*Whew!* Made it through the whole thread and now my brain is bursting at the cranial sutures!
I mentioned we're doing shore excursions in both Halifax and St. John. We're doing the Halifax Highlights tour, and hopefully we will have JUST enough time to grab a Beavertail (in the words of a famous Canadian, "YEEEEE-UM-meh!" - but where exactly are the stands located?), have lunch in a pub near the water (dang, what was the name of the place people said was good near the ship?), and maybe stop by the Maritime Museum (looking at the tour this seems a little redundant as they discuss the Halifax disaster there too, but we're Bostonians and want to pay our respects.)
As for St. John...
In Saint John we took the Saint John Highlights Tour. There were 10 of us on this tour. It was a nice tour and we were able to learn a lot about the town that we wouldn't have on our own. The tour guide was very knowledgable. Our first stop was the City Market. The kids all had fun exploring the little shops and tasting some samples. Then we drove around and stopped at the Reversing Falls. It was about an hour before high tide so the falls were reversing at the time. My sister and her family took a 2nd tour in the afternoon and when they came back the 2nd time on that tour (3rd time total) they were able to see the tide at low tide and said it was really cool to see the tide go both ways. It was a nice place. After that we stopped at the Carelton Martello Tower. The tower had some great views and the kids liked getting to dress as Red Coats, "fire" wood rifles, and explore the tower. It was a fun stop and they had a little book of activities for the kids. If they did a few of the activities they got a certificate and little prize at the end.
Good to see this isn't as lackluster as it looks in the Disney website description. Still, mom booked this without really knowing what there was to see in the province. We all love beautiful landscapes, and it seems a shame to go to St. John and take the tour that generally stays in town and doesn't appear to explore the unique geography.
I don't think mom could do the Hopewell tour, but I may be able to sell her on the less-strenuous St. Martins/Sea Caves tour. And despite the silly name, St. John Rocks, which focuses on the geology of the region, looks very nice too. Has anyone done that tour? How far away is Rockwood Park?
And finally, where's a good place to eat right near the ship in St John?
(OK, time to plow through the thread for my specific cruise...
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