Whale watching

[DRS/NC]

I'll be on a Princess cruise that stops in Halifax & Sydney in mid-Aug. & St. John's, Newfoundland in early Sept.

I'd really love to do a whale watch in that area. 

 

Any suggestions for this elderly, solo traveler w/mobility issues?

THANKS!

 

[martincath]

Halifax and Sydney are poor ports for whale watching - if a tour is offered it will be a 'wildlife' tour with no whale guarantee and a low chance of seeing any; while there are of course whales in the ocean the easily-found baleen whales are mostly feeding on the mainland side of Nova Scotia in the Bay of Fundy (with most tours operating from St Andrews NB)/the waters north and west of Cape Breton (tours from several wee towns on the Cabot Trail, from Cheticamp to Ingonish).

 

St John's NFLD would definitely be the best of the three you list - but also check you don't visit the other Saint John in New Brunswick, as St Andrews tours are sold from there with it only being about an hours drive away and the Bay of Fundy is hands-down the best whale-watching area around. If Newfoundland is your only St John's there should be some local vendors in and around the city and I'd be shocked if the ship was not reselling at least one.

 

As a mobility-challenged solo senior I'd be strongly inclined to use a ship's tour, which will guarantee you being taken straight from the pier rather than having to make your own way anywhere to board a boat.

 

You should also keep your eyes peeled while on deck - decent binoculars with a wide field of view are helpful - as you are passing through 'whale infested waters' for both of these cruises. Aug/Sep you have a chance of seeing many whale species including some of the really big ones like blue, fin and sei whales, the very rare north atlantic right whale, as well as the much-more-easily-found humpbacks and pilot whales that whale watch boats tend to target. Orcas are possible, but odds are if you see a black & white whale it's a minke which are much more common around the area and similar in size - always check for the tall dorsal to see if you are actually looking at orcas!

[m and m's]

On 2/23/2019 at 7:52 PM, martincath said:

Saint John in New Brunswick, as St Andrews tours are sold from there with it only being about an hours drive away and the Bay of Fundy is hands-down the best whale-watching area around.

 

I will be in St. John , New Brunswick Sept.10, and would like to get to St. Andrews by the Sea to do a whale watch trip.  Anyone have some ideas of the best way to get to St. Andrews?  We are in port 7:30-6:30 so will have time.  Thanks for any information.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, m and m's said:

 

I will be in St. John , New Brunswick Sept.10, and would like to get to St. Andrews by the Sea to do a whale watch trip.  Anyone have some ideas of the best way to get to St. Andrews?  We are in port 7:30-6:30 so will have time.  Thanks for any information.

you could rent a car it is about a 1 hr + drive

[martincath]

I'd have to agree that a car rental is the only practical independent travel method (I think there's a limited rural bus service connecting St A's to St John but it's like once a day). Ship-arranged whale watch tours will include a bus ride to St Andrews - if you're not up for driving yourself I believe that's your only viable option (NB: that all the whale tours out of St A's were about CAD$70pp last time I checked, so check how much the ship is padding the trip before deciding not to rent a car! Odds are with even 2 people it will be cheaper to do it yourself... If you can't drive, check with others on your roll call to split a rental, one driver will be more than adequate it's such a short drive)

[m and m's]

Thanks to both of you for the information.  I will do some research and decide.  I have seen whales in Alaska and Hawaii, and enjoyed it a lot!  I'm looking to do a variety of things at the various ports, so a whale tour here will be nice.  I have a trip to Peggy's Cove with a few roll call folks, a lobster and lighthouse boat for Portland, and am going to Acadia National Park.  That leaves just Sydney and Charlottetown if anyone has recommendations.  I'm continuing to check the various posts on CC.  Everyone is always so helpful!  Thanks again, Mary

 

[m and m's]

On 2/27/2019 at 1:33 AM, martincath said:

Ship-arranged whale watch tours will include a bus ride to St Andrews - if you're not up for driving yourself I believe that's your only viable option (NB: that all the whale tours out of St A's were about CAD$70pp last time I checked, so check how much the ship is padding the trip before deciding not to rent a car!

Wow!  you were correct on the options, ship tour to St Andrews whale watch $195 each US.  The whale trip is $65 Canadian each (senior) and the car is $69 Canadian, so a $200 savings!  Thanks So Much for the suggestions.  Mary

[martincath]

I had a vague recollection of ship tours being at least double the cost from posts last year or the year before; but US$200 vs CAD$70 means even a solo could probably hire a cab for half a day to drive you, wait for you to do the boat ride, then drive you back for the same cost or less... That is truly obscene - if they were charging that much of a markup on interest rates rather than a service they would literally be doing jail time under Usury laws!

 

Anyhoo, glad you saved a few pennies - I'm drinking free if we ever cruise together;-)