Halifax Peggy's Cove Tour w/ Grandmother

[ninsianna]

My grandmother (who's name is Peggy) is super excited about going to Peggy's Cove.  This is her first cruise (Serenade of the Seas departing Oct 20).  She's 85, and will have a walker.  She mostly gets around okay, but tires easy.  I want to her to get the most out of Peggy's Cove, but obviously don't want to exhaust her.  This may be the only excursion we do with her (besides the Boston bus tour to the airport at the end).

Anybody have recommendations on which of the many Peggy's Cove tours in Halifax would be best for her to enjoy?

[rncruiser]

We did the Peggy’s Cove tour that was paired with the hop on hop off bus. The trip to and from Peggy’s cove takes quite a bit of time and by the time we returned to the port, there was not much time left for the hop on hop off bus, so we skipped it. 

I would recommend booking only a Peggy’s Cove tour and nothing else. 

That said, there is not really much time to see everything that the area around the light house has to offer. It is beautiful to see and if your grandmother is excited about seeing it, then you should do it. Just don’t expect to see the artists that are in the area. Also, it will be difficult to impossible for your grandmother to get up close to the lighthouse due to the stones that you need to walk on. You also need to be aware that the bus may not be handicapped accessible and she will need to be able to negotiate the steps on and off the bus. 

[1025cruise]

You might get a better response on the Canada/New England ports of call board.

[ninsianna]

Thank you so much!  She can get up and down stairs using the railing, she's just really slow about it.  At home she doesn't use  a walker, just a cane.  We're bringing a small walker (the one's with wheels) just to make it a little easier while wandering around the cruise ship.  (I think it's overkill, but if it makes her feel more confident, we'll bring it).

[fred30]

You could rent a car or small SUV and drive yourselves up to Peggy's Cove.   This way you can go at your own pace.  

That's what we did and had a nice time.   On the way back into Halifax we stopped at the Gardens in town. 

Driving is nice up there.  Once you get out of town you hardly see any other cars on the road.

[reallyitsmema]

I would rent a car and do it on your own or hire one of the many cabs that will be waiting at the pier and create your own excursion.  You would be able to leave when you want and then do a tour of downtown when you get back.  Much easier on your grandmother getting in and out of a car vs a bus.

[xpcdoojk]

We rented a car, it is easy to get to and from.  There is a memorial to a plane crash nearby as well.  Then the Titantic cemeteries (Fairview Lawn has the most graves 121) and the Halifax Citadel.  All are easy to reach on your own in a rental car and easily doable while you are there.  

 

Peggy’s Cove is a small village, with quaint shops, and a lighthouse.  The lighthouse sits on a bunch of exposed rock (granite?) from the ice ages. The rock would be hazardous for someone using a walker. That said, you can see the lighthouse from the parking lot of the tourist shop there.   

 

JC

[DCT61]

You can also get a good look at the area by going to GOOGLE EARTH. They have some pretty extensive street view "walk-arounds" that will give you a idea of the terrain. Its a beautiful area.

[smokeykat]

We did the tour that RCCL offered. It would be perfect for your grandmother. The bus meets you right outside the port. We went to the Citadel and had time to get out and watch the changing of the guard. The tour guide was non stop facts on the way to Peggys Cove. You will learn a lot! Walking at Peggys Cove does have hills and rocks so the walker is perfect for her but I would not recommend  walking on the rocks with her. You have time to visit the shops, see the lighthouse and get a bite to eat. 

[purduemom1]

We used Halifax Tour Guys in 2012. I chose them based on info I learned reading the CC Canada/New England ports of call board and the ratings on Trip Advisor. Checking Trip Advisor I see that they are still receiving excellent reviews.   We had an amazing experience from the minute our guide met us at the dock  until he dropped us off. We went to Peggy’s Cove as well as several other sights that he arranged. Yes, it was a bit pricy compared to a large bus tour but it was worth every penny  because we saw and did so much more since it was just the two of us. We chose the 4 hour tour that was tailored to suite our requests. I remember that our guide told us that we would head to Peggy’s Cove first so that we arrived ahead of the bus loads and that made for a very pleasant experience. He handled everything and was very knowledgeable. We decided that this was by far our best tour of that cruise.

[jbmwistex]

9 hours ago, ninsianna said:

My grandmother (who's name is Peggy) is super excited about going to Peggy's Cove.  This is her first cruise (Serenade of the Seas departing Oct 20).  She's 85, and will have a walker.  She mostly gets around okay, but tires easy.  I want to her to get the most out of Peggy's Cove, but obviously don't want to exhaust her.  This may be the only excursion we do with her (besides the Boston bus tour to the airport at the end).

Anybody have recommendations on which of the many Peggy's Cove tours in Halifax would be best for her to enjoy?

I took my mother couple of years ago. She really enjoyed this cute town. Roads are easy to get around. We went with the cruiseline tour. Really enjoyed it. It was the last cruise my mom went with me on so it was so special. Wonderful memories

[djyellowsub]

We took the RCCL bus tour that just went to Peggy's Cove.  The trip on the bus was excellent.  The tour guide had on his Scottish kilt and gave much background on Nova Scotia and Peggy's Cove.  He was very informative and made the 45 minute bus trip fly by.  We could definitely tell how much he loved Nova Scotia.   Peggy's Cove is beautiful but hilly.  You should be able to get good views just from the parking lot near the bus.  I think the bus trip would be easy and a good way to learn about the area especially since your Peggy will get to learn about the Peggy's Cove Peggy which is a very interesting story.

[dani negreanu]

I would wait until arriving at port and see how is the weather. If it's rainy and windy -- it will not be much fun, and very slippery.

There is a taxi station right at the pier, you can hire one for at least 3 hours. It was 50$ or 50 CAD per hour 2 years ago.

I paid in CAD...😁

 

[LGD]

On 9/11/2019 at 1:19 PM, reallyitsmema said:

I would rent a car and do it on your own or hire one of the many cabs that will be waiting at the pier and create your own excursion.  You would be able to leave when you want and then do a tour of downtown when you get back.  Much easier on your grandmother getting in and out of a car vs a bus.

We rented a car last month, Hertz is about a block from the pier. Once at the cove, parking at the gift shop/restaurant at the lighthouse is organized and free. If she has a handicap permit even better for her.  After leaving the cove, we turned left and went to the Swiss Air Memorial, less than a mile.  

[1novascotian]

I live about 20 minutes from Peggy’s Cove, it’s a great spot but is really not accessibility friendly. When you get of the bus there is a short path to get you onto the rocks, but then if you want to get up to the lighthouse you need to climb up the rocks which can be very difficult for some.

 

There is also the village but it is a walk down the hill, that’s where you see the photo of all the quaint little shops.

 

Many of the bus tours stop at Acadian Maple Products in Tantallon on your way by, this is a great store for local maple products (and some neat ones you wouldn’t expect).

 

Personally, when i go to Peggy’s Cove I usually only stay for a short period of time (but I also go usually during the off season when it’s cold, there have been times I’ve been the only one there).

 

It is very much a fair weather site to visit, if it’s wet and windy, rainy, or foggy it’s not nearly as enjoyable. 

[ccotting]

Lived in NS for 16 years.  Always loved Peggy's Cove.  Walking over the rock to the lighthouse might not be for her but the view is lovely.  The restaurant has great gingerbread (more like a spice cake, not cookies) and good coffee.  The shop attached to the "Souwester" restaurant has a great selection of the usual souvenirs.  There are other smaller shops and things but the main thing is the view to the lighthouse.  Take a tour, it is busy and the parking is the "pits" and just relax and enjoy the view.  I used to like to go when it was raining and the tourist traffic was low.

[ninsianna]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and advice!  I was able to reserve a mini van rental  from Avis (there's 5 of us) for $50 CAD for the day.  So much cheaper and gives us more flexibility to take our time where we want to.

 

Now I'll go to the Excursion specific threads (as recommended above) and see about our other stops along the way.  With the  money we're saving we can add a few more port excursions to our itinerary.

[reallyitsmema]

22 minutes ago, ninsianna said:

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and advice!  I was able to reserve a mini van rental  from Avis (there's 5 of us) for $50 CAD for the day.  So much cheaper and gives us more flexibility to take our time where we want to.

 

Now I'll go to the Excursion specific threads (as recommended above) and see about our other stops along the way.  With the  money we're saving we can add a few more port excursions to our itinerary.

 

I think that is a great choice.  You can decide what you want to do and do it on your own time.  You can go pick up the van and then pickup everyone at the pier so your grandmother doesn't have to walk too far.  Have a great time, we love Nova Scotia!

[xpcdoojk]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

I think that is a great choice.  You can decide what you want to do and do it on your own time.  You can go pick up the van and then pickup everyone at the pier so your grandmother doesn't have to walk too far.  Have a great time, we love Nova Scotia!

 

Agree, rental car is easy.  Just be aware the offices are often understaffed and it may take a bit of time to get the rental, but after that easy peasy.

 

jc

[ninsianna]

Thanks for the heads up!  I'll take reallyitsmema advice and go get the car to come pick up the rest of the group, and based on your suggestion, xpcdoojk, I'll go early to beat the crowd.