Norwegian Dawn/New England excursions

My DH and I will be sailing from New York on the Norwegian Dawn in September 2007.

I am so confused about what to do for excursions at the ports we will be visiting. The excursions from the ship seem to be very expensive, but we have no idea if there will be options at the ports when we get off of the ship and what options are available. I have been trying to read about Boston and I think I have read about a hop on/hop off trolley, but have no idea where that would be or how to get to the trolley. I think I also saw something about a trolley going to Arcadia National Park in Bar Harbor, but again have no idea where we would meet the trolley or if that is available without going through the ship excursions. I guess that is the type of information we are looking for.

My husband and I are 60 and 70, and physically healthy.

We will be visiting:

Boston

Bar Harbor

Halifax

Quebec City

Corner Brook

Sydney

My DH and I enjoy sightseeing and wandering through the towns when that is possible. Any help you can give me regarding the excursions or if the ship docks close to a town we can walk around and explore would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Patti

There is a lot of information on this Board about the hop-on hop-off trolleys in Boston. The two that I see most frequently are Old Town Trolley (green and Orange) and Bean Town Trolley (red and white). They are fairly comparable. Now most of the time during the fall they are lined up at the cruise terminal just waiting for customers -- Beantown also runs a shuttle service up to the most popular spots in the downtown/Freedom Trail area. Here is the information on the Massport web site about the shuttle service:

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Black Falcon Transportation

Cruiseport Boston, operating at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal in the South Boston Waterfront District, is one of the most popular cruise ports in North America for a very good reason its proximity to the City of Boston. To help passengers make the most of their Port of Call, a first class, round-trip shuttle is now in operation to get you where you're going safely, efficiently, and comfortably.

Operated by Brush Hill / Gray Line / Beantown Trolley, the shuttle offers transportation on Port of Call days to some of Bostons best destinations, such as: the New England Aquarium, located on Central Wharf on Bostons vibrant Waterfront; Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the seat of American history and the site of one of America's most famous shopping and dining experiences and Copley Square, home to Trinity Church, the elegant and upscale Copley Place Mall; and adjacent to trendy Newbury Street.

Shuttles depart every 15 minutes from the Cruise Terminal on Port of Call days, approximately from the time passengers are first allowed to leave their vessel, until the time advertised by the vessel as the last opportunity to re-board.

FARE SCHEDULE FOR TROLLEY SHUTTLE:

April through August: $8.00 one way $12.00 round trip

September & October: $10.00 one way $15.00 round trip

** Tickets and information is available within the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. Brush Hill / Gray Line / Beantown Trolley personnel will be on site to assist all passengers and will provide escort to Trolleys and Coaches.

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If you shared a cab with another couple to go to the start of the Freedom Trail it would be less money than the cost of the shuttle.

So, you could take the shuttle and then walk the Freedom Trail - it's 2.5 miles. Start at the Park Street Church and Public Garden/Boston Commons, and make the last walking stop the USS Constitution, and then take a cab back to the Terminal from there - it would cost you about $10.

You can visit http://www.oldtowntrolley.com or http://www.beantowntrolley.com for information about their routes around the city if you wanted to use them all day and hop-on, hop-off.

Thank you for your extensive reply about Boston. It will help us with that port tremendously! I hope I hear from other people regarding the other ports we will be visiting. I think with your reply we will now know what to do in Boston - thank you so much for taking the time to help us!

Patti

In Cornerbrook, we took a city tour thru QM2 and saw a lot of the park area. Then we walked around and found a restaurant in town. It is an industrial area so you do need to get out of the port area to see some of the beauty. Here is something I found on line before our trip last fall.

CORNERBROOK

Corner Brook sits in a hilly mountainside overlooking the waters of the Humber Arm on Newfoundland's west coast. The major industry is pulp and paper.

http://www.cornerbrookport.com/excursions.html

The fall foliage in the Humber Valley is nothing short of spectacular, attracting thousands of tourists each year.

During the summer and fall, tourists and residents enjoy kayaking, canoeing and salmon fishing on the mighty Humber River. Corner Brook is also a short drive from Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which offers breathtaking scenery and an abundance of outdoor activities.

Both the city of Corner Brook itself and the surrounding areas offer a myriad of opportunities to spend some excellent times. http://www.cornerbrookport.com/experiences.html

The Bay of Islands offers some magnificent views while the walking trails that lead to the Captain James Cook Monument are always popular. The historical heritage of Corner Brook is also worth mentioning, as you can visit the Railway Society of Newfoundland Historic Train Site or the excellent Corner Brook Museum.

Located 40 km (25 miles) inland from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Bay of Islands and nestled among the Long Range Mountains, the city offers the best of both worlds – the attractions specific to a coastal city and those that make mountain cities so attractive. The majestic appearance of the surrounding mountains, a continuation of the Appalachian Mountain belt, offers some spectacular views sprinkled with offshore islands, fjords and forested areas.

Cruise Ship Services

Dockside welcome with local band playing traditional Newfoundland music.

Historical characters in period costume including Captain James Cook.

Newfoundland dog and Labrador retriever at dockside.

Information services for passengers and crew on ship and dockside.

Area walking map for passengers and crew.

Entertainment from local musicians.

Onboard lecturers on the history, geology and culture of the area.

Complimentary transportation by golf cart for passengers with mobility difficulties.

Presentation of gifts/plaque to captain.

Free personalized souvenir luggage tags for passengers and crew.

Onboard entertainment for passengers featuring local musicians.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and Royal Canadian Mounted Police in dress uniform to welcome passengers.

Halifax is a WONDERFUL place to visit. Halifax is a beautiful city and you will love the people. It is the stepping off point if you want to go out to Peggy's Cove. It's a quaint little fishing village and a lighthouse that yield some great pictures. We did that the first time with a tour I found on line not thru the ship. On our second visit, we took the free bus up to the Citadel and did the tour there which was great, then walked (downhill) toward the docks, stopping at churches and cemeteries. The dock area is full of shops and restaurants and there is a ferry that will take you across the river for just a couple of dollars. There is lots to learn on these boards and on line. http://www.halifaxinfo.com/maps.php

Sydney We used Acadia Tours 902 564 6200 and arranged a private van tour of the area that went all day. It was $65canadian per person for a full van of 6 people. We found 2 other couples on the message boards for our sailing and had a lovely day. It would have been spectacular if there hadn't been so much fog that day.

Bar Harbor has a free that operates until October that will take you to Cadillac Mt. Lots of shopping with blueberry jam etc and a number of terrific places to have a lobster lunch. Look further down for the name of some of them.

Thank you Cruisin' Kathy for the information on Corner Brook. :)

My DH and I just returned from a cruise to Norway and we are exhausted. I am trying to take care of all the laundry and mail. As soon as I am done, I will look at all the information you gave me.

Thanks again! I can't wait to begin planning our cruise to New England and Canada.

Patti

Dear Madeleine815-

Oh bless you!! You have supplied all the info I need and answered all the questions I have!!

Ooops! One more question. Re the Duck Tours; would we have to take a cab to the Museum of Science to board? Would that be expensive for 2?

Thanks!!

Vada

Patti, which cruise are you taking??I am taking Norwegian Dawn 9/23...Madeline, thanks for information...would enjoy hearing more.

didnt mean to not thank Kathy...all info is appreciated!

Patti, which cruise are you taking??I am taking Norwegian Dawn 9/23...Madeline, thanks for information...would enjoy hearing more.

I am on the cruise before you on the Norwegian Dawn - September 13.

Patti

as for halifax you dock right downtown next to pier 21 you will have no problem with things to in Halifax.

as for sydney you will dock right downtown with in 2 city blocks fothe shopping district. sights to see in sydney is limited to 3 histoirc building and a museum if you want any kind of scenery you would have to go outside the town baddeck is a good choice located one hour fron sydney located right on the Bras D'Or lakes is a small piece of heaven its one of the most scenic spotss we have down here next to the world famous cabot trail. If your looking for a tour company for sydney I have used Tartan Tours in the past they are great. you can contact them either by email @ tartantours@hotmail.com or by calling 902 578 4501 I hope this will help you.

Thanks everyone, I'm on the Dawn on 9/2 so this is all great information. Please keep it coming.

We have used Bob's Tours by Taxi on our two trips to Halifax.

Bob is extremely knowledgeable and a fine driver. He will tailor a tour to your interests.

http://www.tourbytaxi.com/