Monday, August 3, 2026
We’ve been to Halifax before, but we had never seen Peggy’s Cove, the inside of the Citadel, or walked through the Titanic Cemetery. We decided to take a HAL tour that would include all those places and a guided walk through the Public Gardens. Even though we had to set the clocks forward one hour last night, I still managed to get up at 6:30 and we had room service breakfast delivered at 8:00.
After breakfast, we decided to go to the Sea View and watch the sail-in to Halifax. As we neared the elevators, I spotted a rubber duck on the railing. If you have never heard of the cruise craze of hiding and finding rubber ducks, it is a real phenomenon. Some people bring a suitcase full of rubber ducks to hide around a ship. You can even upload your finds to a Facebook Cruising Ducks page.
I have found very tiny ducks before, but this one was the first standard one I have seen. I’m a card-carrying AARP member so did I smile and just leave it on the railing for a child to find? Nope. I grabbed it like it was solid gold.
Once we got to the Sea View deck we saw how foggy it was and learned that rain was in the forecast. I knew we needed to pack our rain jackets as it was a long tour.
Our tickets said that we should meet our group on the pier at 10:15. I prefer to meet in the World Stage. You wait for your tour to be called and then disembark as an orderly group. But we’ve met on the pier before. You just have to look for the HAL representatives once you disembark the ship. The problem with today was that we weren’t even supposed to get to the port until 10:30.
Apparently, everyone else got the same notice to be out on the pier at 10:15 so when the announcement came that we could disembark at 10:30, it was chaos in the halls and exit to the gangway. One of the worst port disembarkations that I have ever experienced.
It was so poor that I cancelled the other HAL shore excursion that I had booked because it too had us meeting on the pier 15 minutes before our docking time. I wasn’t going to fight my way through another crowd like that. I definitely noted the mess in my exit satisfaction survey.
The tour today was Best of Halifax – 7 hours
ABOUT THE EXCURSION: Experience Halifax’s top things to see and do, all in a short time.
Head out of town to Peggy’s Cove — Nova Scotia’s most authentic fishing village to see the well-known lighthouse — the most photographed one in Canada. Take time to visit and explore the rugged, sea-sculpted granite shores.
Sit down for a group meal at a local restaurant.
Visit the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where 121 victims of the Titanic disaster are buried.
Escape to the lush oasis of the Halifax Public Gardens — an authentic Victorian garden nestled in the city’s busy downtown.
See the busiest street east of Montreal — Spring Garden Road — voted the “best place to people watch” with its many restaurants and boutiques.
Finally, explore Citadel Hill, one of Canada’s most visited National Historic Sites, with a fantastic city view. Step into the buildings, see the cannons and watch the 78th Highlanders regiment on site.
Notes: At Peggy’s Cove, visitors are asked to stay off the rocks and away from the shoreline. Terrain includes gravel pathways, paved areas, wooden decking, cement sidewalks, inclines, steps and rocky areas. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes. Bring a warm sweater; bring an umbrella and a rain jacket. Tour sequence may vary.
Once we finally made it to the tour bus, I was happy to find that it was comfortable and we could hear the tour guide easily. We didn’t leave until 11:00 so if we were really going to be gone for 7 hours, we would not be getting back at 5:30. Oh well, that was HAL’s problem.
The guide decided to go to the Titanic Cemetery first to try and beat the predicted rain. I was under the impression that the cemetery was only for Titanic victims. No. Its name is Fairview Cemetery and only one section is dedicated to the Titanic.
I also hadn’t realized they couldn’t identify everyone that they found from the Titanic. The gravestones were numbered that corresponded with the body that was rescued. It was sad to see the markers that only had a number and there were many of them.
Some people were identified and their families were able to provide a descriptive marker (but it still had a number on it) if they declined or couldn’t afford to bring their loved one home.
At one point, some years ago, a company got permission to exhume some of the graves of the unknown victims to see if DNA matching could be used to find relatives. Only one body was identified – a young child. They were able to use trace DNA to match relatives from England. The other graves either didn’t have enough trace DNA or no relatives were found. Our guide said that was the only time it was tried and won’t be tried on any more graves.
The marker below became famous in 1997.
People would flock here and leave so many flowers every day that the grounds crew would have to clear them out each evening to make room for the ones coming the next day. The guide said that this person was not the real “Jack” but nobody could convince the thousands of fans. Even today, people still leave trinkets and some flowers.
The cemetery also has markers for the victims of the 1917 Halifax Explosion which was the largest human-made explosion ever recorded until Hiroshima.
Once we boarded the bus again, we began the drive to Peggy’s Cove. The drive takes about an hour. The predicted rain came in torrents, and I thought it would last the rest of the day.
However, by the time we reached Peggy’s Cove and our destination – the Sou’Wester Restaurant, the rain had stopped. The guide had already called ahead with our order. It was a fixed menu – non-alcohol drink, either the seafood chowder or a spicy Thai vegetable bowl, and a slice of warm gingerbread with either a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
Chuck and I both opted for the seafood chowder and gingerbread with ice cream. Chuck was dismayed to see mussels in the shells resting on top of the chowder, so I was happy to take them off and put them in my chowder.
My only complaint was that the seating was very tight. There were 8 of us at a table for 6. The restaurant and its store were packed with people.
We had time to wander around enjoying the ocean view, but we didn’t venture close to the lighthouse. As I mentioned, the rain had stopped but it was still foggy. Despite the signs all over the property warning about slippery rocks and saying stay close to the lighthouse, there were parents letting their children scoot down the rocks close to the breaking waves. Scary.
Some people opted to go farther into Peggy’s Cove for shopping, but I had found a lighthouse ornament at the restaurant store so I wasn’t interested in looking at the other shops.
Everyone was back at the bus at the correct time, so we were now heading back to Halifax to tour the Citadel.
Up Next: Halifax – Part 2
