Trip Review - Canadian Maritimes
This review is for a trip that took place 9/12/21-9/24/21. I won't touch on the COVID requirements, since the tours are almost done for the year. The only time I will mention them here is when they impacted the tour experience.
Overall Experience
This was a pleasant tour, but not a spectacular one. There are no bucket list sights, unless you're a fanatic Anne of Green Gables enthusiast. The scenery is mostly reminiscent of Maine, with lots of dense forest, rolling hills and mountains, and a rugged coastline. New Brunswick is generally flatter and more farmland than forest. Lots of interesting info from the TD and local guides. History - the area was the earliest British settlement in North America. Lunenburg is full of 17th and 18th century houses. Cultures - Scots Gaelic, indigenous and Acadian (Cajun) cultures all play a large role in this area with each retaining some native speakers. Natural History - The area has unique geology and the largest tides in the world in the Bay of Fundy. Lots of wildlife - we say many birds of prey including Bald Eagles, but didn't see any moose (you may be luckier).
Hotels
The hotels were generally comfortable at the rooms fairly spacious. None were particularly luxurious. The Prince George in Hailfax was very nice, but there was some music outside that carried into the rooms. It ended by about 10pm, though. The Keltic Lodge is in a gorgeous setting, but the rooms were average for the tour. The Delta hotels have streaming access to Prime Video and Netflix built into their TVs. You have to use your own login credentials so make sure you have yours if you want to use this (the credentials are automatically cleared on checkout or you can manually delete them).
Food
Lots of opportunity for seafood lovers. Lobster, mussels, and scallops are all local products and are generally excellent. Cod, salmon, haddock and halibut were also available. You'll get get at least two lobster meals, so don't overdo the lobster early. The lobsters on the "lobster cruise" were very good. However, the following night we got dinner at the "New Glasgow Lobster Supper" restaurant. Crowded, poor service and cramped tables with mediocre lobster. I hope they drop this from the tour, it wasn't very good and two lobster meals in two days is ridiculous. They should let you eat on your own in Charlottetown, instead. Other meals were generally good with the hotel restaurant in Moncton being excellent. The lunch stop on the way to the Linscomb Lodge also made a great salmon with a maple Dijon mustard glaze - yummy! Ice cream lovers will want to stop at COWs in Halifax or Charlottetown. On the Tauck top 10 list of ice cream vendors - I recommend the "Mooey Gooey." Some restaurants were short handed and slow service was sometimes a problem. Some of this can be attributed to COVID, but I think the Keltic Lodge probably has an ongoing problem with this. One meal there took an hour to get the first course and three hours total.
Weather
The weather forecast when we left was for showers every day of the trip but one. We actually got no rain, except a night or two while we were sleeping. We had lots of sunny days (definitely not the normal for this area). The weather changes quickly and you need to have a good rain jacket (although we didn't need it). Waterproof shoes are also a good idea. We had highs in the high 60s to mid 70s. The leaves were just staring to change when we left. Peak color was probably two weeks away. The final tours at the end of September are probably the best bet of fall color, but I'm sure it varies from year to year. Check the weather forecast before you leave, but expect it to change.
Sights
The sights were generally as listed in the itinerary, with the usual Tauck lagniappe. I won't spoil the surprise, but it was just a "that's nice" experience, not an OMG. The immigration museum in Halifax was disappointing. It was nicely done, but just not that interesting. You may want to skip it and meet up with the tour bus afterwards. The Anne of Green Gables house was mildly interesting, but I was expecting more of a guided experience. It may be better when there isn't a pandemic. The house has a modern visitor center at the entrance which is totally out of place. Parks Canada really missed the mark with that one.
Comments
Thanks, Ken from Vegas, for sharing your thoughts. I especially liked how you categorized your review! And thanks for mentioning the cuisine, which is always one area I always enjoy reading about.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write this review. It is very helpful to anyone considering the tour.
We are going on this trip in few weeks so I appreciated your review and what to expect. One question is what happens on the day the tour visits Hopewell Rocks. Do we stay for both low and high tides and what do we visit in between. Any detail on that would be helpful. Thanks so much.
From RomaReturn, please post back here with any and all additional comments and insights. We are doing this adventure Aug. 26, 2022. Love to have more great sharing and wonderful tips. Thanks!!! Terry in Ohio
When we went, we had lunch first at the Hopewell rocks visitor center. We may have looked down the to see the rocks before the tide went fully out (neither my wife nor I can remember for sure). After lunch, we went down to the rocks with the tide out. We walked the seabed with a local guide for a mile or less and then got picked up by the bus at a convenient location. I imagine the exact schedule varies depending on the tides when you visit. I think Tauck is going to shoot for low tide, so that you can do the seabed walk. As I recall, we had the rest of the day free in Moncton. The current itinerary talks about covered bridges on that day. I don't think we saw that.
Ok. Thanks. This is helpful.
Do you remember if any of the hotels had a laundry to do your own instead of using valet to clean clothes?
I am currently here (the last day and almost the farewell dinner) and on our tour, only one couple felt they had to do laundry and they found a coin operated facility in the middle of the trip. It is only a 10 day trip, so laundry was certainly not a necessity to do. There wasn’t time to do laundry and if there was, it would be during free time and then you would need Canadian coins and laundry soap. These remote lodges did not offer it plus there are not a lot of hotel workers, they can’t get adequate help. I did hand-wash only one item.
In early September, we got back from our adventure in the Canada Maritime Provinces. Then, right after our tour, this area was shut down totally due to the hurricane aftermath that knocked out their power,
Yes, the Keltic Lodge is needing some updating. Plus, staffing was a little short-handed there as many hotels and dining place were still trying to catch-up, post-Covid. For the Keltic, there are new owners and they are planning to invest mega-millions to upgrade and restore. The areas in and around the Keltic, including its top-rated golf course, are awesome for a world-class scenic spots.
Did we have good weather and fun? Needing proof and evidence?
Below is a connection for a complete visual sharing via the Flickr website. Many scenic shots, great food, nice people, excellent weather, etc.
On this photo website, there are complete details. Reactions? Questions? Don't be shy with any info needs or comments?
Thanks!! Terry in Ohio
Just copy and paste into your computer this below web link to see ALL of the various visuals:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums/72177720302045257
We just returned from the Canadian Maritimes and since there are reviews posted already, I will just add some comments. I agree with what has been said about the hotels - they were Ok, but nothing special. I think they were probably chosen for their location which is definitely an important consideration. We enjoyed walking the grounds at the Keltic Lodge and watching the lobster boats set their traps (sorry the one picture isn't oriented correctly).
There are lots of opportunities to eat fish, and lobster two days in a row was probably not the best planning (lobster boat excursion and a lobster supper the next day). There are many other fish choices as well as entrees for people who would like something other than fish. Our best meal was at the Windjammer in Moncton. In addition to our entrees, we had Caesar salad prepared table-side and a flambé strawberry dessert.
The excursions were generally good. We enjoyed Pier 21 in Halifax. It is presented in a sequence that the immigrants of the time would have experienced. Our sons (adopted from Korea) went through an immigration and naturalization process in the US so perhaps we could more easily relate to some of the experiences the local guide described. We also enjoyed the Halifax Public Gardens - we had gone there on our own but also stopped near them on the tour.
The Hopewell Rocks was a highlight for me. Before we walked on the sea floor at low tide, our local guide showed us time-lapse video of the change in tides.
Probably the biggest excursion disappointment was the walking tour of Lunenburg and it was due entirely to the weather. It absolutely poured about 10 minutes into the hour-long walking tour. My husband and I shared an umbrella but we each needed our own. Even with my jacket, I ended up soaked. There was supposed to be a second option according to the "green book" which was a fisheries museum (an inside experience that would have been much better given the weather) but it was not offered by the TD. After the walking tour, we had lunch and then went to the museum on our own and wandered around until it was time to return to the bus.
There are some early mornings and a couple of long bus rides - but we had frequent breaks, and our TD had lots of information she shared as well as some videos. On Day 7, the ferry we were supposed to take had mechanical problems so it was not an option for us which made the bus ride longer.
I think Ken from Vegas described the overall trip well when he said It was a pleasant tour but not spectacular. I am sure the weather colored some of my impressions. We had never been to this part of Canada before and much of the scenery was beautiful. And we travelled with a great group - so yes, we enjoyed the tour and are glad we went.
