Upcoming Canada/New England cruise on Constellation 09/19/09

Would love to have input on shore excursions, especially recommendations as to choosing between ship excursions and other possibilities(car rentals, private excursions, etc. We traveled from Hawaii to Vancouver on the Constellation sister ship Celebrity Infinity in 2002 and thus know a bit about what to expect as far as the Constellation is concerned, but any special tips regarding this ship would be appreciated. We have also cruised Alaska and West Caribbean on Princess, Mexico and Southern Caribbean on Carnival, and other cruise lines to Bermuda and East Caribbean. Ben and Edna:)

Would love to have input on shore excursions, especially recommendations as to choosing between ship excursions and other possibilities(car rentals, private excursions, etc. We traveled from Hawaii to Vancouver on the Constellation sister ship Celebrity Infinity in 2002 and thus know a bit about what to expect as far as the Constellation is concerned, but any special tips regarding this ship would be appreciated. We have also cruised Alaska and West Caribbean on Princess, Mexico and Southern Caribbean on Carnival, and other cruise lines to Bermuda and East Caribbean. Ben and Edna:)

Hi Benny

We're on the Sept. 19th CONSTELLATION cruise

also. Be sure to look up the CELEBRITY CONNECTIONS

cruise thread. Be sure to also sign up for the

Cruise Critic meeting. I understand, as of a couple of days ago,

there are 31 of us signed up.

Hope you come over to join up with us.;)

Located under ROLL CALLS.

Would love to have input on shore excursions, especially recommendations as to choosing between ship excursions and other possibilities(car rentals, private excursions, etc. We traveled from Hawaii to Vancouver on the Constellation sister ship Celebrity Infinity in 2002 and thus know a bit about what to expect as far as the Constellation is concerned, but any special tips regarding this ship would be appreciated. We have also cruised Alaska and West Caribbean on Princess, Mexico and Southern Caribbean on Carnival, and other cruise lines to Bermuda and East Caribbean. Ben and Edna:)

Hi, Susan & Len here (not related to Susan & Gary),

We are also on the Sept 19th cruise. Come join our "Roll Call" and the

Celebrity Connections party.

Thanks for the invitation to join the Connections party on the Constellation in September.

We have just signed up, so now there are 33 of us. Ben and Edna

Would love to have input on shore excursions, especially recommendations as to choosing between ship excursions and other possibilities(car rentals, private excursions, etc. We traveled from Hawaii to Vancouver on the Constellation sister ship Celebrity Infinity in 2002 and thus know a bit about what to expect as far as the Constellation is concerned, but any special tips regarding this ship would be appreciated. We have also cruised Alaska and West Caribbean on Princess, Mexico and Southern Caribbean on Carnival, and other cruise lines to Bermuda and East Caribbean. Ben and Edna:)

Tom nd JoAnne

Thanks for the invitation to join the Connections party on the Constellation in September.

We have just signed up, so now there are 33 of us. Ben and Edna

Benny..

GREAT!

Glad to hear it.

Grab your relatives, neighbors, friends, poker pals,

and, talk them into this cruise...this cruise will be

wonderful...and, the CONSTELLATION is our

favorite ship and, will be yours too, I bet.

(We did a trans-Atlantic cruise and, to Russia on this ship.)

GREAT excursions at every port.

We've had a painting of Peggy's Cove N.S. hanging above

our fireplace for 10 years (at least) and, we have always

been curious about that area....

We're going there and, there is a lobster there now, crawling around

the rocks off shore, that will have a fateful meeting with me

in September at a Lobster Bake party in Peggy's Cove :D

In Quebec you will dock right in the old city. Unless you want to take a tour our of the old city it's all within walking distance.

We will also be going with you as will our friends Joyce and Gil.

Nancy & Bob

Texans ready to leave the heat!

Living in nearby Bangor, and having taken this particular tour (while on a cruise), I would recommend a tour with Ollie's Trolley in Bar Harbor (BH).

It is open (window) tour 2.5 hour tour that leaves from downtown BH. It wends its' way up Cadillac mountain for some spectacular views. Price $29 adult, $15 child.

Problem: This tour leaves at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. It appears that your ship departs at 5 p.m. Leaves just the morning tour. Tender ride is short and if you are off the ship quickly you can make the 10 a.m.

There are other tours located right where the tender arrives, including whale watching boats. Just be aware of the length of the tours and departing times.

All tours end up either at the harbor or a short 3 block walk away.

I would recommend taking a tour of the "cottages" in Newport, Rhode Island. Some tour guides are better than others, but they will all give you a good idea of what life was like during the era when they were used as summer homes. If you like seafood, Newport has some of the best seafood I have had anywhere in the world.

I noticed that you live in Columbia, MO. My brother is a Curators' Professor at Mizzou.

I would recommend taking a tour of the "cottages" in Newport, Rhode Island. Some tour guides are better than others, but they will all give you a good idea of what life was like during the era when they were used as summer homes. If you like seafood, Newport has some of the best seafood I have had anywhere in the world.

 

I noticed that you live in Columbia, MO. My brother is a Curators' Professor at Mizzou.

THAT is ther big reason for us to take this cruise..

The SEAFOOD.... YUM! :D

For whatever it is worth...

We have a very dear friend, of society from

the back east coast, now retired in Florida.

We discussed this very subject and, she has been to

most of these mansions. She recommended to us, that

we must visit only ONE mansion. That would be the Vanderbilt

Mansion. She recommends taking a taxi from the pier/ship

and, go direct to the Vanderbilt mansion and, save money

as opposed going through the cruise line venue.

Us? We're going in search of SEAFOOD in Newport.

Any recommendations Maven? :rolleyes:

THAT is ther big reason for us to take this cruise..

The SEAFOOD.... YUM! :D

 

For whatever it is worth...

We have a very dear friend, of society from

the back east coast, now retired in Florida.

We discussed this very subject and, she has been to

most of these mansions. She recommended to us, that

we must visit only ONE mansion. That would be the Vanderbilt

Mansion. She recommends taking a taxi from the pier/ship

and, go direct to the Vanderbilt mansion and, save money

as opposed going through the cruise line venue.

 

Us? We're going in search of SEAFOOD in Newport.

Any recommendations Maven? :rolleyes:

I recommend the Black Pearl Restaurant in Newport, RI.

When we did this cruise 3 years ago we were able to purchase tickets for a shuttle that went to the mansions. We bought them where we docked at the visitor center, I think.

I recommend the Black Pearl Restaurant in Newport, RI.

The best place in the world for clam chowder!!!

Love Newport. Go to tour the mansions, do the cliff walk, go to the Black Pearl. Nothing better than a day in Newport.

Anne Maria

Would love to have input on shore excursions, especially recommendations as to choosing between ship excursions and other possibilities(car rentals, private excursions, etc. We traveled from Hawaii to Vancouver on the Constellation sister ship Celebrity Infinity in 2002 and thus know a bit about what to expect as far as the Constellation is concerned, but any special tips regarding this ship would be appreciated. We have also cruised Alaska and West Caribbean on Princess, Mexico and Southern Caribbean on Carnival, and other cruise lines to Bermuda and East Caribbean. Ben and Edna:)

I just came back from cruising Canada in October 2008 - what would you like to know?

Thanks, Tom and JoAnne, hope we can meet you on the Constellation.

I just found the Cruise Critic PORTS page a few days ago and it is excellent. I will be using it also. I traveled by train to Nova Scotia and PEI a few years ago and rented a car for a week in Halifax. It was great!

I have also been in Quebec City twice. Just like being in Europe. Hope you have a great cruise. Ben and Edna

My wife and I are also booked on this cruise and our first to Canada & New England.I found a wealth of info on Cruise Critic.On the home page,click on PORTS ,Click on Canada And New EnglandAnd then click on each of the ports in our itinerary.Each choice has a wealth of info about each port including OVERVIEW,CURRENCY, RESTAURANTS ,TOURS,PLACES TO VISIT,ETC.I printed off each port narrative and use it as a travel guide.Hope this helps.

Tom nd JoAnne

Gary, hope you find that lobster in Peggy's Cove. I was in Nova Scotia for 10 days a few years ago and rented a car in Halifax. My first drive was to Peggy's Cove where I took several photos which I thought were good enough to enter in a photo contest when I returned. One of then has graced our wall since that time. During that trip I also visited Charlottetown PEI and Quebec City(a little bit of Europe on this side of the pond). Hope we can meet on board? By the way, are you going to Peggy's Cove on a ship excursion or on your own? Ben

Benny..

 

GREAT!

 

Glad to hear it.

 

Grab your relatives, neighbors, friends, poker pals,

and, talk them into this cruise...this cruise will be

wonderful...and, the CONSTELLATION is our

favorite ship and, will be yours too, I bet.

(We did a trans-Atlantic cruise and, to Russia on this ship.)

 

GREAT excursions at every port.

We've had a painting of Peggy's Cove N.S. hanging above

our fireplace for 10 years (at least) and, we have always

been curious about that area....

We're going there and, there is a lobster there now, crawling around

the rocks off shore, that will have a fateful meeting with me

in September at a Lobster Bake party in Peggy's Cove :D

John, thanks for the Ollie's Trolley info. I was in Bar Harbor a few years ago and am looking forward visiting again and getting out to Acadia. I well remember a very nice lunch at Jordan Pond House in the Park as well as the great views from Cadillac Mountain. Ben

Thanks for the info on Newport. Perhaps I know your brother. I taught in the Romance Languages Dept. at Mizzou for 30 years. Ben

Have a wonderful cruise!

Couple of other tidbits re: Newport

The Tennis Hall of Fame is only a mile or so from the port, walkable and very interesting.

Flo's Clam Shack is a local favorite, not as trendy as Black Pearl but good food.

The Clarke Cooke House (just before the Black Pearl) also has good food.

Also, the International Yacht Restoration School is very interesting, short walk down Thames Street.

iyrs.org

website for International Tennis Hall of Fame is www,tennisfame.com

PEI is most definitely the place to be and also go to the Ile D'Orleans if you can. Very rustic and quaint. It is not to be missed.

Peggys Cove is a very universal and basic place. It is nice to see but I would not spend whole lot of time there. Try the whale watching on the Haligonian.

In PEI right now the lobster Donald is living. He is a blue lobster. The odds of that are roughly 1 in 2.5 million. You gotta go see him.

Thanks for the info on Newport. Perhaps I know your brother. I taught in the Romance Languages Dept. at Mizzou for 30 years. Ben

Ben, my brother's name is Ken and he is a Curator's Professor of Psychology. Since this is a public message board I prefer not to post his last name.