A Taste of the Cabot Trail excursion - Sydney

[bonafidebeachbum]

Hoping some fellow CC'rs have taken this excursion and can give me their input on it:) DH and I are trying to plan our day in Sydney for our upcoming Maasdam SB Canada/New England cruise in early September, and are considering this 7 hour excursion. Being such a lengthy excursion I am wondering how many actual stops we will have on this tour, and what are they? What type of vehicle will we be traveling in, will we be able to see much while traveling, how engaging is the narration of the guide, etc???? It is somewhat pricey so just trying to gather as much information as I can to make the most informed decision. Thanks in advance!

[eh2zed]

You may get some replies here but might do better starting a thread on the Ports of Call-Canada board elsewhere on CC.

[kazu]

Being from Atlantic Canada, I have not done this HAL excursion, but I can tell you that the Cabot Trail is well worth the time:):) t is absolutely fantastic

I would be tempted to check out to see if you can do this as a private tour or, do HAL's and call and ask some questions. The scenery is incredible.

I just don't know how well you will see it from a bus:confused::confused: totally agree post on your ports of call board and you roll call - you may be able to get a group together. enjoy the view :D

[shrimpboat123]

I have not been on the HAL Tour, however I have been around the Cabot Trail.

The HAL tour describes the tour as going to Black Brook and on to a visit at the Keltic Lodge and the beaches. I believe you are probably going to be on a bus that is headed for Ingonish (that’s where Keltic Lodge is). The bus ride to Ingonish will be about 2 hours each way. That leaves an hour for lunch and a couple of hours to walk on the beach, see the Lodge (the grounds are magnificent), and stop along the way for pictures at a look out or two.

The Cabot Trail is quite a bit more than just a visit to Ingonish. It really takes about two days to see the whole Cabot Trail. To get a feeling for the expanse of the trail you can refer to this link:

http://www.novascotia.com/en/home/gettinghereandaround/gettingaround/scenic_travelways/cabot_trail/map.aspx

It is a very picturesque area and I think you will enjoy it. Too bad you aren't going in October. The fall colours would be nice to see.

[Alberta Quilter]

Our tour was over 8 hours. As far as I can recall, we did most of the Cabot Trail. We did stop a few times. Lunch was a box lunch at a beach, not a restaurant. One stop was at a gift shop - Flora's - that was famous for their hooked rugs. If I can recall correctly, we had a few photo stops, and the stop at the Keltic Lodge.

Mostly it was a lot of driving. We were at the back of the bus (motorcoach), just in front of the bathroom. Not a great location on the bus! The Cabot Trail, while very nice, is a rather winding road. For me, who is prone to motion sickness, eight hours on a bus, by the bathroom, on a windy road, it was not the best time I've had. Towards the end, even though I had my sea bands on the whole time, I ended up trying to nap.

The tour is rather long, and we arrived back to the ship just before they were to leave. The guide was very good, I thought. She was the only guide I've had who came down the aisle to personally greet each one of us and have a short chat.

I don't remember how much we could see from the bus. For the really scenic parts, they stopped for photos. I've heard some Maritimers say that it is better to go clockwise rather than counter clockwise but our guide went counter clockwise. So, I can't tell you what side of the bus you should be on because that will depend on which way you're going to go.

Most of my issues were just due to my situation with the motion sickness and being at the back of the bus. Hopefully, if you do this tour, you'll be in a better location. I am glad I did it; I had heard so much about it. But next time, I'll be in a car, in the front seat!!!

Enoy your cruise!

[Math Guy]

Re Bus Tours.

We have been on several bus tours over the years, although when exploring the Cabot Trail we did have our own vehicle.

The advantage in having a guided tour : Larger windows, elevated point of view, no distractions-just enjoy the scenery.

The bus tours always know exactly where to stop to allow you to exit the bus and to take your most spectacular photos.

I would suggest having a look at this site : www.cabottrail.com (http://www.cabottrail.com)

[bonafidebeachbum]

Thanks all for your thoughts and information, and the links!! It looks so beautiful and we are so looking forward to seeing this part of the world!! I will do our best to nab a seat mid bus, or up front;)

[KNOT2L82SAIL]

I would totally recommend this tour! My daughter and I cruised together and this tour was my birthday present to myself and her in September 2009. Your tour is on a very comfy and large motorcoach. The guide we had was fantastic, very knowledgable, and quite personal. The two of us did luck out and we got the front two seats. The first stop was at a little church for treats and a break. Beautiful creek right there. We had lunch at the Keltic Lodge, absolutely gorgeous location. Prior to getting there, we stopped at a beach and you could see the Keltic Lodge way in the distance. We stopped on the way back for a lighthouse way below the road. There were photo ops throughout the tour. The ship did have to wait until we got back before departing...one super advantage of booking a tour through HAL. Enjoy your tour. :D