Canada/New England with kids!?

[Bookbug53]

We were looking to do an Orlando stay with a visit to Disney and then a short cruise next year with 3 yr old grandson and 6 yr old granddaughter plus Mom but with the increase in airfare, oil prices, etc....you know life and inflation:( ...we have now been looking at Canada/NE. We can drive to NYC, stay a night and sail and on the way home do 6 Flags in Massachusetts for a heck of a lot cheaper than flying to FL, Disney and short cruise. I know...a long statement for a short question but my issue is looking at shore excursions on the Canada routes ( Halifax and Nova Scotia) I am having a problem finding something that would be entertaining enough for the kids (and not too long) and would also be of interest to the adults. What have you done on these itineraries when traveling with little ones?

[nybumpkin]

We've done this cruise 3 times with our kids and are booked for a fourth this summer. Our youngest was 4 the first time we sailed. Of the two ports, Halifax has more things to do for the kids, but in Saint John I would recommend one of the horse-drawn trolley tours - it's an hour long, not terribly expensive, and if nothing else the kids will get a kick out of the horses. The tour guides and very knowledgeable and very entertaining. There are a couple of boat tours - I haven't done them, but they look like fun. They're about 2 1/2 hours each.

 

In Halifax, I wouldn't bother booking through the cruise line unless you want a specific time for a tour that might already be booked by the cruise line. A lot of the tours offered can be purchased right on the boardwalk, or in advance through the tour's website. We've done two of the harbor tours - the Harbour Hopper (the Duck tour) and Theodore Tugboat (youngest son insisted on that one in 2006). The Harbour Hopper (http://www.murphysonthewater.com/harbourhopper/) is an hour-long tour that takes you on a drive around Halifax, then drives into the harbor for a water tour - the kids love driving right into the water! Theodore Tugboat (http://www.murphysonthewater.com/theodoretugboat/) is a real tugboat fitted out as Theodore; it's an hour-long cruise around the harbor to visit all of Theodore's friends. The captain let each of the kids have a turn sitting in the captain's chair.

 

My kids also liked the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index.html). The museum has an excellent Titanic display, and there are also displays set up for younger kids. The have a 1913 Canadian Scientific Ship, the Acadia, docked near the museum and open for tours.

 

Hope this helps!

[Bookbug53]

We've done this cruise 3 times with our kids and are booked for a fourth this summer. Our youngest was 4 the first time we sailed. Of the two ports, Halifax has more things to do for the kids, but in Saint John I would recommend one of the horse-drawn trolley tours - it's an hour long, not terribly expensive, and if nothing else the kids will get a kick out of the horses. The tour guides and very knowledgeable and very entertaining. There are a couple of boat tours - I haven't done them, but they look like fun. They're about 2 1/2 hours each.

 

In Halifax, I wouldn't bother booking through the cruise line unless you want a specific time for a tour that might already be booked by the cruise line. A lot of the tours offered can be purchased right on the boardwalk, or in advance through the tour's website. We've done two of the harbor tours - the Harbour Hopper (the Duck tour) and Theodore Tugboat (youngest son insisted on that one in 2006). The Harbour Hopper (http://www.murphysonthewater.com/harbourhopper/) is an hour-long tour that takes you on a drive around Halifax, then drives into the harbor for a water tour - the kids love driving right into the water! Theodore Tugboat (http://www.murphysonthewater.com/theodoretugboat/) is a real tugboat fitted out as Theodore; it's an hour-long cruise around the harbor to visit all of Theodore's friends. The captain let each of the kids have a turn sitting in the captain's chair.

 

My kids also liked the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/index.html). The museum has an excellent Titanic display, and there are also displays set up for younger kids. The have a 1913 Canadian Scientific Ship, the Acadia, docked near the museum and open for tours.

 

Hope this helps!

 

THANK-YOU! I will be looking into all of your suggestions. :) Thanks for the links.

[I&MsMom]

I've done this twice, once when kids were 2 and 6, and the next year when they were 3 and 7.

 

Agree with the previous poster: one trip we did the Theodore Tugboat tour (a little boring for mom, but the kids loved it!) and the Maritime Museum. Had a nice lunch at an outdoor waterfront restaurant, and it was a nice day. There is also a playset/playground along the boardwalk very near (if not behind) the Maritime Museum that my kids had fun with.

 

The second time we went, we drove to Peggy's Cove (beautiful, if crawling with tourists) and then on to Lunenberg for lunch and a little shopping. It was a nice drive, and some spots are very scenic.

 

For St. John, the first time we rented a car and drove to the sea caves that are only visible at low tide. There was a little, very casual, restaurant there where we had lunch. To be honest, there wasn't much there, but the kids really, really loved just mucking about on the beach.

 

The second time in St. John, we again rented a car and this time drove to

St. Andrews by the Sea. To be honest, my guidebook (I think I used Fodor's) painted it to be much more quaint than we found it to be. But, we wandered about the shops a bit and had a really nice lobster lunch.

 

Just as a note, it is very, very easy to rent a car in St. John - the rental agency is about a block or so to the left of where the ship docks on the harbor front street. It was a little more complicated in Halifax, as we needed to arrange for a pick up at the dock, as the agency we used was not within walking distance.

 

Whatever you decide to do, have a great cruise! :)

[Bookbug53]

I've done this twice, once when kids were 2 and 6, and the next year when they were 3 and 7.

 

Agree with the previous poster: one trip we did the Theodore Tugboat tour (a little boring for mom, but the kids loved it!) and the Maritime Museum. Had a nice lunch at an outdoor waterfront restaurant, and it was a nice day. There is also a playset/playground along the boardwalk very near (if not behind) the Maritime Museum that my kids had fun with.

 

The second time we went, we drove to Peggy's Cove (beautiful, if crawling with tourists) and then on to Lunenberg for lunch and a little shopping. It was a nice drive, and some spots are very scenic.

 

For St. John, the first time we rented a car and drove to the sea caves that are only visible at low tide. There was a little, very casual, restaurant there where we had lunch. To be honest, there wasn't much there, but the kids really, really loved just mucking about on the beach.

 

The second time in St. John, we again rented a car and this time drove to

St. Andrews by the Sea. To be honest, my guidebook (I think I used Fodor's) painted it to be much more quaint than we found it to be. But, we wandered about the shops a bit and had a really nice lobster lunch.

 

Just as a note, it is very, very easy to rent a car in St. John - the rental agency is about a block or so to the left of where the ship docks on the harbor front street. It was a little more complicated in Halifax, as we needed to arrange for a pick up at the dock, as the agency we used was not within walking distance.

 

Whatever you decide to do, have a great cruise! :)

 

Thank-you for the suggestion of renting a car. That had not occurred to me. Is the tugboat nearby? Can you make advance reservations? Is the museum within easy walking distance?

[nybumpkin]

Both Theodore and the museum are an easy walk from the pier. I think you can make reservations online for Theodore, but we just walked up and bought tickets.

[I&MsMom]

We did the same - just bought the tickets for Theodore on the day. Have fun! :)