HAL Canada/New England shore excursions

[Fouremco]

2 minutes ago, rotjeknor said:

All,

 

There is a roll call for this particular cruise in April, maybe it would be best if you post answers and questions here :  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2597546-zaandam-april-24-2019/

 

Thanks,

Jaap

On the other hand, there are many people contributing to this thread who aren't on that particular cruise and would have no reason to go to the roll call. Asking questions on the roll call would result in far fewer responses.

[Cruising-along]

14 hours ago, ellieanne said:

 

Looking at the map on the website, very probably. HAL advertised it as a "Nature Walk" with no information as to the real name of the path/route taken. We started out by university housing and finished about 6 blocks from the ship's dock. It was a winding path that took us past the stream in several places and around town, with a stop for oatcakes and tea, as well as a talk about the history of Corner Brook.  If something similar is offered, I would definitely book it again! It was beautiful. I still have the photos I took as part of my screen saver/computer wallpaper even though I have been on many other cruises and to many other places since.

Is this the excursion you booked ellieanne?  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/shore-excursions/1010066/a-stroll-to-corner-brook-stream.html

We too thoroughly enjoyed the way we spent our day in Corner Brook.  It's nice that HAL offers this tour, because I was able to look into how easy it is to DIY by looking up Corner Brook Stream Trail on Trip Advisor. We saw lots of other people doing it on their own too. On the walk back to the ship we made a short detour to a little mall to freshen up.   It was a bit warm when we went (in July) and we got rained on briefly, but it's a day I'll always remember.

[Alberta Quilter]

9 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

On the other hand, there are many people contributing to this thread who aren't on that particular cruise and would have no reason to go to the roll call. Asking questions on the roll call would result in far fewer responses.

 

This is true.  Our (Turtles06 and my) cruise isn't until Sep/19.  There are only a handful of people in our roll call and two of us are posting on this thread.

[Turtles06]

30 minutes ago, rotjeknor said:

All,

 

There is a roll call for this particular cruise in April, maybe it would be best if you post answers and questions here :  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2597546-zaandam-april-24-2019/

 

Thanks,

Jaap

 

20 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

On the other hand, there are many people contributing to this thread who aren't on that particular cruise and would have no reason to go to the roll call. Asking questions on the roll call would result in far fewer responses.

 

Jaap -- in addition to what Fouremco said, THIS thread was started by the OP to ask questions specifically about HAL shore excursions on the Canada/NE itineraries.   While Roll Calls are great for such things as sharing info and putting together private shorex, there is no guarantee that anyone on your Roll Call will have even visited the ports in question, let alone taken various HAL tours.

 

THIS forum  -- the HAL board -- by contrast, is exactly the place to pose such questions about HAL tours --the audience is HAL cruisers, the very people who may well have taken such tours.   So far, the information that people have shared on this thread has been very helpful, and I thank everyone again for their help.

[ellieanne]

9 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Is this the excursion you booked ellieanne?  https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/shore-excursions/1010066/a-stroll-to-corner-brook-stream.html

We too thoroughly enjoyed the way we spent our day in Corner Brook.  It's nice that HAL offers this tour, because I was able to look into how easy it is to DIY by looking up Corner Brook Stream Trail on Trip Advisor. We saw lots of other people doing it on their own too. On the walk back to the ship we made a short detour to a little mall to freshen up.   It was a bit warm when we went (in July) and we got rained on briefly, but it's a day I'll always remember.

 

If it's not exactly the shore excursion I booked, it's close enough. I know we stopped for a talk about the history of Corner Brook, with oatcakes and tea made by the Historic Society, so it sounds very similar to the tour I took.

[CRu1853!!]

Thanks to everyone that have left questions, answers, and suggestions on this post I started.

👍🏻😀

[feathersandnananose]

We did Quebec city on our own.  Perfect.  

Bar Harbor, in high season, has a free shuttle bus that goes through Acadia National Park and elsewhere.   You can get off at stops, and then get on later.    

 

http://www.exploreacadia.com/routefinder.htm

[Turtles06]

For Saint John, New Brunswick, I'd very much appreciate any feedback on the HAL shorex called "St. Martins and the Bay of Fundy."  It first stops at the Reversing Rapids, then heads out to the village of St. Martins, where the sea caves are located.   Any other tips/advice/info for what will be a short port call (7am-2pm) would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

For Saint John, New Brunswick, I'd very much appreciate any feedback on the HAL shorex called "St. Martins and the Bay of Fundy."  It first stops at the Reversing Rapids, then heads out to the village of St. Martins, where the sea caves are located.   Any other tips/advice/info for what will be a short port call (7am-2pm) would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

The best viewing of the Reversing Falls is during the approach to high tide, roughly every 12.5 hours. You'll need to research tide tables for the date of your visit to determine whether or not a high tide will occur during the period of your shorex. On the other hand, the sea caves require a low tide, so it would be hard for the excursion to provide the best of both elements in the 5 hours or so available to you.

[Turtles06]

18 hours ago, Fouremco said:

The best viewing of the Reversing Falls is during the approach to high tide, roughly every 12.5 hours. You'll need to research tide tables for the date of your visit to determine whether or not a high tide will occur during the period of your shorex. On the other hand, the sea caves require a low tide, so it would be hard for the excursion to provide the best of both elements in the 5 hours or so available to you.

 

Thanks very much.  I'd already checked a tide table, which shows high tide that day at approximately 5:00am and 5:30pm (so we'll miss that on our 7am-2pm port call), and low tide at 11:15am, which might be good timing for the caves.    Thanks again.