Conference kaosws::canada

    Valerie,
    Take it from a Maritimer, four days is just about right for PEI...it's
    a little too quiet for much longer.
    
    From Merrimack, I would go up route whatever to Bangor Maine, then
    to Calais Maine, then across to St. Stephen, New Brunswick, through
    Saint John, Sussex, Moncton.  The ferry goes from Cape Tormentine,
    NB, to Borden PEI.  It'll take you probably 7 hours from Bangor
    to Moncton.  The PEI tourist number is (I think, don't quote me
    on this, but there used to be a tourist commercial on TV with this
    jingle) 800-565-7429.
    
    Anyway, if you want lobster, go to as close to the source as possible.
    The source I would recommend is the Bay of Fundy between Saint John
    and St. Stephen.  The 'Market' in Saint John sells the fishermen's
    catch live and will be lobster caught that morning.  Don't go to
    any of the more fancy places in Saint John for 'live' lobster as
    this will be less fresh.  Also, the places in Saint John will air
    mail live lobster to places in Canada (don't know about the States)
    as well as pack it for carrying.
    
    The warm water in PEI is in the Northumberland strait (between NB
    and PEI), and it is even warmer north in New Brunswick, where the
    bay is called 'Baie de Chaleur', or warm bay.  The big warm water
    beach is near Moncton in a place called Shediac.
    
    Jim.

    	Jim, tell her about Maritime Whirly-twirlies.
    
    
    Glenn from Engperms

    RE: 0
    You are right to want to visit PEI.  I have been there twice for two
    weeks at a time (I loved the quite).  There are plenty of places to
    stay on the Island from the farms (at as low as $10.00) per night to
    Dalvay by the Sea at over $100.00 (Canadian).  Dalvay is one of the
    most beautiful lodge type hotels I have ever seen and it is worth it to
    just drive by.
    
    If you are only going to be there for four days, I would stay in the
    middle of the Island between Charlottetown and Cavendish.  Cavendish is
    home of the "Anne of Green Gables" attractions.  The whole Cavendish
    area is full of many things to do.  You should go to the Green Gables
    house in Cavendish.  It is run by Parks Canada, and it is free.  
    
    Parks Canada also has guided walks through the woods around Green
    Gables on some evenings.  These are also free and provide great
    entertainment.
    
    Another suggestion is to pick one of the three senic drives through the
    provience and make a day of it with a picnic lunch.  PEI is so
    beautiful that you cannot go wrong with any of the three drives
    (although the Blue Heron is my favorite).
    
    If you want any other information, you can give me a call at DTN
    471-5429.
    
    John

    
    A new year, and a new request about PEI.  My wife and I will be
    visiting there in August.  We sent of for the Chamber of Commerce
    literature and have reviewed most of it.  Based strictly on the
    information presented, we have decided to stay at Stanhope by the Sea,
    which is north west of Charlottetown.
    
    Anyone know of it.....either pro or con?
    
    	Thanks,
    
    		Bill Tarmey

You should enjoy the area; it is beautiful and restful.

We stayed in that area several years ago (at Dalvay by the Sea, mentioned
in .3) and always intended to go back.

Enjoy your walks along the beautiful warm-water beach -- but be careful; at
certain times of the year the water is full of jellyfish.  When we were there,
in mid-August, there were thousands of dead jellyfish in the sand.

The "Blue Heron Drive", a circle tour of the central part of the island,
will take you through varied landscapes.

Have a good trip.

/john

        How available are bank ATM machines on PEI that take US
        "Cirrus" network cards?  Does the exchange rate in such use
        tend to be favorable or unfavorable?

        How do prices, gasoline prices especially, compare between
        PEI and New Brunswick?

        Re the ferry between NB and PEI:  what is the fare for
        vehicle and passengers?  Do they take credit cards?  Are
        reservations required and/or accepted?  I have a passenger
        van with a rack on top -- total height just under 9 feet --
        are there any height limits or restrictions on the ferry?
        How late/early does the ferry run?  How often?  Got a phone
        number for ferry information?

        Is there any B&B clearing-house number that one could call to
        locate lodging on PEI?  Same for reserving camp sites?

        Thanks,
        Bob

    The Bank of Montreal is on the Cirrus network.  There are branches
    in Summerside and Charlottetown that I know of ... banks are few and
    far between outside those two cities.  The networks exchange rates
    are ususally the commercial rates and so are generally as good as
    you'll get (except by promotion such as at Irving gas stations!) but
    you usually will pay a network usage fee of $1 or 2 so that favours
    high value transactions ... i.e. withdraw at least $100 at a time.
    
    Between NB and PEI there wasn't a great difference.  $0.61 - $0.64
    per litre for regular were normal on the island where $0.59 - $0.64
    were normal in N.B.
    
    The ferry will be no problem.  They depart hourly with extra sailings
    by the MV Abegweit (A BIG ferry by comparison with the two that do
    the routine sailings.)  All 3 are capable of taking your van at 9'
    I paid about $36 round trip for a mini-van, 2 adults and 2 out of 3
    kids.  I paid cash, and you pay for both directions on the trip 
    FROM PEI to NB.  I didn't see indications that they take credit cards.
    
    Be prepared, no matter what time you arrive at the ferry for at least
    a wait for the ferry after next.  Late sailings back always tend to
    be crowded, especially if the weather is poor, and early sailings
    out are busy if the weather is good!  A 4 to 5 hour wait is not
    unknown.  No, they do NOT take reservations on the Tormentine to
    Broden ferry.  This ferry takes 45 minutes to cross -- and the boat is
    turned back around in only 15 mins.  There is another ferry that
    runs from just down the coast in Nova Scotia, but it is a longerr
    and more expensive crossing.
    
    I have a PEI leaflet and other ferry info I'll try to remember to
    bring in tomorrow to answer your other questions.
    
    Stuart

re Note 320.7 by KAOFS::S_BROOK:

>     I have a PEI leaflet and other ferry info I'll try to remember to
>     bring in tomorrow to answer your other questions.

        Thanks -- this information has already been helpful!

        Bob

        P.S.  Is there any advantage/disadvantage to a US citizen
        (me) traveling to and from Canada using a US Passport (as
        opposed to an ID such as a driver's license)?

    As a Canadian who travels to the U.S. regularly (who doesn't these
    days!), I've always found my passport to be extremely useful (although
    never at the border!).
    
    For example, in '87 we were in Orlando, and if you could show a valid
    Canadian passport (during, appropriately enough, Canadian Passport
    days), you received a healthy discount on Disney World/EPCOT admission. 
    I believe we saved 40% on a 5-day pass.
    
    Also, cashing traveler's cheques (or checks in the U.S.) was a breeze. 
    A lot of places wanted I.D. to cash one, and the passport people's
    faces light up; obviously it's a very reliable source of I.D.; and not
    all Driver's Licenses have a photo.
    
    So, I would, it doesn't hurt!
    
    Otto.

A driver's license is not adequate identification for entry into Canada by
a U.S. citizen.  Proof of citizenship is required, if the agent decides to
ask you for any identification at all (which they rarely do at land crossings
and always do at airports).

Have your passport, voter registration certificate (if your state issues
such things), or certified copy of your birth certificate with you.  You
will probably not be asked for it, but if you are asked, your driver's
license is not what they will want.

Upon reentry to the U.S. at a land crossing, you do not need to be able
to identify yourself with any document, but you do have to be able to
convince the U.S. Customs or Immigration agent that you are a U.S. citizen.
A driver's license is unlikely to help if you've done something to arouse
suspicion.

/john

BTW, I have crossed at land crossing MANY times and have never been asked
to show identification to either Canadian or U.S. officials.  This even
includes one time when I crossed into Canada accidentally without going
through Canada customs and then crossed back into the U.S. a few miles
away at an unattended crossing point.  The U.S. border patrol started
"chasing" me to be sure I reported to customs (there was a sign at the
unattended point telling me to do so) and then ordering me to get back
into my car and DRIVE into customs rather than walk in.

Customs still didn't ask for ID.

/john

re Note 320.10 by COVERT::COVERT:

>                 -< A driver's license is not a travel document >-
  
        Seems essential for most of the travel I do.  :-}

        Bob

re Note 320.10 by COVERT::COVERT:

> Proof of citizenship is required, if the agent decides to
> ask you for any identification at all (which they rarely do at land crossings
> and always do at airports).
  
        Really?  While I haven't done so in several years, I've never
        had any "travel documents" when flying to Canada on business,
        and none has ever been requested.

        Bob

It may depend on the airport -- if the airport only gets flights from the
U.S., then they may behave the same as at a land crossing.

However, last month I flew into Vancouver, and Canada definitely wanted
proof of U.S. citizenship when I got off the plane.  I was explicitly
asked for it at the booth.  I had a discussion with the agent about why
they only ask for it at airports and not at land crossings.  One reason
given was that there were flights from other countries arriving at the
same time.

As best I can recall, every time I've entered Canada at an airport (Toronto,
Ottawa, Montr�al, or Vancouver) they have asked everyone for valid travel
documents.

Airlines won't let you board without proof of citizenship.  Driver's
licenses are explicitly not enough.

/john

    Ferry costs  (round trip)
    
    $16 for car
    $ 6 per adult
    $ 3 per child
    
    
    P.E.I. tourism ...
    
    Call 1-800-565-0267  for information including map, comprehensive
    tourist guide, and ulseful local information.
    
    Hotel and some B&B services on 902-368-5555 or within Canadian
    maritimes 1-800-565-7421
    
    For camping, there are lots of private camp sites, but we liked
    the Prince Edward Island National Park at Stanhope.  The kitchen
    shelters with wood stoves made drying out on cold wet days easy.
    There is a small shop a short walk from the site (although I
    would only get necessities from there -- it's costly enough on the
    island).  There are 3 sites in the park Cavendish -- the most
    popular, Stanhope, and Rustico Island.  For sites with swimming pools
    etc, the private camp Marco Polo Land in Cavendish seemed popular.
    
    If you go to the National Park, take care to get a sheltered plot
    for your tent, becasue teh winds can really blow off the sea.  Our
    tend bent some poles and nearly took off one stormy night!
    
    Stuart

    Oh forgot ... the National Park Campsites do not take reservations ...
    It is first come first served, so it's best to arrive early in the
    afternoon.  There was rarely a day that Stanhope filled before evening
    where Cavendish filled regularly.

re Note 320.15 by KAOFS::S_BROOK:

>     If you go to the National Park, take care to get a sheltered plot
>     for your tent, becasue teh winds can really blow off the sea.  Our
>     tend bent some poles and nearly took off one stormy night!

        NOW you tell us! :-}

        We tented on PEI over this past weekend -- got out just in
        time to drive through the hurricane in Maine! :-(

        We stayed at the Cabot Provincial Park campground in
        Malpeque.  We carefully chose a site close to the water (and
        hence unprotected by trees).  (I probably would have
        preferred to camp at the National Park, but they were not
        answering the only phone number I had for them, so I opted
        for the security of a reservation at Cabot.  On a map, the
        distance between the two appears small, but the drive is
        considerable if you need to do it more than once a day.)

        The first morning on PEI the air was perfectly calm, the sky
        completely clear, and the dew was the heaviest we've ever
        seen.  By that evening, an unrelenting wind from the south
        had set in -- the weather forecast was for winds 40
        increasing to 60.  We hardly slept that night with all the
        flapping of the tent.  The next day was again perfectly clear
        and a delightful temperature, but perfectly windy as well! 
        On one north-facing beach we were sand-blasted as we
        attempted to swim!  Our tent suffered a minor failure.

        That evening, at about 7:30, we contemplated another night in
        the wind, so we packed up (which was difficult in the wind!)
        and got on the ferry and drove to Moncton.

        We did spend two delightful days on the island, mostly in
        "Anne of Green Gables" territory (Cavendish).   We borrowed a
        "book on tape" of "Anne of Green Gables" before we left home,
        and we (including three kids) listened to the tape on the
        long drive up.  It set the scene quite well.

        We enjoyed the Cavendish Main Beach at the National Park, and
        had some lobster and other seafood.  I was quite impressed
        that "Canada's most densely populated province" isn't like
        New Jersey at all!  :-)

        I never did get to a Cirrus cash machine.  I gather that in
        Canada, unlike in the US, the Plus and Cirrus networks have
        remained separate (I found plenty of Plus ATM's).

        The ferry turned out to be no worry.  The boats, especially
        the Abegweit, are huge (by the standards of the Martha's
        Vineyard ferry, at least).  And the cost is reasonable.

        My mileage from the greater Maynard area (Groton, MA) to the
        campsite was about 550 miles (land only).

        Bob

    Ah another camper who discovered the nasty north shore winds!  We too
    had the same problem and spent precious little time sleeping with the
    winds roaring off the water.  Most of the tent pegs got pulled out of
    the ground and we suffered one collapsed tent pole.  Funny in
    retrospect, but campers beware!

    What I couldn't get over were the people who pitched their tent
    door broadside on the the wind and rain storms and then were surprised
    to get washed out and blamed the tent makers!
    
    We pitched the first night corner on, and with a double roof tent
    that was terrible because the wind whipped between the two layers
    banging them one on to the other.  We didn't lose pegs but others did!
    During the night it got so bad that we moved our van into a position
    that it acted as at least a partial wind screen!
    
    Yup, funny to look back on, but it sure spoils the next day as you
    try to recover from lack of sleep!
    
    Stuart
    
    p.s. I did discover one other useful piece of info ... if you are
    a magnet for mosquitos, take lots of antihistamine, like Seldane,
    or Benadryl (if you want to sleep on your feet!) because the logo
    on a souvenir mug was right....
    
    "The Official Bird of Cavendish P.E.I. .....  The Mosquito!"

    I will be visiting PEI and staying at Bed & Breakfast type
    accommodations.
    
    What is customary in terms of gratuities for:
    
    a) the Bed & Breakfast innkeeper
    b) casual dining type restaurants
    c) formal dining type restaurants
    
    Also, where would one find the inexpensive lobster type dinners
    on PEI?  I'm planning on doing the Blue Heron (Queens Country)
    and the Kings Byway (Kings Country) Scenic Drives and wouldn't
    mind trying out some Canadian lobster for lunch or dinner!
    
    Jasper Chin

>    What is customary in terms of gratuities for:
>    
>    a) the Bed & Breakfast innkeeper
    
    Don't know ...
    
>    b) casual dining type restaurants
    
    If it is a lunch counter style ... nothing
    If it is waitress served or waitress/buffet:
    	10% minimum    12-15% typical
    
>    c) formal dining type restaurants
    
    15% typical ... more for better service
    
>    Also, where would one find the inexpensive lobster type dinners
>    on PEI?  I'm planning on doing the Blue Heron (Queens Country)
>    and the Kings Byway (Kings Country) Scenic Drives and wouldn't
>    mind trying out some Canadian lobster for lunch or dinner!
    
    Inexpensive lobster ?  Please tell me where ?  The lobster dinners are
    not inexpensive ... on the other hand they aren't expensive in the
    "Lobster Supper" environments ...  There are LOTS of places to get
    a lobster supper and you'll see highway signs along the road for the
    more permanent ones.  Remember too, that PEI will seem very expensive
    for a lot of things anyway, even compared to other parts of Canada.
    
    Stuart
    

    
    
    	Most places you pay for the weight of lobster you want and the
    remainder of the meal is all you can eat with the exception of liquor.
    
    
    Scott

Hi,
	I am planning on camping in the PEI during the July 4th wkend.

	We are considering the Panmure island campgrounds. Has anybody
	camped there? Would you recommend it versus some other campground?
	I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,

Murali