The highest tides on earth and a river that runs backwards twice a day.
Saint John is the Bay of Fundy stop on a Canada and New England cruise, and it is not St. John’s, Newfoundland, which is a different city a thousand miles east. Ships dock at the Marco Polo and Diamond Jubilee terminals on Water Street, so you walk off into uptown in 5 minutes; most cruisers ride out to the Reversing Falls Rapids, where a 28 foot tide pushes the Saint John River back upstream twice a day, or take the hour’s drive to walk the ocean floor at the St. Martins sea caves. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Saint John from every line, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.
Three ways to do Saint John
Chase the tide to the Reversing Falls and the Skywalk, drive to the St. Martins sea caves, or do uptown and the City Market on foot; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.
Reversing Falls Rapids and the Skywalk
- The gorge 2 miles west of the pier where the Bay of Fundy tide reverses the river; at slack tide it is flat, at full flow it is a whirlpool
- The Skywalk glass platform hangs 110 feet above the rapids, about CAD 15; ship tours of 3 hours combine it with the city for about $90 to $110
- On your own: a taxi (zoned fares, ask first, about CAD 15 to 20), the Big Pink hop-on bus (about CAD 40), or the 2.5 mile Harbour Passage walking path from the terminal
Best for: first-timers, families, short calls
St. Martins sea caves and the Fundy Trail
- A 45 to 50 minute drive east to a fishing village with two covered bridges and red sandstone caves you walk into at low tide
- Ship tours run 3.5 to 5 hours at about $70 to $110; the Fundy Trail Parkway cliff drive adds about CAD 16 and an hour
- Tide timing is everything, so this is the one to book through the ship: they schedule it for the low tide of your day
Best for: photographers, repeat visitors, 8 hour calls
Uptown and the City Market
- Walk up from Water Street to King’s Square, the 1876 City Market (Canada’s oldest, Monday to Saturday) and the Loyalist House
- Try dulse (dried seaweed, the local snack), a lobster roll at the market and a pint on the waterfront at Market Square
- Free, flat for the first few blocks and then hilly; 2 to 3 hours covers it with the New Brunswick Museum added on a wet day
Best for: walkers, foodies, anyone skipping the bus
Saint John cruises: SmartCruiser picks first
Every cruise that calls at Saint John, New Brunswick from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery cruise that calls at Saint John
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Home ports that sail to Saint John
Pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there; New York and Boston send the most ships, with Baltimore, Norfolk and the St. Lawrence one-ways behind them.
Things to do in Saint John
The market and the uptown squares are a 10 minute walk from the ship; the tides, the caves and the flowerpot rocks need wheels and a tide table.
Which lines call at Saint John?
About 58 calls and 12 overnights were scheduled for 2026, nearly all of them in September and October; these are the lines you will see on Water Street.
When to go
Saint John’s season runs May to early November but the ships bunch into September and October; summers are mild and foggy, fall is crisp and colorful, and the tide is the show in any month.
Saint John questions we answer every day
Where do cruise ships dock in Saint John and how far is it to town?
Ships dock at the Marco Polo Cruise Terminal or the Diamond Jubilee Cruise Terminal, next door to each other on Water Street at the edge of uptown; both have a welcome desk, free Wi-Fi and an ATM, and a volunteer crew hands out maps. King’s Square and the City Market are a 10 minute walk up the hill, Market Square and the waterfront 5 minutes. On three-ship days the third ship uses Long Wharf, still downtown but a longer walk, with a tent for security and vendors. No line tenders here. Note that this is Saint John, New Brunswick on the Bay of Fundy, not St. John’s, Newfoundland.
How do I get around Saint John from the pier?
Walk for uptown, the market and the waterfront. For the Reversing Falls take a taxi (not metered, zoned fares, so ask the price first; about CAD 15 to 20 each way), the Big Pink hop-on hop-off bus (about CAD 40, three loops including the falls), city bus 1 from King’s Square, or the Harbour Passage path on foot. St. Martins, the Fundy Trail and Hopewell Rocks have no transit, so it is a ship tour or a pre-booked driver. Taxis are scarce when three ships are in.
What currency do I need, and does my phone work?
Canadian dollars, about CAD 1.35 to 1.40 to the US dollar; shops near the pier take US cash and give change in Canadian, and cards work everywhere. English is the language. Saint John is on Atlantic Time, one hour ahead of New York, so check whether your ship stays on ship time. Most US carriers charge for Canada roaming unless your plan includes it; the terminals and the library at Market Square have free Wi-Fi.
Is Saint John safe?
Yes. Canada is at the State Department’s lowest advisory level and Saint John is a quiet, working port city. The genuine hazards are the tides: at St. Martins and Hopewell Rocks the water comes back faster than you expect, so obey the posted times and the guides, and the hills uptown are steep and slick in rain.
What is the best excursion, and should I book through the ship?
The Reversing Falls and Skywalk is the one everybody should see and it is close enough to do on your own. St. Martins is the better half day and we book it through the ship, because the line times it for low tide and guarantees your return. Hopewell Rocks is worth it only on 10 hour calls and overnights, and only as a ship tour given the 4 hour round trip.
Do I need a passport?
On a closed-loop cruise that starts and ends in the same US port (New York, Boston, Baltimore or Norfolk), US citizens can sail with a government photo ID plus an original birth certificate, but we strongly recommend a passport, and Canada can refuse entry to travelers with certain criminal records. One-way cruises that start or end in Quebec City or Montreal require a passport.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and gratuities are extra.
Talk to a Saint John cruise specialist
We know which sailings give you the long Bay of Fundy day and which ones overnight, so call us to check availability and book your Canada and New England cruise. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.