Corner Brook,NF has me stumped! Calling on all locals/those who have been there

[LakelandCat]

:confused: Hi to all. WE (my DH and 1 year old son.....first cruise with son and first to Canada/New England) will be cruising on the Dawn coming up in October. After researching all the ports, Corner Brook has me stumped. I have read every message on this board, performed internet searches, read guidebooks etc. and can't come up with much. The area looks beautiful but since we have our baby on this cruise we won't be doing the normal things we might usually do in ports like this during past cruises pre-baby (ie. hiking, kayaking, etc.). Can anyone who lives there or visited there give any ideas about this port. I know what the ship excursions are so we can always book one of those if needed. What is near the port? Is the town and attractions walkable and what would you recommend? Is there any public transportation available from the pier? Is this a stop where you need to go out into the countryside if there is not much to do around the port? Any and all suggestions are much appreciated. We are in our 30's and fit and will have a stroller and other baby gear of course. On the other ports we plan to tour Acadia Park (Bar Harbor), stay in downtown Halifax and take the FRED bus, drive to Fort Louisburg (Sydney), tour the historic areas of Quebec City, and do the Freedom Trail in Boston. This is just to give you an idea of our types of interests. Happy cruising and thanks for any responses.

[c breeze]

:confused: Hi to all. WE (my DH and 1 year old son.....first cruise with son and first to Canada/New England) will be cruising on the Dawn coming up in October. After researching all the ports, Corner Brook has me stumped. I have read every message on this board, performed internet searches, read guidebooks etc. and can't come up with much. The area looks beautiful but since we have our baby on this cruise we won't be doing the normal things we might usually do in ports like this during past cruises pre-baby (ie. hiking, kayaking, etc.). Can anyone who lives there or visited there give any ideas about this port. I know what the ship excursions are so we can always book one of those if needed. What is near the port? Is the town and attractions walkable and what would you recommend? Is there any public transportation available from the pier? Is this a stop where you need to go out into the countryside if there is not much to do around the port? Any and all suggestions are much appreciated. We are in our 30's and fit and will have a stroller and other baby gear of course. On the other ports we plan to tour Acadia Park (Bar Harbor), stay in downtown Halifax and take the FRED bus, drive to Fort Louisburg (Sydney), tour the historic areas of Quebec City, and do the Freedom Trail in Boston. This is just to give you an idea of our types of interests. Happy cruising and thanks for any responses.

 

Here are a few links:

http://www.cornerbrook.worldweb.com/

 

http://www.cornerbrook.com/tourism/tourmain.html

 

We are going on the Dawn in September, but will do the Gos Morne National Park tour, which I would guess would be too long to attempt with a one year old.

[c breeze]

Oops!

[mii]

On the home page of Cruise Critic they have a story about Canada/New England excursions and one of them is Corner Brook.

 

Marilyn

[Murphy]

We visited Corners Brook in 2005. It was one of our favorite spots! We charted a minivan with driver thru Vision Atlantic (http://www.visionatlantic.net) and they were fabulous. My husband and I teamed up with 3 others we met on our roll call thread and split the cost. The driver was a local and knew where all the great scenery was. We went to Gros Morne (although didn't do any of the hiking), then he took us to a beautiful park area with a lighthouse where we ate a boxed lunch that we'd picked up along the way. We stopped at several other scenic places and our last stop was at a local marina where we ate homemade berry pies overlooking the harbor. Good luck finding something that matches your time schedule and needs with a little one along for the trip!

[GTJ]

I have been through Corner Brook twice in recent years. While both trips involved cruises (in one case the Nordik Express between Rimouski and Blanc-Sablon, and in the other case the C.T.M.A. Vacancier between Montreal and St. Pierre et Miquelon), neither cruise docked at Corner Brook; my travels through Corner Brook each time have been by motorcoach after each cruise had terminated. Thus, I cannot speak directly about the port itself.

 

Corner Brook is one of the larger cities in Newfoundland & Labrador, but relative to other places in North America it is quite small. There is a very limited public transportation system, so I suppose in a pinch you could ride around the city on the local buses for a while.

 

The real draw of the area, though, is Gros Morne National Park. From the perspective of scientific curiosity, a trip to the Tablelands is a real treat. I would strongly recommend a short hike on the Tablelands trail. From your post it sounds like you're not looking for anything strenuous, but you can "hike" here for a short distance on relatively level ground and still gain an appreciation of the geology. The nearby Discovery Centre can provide additional context in an indoor setting. A bit further down the road you will arrive in the small community of Trout River, and there is a 2.5-hour boat excursion that is very much worthwhile. As you cruise out on Trout River Pond, you get to see the remarkable contrast between the Tablelands on the left, and the normal landscape on the right.

 

The most popular excursion in the park is the 2.5-hour Western Brook Pond boat excursion. It is quite scenic, and the vessel pulls up very close to the sheer cliffs that line the inner part of the pond. It does not offer the geology lessons that you'll get from cruising Trout River Pond, but time permitting it is a good excursion. It might not appropriate for you since it does require a 3km (30 minute) hike across level ground between the parking lot and the boat dock.

 

There is a visitor center near Rocky Point, and is interesting to see if time permits. The community of Rocky Point itself likely will not have much of interest to the day visitor. There is also the Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point.

 

Additional information is available from Parks Canada at: www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nl/grosmorne

[Snorkel_Girl]

I just drove across the entire province of Newfoundland - from Channel-Port-au-Basque to St. John's. Although we didn't stop in Cornerbrook except for a few groceries, the area is beautiful - there were many walking trails in town along the river. I highly recommend driving to Gros Morne National Park - it is about an hour's drive from Cornerbrook one way.

 

The biggest attractions in the park that are family-friendly are the Tablelands (parts of the ocean floor that have been sculpted into steep, flat "mountains") and the boat tours. We hiked the Tablelands trail, it is about 2km, relatively flat and you could take a stroller. We saw a family hiking and the mother was carrying a baby in a backpack-like carrier. The trail goes by a spectacular waterfall (you will see them from the parking lot) and ends at a stream. The more adventurous can follow the stream further towards the "mountains". I definately recommend this hike.

 

We also did a hike called "Green Gardens" which ends on top of spectacular cliffs, a waterfall, and a sea cave. However, it is 9km and has some very steep sections, you wouldn't want to take a stroller on it.

 

We didn't do either of the boat tours but saw pictures at the park office, and the scenery is beautiful.

 

If you rent a car, it is also worth driving north through the park to see the scenery - from the Tablelands you drive through the Long Range Mountains, and then follow the coast until the northern park boundary. There are little towns throughout which provide a great place for lunch/dinner/snacks.

 

One recommendation for Gros Morne - the weather changes rapidly, so bring warm clothes and rain gear. We were in the park for 2 days and it could change from warm and sunny to rainy and foggy in the course of 15 minutes. Fog is very common. Also be careful driving as the park has the highest density of moose on the entire island. We saw about 6 moose on the road in one evening. Luckily we are from "moose country" so we are used to watching for them, especially at dusk/dawn.

 

I picked up some tourist guide books along the way, and I'll check tomorrow to see if there is a secion on Cornerbrook.

 

Hope this information is helpful!

 

Snorkel_Girl

[eh2zed]

When you are there and want to impress the locals pronounce their city "Carnerbrook" and linger on the "ar" as is in Carrrnerbrook. They will be impressed. Ays the bye.

[Snorkel_Girl]

Here is some information on hiking and walking trails in/near Corner Brook. All this information is taken from the Corner Brook and Region visitor guide.

 

Corner Brook Stream Trail (www.cbstream.com) - Winds through the centre of the city following the Corner Broom Stream. The trail is groomed and includes gravel, stairs, and foot bridges. Trail highlights include the Clynmill Inn Pond, home to a family of swans, and Three Bear Mountain which offers a great view of the city. Trail maps are available from the Visitor's Information Centre or on the website.

 

Blow-Me-Down Nature Trail - The trail cuts across the base of the Blow-Me-Down Mountains to one of the best natural swimming areas in the region. The boardwalk trail winds past pitcher plants (insect-eating plants) and rare pine trees for 1 km to the swimming area. Here, a brook cascades over smooth bedrock. The trail passes by reddish-brown peridotite boulders which were pushed to the surface millions of years ago when the continents collided.

 

Hughes Brook Trail - This trail is beautiful, travelling from the Hughes Brook Bridge along the river, all the way to the estuary leading into the harbour. This area is home to many species of plants and animals, including moose, muskrat, and beaver. Birds include eagle, woodpecker, and blue jay. The area also shows a pond ecosystem and examples of river erosion.

 

Pasadena Nature Trail - An educational journey through the forest of Western Newfoundland. The trail is self-guided using a guide book. There are 117 stops and the guide highlights plants, animals, birds, and insects. The trail is roughly 6 km long, but there are various cut-offs for people interested in a shorter hike. Copies of the guides can be picked up near the start of the trail and returned when leaving.

 

Hope this info is helpful to you!

 

Snorkel_Girl

[Sally Forth]

I wanted to add that this is one cruise ship location where you might want to slow down, meet locals and ask them about their town. There are NO people in the world friendlier, nicer, and prouder of their "Rock."

 

Viv

[c breeze]

We took the shore excursion to Gos Morne National Park a few weeks ago. This was our favorite excursion ever! If you like beautiful scenery, this is for you. There is a good deal of time on the bus, so if you think this would work with your one year old (7 hour tour) then go for it! There is some waliking on uneven surfaces at the stops, but nothing that would not be managable. The lunch stop was very pleasant at the Ocean View Hotel. If you go on this tour, try to ask for Kevin as your tour guide. He was very knowledgeable.

 

There were many passengers complaining about a lack of things to do in this port, but all of us who took this excursion thought this was spectacular! Unfortunately, I see that NCL will not visit this port next year, and that is a shame. It is very beautiful. Dress warmly, though. We were very lucky and had no wind (for most of the trip) and quite warm weather, but I understand this is highly unusual.

[ope]

I really appreciate the information you all have left for other travelers. We depart New York on the Norwegian Dawn on Sunday, October 14, 2007 not the 13th as C Breeze stated ... check your dates. I checked mine. See you on board.

[ope]

Sorry, I missed the September on C Breeze post. Just another in my long list of mistakes.

[TomAndJane]

We took the shore excursion to Gos Morne National Park a few weeks ago. This was our favorite excursion ever! If you like beautiful scenery, this is for you. There is a good deal of time on the bus, so if you think this would work with your one year old (7 hour tour) then go for it! There is some waliking on uneven surfaces at the stops, but nothing that would not be managable. The lunch stop was very pleasant at the Ocean View Hotel. If you go on this tour, try to ask for Kevin as your tour guide. He was very knowledgeable.

 

There were many passengers complaining about a lack of things to do in this port, but all of us who took this excursion thought this was spectacular! Unfortunately, I see that NCL will not visit this port next year, and that is a shame. It is very beautiful. Dress warmly, though. We were very lucky and had no wind (for most of the trip) and quite warm weather, but I understand this is highly unusual.

 

I agree with c breeze. We were on the same bus as her and we loved it. Reminded us of a little Alaska. We also saw Caribou and a Bear on this trip (Rare). Didn't see any moose which are common in this area.