NY to Canada St. John's Brunswick (question on port adventures)

[V2000]

Hello,

We are cruising October 9th! I am trying to decide what to do in St. John's Brunswick. I was thinking the pink hop on hop off bus would be good because it takes to to the top places to visit. Since it is a short time we are docked, I want to know what are some good suggestions to make the most out of it.

The other option I thought about was the coastal kayak option. I have never been kayaking but it looks fun. We are a party of 3, I guess that means one person would share the kayak with a stranger? Tell me your experience.

Also, do you think it will be too cold to use the pool on the ship?

Thank you,
Veronica

 

[dvcdisney]

I have not taken either excursion so take my vote as such.

But I have been to Saint John, New Brunswick. I'm not sure it would be fun taking an HOHO bus. Personally, if I wanted to visit all the places and I had enough port time, I would just rent a car. Locals in New Brunswick (and all East Coast) are very very friendly.

 

[V2000]

I have not taken either excursion so take my vote as such.

But I have been to Saint John, New Brunswick. I'm not sure it would be fun taking an HOHO bus. Personally, if I wanted to visit all the places and I had enough port time, I would just rent a car. Locals in New Brunswick (and all East Coast) are very very friendly.

Hey, that's not a bad idea. Renting a car might work well for us. We could probably even kayak too. Doing the paid excursion would last 4-5 hours. I can look into it.

 

[Pens Fan]

While Saint John is a charming city, to me the Bay of Fundy is the main reason cruises stop there. I agree that either renting a car or hiring a guide to get you out of the city, is a better plan. We used Dave's Taxi Tours and went to the reversing falls, the Bay of Fundy trail, St. Martins sea caves, among other places.

If you really enjoy kayaking, I'm sure that would be fun as well. But I'd skip the HOHO bus around town if it were me.

 

[dvcdisney]

Hey, that's not a bad idea. Renting a car might work well for us. We could probably even kayak too. Doing the paid excursion would last 4-5 hours. I can look into it.

Yes, Saint John is not a big city. It's very manageable.

By the way, do you have another Canadian port stop? Halifax, Nova Scotia is a city I can definitely recommend.

 

[dvcdisney]

While Saint John is a charming city, to me the Bay of Fundy is the main reason cruises stop there. I agree that either renting a car or hiring a guide to get you out of the city, is a better plan. We used Dave's Taxi Tours and went to the reversing falls, the Bay of Fundy trail, St. Martins sea caves, among other places.

If you really enjoy kayaking, I'm sure that would be fun as well. But I'd skip the HOHO bus around town if it were me.

Absolutely!

Hopewell Rocks is also a good tourist spot and remember to time the tides...low tides offer a much better experience.

 

[MaleficentRN]

I was unimpressed with St. John. My family and I wandered around for a bit and then I had a massage booked at a place in the mall near the port. Given those choices, I'd pick kayaking.

 

[gatordoc]

We did the kayak excursion last year and it was awesome. They are two person kayaks, so I guess one of you would have to share, but I don't recall exactly how they managed that. It is somewhat strenuous, as you are going against the current for half the trip. But the scenery was amazing, and they had several guides along to ensure that everyone was able to keep up.

 

[Michelle James]

I haven't done either as an excursion, but live in Halifax and have spent a lot of time in Saint John. Kayaking there is awesome. The bay is beautiful, but as a pp said, it can be strenuous. The reversing falls are very cool, if you have a chance to see them.

As for renting a car, get a good GPS if you do. Saint John is a smallish city but very confusing to drive in - strange one-way streets, etc.

 

[bfamily5]

I live in Moncton which is 1.5hrs from Saint John. It's a small city, some historical type buildings but otherwise I agree, much more to see and do on the Bay of Fundy. If you do get to St Martin's sea caves there's a restaurant called The Caves right on the shore...doesn't look like much but they have the best seafood chowder you can buy. The fish and chips are pretty amazing too. Also there is nothing in this world like Bay of Fundy lobster!

 

[Michelle James]

I live in Moncton which is 1.5hrs from Saint John. It's a small city, some historical type buildings but otherwise I agree, much more to see and do on the Bay of Fundy. If you do get to St Martin's sea caves there's a restaurant called The Caves right on the shore...doesn't look like much but they have the best seafood chowder you can buy. The fish and chips are pretty amazing too. Also there is nothing in this world like Bay of Fundy lobster!

You have to love living in the maritimes, don't you?

 

[V2000]

Yes, Saint John is not a big city. It's very manageable.

By the way, do you have another Canadian port stop? Halifax, Nova Scotia is a city I can definitely recommend.

Sadly, St. John is our only stop.

 

[V2000]

We did the kayak excursion last year and it was awesome. They are two person kayaks, so I guess one of you would have to share, but I don't recall exactly how they managed that. It is somewhat strenuous, as you are going against the current for half the trip. But the scenery was amazing, and they had several guides along to ensure that everyone was able to keep up.

This is kayaking in the ocean right? Seems a little scary. Lol.

 

[V2000]

I live in Moncton which is 1.5hrs from Saint John. It's a small city, some historical type buildings but otherwise I agree, much more to see and do on the Bay of Fundy. If you do get to St Martin's sea caves there's a restaurant called The Caves right on the shore...doesn't look like much but they have the best seafood chowder you can buy. The fish and chips are pretty amazing too. Also there is nothing in this world like Bay of Fundy lobster!

Beautiful suggestions, thank you! I love chowder and fish and chips!

 

[V2000]

While Saint John is a charming city, to me the Bay of Fundy is the main reason cruises stop there. I agree that either renting a car or hiring a guide to get you out of the city, is a better plan. We used Dave's Taxi Tours and went to the reversing falls, the Bay of Fundy trail, St. Martins sea caves, among other places.

If you really enjoy kayaking, I'm sure that would be fun as well. But I'd skip the HOHO bus around town if it were me.

I think I am now interested in going hiking instead. Does anyone have any information on Bay of Fundy hiking?

 

[east_coaster]

I’m from Saint John, it’s a small and beautiful city! For hiking you could do the Fundy Trail which is near the sea caves in St Martin’s, or if you’re looking for something in the city, the Irving Nature Park is great place to hike and see the Bay. I would think you could easily do that and the hop on hop off bus.

 

[gatordoc]

This is kayaking in the ocean right? Seems a little scary. Lol.

No, it was on the St. John River. Some current, but not scary