  I have no idea if I will ever return, so it's kind of a FOMO thing too.  I'm aware that it's more dramatic and exciting to go there both when tide is in and out, but that isn't an option for our port times.

[d9704011]

1.  You will be able to leave your cushion on the bus without any worries about it being stolen or removed;

2.  Unlikely that there will be a washroom on the bus, but good chance of a rest break between Saint John and the Hopewell Rocks;

3.  Only you can decide whether the travel time to/from the Rocks is tolerable to see them.

[GTJ]

Almost certainly this will be a bus used for this tour exclusively, and not a bus used for regular route service, so can leave items not needed on the bus. Typically the bus will be locked at the stops, so items will generally be fairly secure, but you might not be able to access those items until the bus is unlocked and ready to be loaded. All that said, however, the tour operator will disclaim liability in the very unlikely event that anything is damaged or stolen from the bus.

 

It may not be possible to ascertain a good answer to the washroom question absent any information on the tour operator or past tours. Sometimes a full-sized coach is used, which ordinarily has a washroom on board, while at other times a smaller bus is used, which ordinarily does not have a washroom. On a bus trip that is two hours in duration there is ordinarily no need for washroom use, and its presence or absence is usually not deemed critical. More generally, a 2-hour bus ride is not deemed to be a very long ride. If such a ride would painful then you should consider as well if the walking and climbing at the Hopewell Rocks will be doable.

 

Additionally, the environment of adherence to a cruise vessel schedule is not at all ideal for the Hopewell Rock. A good part of the experience is the contrast between low and high tides. Most schedules don't allow enough time for the tide to ebb and flood. Best to visit when one has the entire day in New Brunswick (be it Saint John or Moncton).

 

Finally, the wariness of relying on Princess representatives is well-placed. They read from a script. They don't know the tours. Princess does not operate the tours. The representatives are there to separate you from your money, the selling of a tour being the vehicle for doing so.

Edited August 26, 2023 by GTJ

[shipgeeks]

OP, I can't answer your questions directly, but I'm wondering if some other options might work for you.

We have been to Saint John several times, but have always just walked the city. Next month we will take the HOHO bus circuit.  One of the stops is noted as Fallsview Park, Reversing Rapids.  I know that is not Hopewell Rocks, but it seems to offer a view of the tides, and the option to leave the bus and stay there as long as you choose.  (Negatives: you would have to tote your cushion, and probably no restroom on the bus, but perhaps one at the park?)

Since the bus circuit runs all day, you could plan to arrive at prime viewing time.

We have booked the bus as a cruiseline excursion, as we have OBC to use up, but tickets are available in the terminal upon arrival, as well.  I recall reading that the circuit takes about 90 minutes, so your time on the bus would not be nearly as long as the excursion you describe.

Perhaps others can weigh in on whether this bus is a worthwhile way to be able to enjoy the Rapids, if that is your primary interest.