Halifax, Nova Scotia

[Rosco722]

Sailing the Caribbean Princess in August and stopping in Halifax. Any suggestions on what to do? Someone told me the port is in a city and if you want to see green and the mountains you would have to rent a car and travel about an hour.

[LindaKE]

We're going in October and are booked for the Peggy's Cove Excursion. It got good reviews.

[eh2zed]

Yes you berth at Pier 21 in the downtown. There is a lot to do downtown including the Citadel, Maritime Museum, Alexander Keiths Brewery, etc. To see scenery you will need to take a tour or rent a car. Peggys Cove and/or Lunenburg/Mahone Bay tours are very popular and scenic.

[MonaCD]

There are no mountains, or at least what I consider mountains (thinking Rockies) in Nova Scotia. You have the Highlands in Cape Breton and through Central Nova Scotia which are fairly scenic but, for me, the beauty of Nova Scotia lies in it's rugged coastline. The city of Halifax has plenty to do and see. You could spend the day just along the board walk which runs all along the downtown waterfront. There are plenty of green spaces and parks in Halifax. I'm sure any excursion is planned to give you the maximum of scenic vistas, it's just a matter of what appeals to you the most.

[grey_eyes]

Yes you berth at Pier 21 in the downtown. There is a lot to do downtown including the Citadel, Maritime Museum, Alexander Keiths Brewery, etc. To see scenery you will need to take a tour or rent a car. Peggys Cove and/or Lunenburg/Mahone Bay tours are very popular and scenic.

 

I agree with the above post.

I would highly recommend the tour to Peggy's Cove. You may not see mountains but the scenery is wonderful, both at the Cove and on the ride there.

I have posted a couple of pictures I took at Peggy's Cove, on a foggy day. I did not choose pictures of the lighthouse but of the village scenery, to give you a different viewpoint.

 

In Halifax, I especially like spending the day at the harbour boardwalk. Alexander Keiths museum is a fun thing to do, but if you're more into historical events(Halifax Explosion, Titanic, immigration history) , the museums are good.

 

This is only my opinion, but the only thing I would not recommend is the whale watching leaving from the port. I have been and saw nothing but 2 seals. Can anyone correct me?

 

Don't forget to try the Beaver Tails!

[Rosco722]

This all sounds so amazing! My boss made me nervous because he owns property in Cape Breton and goes hiking there all the time. When he found out we were docking in Halifax he kind of made a face and said it was not a nice area, it was a city.

 

We are also stopping in Saint John and again I got the sour puss. He said it was a horrible area. :eek: Any feedback about Saint John?

[grey_eyes]

Yes you are in the city, but the Harbour (the waterfront area where the ships dock) is just fun to hang around in. Or you can get around town and see different things. I have been to Halifax a few times now, but always make plans to spend a day each in Peggy's Cove and the Harbour.

 

Sorry I don't know Saint John.

[travelbig]

I have been researching both of these ports. If you would like to know the tour companies who have responded to my requests, e-mail me,

gthiel@tampabay.rr.com

Are there any other ports you are wondering about also?

Leslie

[sapper1]

This all sounds so amazing! My boss made me nervous because he owns property in Cape Breton and goes hiking there all the time. When he found out we were docking in Halifax he kind of made a face and said it was not a nice area, it was a city.

 

We are also stopping in Saint John and again I got the sour puss. He said it was a horrible area. :eek: Any feedback about Saint John?

I live in Saint John and I love my city. We are most welcoming to cruise ship passengers. If you look lost people will stop and ask if they can help you. There is a volunteer group that meets every cruise ship and presents a rose to every lady and a pin to every gentleman. They are there to answer your questions and point you in the right direction. I believe that I pointed you to this website on a different thread but I will do it on this one as well. www.cruisesaintjohn.com

[Maraprince]

Anyone know how long FRED will be running in Halifax? Going in October. What is the last date that FRED will be running?

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[tomko2]

Halifax is a wonderful city and the waterfront is always interesting. I was born there and try to get back "home" every few years. Pictures from my trip last summer in the link below.

Cape Breton is too far away but the scenery at Peggy's Cove is lovely.

 

FRED schedule and other tourist information in this link:

 

http://www.downtownhalifax.ns.ca/default.asp?mn=1.8.36

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Kathy:)

[romrai]

You will love halifax in august. Don't know if you will be there for the buskers festival, but it runs august 6 - 16. Shows are done all day along the waterfront. If you are into Titanic things, the maritime museum on the waterfront has a good display. There is also a cemetary for the titanic victims in just outside town (Fairview). The pubs are awesome as well. You should be amazed at the friendliness of the maritimers.....we came for a visit in august one year, bought a house 5 days later and have now been here for 9 years.

[mandyc3383]

My boyfriend and I took a 5 day Carnival cruise to St. John, Newbrunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia last August. The two days that we were in port the weather was very nice. It was actually quite warm and sunny. Many of the locals commented on how we brought the good weather with us, so I am not sure if warm sunny, weather is not typical of Aug. in that area or not. Many people mentioned rain, but I'm not sure if it is a rainy season in general or just that year. Both of the ports were bustling with kind and friendly people and both of the towns were great to visit.

 

Your opinion of the towns will depend on your personality and what you enjoy doing. With that being said, although we both enjoyed our time spent in the towns, we would not book another cruise that stopped at only those two places. We are both in our mid 20's and enjoy pretty much every aspect of travel. We are eager to see pretty much everything and will make the best out of just about any destination.

 

In Halifax we booked two excursions through the cruise line. The first was the whale watching excursion. We met up as a group right outside of the port area and walked together about 5 mins down the road to where the boat is docked. The boat was a nice two deck boat. We were lucky enough to see Whales during our trip! It was very difficult to take pictures or video tape, unless you're constantly running the tape, but it was an experience that we will never forget. Now obviously whether you see whales or not is completely by chance. The boat crew pointed out other historic areas that were interesting and stopped to bring in a lobster trap and to talk a little about lobsters as well. After we returned from the excursion we set out to do some shopping. However we were sent in the wrong direction a few times and wasted some time searching for some random stores the cruise line pointed out as "great stores" to shop at. I must say there was little shopping to be done in the close area near the port. We also booked the Titanic excursion. We met as a group near the port area and boarded a large charter bus which was very comfortable. We stopped at the Maritime museum and explored the museum which housed various artifacts from the Titantic. I enjoyed the museum and what it had to offer but found it difficult to really see everything on display because we were ushered along and there were numerous people all looking at one time. No fault of the tour, just the nature of it really. We also stopped at a cemetary that had an area for the Titanic victims. I must say that part was sad. The tour leader also informed us of interesting details as we drove along.

 

We enjoyed our day in Halifax and wouldn't have changed anything. I say if you have never been go and check it out. You have nothing to loose and every place has something to offer. Your vacation is what you make of it. :)

[BonnieD]

When we visited Haifax 3 years ago, we took a cab from the pier up to the Citadel Fort as it was all up hill. THe ride was only a few dollars. After touring the fort, we visited the gardens only a few blocks away. They were free and quite beautiful. I have not seen prior mention of them in any posts here, and I don't know why as they are well worth seeing if you like gardens.

We then walked back to the ship, touring sites enroute. The walk was downhill and easier on us, so we didn't need the cab. Halifax was our favorite place on our tour and I will be visiting again in September. Hoping for no hurricanes.

[davidnsteph]

We have been to Halifax twice with Princess. Late last August, we cruised there on the Caribbean Princess. We took an all-day ship-sponsored tour to Lunenburg and Mahone Bay, two historic fishing and ship-building communities down the coast from Halifax. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg had many interesting exhibits on ship-building and fishing on the Grand Banks of the Atlantic. We also toured old fishing ships, and former crew members were on hand to enlighten us on the fishing industry.

 

Mahone Bay was a quaint seaside town to walk through and do some shopping. There weren't any crowds in either town, and we would recommend seeing them.

 

DavidnSteph

[Putterdude]

I live on the west coast of Canada but as I have roots in Nova Scotia may I take the liberty to suggest that things that you may want to see would be the Citadel and Historic Properties. If you have additonal time; to be sure Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg are sure bets.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/index_E.asp

http://www.historicproperties.ca/

[tomko2]

When we visited Haifax 3 years ago, we took a cab from the pier up to the Citadel Fort as it was all up hill. THe ride was only a few dollars. After touring the fort, we visited the gardens only a few blocks away. They were free and quite beautiful. I have not seen prior mention of them in any posts here, and I don't know why as they are well worth seeing if you like gardens.

We then walked back to the ship, touring sites enroute. The walk was downhill and easier on us, so we didn't need the cab. Halifax was our favorite place on our tour and I will be visiting again in September. Hoping for no hurricanes.

 

 

You are right; not many people know about the Public Gardens and they are indeed lovely. So glad you enjoyed your time in Halifax.

Kathy:)