Caribbean Princess - Canada & New England

[oldman42]

Greetings all, first timer here. I've been on a couple cruises around the world, but want to mix things up a bit, and need some advice for a cruise. We have a party of 4 adults (50+ yrs old) heading to New England & Canada on Princess; stops are:

 

New York (we're flying in and boarding the ship right away)

Newport, RI

Boston

Portland, ME

Saint John, New Brunswick

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Corner Brook, Newfoundland

Québec

 

We have come to a consensus that we are going to lean away from the excursions offered by the Cruise (as we've done in the past), save some money, rent a car (or walk, or public trans), and wander out on our own (using the Cruise excursion list as our guide). So my question to the forum community, what is the preferred means of travel in each of these stops? Should we rent a car? Use public transportation? or just lace up the walking shoes? Any "must sees" in these locations? Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

[JF - retired RRT]

Go to the Ports of Call thread here: http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

Also, be sure to join the Roll Call for your cruise.

[mike x ftc]

We did Canada / New England in May. To be honest you wont really need transport in most of the places - unless you are intending leaving the town and going off the beaten track. All the ports have nice towns with things to see all very close to where the ships dock with the exception of Boston which was big and busy - I wouldn't drive there, we got a taxi with friends into the centre so cant really comment on other transport options. There is plenty to see and do in Halifax and Quebec which I thought was fantastic, again all within easy reach of the ship but it is quite hilly, but stunning

[oldman42]

Go to the Ports of Call thread here: http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=20

 

Also, be sure to join the Roll Call for your cruise.

 

 

oh wow, great resource! Thanks for the link

 

again... new here ;)

Edited September 8, 2015 by oldman42

[oldman42]

We did Canada / New England in May. To be honest you wont really need transport in most of the places - unless you are intending leaving the town and going off the beaten track. All the ports have nice towns with things to see all very close to where the ships dock with the exception of Boston which was big and busy - I wouldn't drive there, we got a taxi with friends into the centre so cant really comment on other transport options. There is plenty to see and do in Halifax and Quebec which I thought was fantastic, again all within easy reach of the ship but it is quite hilly, but stunning

 

Good to know! Thanks for the feedback

[Loonbeam]

The POC forum above is invaluable. We prefer private/small group tours in port and were able to get good recs for all of them...

 

Almost all of those ports would work for DYI as well, depending on what you want to do.. One note, in some of those ports, the taxis ARE the tour providers, so at dock availability would be limited (Bar Harbor comes to mind, with 2 ships that day, there was not a free taxi to be had until much later in the day).

[dickinson]

One of the big things to do in Newport is to see some of the mansions. This is where the ultra rich used to go to summer. The Breakers is the most popular place. Read up on the ports of call forum and you will find the best way to get there. If that does not interest you there are numerous things you will find to do on the ports of call board.

 

Boston - No need for a taxi. You can take the "T". Google MBTA and you will find info. If it is confusing then call them. I used to live there many years ago. When I did my Canada/NE cruise in 2013 I called them and found out how easy and cheap (I think it was $2 /person) to ride it. You go to Park Street station. You will see the Boston Commons. The state house is there. The big touristy thing is the Freedom Trail. You just follow the red stripe in the sidewalk. You don't have to walk all of it if you don't want but there are many places at the beginning that are interesting. Everything is about the Revolutionary War times. One of the places there is Fanueuil Hall Marketplace. Faneuil Hall is where many of our founders gave speeches. the area is all built up with shopping and restaurants.

 

Bar Harbor. Quaint little town. Shops and restaurants. We took a tour from there that I learned about on the ports of call board. Took us to Acadia National Park.

 

New Brunswick we took a ship tour but I wasn't impressed.

 

Halifax - We rented a car. I think from Enterprise. We walked there. Learned about it on ports of call board. We drove to the cemetery where some people who did not survive the Titanic are buried. We then drove to Peggy's Cove. Quaint and picturesque.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise!

[capriccio]

Last fall we (along with my DB and SIL) did the Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale cruise on the Ruby -- it is wonderful!

 

It is very easy to arrange 'do it yourself' tours. Here's what we did in the ports that are also on your itinerary:

 

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 have a couple of post cruise days in Quebec, concentrate your time on seeing the city).

 

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.

 

Boston - we did the Duck Tour (took a taxi to the Prudential Center to pick up the 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.

[Sailingpeace]

In Quebec city, you can visit La Citadelle, home of the Royal 22nd regiment ( The Vandoos) http://www.lacitadelle.qc.ca/en/ .

 

Do not miss la Rue du Petit Champlain , just minutes from the ship. http://www.quartierpetitchamplain.com/en/

 

There is a nice museum, short walk from ship, Musée de la Civilisation https://www.mcq.org/en/

 

A other museum , not too far from ship is Musée des Ursulines http://www.museedesursulines.com/en/home/

 

Good walk or easy bus ride to top a building observatory

http://www.observatoire-capitale.com/en/the-observatoire.html

 

Not accessible by walk from ship but not too far by car, Huron site http://www.huron-wendat.qc.ca/index-en.html

 

 

Have a great time in Quebec city and " bienvenue " !

[MustangGT]

We did this cruise a couple of years ago on the Emerald and loved it despite rain for 7 of the 10 days.

We had been to Boston and Quebec previously on land vacations.

While I agree that most of the ports are easy to do on your own - we did a lot of that - the exception for us was Cornerbrook. We had a Princess excursion scheduled but decided while onboard that we would cancel and just do something on our own because I came down with a bad cold.

By the time we got off the ship, all taxis were gone for the day because they were booked ahead. We ended up just walking around but missed out on seeing any outlying areas.

This was a great cruise! Enjoy!!

[rua642]

About how far is it from where the cruise ship docks in Halifax to the Maritime Museum? Also, is there much to see where the tender lets us off in Newport?

Thanks for your replies.

[capriccio]

About how far is it from where the cruise ship docks in Halifax to the Maritime Museum? Also, is there much to see where the tender lets us off in Newport?

Thanks for your replies.

 

The Maritime Museum was just down the dock from our ship (a couple of blocks at most) - less than 1/2 mile I would guess.

 

The tender will let you off in 'downtown' Newport which is cute and small. I recommend the public bus to go visit the mansions (especially the Breakers).

 

I don't know if you're familiar with Tom's Port Guides (a labor of love by a cruise enthusiast) but we found them very helpful:

 

 

• http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/newport-rhode-island-08-25-2013.pdf
  
• http://www.tomsportguides.com/uploads/5/8/5/4/58547429/halifax-06-15-2011.pdf
  

[Joye]

Booked on Caribbean Princess for Sept 22, 2016. Flying into NYC a day ahead. Any suggestions re: hotel and which airport is closest to the cruise port? I have read that Princess docks at Pier 12/Brooklyn. Yet it says one may take a transfer from Manhattan or Brooklyn. I am reading, also, that Brooklyn is near La Guardia. Any advice?

Edited September 27, 2015 by Joye

[caribill]

Booked on Caribbean Princess for Sept 22, 2016. Flying into NYC a day ahead. Any suggestions re: hotel and which airport is closest to the cruise port? I have read that Princess docks at Pier 12/Brooklyn. Yet it says one may take a transfer from Manhattan or Brooklyn. I am reading, also, that Brooklyn is near La Guardia. Any advice?

 

LGA is a little closer than JFK, but pick which airport offers the best flights for you.

 

The Princess xfer is only for the day of the cruise, so if you are not staying near the airport, you will need a different way to get to the pier.

[satxdiver]

Booked on Caribbean Princess for Sept 22, 2016. Flying into NYC a day ahead. Any suggestions re: hotel and which airport is closest to the cruise port? I have read that Princess docks at Pier 12/Brooklyn. Yet it says one may take a transfer from Manhattan or Brooklyn. I am reading, also, that Brooklyn is near La Guardia. Any advice?

 

We board the CB next week in Quebec. We were suppose to end the cruise in Manhattan but were notified the cruise will terminate in Boyonne, NJ across the river from Manhattan. I understand this is not an unusual occurrence so be prepared for a change in port. :(