New England/Canada port suggestions?

zebra · June 20, 2012

We will be on a New England cruise this Fall, have never visited this area and would love to hear everyone's ideas, tips and suggestions about our ports of call - which are:

Boston, MA

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Saint John, New Brunswick

Bar Harbor, ME

Portland, ME

Thanks - looking forward to your suggestions!!

murr · June 20, 2012

Jackie,

We love this area and itinerary.

Halifax: You should look into the tour that takes you to Peggy's Cove. A cute little village and lighthouse with a great story. I won't tell you the story, you should go. Leave time to explore the city also. The Wharf area is fantastic, some great shops and restaurants.

St Johns: You must do the reversing falls, there are so many excursions for this. It's wild to see how the tide changes from morning to night.

Bar Harbor: Take the bus tour to Cadillac Mountain. When we reached the top the ships in the harbor looked like toys floating in a bathtub, you are really up there.

Boston: They have a fantastic Aquarium across from the Market Square. The Market Square is worth a visit.

That's the extent of our visits to those places.

Just a little note, We love the Halifax area. We can't wait to return, we actually thought of moving there in the near future.

Hope this helps.

murr · June 20, 2012

The Bar Harbor tour is called "Arcadia National Park".

Saint Johns is "The Bay of Fundy tour"

I checked my records.

zebra · June 20, 2012

Tim - you have been a great help. All those excursions sound wonderful!! Tell me more about Acadia National Park - what is the draw there?

Jan115 · June 21, 2012

I live in NE and am most familiar with Boston. Boston is amazing and very walkable - so much to see - where to begin? Here are my favorites: The Freedom Trail is a wonderful way to revisit the historical past of Boston. A Duck Tour is lots of fun, you ride in a real WW2 amphibious vehicle, and the guides are excellent. Another favorite of mine is the North End, the Italian neighborhood. Great food, lovely neighborhood- you forget you're in Boston. Fanieul Hall and Quincy Market are very popular with tourists and also very crowded, especially mid day. If I can answer any other questions, feel free to ask.

zebra · June 21, 2012

Thanks Jan - lots of good advice. Do you know how long it takes to walk the Freedom Trail??

murr · June 21, 2012

Tim - you have been a great help. All those excursions sound wonderful!! Tell me more about Acadia National Park - what is the draw there?

When the ship stops and drops anchor. You can see the size of the mountain directly in front of you. It's about 1500 feet high. It's the highest point on the north Atlantic Seabord. It takes 4 miles of winding roads to reach the top. It is well worth the visit.

zebra · June 21, 2012

Oh OK - Is a trip to the National Park really only to be able to see the view from the top? Thanks again Tim.

Jan115 · June 22, 2012

Jackie, the Freedom Trail walk can take a couple of hours to just about all day, depending on how many stops on the way and your pace. The best thing to do is print out a map before you go, and depending on your time, pick a section to walk or, better yet, I believe there are guided tours which might be better if you are on a time schedule.