Cunard 4th of July Cruisers - Halifax

Hi everyone,

With the help of Penny (mnmomof4), we are going to start pulling our Halifax tour together.
I know we have to keep this wheelchair friendly and, I know there is a lot of interest in Titanic
within our group so that's one area to focus on strongly.

Any other ideas or special requests? Let either of us know

Tina

Here is a website, I found, to help with ideas:

http://novascotia.com/en/home/whattodo/attractions/default.aspx

Great, thanks Jen - I've already been to Halifax several times so this one is up to what you guys really want so keep the suggestions coming!! The site Jen gave us is great so be sure to take a look at it.

OOPS! This one is better!

http://www.halifaxinfo.com/

Thanks again!

Also an important question - do you want lunch included in "our" shore tour in Halifax? We are there from 8am to 6pm

I don't think lunch has to be included, but maybe a stop somewhere to do lunch and/or shopping on your own??

I was going to say lunch together would be nice but, Jen's idea of making it optional might be the better idea.

I'm fine either way. I was just thinking that depending on how large the group is sometimes it's a big hassle to get everyone into a restaurant. Since it is July maybe a picnic would be fun?

JJ2sail wrote:

I don't think lunch has to be included, but maybe a stop somewhere to do lunch and/or shopping on your own??

This would be fine with us too. In St. Thomas we were downtown were there were local restaurants and a staw market if we needed to kill some time. .... It would be great to sample a local place if there is such a thing in Hallifax. Either included or on our own is fine with us.

Either way for lunch is fine with me too. I wouldn't mind doing the Titanic stuff again and, another thought is to visit Fisherman's Cove: http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/ to help give us that true Halifax feeling.

I think an optional lunch might 'spark' some interest.

Curvy Gal Cruises wrote:

Either way for lunch is fine with me too. I wouldn't mind doing the Titanic stuff again and, another thought is to visit Fisherman's Cove: http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/ to help give us that true Halifax feeling.

Fisherman's Cove looks like it would be a good place to stop for a lunch and shopping portion of a tour, of course depending on the location?

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to talk shore excursion options in Halifax.

So far we have interest in:

1)Maritime Museum for the Titanic......there is also a tour that goes more in depth (http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/HalifaxNS/activity/Titanic100YearExperienceTour.cfm)

2) Fisherman's cove

Here are a few more options that we'd like to get some feedback on:

Murphy's on the water which is on Cable wharf, has a restaurant, deep sea fishing, pirates ship, whale watching tours, historical tours, duck tours, harbor hopper tours. This place seems to have a variety of tours for different interest. We could plan something together or we can end up here and each go on the tours they want. I havent inquired as to wheelchair accessibility but I will if people express an interest. Here is the website
http://www.murphysonthewater.com/

Bus Tours of the highlights of Halifax are also an option

What is everyone intested in so we can hopefully narrow the options down.

Here are some boat tour options

http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/HalifaxNS/activity/HalifaxSightseeingTours.cfm

My main focus in halifax is probably going to be Whale watching......that would be my absolute favorite!

Anything that has to do with Titanic for me.........

Do they have whale watching available when we are there?
Just wondered if there was a 'season' or not?
I think that would be fun!

Thanks to all for all the research on this!

taurus988 wrote:

Do they have whale watching available when we are there?
Just wondered if there was a 'season' or not?
I think that would be fun!

Thanks to all for all the research on this!

They have whale watching every day...they sail 10:30 am returning at 1:00 pm or at 1:30 and returning at 4:00 p.m. They cant guarantee you will see a whale but I'm sure they are pretty successful. The ship is wheelchair accessible and here is the description:" All passengers will enjoy a full and informative commentary as they take in the wonderful sights and wildlife along the coastlines of George’s and McNab’s Islands before entering the Great North Atlantic to experience the majestic views of the world’s largest mammals. All passengers can experience the authentic maritime experience of bringing in live lobster traps while our on-board naturalist can answer all of their questions. Take in on-board demonstrations including a touch tank featuring examples of local marine life".

Thanks, Penny!
That does sound like a lot of fun to me!

Maybe maritime museum or titanic bus tour in the morning...then whale watching in the afternoon for those interested? Anyone else have any ideas? Is fishermen's cove still a preference(http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/)?

Quote :

mnmomof4 wrote:

Maybe maritime museum or titanic bus tour in the morning...then whale watching in the afternoon for those interested? Anyone else have any ideas? Is fishermen's cove still a preference([url=http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/)?

http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/)?[/quote[/url]]

I'v been to the whale watching town on Maui and it's only certain months of the year that the whales are present and even then it can be usual to spot one. Would July be the right season for whales in Canada? Probably? As they would go south in the winter months (like the tourists hahahhahaah).

mnmomof4 wrote:

Maybe maritime museum or titanic bus tour in the morning...then whale watching in the afternoon for those interested? Anyone else have any ideas? Is fishermen's cove still a preference([url=http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/)?

http://www.fishermanscove.ns.ca/)?[/quote[/url]]

That sounds perfect! Not sure which we would pick for am - Dh might like Maritime, while I would prefer Titanic, LOL.
But, nothing says we have to go together, if both are offered.

Is there a museum based on the 1917 explosion and does anybody know anything about it?

Ah yes, the famous Halifax explosion, you'll hear this story over and over again...

Here's the museum info:
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/AtoZ/halexpl.html

From Wikipedia:
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with a Norwegian ship, the SS Imo in "The Narrows" section of the Halifax Harbour. About 2,000 people were killed by debris, fires, or collapsed buildings and it is estimated that over 9,000 people were injured.[1] This is still the world's largest accidental non-nuclear explosion.[2]

At 8:40 in the morning, the SS Mont-Blanc, chartered by the French government to carry munitions to Europe, collided with the unloaded Norwegian ship Imo (pronounced E-mo), chartered by the Commission for Relief in Belgium to carry relief supplies. Mont-Blanc caught fire ten minutes after the collision and exploded about twenty-five minutes later (at 9:04:35 AM).[3] All buildings and structures covering nearly 2 square kilometres (500 acres) along the adjacent shore were obliterated, including those in the neighbouring communities of Richmond and Dartmouth.[1] The explosion caused a tsunami in the harbour and a pressure wave of air that snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and carried fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres.