Saint John, New Brunswick: The $20 Taxi Lesson (Part 2 of 4)

Saint John, New Brunswick, is one of those places where a cruise ship gives you just enough time to fall in love with the city and then rudely reminds you that it has a schedule.

Stepping off the ship, one of the first things you’ll find is the AREA 506 Waterfront Container Village, a colorful waterfront collection of more than 60 shipping containers turned into shops, food spots, art installations, and places to grab a drink.

And then there’s Runt not a person you need to worry about, but the nickname of the Toronto artist Alex Currie. His giant painted “Monster Container” is covered with his colorful creatures and is one of the fun photo stops in the village.

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From there, we wandered over to Steamers Lobster Co because, well… you can't come to New Brunswick and ignore lobster.

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From the waterfront, head up Water Street toward King Street. And here's another Saint John pro tip: take King Street unless you enjoy climbing mountains! King Street has the least amount of incline and makes for a much easier walk up to the market. Once you reach the top, you'll find the Saint John City Market directly across the street. This historic indoor market dates back to the 19th century and is definitely worth a walk-through. Just keep your expectations in check if you've been to Montreal's market, Saint John's is considerably smaller, so you won't need to block out your entire afternoon!

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Then there's Market Square, sitting right along the waterfront. The area has been a gathering and trading place for thousands of years. Today, the beautifully redeveloped waterfront includes Ihtoli-maqahamok. The Gathering Space, a name from the Wolastoqey language meaning “The Gathering Space.” The location has a long history as a meeting and trading area, and Indigenous traders were using this area long before the Loyalists arrived.

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And this is where Saint John gets really interesting.

Follow the beautiful Harbor Passage walking trail along the waterfront toward the Reversing Falls Rapids. The trail connects the waterfront with the rapids and includes scenic overlooks, public art, and interpretive displays about Saint John's waterfront history.

Now, here's my Pro Tip:

DO NOT PAY $20 FOR A TAXI TO THE REVERSING FALLS.

Take the bus.

Saint John Transit is currently $3 per ride, and the SJTRides smartphone app lets you purchase your fare right from your phone. It even provides a 5% discount on fares purchased through the app.

From around Market Square, look for Route 1 toward McAllister Place/East Point. Route 1 serves the Reversing Falls Restaurant – Bridge Road stop, right by the falls. For the return trip, catch Route 1 in the opposite direction back toward the uptown area. Schedules can change, so check the SJ Transit route finder or SJTRides before heading back to the ship.

And when you get to the falls, don't fall for the tourist-trap mentality.

You don't necessarily need to spend $15 per person at a restaurant just to get a view of the Reversing Falls. Walk over to the Reversing Falls Bridge or one of the nearby public viewpoints. The bridge has pedestrian sidewalks and gives you a pretty spectacular look at the river and the rapids.

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The falls themselves are pretty amazing. The massive tides of the Bay of Fundy collide with the Saint John River as it squeezes through the narrow gorge, creating whirlpools, rapids and periods when the river appears to actually reverse direction. Just remember: timing matters. If you arrive at the wrong point in the tidal cycle, you might stare at the water and wonder what all the fuss is about.

And if you have enough time, there's another stop nearby for beer lovers: Moosehead Taproom at Moosehead's Saint John brewery. It's another attraction worth considering, especially if you're interested in Canadian beer history.

Unfortunately, that's the problem with exploring by cruise ship.

The ship gives you just enough time to discover a place and then tells you it's time to leave.

Saint John is compact enough that you can see quite a bit without spending a fortune on taxis or organized excursions. But I only wish I'd had more time. I would have loved to venture farther outside the city and see more of New Brunswick.

The Long Walk Back to the Ship

On our way back to the Zuiderdam, we were strolling through the shops when we came across a sign that stopped us in our tracks:

“A CHEESE FACTORY IN FRANCE JUST EXPLODED… DA BRIE IS EVERYWHERE.”

Now, after several days of cruising, we had already learned an important lesson: never walk past food-related information too quickly.

We stood there reading the sign, trying to decide whether we were witnessing a terrible French tragedy or simply a very cheesy joke.

Apparently, it was the latter.

But there was something strangely appropriate about finding this sign on our way back to the ship. We had spent the day eating our way through the port, and now France had apparently decided to join the effort by sending an emergency shipment of Brie.

At that point, I started wondering:

If the Brie really was everywhere, was the ship even safe?

Would customs stop us?

Would the captain make an announcement?

“Ladies and gentlemen, we regret to inform you that our departure has been delayed due to an excessive amount of Brie found on Deck 3.”

We eventually continued toward the ship, leaving the cheesy disaster behind.

Although, after seeing that sign, we couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the real reason Holland America serves so much food is because they know we're going to need somewhere to put all that Brie.

And just like that, our leisurely walk back to the ship became another memorable stop on the cruise proof that sometimes the best travel stories aren't found on the itinerary.

They're just hanging on a wall, waiting to make you groan.

So if you're visiting Saint John on a cruise, my advice is simple:

Get off the ship. Walk the waterfront. Explore AREA 506. See the City Market. Check out Ihtoli-maqahamok. Take the $3 bus to the Reversing Falls. Walk across the bridge. Grab some lobster. Maybe drink a Moosehead or two.

Just keep one eye on the clock.

Because eventually, the captain will be waiting and unlike the Reversing Falls, the ship really does leave.