The Crazie Explorers in SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK

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Saint John, New Brunswick Overview

Just a few facts about port #3 on our cruise.     The Bay of Fundy is a "must see" at this port with the Reversing River.    

Located on Canada's Southeastern Atlantic Seaboard, where the Bay of Fundy meets the mouth of the St. John River, Saint John is a quaint harbor town of 122,000 residents. A 90-minute drive from the U.S. border in Maine, "the Fundy City" offers 400 years of history, exciting nature excursions and Canadian hospitality, with British and French influences. Cruise ship passengers, in particular, are made to feel welcome as they dock. A "greeting committee" of volunteers dressed in traditional costumes hands out Canadian flags, stickers and buttons.

Saint John is Canada's first incorporated city, a celebrated wooden shipbuilding center with a colorful history. A great fire in 1877 destroyed almost the entire city center. Today, the quaint "Uptown" area is laden with Victorian-influenced architecture, brick walkways, historic churches, town squares and flowers blooming around old-fashioned lamp posts. There's a storybook quality about the town that's a nice respite from bustling, overly touristy cruise ports. Saint John also has a bohemian flair, with lots of street musicians, funky galleries and independent record stores.

But the town is best known for its Bay of Fundy-related attractions. The Bay of Fundy is world-renowned for its extreme tides -- twice daily seawater rises (and then falls) about four stories high! As a result of the tides, the region is incredibly rich in scenic vistas (cascading waterfalls and cliffs carved out by water) and in sea-life, the latter of which draws folks interested in spotting rare whales and interesting shore birds.

The most exotic -- and fabulous -- experience that you shouldn't miss in this port of call is a look at the Reversing Falls. At low tide, the rapids are turbulent and there's a bottleneck gorge at the falls; at high tide the waters are pushed upstream -- and so the river runs in reverse.

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Getting Around

Saint John is very pedestrian-friendly, with most of the tourist spots and the historic "uptown district" no more than a 15-minute walk from the ship terminal. Taxis are available for trips to the Reversing Falls, though nearly every shore excursion includes a stop there, so you don't have to worry about getting there on your own if you don't want to go independently. For sightseeing fun, it's hard to beat a horse-drawn trolley. You'll find them near the terminal, waiting to take passengers past town landmarks, such as the Old Country Courthouse, the Loyalist Burial Grounds, Loyalist House and King's Square.

  

  the Reversing Falls is an amazing natural phenomenon that results from a confluence of two distinct forces: the highest tides in the world, courtesy of the Bay of Fundy, and the origination point of the St. John River. When the two meet in a rocky gorge, the high tides overpower the river, causing it to reverse its flow twice a day. Fallsview Park, as its name implies, is the lookout point to observe the churning waters below. You can experience the falls by jetboat or simply watch from the observation point.

The Saint John City Market on Charlotte Street is the oldest farmer's market in Canada. The market's roof is shaped like an inverted hull of a ship, a testament to the city's shipbuilding history. A stroll through the market is a true sensory experience, with stalls of produce, fresh fish, meats, cheeses, flowers and prepared foods lining the building. There's also a stand selling a local specialty, dried seaweed, called dulse.

 

If you've already experienced the town's highlights, visit Canada's oldest independent brewery. It's the home of Moosehead Beer, and has a great country store, filled with one-of-a-kind souvenirs.

 

[murr]

We are going to Saint Johns in two weeks. 3 years ago we did the reversing falls and city tour, the tour was half by bus and half by boat. See about that tour. This year we are doing the Caves tours. You also get to see the tide coming in or out depending on the tide table.

[cruisetarp]

Tim - any information you can bring back will be appreciated. Thanks and have a great cruise

[KeithnRita]

Great info, MaryLou. Tim, we will be with you in spirit!

[1shipshape]

Nature is sooooo amazing, don't you agree? Can't wait to see all these spectacular water events!

[rogue]

We were there several years ago, and did a city tour and the Reversing falls. We did not do the falls on the river in a boat. We were not very impressed by the falls. When you're there for a short time, it's like taking a snapshot of just a river with some rapids (and the rapids were not all that spectacular when we were there). If you can get there at different parts of the day to see the difference the tide makes in the river, it may be more impressive. Going there once is nothing special in my opinion.

[cruisetarp]

Great photo Howard. I must agree if you don't hit the rapids at just the right time there is not an awful lot to see and it's not very exciting. We;ll have to make our own fun.

[rogue]

Great photo Howard. I must agree if you don't hit the rapids at just the right time there is not an awful lot to see and it's not very exciting. We;ll have to make our own fun.

I couldn't have said it any better.

[sailingrose]

And do either of you have any doubts that we'll have fun no matter what we do??? LOL