CAT Ferry or Drive back to Maine from Halifax?
 

My wife and I will be concluding our tour of Nova Scotia in Halifax next month and are wondering if it is worth the money ($200+ USD) to take the CAT back to Bar Harbor from Yarmouth or to take the Digby ferry to Saint John, NB and drive the rest of the way. I know it would probably be a bit cheaper, but is it worth the extra miles?
Anyone have any advice for us here? Also, any estimates of driving times here would be appreciated. I'm not sure if I can trust Mapquest.com. It seems to severely overestimate the driving times.
Thanks,
Brandon

Mapquest shows Halifax to Bangor, ME to be 464 miles, and a driving estimate of 9.5 hours, averaging <50MPH.

That's totally overestimating the driving time. Except for about 100km (62 miles) on Highway 2 in NB, it's all freeway, and most of it rural with light to moderate traffic. I can't remember if the speed limit is 100 or 110km/h for the most part in NS/NB, but it's 65mph on I-95 in Maine.

Assuming you drive a little over speed limit, plus the stretch of Highway 2, plus border crossing, you should still be able to average >60MPH; and get from Halifax to Bangor in about 8 hours.

Taking the CAT isn't going to save you much time, but will be more relaxing. I don't know if that's worth the money for you, but it's NOT for me.

Where are you heading when you reach the US?

A friend took the CAT and highly recommends it. From Halifax to Yarmouth you are looking at approx 4 hours at the most. Two hours for crossing.

Thanks for the help. We will be going to Manchester, NH to catch our flight home the next morning. The best I can estimate, it should be about a 5 hour drive from Bar Harbor to Manchester.

Hi, I drive to Nova Scotia frequently, and take the Cat sometimes! Honestly, the Cat doesn't save you *that* much time, largely due to by the time you line up, board, etc... and that is assuming that all engines on the Cat are running (which a lot of times, they are not). So, my view is the Cat saves you miles, not time.

We can make it from Halifax to Bangor in 6 hours and change, if that gives you any reference. (that is crossing the border at St. Stephen, NB/Calais, ME, continuing down Route 9 in Maine until Bangor).

Mazey, thanks for your input. Do you mean that you drive the entire distance, or do you take the ferry from Digby, NS to Saint John, NB and then cross the border into Maine? If you are taking the Digby ferry, do you know how much it costs and if it is that much cheaper than the CAT?
Thanks!!

I don't know the cost of the ferry, as I've never taken it before. If I don't take the Cat, I just drive out of Halifax, through New Brunswick to Maine.

One consideration not to overlook:
You may well be stuck in line at the border from NB into Maine. Last summer we spent a bit over 2 hours just sitting in traffic waiting our turn to pass through inspection. We hit the line around 10:00 a.m. and didn't clear though til a few minutes after noon.

Thanks for the tip Waltd. However, I think we have decided to take the CAT back to Bar Harbor despite the cost. But we will be driving across the border from Maine to New Brunswick. Is the traffic usually as bad going into Canada as you described to me?
Thanks for your help.

The border crossing line all depends on what time you hit it (on a federal holiday in either country, Saturday afternoon, etc...). I have never waited more than a half hour at any border, except for Niagara Falls on a busy Saturday afternoon one summer.

Depending where you cross, sometimes there are lesser known border crossings just a mile down the road (such is the case in Calais, ME).

I should of added above, if you do go the Calais route, don't go to the St. Stephen border crossing - go to the Milltown crossing just before it instead. More residential and tourists usually blow right by it (read: usually no lines).

Thanks, Mazey. I wish I had known about the Milltown crossing last summer! But to anser Brandon's question about whether the crossing into Canada is as time consuming as the crossing into the US, I would venture to say, no, unless, like Mazey points out, you hit a hot tourist spot like Niagara Falls on a busy day. Generally speaking, we have crossed into Canada numerous times at various locales such as north of Seattle, at Detroit, in/around Buffalo, at the Thousands Islands, and via the Cat from Bar Harbour. Almost without exception the going was much less hassle and wait than the returning. It's gotten worse after Sept. 11th of course, with no end in sight.

We have done both and I highly recommend taking the CAT! To us it was worth every penny! The fascinating ride on the cat itself and the scenery coming into Bar Harbor through the islands is wonderful.

Another option if you are flying out of Manchester is to take the all-day ferry to Portland, Maine. It can be a nice way to end your vacation - we paid a little extra, got a cabin, the food was OK and we saw whales and dolphins on the trip.

We've done both the CAT and the overnight ferry to Portland, and would do either again. The CAT is fast - if you are prone to seasickness the CAT is notorious for making even the most seaworthy scally-wag a little green around the gills ;-)

i was planning on taking the scotia prince day ferry from yarmouth to portland but figuring out the cost has unfortnatly had me change plans.
i priced out the ferry from digby, ns to saint john, nb and with a vehicle, the cost is $125.

heres a shocker for you as of the summer of 2005 the scotia price betwen maine and yarmounth will not be offered and will be going out of business. this summer you'll just have to find another way to get to Nova Scotia

Hi capebreton,

where did you hear about the Scotia Prince going out of business? I was just booking a trip in August. I got a price quote from them. Now i've supposedly sent them a reservation request but haven't heard back. I'd hate to find out I've paid, and they are going out of business. thanks!

Never mind, I just found it on Scotia Prince' own website.

I live in Portland, Maine and the Scotia Prince has definitely gone out of business. The CAT may run from here at some point but probably not this summer. I am taking the CAT to Yarmouth late in July and will be driving back into Maine in August. Where do you think is a good place to cross not to far from St. Andrew, in terms of not having to wait long at the border crossing (we will be heading to Machias, Maine to spend the night)?