Canada/New England Cruise and Tours

We are taking the Caribbean Princess from Quebec to Houston in October. One of our ports is Bar Harbor. I was wondering if anyone has used a private tour there and can recommend some good private tours as well as in Quebec City, Halifax and Newport.

Hi ssbeagle,

My sister and I did the Canada-New England cruise on the Royal this past Fall and it had some of the same ports - we did our own thing in each of the ports.

For Halifax I would highly recommend checking out Bluenose Sidecar Tours (check out Trip Advisor for their reviews) - we had a fantastic time with them - it was one of the highlights of our cruise. They have 2 motorcycles with sidecars and they will create a custom tour for you - e.g., Halifax highlights, a shutter bug tour if you like to take lots of photos, historic sites - e.g., the Titantic cemetaries (there are 3). We created quite the stir when we pulled away from the cruise port riding in the sidecars!

For Bar Harbor you may wish to research the free bus service for Acadia National park that is sponsored by LL Bean. You could easily create your own tour using this service - it is fabulous. The buses stop running in mid October though - so you will need to find out if they will still be running at the time of your cruise. We took a path along the ocean to walk into town to catch the bus - they have a visitor center there that you could use to help you plan your day.

For Newport my sister and I walked to the cliff walk and then walked along the cliff walk (which is stunning) and toured a couple of the mansions (aka cottages). It is a fairly long walk - if you prefer a ride I suggest checking out the trolley service that takes you to the mansions. The mansions we visited had audio tours - so you just tour at your own pace (not all of them do - so you will need to research which ones interest you)

Happy planning! My sister and I really enjoyed this cruise - hope you do as well!

Good advice from Kmhkmb. We did a New England cruise last year and all of the ports are easily toured on your own.

In Quebec, I downloaded the Frommer's Walking Tour from their website and we walked it on our own. We were in port 2 days and spent 1 day touring Lower Quebec and 1 day touring Upper Quebec. We did a ghost tour one evening and had lunch at Aux Anciens Canadiens on the 2nd day--great $20 lunch special, including wine or beer!

In Halifax, we spent the morning on a Segway tour--great fun--and the afternoon in the Maritime Museum. If you have an interest in the Titanic, don't miss this museum!

In Bar Harbor, we walked from the tender area to the town square where we picked up the free L.L. Bean bus. (Buy your park admission first in the green building next to the town square.) I had found a book at the library on hikes in Acadia NP and copied some of them to take with me. We did two fabulous hikes--there are lots of hikes for all abilities. We then spent a couple hours walking down the main street shopping and enjoying a real ice cream soda in the drug store.

In Newport, we toured the Breakers and Marble House, walking along the Cliff Walk between the two. The audio tours of the mansions are excellent.

We are taking the Caribbean Princess from Quebec to Houston in October. One of our ports is Bar Harbor. I was wondering if anyone has used a private tour there and can recommend some good private tours as well as in Quebec City, Halifax and Newport.

We (along with my DB and SIL) did the Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale cruise on the Ruby this year -- it is wonderful!

It is very easy to arrange 'do it yourself' tours. Here's what we did:

Quebec City - DH and I arrived two days early and did the walking tour of Quebec with Tours Voir Quebec. It was excellent and in fact when DB and SIL arrived the next day we walked them thru the tour and shared as much info as we could remember. On our first full day (we had an overnight on the ship and I hope you do to since it gives you more time to explore a beautiful city) we took a Viator tour to Montmorency Falls and Ste. Anne-de- Beaupre. Having already spent 2 1/2 days in Quebec City we enjoyed seeing the countryside (if you don't arrive a couple of days early in Quebec, concentrate your time on seeing the city).

Saguenay (don't know if you are stopping there or not; not all cruises do) - we did a bus tour with Fjord et Monde that was really too long. The area is lovely -- the sail out the fjord was spectacular - but the tour was mostly scenery plus we had to deal with the fact that the public toilets in the parks had closed the week before! If you do stop, do not miss the welcome show by the locals on the dock (as they proudly told us, they've been voted the friendliest cruise port many years in a row). They gave away free samples of blueberry products. and (our personal favorite) maple syrup poured onto shaved ice on a stick. Yum!

Halifax - we rented a car ($38 - including a tax) for the day from Thrifty and drove to Peggy's Cove and the cemetery with the graves of victims of the Titanic. After we turned the car in we went to the Maritime Museum (easy walking distance from the ship) to view the Titanic exhibit.

Bar Harbor - we took a bus tour with Acadia National Park Tours (a similar one is offered by Ollie's Trolly) and then had the best lobster roll ever at the Side Street Cafe!

Boston - we did the Duck Tour and then the 1 hour Harvard University tour (included in the Duck Tour ticket). It was great fun even for someone who grew up outside of Boston and probably spent too much time in Harvard Square as a teenager.

Newport - we got a day pass for the local bus system and started with the audio tour of the Breakers and then walked the Cliff Walk to the end and bussed it back into town for more lobster roll (very good but not great like in Bar Harbor).

New York - we were docked in Red Hook (Brooklyn). We took the subway to Ground Zero and visited the museum (very, very sobering and as someone who was a mile away from the Pentagon when it was hit and drove by the impact site twice a day it became a little too overwhelming. Everyone should visit (IMHO) but for us once was enough.) We then took the subway to Times Square, walked to Rockefeller Center (couldn't get tickets for Top of the Rock but the lobby alone was worth a stop), walked to Grand Central Station (another architectural beauty) and took the subway back to Brooklyn.

Charleston - we had 2 walking tours (2 hours each) reserved but we never made port due to high winds and rapidly deteriorating weather.

As I said this was a great itinerary. Some folks we met had done it many times (the most I remember was 4) and we all agreed that in a few years we would be ready to go again.

Enjoy!

While I could - we don't DIY, because there is always something the locals know that we don't...

Just realized I never actually did an excursion review of our trip. Dang. Here is who we used in each port and some quick comments.

Newport - Newport Tour and Guide - - Very very happy with Tammy. She took care of everything, great vehicle, super willing to customize (for example, two of our party wanted to go to mass, so she rearranged the whole day to accomodate). We did highlights of newport and Breakers and Elms.

Boston - BostonTours - Great guide (they have many), history major. Took us to a few cool places we might not have gone otherwise, like Washington's headquarters. We did Boston, Lexington and Concord.

Bar Harbor - At Your Service Taxi and Tour - Vehicle was just a taxi van, but really nice guide, local, who took us to some out of the way photo spots before hitting the big tourist ones. Almost everyone will do the same route, so look at price and local knowledge. http://www.atyourservicetaxi.com/tours.html#five_hour. Cost is $80 per hour for van divided by number of passengers.

St. John - Roy Flowers - Meh. Neither the town or the driver impressed me much. Not bad mind you, just nothing super special. Roy himself was great to work with on setup. Basically, once you have seen the falls and bay of fundy, not that much there there.

Halifax - Blue Diamond Tours (D+ itinerary) - Very very happy with Blue Diamond. Gary showed us a lot, did a great job of narration.. If you are a photog, bring an extra memory card for Peggy's cove.

Hi,

If you like whale watches, I'm pretty sure you can do that on your own in Bar Harbor.

New port is very easy to get around. As others have said - get the day pass for the shuttle. I think this the website: http://www.ripta.com/

You can buy tickets in advance for many of the mansions here: http://www.ripta.com/

If you want to see a newer mansion you can see the Doris Duke home. You can buy tickets on line for that as well. Just Google Doris Duke Newport and you should be able to find it.

See you soon.

I highly recommend the Lulu Lobster Boat excursion. The owner, Captain John, knows a lot about marine biology and does a great job of sharing his knowledge. Do a google search for a link to his site. We also enjoyed the Ollie's Trolley trip into Acadia. We visited October this year on the Queen Mary 2.

I wanted to do this -

http://www.acadiaairtours.com/glider_flights.html

Unfortunately, she who must be obeyed said no so I did not go.

DON

 

Boston - BostonTours - Great guide (they have many), history major. Took us to a few cool places we might not have gone otherwise, like Washington's headquarters. We did Boston, Lexington and Concord.

 

 

Bar Harbor - At Your Service Taxi and Tour - Vehicle was just a taxi van, but really nice guide, local, who took us to some out of the way photo spots before hitting the big tourist ones. Almost everyone will do the same route, so look at price and local knowledge. http://www.atyourservicetaxi.com/tours.html#five_hour. Cost is $80 per hour for van divided by number of passengers.

 

We also used these two companies. At Your Service Taxi was great but Boston Private Tours was exceptional.. We did the Boston, Harvard, Lexington and Concord tour. Probably the best tour we've ever been on..

Newport - Newport Tour and Guide - - Very very happy with Tammy. She took care of everything, great vehicle, super willing to customize (for example, two of our party wanted to go to mass, so she rearranged the whole day to accomodate). We did highlights of newport and Breakers and Elms.

 

Totally agree. One of the best tours of our 2014 itinerary. Tammy makes you think yours is the only tour she will give that year; it all seems to be fresh and new and interesting to her. We included a visit to Doris Duke's home and thoroughly enjoyed that as well.

Yes thats the one we did. I wouldn't say best ever, but then again, we have items like Pompeii and Amalfi coast on that list...

We also used these two companies. At Your Service Taxi was great but Boston Private Tours was exceptional.. We did the Boston, Harvard, Lexington and Concord tour. Probably the best tour we've ever been on..

We also used these two companies. At Your Service Taxi was great but Boston Private Tours was exceptional.. We did the Boston, Harvard, Lexington and Concord tour. Probably the best tour we've ever been on..

While I could - we don't DIY, because there is always something the locals know that we don't...

 

Just realized I never actually did an excursion review of our trip. Dang. Here is who we used in each port and some quick comments.

 

Newport - Newport Tour and Guide - - Very very happy with Tammy. She took care of everything, great vehicle, super willing to customize (for example, two of our party wanted to go to mass, so she rearranged the whole day to accomodate). We did highlights of newport and Breakers and Elms.

 

Boston - BostonTours - Great guide (they have many), history major. Took us to a few cool places we might not have gone otherwise, like Washington's headquarters. We did Boston, Lexington and Concord.

 

 

Bar Harbor - At Your Service Taxi and Tour - Vehicle was just a taxi van, but really nice guide, local, who took us to some out of the way photo spots before hitting the big tourist ones. Almost everyone will do the same route, so look at price and local knowledge. http://www.atyourservicetaxi.com/tours.html#five_hour. Cost is $80 per hour for van divided by number of passengers.

 

St. John - Roy Flowers - Meh. Neither the town or the driver impressed me much. Not bad mind you, just nothing super special. Roy himself was great to work with on setup. Basically, once you have seen the falls and bay of fundy, not that much there there.

 

Halifax - Blue Diamond Tours (D+ itinerary) - Very very happy with Blue Diamond. Gary showed us a lot, did a great job of narration.. If you are a photog, bring an extra memory card for Peggy's cove.

Do you have websites for contacting these companies?

I want to thank everyone for their ideas. How did you get to the subway from Red Hook? I have been there before but I never noticed a subway station at the pier.

Newport Tour and Guide: http://newporttourandguide.com/

Boston (with our tour selected): http://bostonprivatetours.com/182/boston-harvard-lexington-and-concord/

Bar harbor is already in the message

St. John - Which he needs to update: http://www.roystours.webs.com/

Blue Diamond (Halifax) - http://www.halifaxshoreexcursions.com/ or http://bluediamondtours.com/ for the general travel company.

Do you have websites for contacting these companies?

 

I want to thank everyone for their ideas. How did you get to the subway from Red Hook? I have been there before but I never noticed a subway station at the pier.

How did you get to the subway from Red Hook? I have been there before but I never noticed a subway station at the pier.

The subway is about a 30 minute walk. We received great guidance from the folks (especially smeyer) on the East Coast Departure boards. The directions are easy:

Here's my 'thank you note' to the folks that helped:

I want to thank you again for the information. I have already heard back from two of the companies and am waiting to hear from the Newport company. In NY we are going our own way since we are familiar with it and just want to go to the World Trade Center memorial. I was there when it was being built and I'd like to see the completed project. I also want to go to Macy's on 34th Street (Herold Square). It is huge.

Note that is now the offseason in New England and a lot of the tour operators work limited hours. Factor that in to expected reply times.

I want to thank you again for the information. I have already heard back from two of the companies and am waiting to hear from the Newport company. In NY we are going our own way since we are familiar with it and just want to go to the World Trade Center memorial. I was there when it was being built and I'd like to see the completed project. I also want to go to Macy's on 34th Street (Herold Square). It is huge.

I want to thank you again for the information. I have already heard back from two of the companies and am waiting to hear from the Newport company. In NY we are going our own way since we are familiar with it and just want to go to the World Trade Center memorial. I was there when it was being built and I'd like to see the completed project. I also want to go to Macy's on 34th Street (Herold Square). It is huge.

Do not miss the Trade Center Memorial; it is very moving.

While I could - we don't DIY, because there is always something the locals know that we don't...

 

Just realized I never actually did an excursion review of our trip. Dang. Here is who we used in each port and some quick comments.

 

Newport - Newport Tour and Guide - - Very very happy with Tammy. She took care of everything, great vehicle, super willing to customize (for example, two of our party wanted to go to mass, so she rearranged the whole day to accomodate). We did highlights of newport and Breakers and Elms.

 

Boston - BostonTours - Great guide (they have many), history major. Took us to a few cool places we might not have gone otherwise, like Washington's headquarters. We did Boston, Lexington and Concord.

 

 

Bar Harbor - At Your Service Taxi and Tour - Vehicle was just a taxi van, but really nice guide, local, who took us to some out of the way photo spots before hitting the big tourist ones. Almost everyone will do the same route, so look at price and local knowledge. http://www.atyourservicetaxi.com/tours.html#five_hour. Cost is $80 per hour for van divided by number of passengers.

 

St. John - Roy Flowers - Meh. Neither the town or the driver impressed me much. Not bad mind you, just nothing super special. Roy himself was great to work with on setup. Basically, once you have seen the falls and bay of fundy, not that much there there.

 

Halifax - Blue Diamond Tours (D+ itinerary) - Very very happy with Blue Diamond. Gary showed us a lot, did a great job of narration.. If you are a photog, bring an extra memory card for Peggy's cove.

Thank you. I've been wondering what we could do in Boston and Bar Harbor...I was not impressed with X's options.

I'm glad I found this thread...I'm sending out e-mails this evening. I'm trying to plan some small private tours with people on our roll call.

We also used these two companies. At Your Service Taxi was great but Boston Private Tours was exceptional.. We did the Boston, Harvard, Lexington and Concord tour. Probably the best tour we've ever been on..

I just checked Boston Tours dot com and the website said they are for sale. :confused:

I received a reply from Boston Tours and there was nothing that said it was for sale. There was no indication anywhere that I could see.

I received a reply from Boston Tours and there was nothing that said it was for sale. There was no indication anywhere that I could see.

That's strange...I did a google search and it was the first link to Boston tours that showed up and I got that message.

That's strange...I did a google search and it was the first link to Boston tours that showed up and I got that message.

I guess the best thing to do to be sure is ask them outright when you request a quote or to see what tours they have available.

I guess the best thing to do to be sure is ask them outright when you request a quote or to see what tours they have available.

Excellent point. I'm going to check out the Red Trolley tours also.

I just checked Boston Tours dot com and the website said they are for sale. :confused:

Yes, I saw that too, on the home page of their website.

Yes, I saw that too, on the home page of their website.

Have you tried contacting them? I have not tried yet.