Official Thread For Upcoming Eastern Canadian Cruises

[mom_rules]

We are doing this cruise with my dad (in his early 80's) so I am thinking of something more structured and not too long. My stepson will also be with us and he is 23 so we need something that both will like. I also would love to do the pub tour.

Hopefully we will meet on the ship.

Linda

We did "pub crawls" in both cities and absolutely loved them. Neither started before 1pm so we had the entire morning to roam on our own. Both started with a bus sightseeing tour around the city and then we got dropped off in Halifax it was 3 pubs with entertainment and in Saint John it was one pub with entertainment.

 

[lpizzuro123]

We did "pub crawls" in both cities and absolutely loved them. Neither started before 1pm so we had the entire morning to roam on our own. Both started with a bus sightseeing tour around the city and then we got dropped off in Halifax it was 3 pubs with entertainment and in Saint John it was one pub with entertainment.

That sounds like fun. Were they through Disney or did you do on your own? If on your own, what company did you use?

Linda

 

[mom_rules]

Both through disney

 

[VTDisney]

We are cruising on August 12th. This will be my family's first cruise. My kids are 10, 7, and 3. My parents will also be with us.

1. Do you have to sign up for the excursions through Disney or can you do them on your own? Are the kids going to want to leave the ship?

2. Are there any excursions that are not worth doing? Any that are must dos?

3. Do we need to exchange money or is it better just to use credit cards?

4. With the photo package can I get one package and have it include my whole family even if we are in two rooms?

5. Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

[mom_rules]

We are cruising on August 12th. This will be my family's first cruise. My kids are 10, 7, and 3. My parents will also be with us.

1. Do you have to sign up for the excursions through Disney or can you do them on your own? Are the kids going to want to leave the ship?

2. Are there any excursions that are not worth doing? Any that are must dos?

3. Do we need to exchange money or is it better just to use credit cards?

4. With the photo package can I get one package and have it include my whole family even if we are in two rooms?

5. Any other tips would be appreciated.

You can arrange excursions on your own-both ports are small enough that you can even walk around on your own or take a taxi.
The excursions we did were through Disney and adult only so can't help you there. When in Halifax do see the Citadel-they signed up the kids, dressed them in Cadet outfits and tried to run them through "drills". It was very funny and really cute.
Both ports took US currency at par. No need to exchange cash-even the taxi's took US $.
You can get one photo package for everyone. If you don't use it all this cruise you can keep it for your next one
Both ports have a tourist/visitor information centre close to the port. They are very helpful and have free maps.

 

[CherylA]

We are cruising on August 12th. This will be my family's first cruise. My kids are 10, 7, and 3. My parents will also be with us.

1. Do you have to sign up for the excursions through Disney or can you do them on your own? Are the kids going to want to leave the ship?

2. Are there any excursions that are not worth doing? Any that are must dos?

3. Do we need to exchange money or is it better just to use credit cards?

4. With the photo package can I get one package and have it include my whole family even if we are in two rooms?

5. Any other tips would be appreciated.

Welcome! Come and check out our group of others sailing on this same cruise. We're a real friendly bunch!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2705456

Seeing that this is your first cruise I wouldn't plan anything for Halifax, that you can do on your own, get off the ship and look around in the shops, do the Citadel. In St John there is less to do right by the pier so I would either plan to spend the day exploring the ship or book an excursion, I hear good things about the Maple Sugar Shack and Brunch excursion. Oh there is a train tour in St John that is terrible (I think the scenic railway tour), don't do that, if they are even offering it anymore!

 

[Minnie Monellen]

We are cruising on August 12th. This will be my family's first cruise. My kids are 10, 7, and 3. My parents will also be with us.

1. Do you have to sign up for the excursions through Disney or can you do them on your own? Are the kids going to want to leave the ship?

2. Are there any excursions that are not worth doing? Any that are must dos?

3. Do we need to exchange money or is it better just to use credit cards?

4. With the photo package can I get one package and have it include my whole family even if we are in two rooms?

5. Any other tips would be appreciated.

Your kids would probably enjoy the boat tour on Theodore Tugboat in Halifax. You can arrange through DCL or Google Murphy's Cable Wharf and arrange on your own.

 

[DarkImage4]

Last minute thinking here...

Anyone who's been on the Magic to Canada, can you recommend a place for good lobster near where the ship is in port at either stop?

Thanks!!!!

 

[firsttimemom]

We had lobster at Steamers in St. John and at Murphys in Halifax- both within walking distance from the ports. The lobster at murphys was very good as were the sides that came with it. I got lazy and had the lobster roll at Steamers, DD had mussels which were a bit overcooked. DH and DS had lobster and said it was good but not as good as the ones in Halifax.

Hope this helps!

 

[heathere3]

I got the DVC offer by email this afternoon and had us booked on the Sept 2nd sailing within a half hour!

We've never done a cruise before, so I have a TON of reading to do to get up to speed, but I'm really excited. DH's best friend lives in Halifax, so I know what we're doing there!

Heather

 

[maman_et_fille]

Saint John . . . can anyone recommend activities/sites that we could enjoy with our children (ages 6 and almost 2) during the morning? I was thinking maybe the New Brunswick Museum (one tripadvisor review says it would be interesting for children?) or the Carleton Martello Tower? Or Rockwood Park? Can we take a taxi to these places? And where do you recommend for lunch? I think we'd like seafood or something similarly regional. My older daughter is very excited about the pirate theme for the day, so we want to hit a lot of those activities on the ship but would like to spend time in Saint John as well.

Thanks for helping out an overwhelmed first-time cruiser

 

[nlm74]

I think I read that dinner is served twice at Animators Palette. Does anyone know if the show is on the first night or 2nd?

 

[grandy w]

I think I read that dinner is served twice at Animators Palette. Does anyone know if the show is on the first night or 2nd?

Ours was on the first night

 

[bdmphs]

Always the first but you only eat there twice if you have that rotation. We had luminers, ap, parrot, lum, and ap. last week.

 

[nlm74]

Always the first but you only eat there twice if you have that rotation. We had luminers, ap, parrot, lum, and ap. last week.

Hoping for a similar rotation as we have Palo booked for the 3rd night, I just don't want my daughter to miss the palettes show, I feel like she would enjoy it.

 

[Michellynn]

Soooo...just booked the 9/7 departure date for hubby and I. Sort of a "late" booking for me since I am one of those chronic planners.

In any event, since I am just now doing the research on excursions and checking available time slots, I am finding that a lot of the "preferred" times have probably booked up.

I've been thinking of doing the Peggy's Cove/Titanic bus trip...but the departure time for that is 12:15...right at lunch time. Does anyone know if you can get like a sandwich lunch/bagged lunch somewhere before boarding and then eat it on the way to Peggy's Cove? (which I think is about a 1hr ride)

 

[ksloane]

Soooo...just booked the 9/7 departure date for hubby and I. Sort of a "late" booking for me since I am one of those chronic planners.

In any event, since I am just now doing the research on excursions and checking available time slots, I am finding that a lot of the "preferred" times have probably booked up.

I've been thinking of doing the Peggy's Cove/Titanic bus trip...but the departure time for that is 12:15...right at lunch time. Does anyone know if you can get like a sandwich lunch/bagged lunch somewhere before boarding and then eat it on the way to Peggy's Cove? (which I think is about a 1hr ride)

There's nowhere between debarking the ship and the bus to grab a lunch, but what we did was just eat right before we left the ship and we were easily good until dinner. We loved Fairview Cemetery...not so much Peggy's cove.

 

[Michellynn]

There's nowhere between debarking the ship and the bus to grab a lunch, but what we did was just eat right before we left the ship and we were easily good until dinner. We loved Fairview Cemetery...not so much Peggy's cove.

Thanks for the info. I was actually more concerned with what the bus company would say about eating on the bus. I'm thinking we would get off the boat in the morning and check out Halifax a bit befor the tour. So eating lunch on the boat wouldn't be an option.

 

[ksloane]

Saint John . . . can anyone recommend activities/sites that we could enjoy with our children (ages 6 and almost 2) during the morning? I was thinking maybe the New Brunswick Museum (one tripadvisor review says it would be interesting for children?) or the Carleton Martello Tower? Or Rockwood Park? Can we take a taxi to these places? And where do you recommend for lunch? I think we'd like seafood or something similarly regional. My older daughter is very excited about the pirate theme for the day, so we want to hit a lot of those activities on the ship but would like to spend time in Saint John as well.

Thanks for helping out an overwhelmed first-time cruiser

Not sure about the morning. I let me daughter sleep in an little and we did the Maple Sugar Shack. Not sure the 2 year old would enjoy it, but I think the 6 year old would. We had several little kids on our excursion and everyone seemed to enjoy it from the little kids to the not so young adults.

Thanks for the info. I was actually more concerned with what the bus company would say about eating on the bus. I'm thinking we would get off the boat in the morning and check out Halifax a bit befor the tour. So eating lunch on the boat wouldn't be an option.

Hmmm...I don't know about a full meal, but people got back on at Peggy's cover with ice cream, snacks, etc and no one said anything. We got off that morning as well. Just made sure we got back about 11:30, had a quick lunch/snack and then headed out on the excursion.

 

[Minnie Monellen]

Thanks for the info. I was actually more concerned with what the bus company would say about eating on the bus. I'm thinking we would get off the boat in the morning and check out Halifax a bit befor the tour. So eating lunch on the boat wouldn't be an option.

We got lobster rolls at a fish store about 2 blocks from the ship terminal. Then we took a DCL excursion, a bus tour of Halifax.