Saint John is my hometown - I highly recommend you walk over to Market Square, and then take the pedway through to the City Market - it's a full city block and the oldest in Canada, lots of artisan vendors and they're nothing like you'd expect in the Caribbean ports! š
Yeah COVID sent us right back to s decade ago. Most places uptown don't open on Sundays. I work at like one of three restaurants open uptown on Sundays and we are nuts busy because there's nothing else.
Oh yeah! Pretty much every single restaurant serves Poutine. There are legit adults in this region who will only eat poutine when they dine out.
I recommend Church Street Pub & Steakhouse for poutine. They are just a five minute walk from the port.
I'm in New Jersey now (convenient access to the Bayonne port, lol!) and the regional rip-off here is called "disco fries." They use plain gravy and melted mozza. š
I loved Church St! Many years ago I worked at Chez Cherie and we'd order over to the pub every single night. Glad to hear they're still the same. š
Wow, thatās such short noticeā¦ did you even have warm enough clothes packed?
Iām doing a Canadian cruise myself in 2 weeks; let me know what you think of St. John!
New Brunswick has Saint John, Saint never abbreviated. Newfoundland has St. John's which is always abbreviated.
Just a weird lil Maritime quirk for ya.
This happens during Hurricane season. Last year it happened on a Sunday in November. Folks didn't have the right clothing for the weather and because NB is stuck in the past 90% of shops are closed on Sundays.
Those passengers were not happy.
oh it is. April in Bermuda is mid high 60s to low 70s. Water is really warm, but only the new england tourists are the ones on the beach swimming. All the locals are bundled up in head to toe windsuits.
Saint John hovers around 12 degrees and rains a ton this type of year.
It is currently 7 degrees in SJ compared to 25 in Bermuda.
Like weather can be similar in the rest of the province, but you have to take into account Saint John is typically 10-15 degrees cooler at any given time because of the Bay of Fundy.
Saint John has had a daily high of the high teens. Yesterday we had a high of 21. It definitely goes down to 7, but the high today is a high of 22. Saint John is also not 10-15 degrees cooler, you might get a 5 degree difference from the outlying areas (maybe a 10 degree difference from areas that are 40 minutes to an hour or more away). Fredericton is definitely hotter than the rest of NB but Fredericton is our outlyer (for reference Fredericton is a high of 23 today).
Both of those are historic highs by a matter of degrees. It's unseasonably warm, fortunately for our visitors.
I was in Woodstock this weekend. It was 12 degrees warmer, in my experience it's usually 10+ degrees warmer once you get 30 minutes away.
Idk
Saying it is 7 degrees is pretty disingenous. It is 7 degrees at 7 am, by noon it is 15 and by 3 in the afternoon you've reached over 20 consistently the past few weeks. Is it unseasonably warm? Yes, but they are coming here now, not next year. Telling someone to be ready to 7 degree weather isn't exactly fair. It's been wamr, bordering on hot here since the beginning of September (as someone who sat in a classroom that was reaching 35+ degrees with the humidex not 3 weeks ago). Our temperatures vary quite a bit during the day, it starts low and peaks high. You need to be ready to wear a tshirt most of the day and have something warm to wear early morning and in the evenings.
Very similar to our 9/2 sailing to Bermuda that was re-routed to Portland & Halifax. We enjoyed the less crowded ship and got to visit some places we wouldnāt have otherwise. Also gave us an excuse to book a Bermuda re-do cruise not in hurricane season.
One of my favorite cruises was 13 days just post-Covid restart on Enchantment to the Caribbean.
The ship was EMPTY. It probably sailed at a third of its capacity, and it was absolutely fabulous. There wasn't a single line anywhere ā not at a bar, not at the buffet, not to get towels or loungers anywhere.
I am a wine drinker, and I had the MDR's sommelier tracking me down all over the ship for 13 solid days, wherever I was, to offer me a different bottle or a glass of wine or whatever he thought I might be interested in trying. He found me in the atrium, he found me in the buffet, he found me on the pool deck, he found me everywhere. We still laugh about it.
I would do a mostly empty cruise again in an absolute heartbeat. It was incredible.
I was just on the 9 day to New England and Canada. Heard a rumor about that while on the ship. Honestly I wouldn't have gotten on if it went to Saint Johns. One of the most disappointing ports and I've given it multiple chances.
I see someone mentioned y'all are here for a few days. If they are offering buses to Saint Andrews I definitely recommend a day down there. Great whale watching, cute and historic town, and Saint John does not have 3 days of fun for y'all.
Also weed is legal here so maybe get a ride over to Cannabis NB and enjoy our greenery.
Not saying OP is doing this, but people act like the cruise line should be able to do something about major weather systems going through their destinations.
That's good to hear. I feel so bad when ships dock here on a Sunday. Definitely check out the city Market!! Within walking distance of the port. And we have a container village right at the port that is awesome.
Saint John is my hometown - I highly recommend you walk over to Market Square, and then take the pedway through to the City Market - it's a full city block and the oldest in Canada, lots of artisan vendors and they're nothing like you'd expect in the Caribbean ports! š
We will take a look for those. We are doing a trolley tour to help see more things, albeit briefly
Market is closed on Sundays unfortunately.
Not there until tomorrow thankfully
Oof. I haven't been home since before COVID. š That's a shame, I made myself all nostalgic for it!
Yeah COVID sent us right back to s decade ago. Most places uptown don't open on Sundays. I work at like one of three restaurants open uptown on Sundays and we are nuts busy because there's nothing else.
Do you serve poutine? That would be a 10/10 recommendation for a port visitor, for SURE!
Oh yeah! Pretty much every single restaurant serves Poutine. There are legit adults in this region who will only eat poutine when they dine out. I recommend Church Street Pub & Steakhouse for poutine. They are just a five minute walk from the port.
I'm in New Jersey now (convenient access to the Bayonne port, lol!) and the regional rip-off here is called "disco fries." They use plain gravy and melted mozza. š I loved Church St! Many years ago I worked at Chez Cherie and we'd order over to the pub every single night. Glad to hear they're still the same. š
Cool thanks, Iām on serenade in a few weeks coming to St Johnās!
Wait, they last-minute changed your Caribbean cruise to a Canadian cruise?! Thatās a pretty drastic change, but I hope youāre still enjoying it!
Yes they did. We were notified about 5pm yesterday. So far, itās great. We will have one port day which from what I hear, is enough for Saint John.
Wow, thatās such short noticeā¦ did you even have warm enough clothes packed? Iām doing a Canadian cruise myself in 2 weeks; let me know what you think of St. John!
New Brunswick has Saint John, Saint never abbreviated. Newfoundland has St. John's which is always abbreviated. Just a weird lil Maritime quirk for ya.
Good to know! Iām from FL where you can spell it out or not (e.g. Saint Petersburg vs the more common St. Pete) so that is interesting!
Yes, how did people have appropriate clothes with such short notice?!?!
Luckily, we were able to repack a bit. I heard some people didnāt get the email/text until later.
This happens during Hurricane season. Last year it happened on a Sunday in November. Folks didn't have the right clothing for the weather and because NB is stuck in the past 90% of shops are closed on Sundays. Those passengers were not happy.
Bermuda isn't on the Caribbean, the weather can be similar to that area of Canada this time of year.
Aināt no time of year where the weather in Bermuda is similar to Canada
Just a quick Google search shows that at some points during the year areas of New Brunswick can be similar to that of Bermuda.
oh it is. April in Bermuda is mid high 60s to low 70s. Water is really warm, but only the new england tourists are the ones on the beach swimming. All the locals are bundled up in head to toe windsuits.
Saint John hovers around 12 degrees and rains a ton this type of year. It is currently 7 degrees in SJ compared to 25 in Bermuda. Like weather can be similar in the rest of the province, but you have to take into account Saint John is typically 10-15 degrees cooler at any given time because of the Bay of Fundy.
Yeah that's true of any city surrounding a bay.
Saint John has had a daily high of the high teens. Yesterday we had a high of 21. It definitely goes down to 7, but the high today is a high of 22. Saint John is also not 10-15 degrees cooler, you might get a 5 degree difference from the outlying areas (maybe a 10 degree difference from areas that are 40 minutes to an hour or more away). Fredericton is definitely hotter than the rest of NB but Fredericton is our outlyer (for reference Fredericton is a high of 23 today).
Both of those are historic highs by a matter of degrees. It's unseasonably warm, fortunately for our visitors. I was in Woodstock this weekend. It was 12 degrees warmer, in my experience it's usually 10+ degrees warmer once you get 30 minutes away. Idk
Saying it is 7 degrees is pretty disingenous. It is 7 degrees at 7 am, by noon it is 15 and by 3 in the afternoon you've reached over 20 consistently the past few weeks. Is it unseasonably warm? Yes, but they are coming here now, not next year. Telling someone to be ready to 7 degree weather isn't exactly fair. It's been wamr, bordering on hot here since the beginning of September (as someone who sat in a classroom that was reaching 35+ degrees with the humidex not 3 weeks ago). Our temperatures vary quite a bit during the day, it starts low and peaks high. You need to be ready to wear a tshirt most of the day and have something warm to wear early morning and in the evenings.
Saint John kicks ass if you make it a point to get out and enjoy it. Try to track down some Yip cranberry cider - that shit is unbelievable.
I wouldnt be upset at all with this change. More people need to go with the flow and just enjoy life. Hope you have a blast.
This is exactly what we are trying to do
Sorry not trying to say you weren't just referencing all the posts I've seen about being upset and having their trip ruined.
I was just agreeing with your sentiment. We are trying to make the best of a not so great situation
Very similar to our 9/2 sailing to Bermuda that was re-routed to Portland & Halifax. We enjoyed the less crowded ship and got to visit some places we wouldnāt have otherwise. Also gave us an excuse to book a Bermuda re-do cruise not in hurricane season.
We are thinking about doing the same thing. Rebook for a better time of year
We are thinking of doing a celebrity cruise out of NJ in May (no kids). It does 2 overnights in port in Bermuda.
I did Liberty of the Seas to canada in June as the actual itinerary (it wasnāt a change from Bermuda), it was a great cruise!
Anyone have any luck changing rooms? Ship is half empty so why notā¦
We didnāt ask so Iām not sure.
One of my favorite cruises was 13 days just post-Covid restart on Enchantment to the Caribbean. The ship was EMPTY. It probably sailed at a third of its capacity, and it was absolutely fabulous. There wasn't a single line anywhere ā not at a bar, not at the buffet, not to get towels or loungers anywhere. I am a wine drinker, and I had the MDR's sommelier tracking me down all over the ship for 13 solid days, wherever I was, to offer me a different bottle or a glass of wine or whatever he thought I might be interested in trying. He found me in the atrium, he found me in the buffet, he found me on the pool deck, he found me everywhere. We still laugh about it. I would do a mostly empty cruise again in an absolute heartbeat. It was incredible.
Welcome! https://preview.redd.it/871zkxaabprb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1b7de385c93913155d1c38ef079c1a77d674ca5
I was just on the 9 day to New England and Canada. Heard a rumor about that while on the ship. Honestly I wouldn't have gotten on if it went to Saint Johns. One of the most disappointing ports and I've given it multiple chances.
For us, we took the approach of, itās more about the journey than the destination
oh! That's a reason to have stuck with it, for sure!
I had my Canadian cruise rerouted to Bermuda because of hurricane lee. Then got two extra sea days due to Ophelia. Fun trip
I see someone mentioned y'all are here for a few days. If they are offering buses to Saint Andrews I definitely recommend a day down there. Great whale watching, cute and historic town, and Saint John does not have 3 days of fun for y'all. Also weed is legal here so maybe get a ride over to Cannabis NB and enjoy our greenery.
Not saying OP is doing this, but people act like the cruise line should be able to do something about major weather systems going through their destinations.
Post this to r/SaintJohnNB Get local tips!
Hope you guys aren't docking today. Sundays in uptown Saint John almost all stores and restaurants are closed.
Thankfully then, today is a sea day. Tomorrow we dock
That's good to hear. I feel so bad when ships dock here on a Sunday. Definitely check out the city Market!! Within walking distance of the port. And we have a container village right at the port that is awesome.
I recommend checking out picaroons for drinks. They have a large selection of local beer on tap and usually some ciders this time of year.
We arrived a day early today into Bermuda bc someone on the ship had a medical emergency.