Peggy's Cove/Double Decker City Tour Excursion

[andy7753]

Just wondering if anyone has gone on this excursion, and if so, how was it? We're thinking of it, but wanted to make sure that we'll have time to shop in Halifax. The tour says it is 5 hours - 3 3/4 hours for Peggy's Cove and 1 1/2 hours for the double decker portion, but will be longer if we get on and off the bus to see some sites which we will definitely want to do.

 

There is another excursion that is just the hop on/hop off bus - so is Peggy's Cove worth going to?

 

Thanks for any help.

[agabbymama]

Peggy's Cove IS A MUST, in my opinion.

 

We didn't have the 1 1/2 hour double decker bus ride, just a quick ride through town with a little commentary.

 

Then when we arrived back, we had a couple hours that we just walked along the shore walk, until it started to rain, then back to the ship.

[missjanet]

We're doing this tour in October, so I have been corresponding with the tour company for more details. I wrote to them & they emailed me a map of the route that the bus takes - it's a huge help in planning which sights to visit after the Peggy's Cove portion of the tour.

 

Below is the letter I received from the tour company in response to some questions I had about frequency of buses, etc. We are now sure that this is our excursion of choice for Halifax.

 

Good luck with your trip planning.

Janet

 

-------------------------

My name is Chris Connolly and I work in the Cruise Department here at Ambassatours Gray Line. The hop on hop off for RCI would run roughly every 20 mins. but we will not know exactly until the day of, due to tour sales, etc. This is a fantastic way to see both Peggy’s Cove and the City.

 

The Double Deckers will run up until the ship leaves so the ticket is valid for your entire stay in Halifax. The Peggy’s Cove portion is 3 hours and 15 mins and you will be dropped off back at the pier where there will be Double Deckers for you to jump on for your city tour.

 

It’s a fabulous tour and it gives you a great Nova Scotia Coastal experience in Peggy’s Cove and a unique city tour onboard antique English Double Deckers.

[andy7753]

Thanks so much for the information. I think I'll send an email to the tour company also and see if they'll email me the route map.

[missjanet]

This is the initial letter I received from the tour company. My contact was Jennifer & she was very helpful. Here's what she wrote to me initially - as you see, she sent me the map & gave me her email address for further questions. If you want to contact the company, perhaps you should write directly to her.

 

Good luck with your planning!

Janet

+++++++

 

Hi Janet,

 

Thank you for your email.

I have attached a copy of the route for our “Hop on Hop off” tour.

We recommend booking this tour directly through your cruise ship, which ensures that you are picked up at the pier, and are guaranteed to be back in time for ship departure.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or at 1 800 565-7173. (option 1).

 

Kind Regards,

 

Jennifer Parnell

Reservations Department

Ambassatours Gray Line

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Tel: 902 423-6242 (option 1)

Toll Free: 1 800 565-7173

Email: jparnell@ambassatours.com

Website: http://www.ambassatours.com

[Yellow Lab's Rule]

I just got back from Halifax, we were on the Explorer of the Seas that left on 8/28 from Cape Liberty. We did the Peggy's Cove and the Double Decker Tour. Peggy's Cove is a must see. As for the double decker tour, there are 2 routes, the blue route which is a 1 and 1/2 hour tour (City Tour) and then the red route (Harbor Tour) that was 20-30 min. When we got back to the ship drop of area after that Peggy's Cove portion it was close to 5pm. We got right on the bus for the red tour and we got stuck in the rush hour traffic. Our aim was to go to the Maritime Museum to see the Titanic display. We ended up getting off the bus and walking to the museum. For the red section of the tour everything is pretty close to the pier so as long as your mobile I would say walk it. Maybe your port times our different that ours but if it's from 12:30pm - 7:30pm, I would say walk the pier. I know people that did the blue route and they were afraid to get off the bus because they didn't want to risk misssing the ship due to the traffic back ups. The wanted to spend time walking the Victoria Gardens. As for the traffic, it might have been the day were were there, hard to say. As for the shopping near the boat, it's mostly t-shirts and other tourist junk. We didn't see any nice shops. I would spend time seeing the sites and not worry about the shopping. If you do want to do some shopping, I would say do it at the shop right by the lighthouse. We didn't buy anything there because were figured the shops on the boardwalk would be cheaper and better quality, we were wrong.

[andy7753]

Thank you for your information abouve Peggy's

[andy7753]

Thank you for your information about this excursion. We will be on the Jewel of the Seas in a few weeks, and will be in Halifax from 9-6. There is an excursion in the morning and then another in the afternoon. We were thinking of doing the morning one, hopefully it will not be too foggy to enjoy Peggy's Cove. We definitely want to go to the Maritime Museum. Still deciding what else we want to see, and whether we should bother with the double decker bus, or do it on our own. We do alot of walking, so maybe that's what we'll do if the things we want to see are within walking distance of the ship.

[AAAAmerican]

How far is the Casino in Halifax from the Passenger Cruise Ship Pier in Halifax?

 

:D

 

 

How about the one in Sydney, NS, CA too?

 

[487]

Just returned from doing this tour last thursday 9-18. We we in Halifax from 1200-1930. The bus left the ship for Peggys Cove at 1230 and we returned to the ship @ 1600. Took a quick break and then were on the double decker "hop-on-off" bus by 1620. We stayed on the bus for the narrated 'tour' around town which took 1.5 hours in traffic. We heard from others that "hopped-off" that most shops and museums closed @ 1700. They didn't know this and were unhappy. We did one "hop-off" at the keiths brewery but didn't have time for the brewery tour as we needed to be on the ship at 1930, and not knowing exactly how long before the next bus came didn't take the chance. Some people boarded our bus as they had been waiting for the free 'around-town-trolley" for 45 minutes (later found out the free trolley stopped running about 1630) to take them back to the ships, of which there were 3 docked.....RCCL, Carnival, and Princess.

 

Suggest you book Peggys Cove for a late tour if possible. This will put you back in time for ship departure, and do the things you want in town first.

[missjanet]

Thank you, 487, for the report. You are the second poster who said that the traffic in Halifax was too intense to really allow any hopping on & off. I had not even thought about that. And I hadn't thought about the closing times on the attractions either.

 

Unfortunately, on our Explorer of the Seas cruise next month, there is only one option for a Peggy's Cove excursion, minus the bus - and it departs at 12:30pm. That would not allow for any sightseeing before its departure.

 

So now I'm not sure what to do. There will be 4 of us on the trip & I am the "travel agent" for our little group, so I've got to figure out how best to do this so that the others aren't disappointed.

 

Thanks again for the "heads up".

Janet

[jasperdog]

Just wondering if anyone has gone on this excursion, and if so, how was it? We're thinking of it, but wanted to make sure that we'll have time to shop in Halifax. The tour says it is 5 hours - 3 3/4 hours for Peggy's Cove and 1 1/2 hours for the double decker portion, but will be longer if we get on and off the bus to see some sites which we will definitely want to do.

 

There is another excursion that is just the hop on/hop off bus - so is Peggy's Cove worth going to?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

 

 

Just came back from the Dawn and did this trip. Peggy's Cove tour was definitely worth the $, especially if your guide is Bob ---- a retired school teacher who tells very interesting stories to get a feel for the place. The double decker tour was a complete waste of time and $. You are better off taking a city bus to your destination. We did the double decker red route and got off at the Citadel. Tour announcer was pretty bad. Pity the bus driver. We then walked back to the ship by way of the waterfront. Beware that it is a long walk back to the ship because of alot of zigzags along the waterfront.