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Product Reviews
Heart Of The Island
Ciad Mile Failte - A Hundred Thousand Welcomes await you. Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland and nowhere is this more evident than on Cape Breton Island. This picturesque excursion takes you to the very Heart of the Island. The route includes some of the Island's most dynamic scenery, weaving a route through rugged countryside, touching the shores of the famous Bras d'Or Lakes. Known as the Great Inland Sea (the lakes are salt-water) the Bras d'Or region is a major breeding ground for the bald eagle and other exotic wildlife. As your tour progresses, you'll stop at the geographical center of Cape Breton Island, Hectors' Point, Iona and visit the Nova Scotia Highland Village, a 50-acre historical site overlooking the Bras d'Or Lakes. Take a chronological journey through 180 years of Cape Breton's Scottish architecture, hosted by costumed staff trained in conversational Gaelic and local history. Here you will view a full-size replica of a Scottish Blackhouse, the original one-room structure occupied by the first Scottish settlers in the region, and the only one of its kind in North America. A hilltop panoramic view offers a beautiful blend of land, sky and water. Enjoy tea or coffee and oatcakes before returning to your ship. Note: There is a fair amount of walking at the Highland Village. However, the tour is very scenic and if you wish, you can enjoy the views from the motorcoach and the Visitors Center. Tea or coffee is served at Highland Village.
Average:
(4 Reviews) 4
Rating Snapshot (4 reviews)
5 stars
1
4 stars
1
3 stars
0
2 stars
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2
2 of 4(50%)customers would recommend this to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Heart Of The Island
Review 1 for Heart Of The Island
Overall:
Wildlife/Scenery:
4
out of
5
Cultural/Historical:
3
out of
5
Entertaining:
2
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
2
out of
5
JWFromWa
Location:Seattle
Party size:6
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:October
Favorite port:Quebec City, Quebec
Date:October 24, 2012
Not all it was cracked up to be
The tour description led me to think there was more than one stop on this excursion, the Scottish Highland village. While interesting, it wasn't overly interesting. The drive out there is about an hour, and it was beautiful in October, but I had expected that we'd stop at Hector's Point, which we did not. It wasn't until we were there I realized Hector's point IS the scottish village. I wouldn't recommend this excursion. Though the oatcakes at the end were good.
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Review 2 for Heart Of The Island
Overall:
Wildlife/Scenery:
2
out of
5
Cultural/Historical:
2
out of
5
Entertaining:
1
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
2
out of
5
retiredfed
Location:Peoria, IL
Party size:1
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:September
Favorite activities:Relaxing
I want to go here next:Alaska
Date:October 22, 2012
Not really worthwhile
Rather boring. Could have skipped. Went in 2012.
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Review 3 for Heart Of The Island
Overall:
Wildlife/Scenery:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Historical:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
5
out of
5
highdeserthoney
Location:Las Cruces, NM
Party size:2
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:September
Favorite activities:Educational
Favorite port:Santorini, Greece
I want to go here next:Mexican Riviera
Date:October 11, 2012
Historic Sydney
Rather than walk the small town of Sydney, take the bus, the tour bus, that is! What a wonderful day in port exploring the historic area of Cape Breton island and the Nova Scotia Highland Village. The Village is high on a hill overlooking the Bras d'Or lakes, surrounded with breathtaking views, and brought to life by costumed guides who know all about the hard life of the founding villagers and can even speak Gaelic to you if you wish. My only complaint would be that there was too little time to explore every building, but that was because of the short time we had in port. We made sure we had time to get the hot tea and oat cakes provided for us n the Visitors Center! They certainly hit the spot on a cool misty day!! The bus trip to and from the village provided a beautiful experience to really see the Nova Scotia timbers, lakes and villages, all the while learning facts about Nova Scotia both historical and current from the very knowledgeable tour guide. I had hoped that we would see fall colors on the tress, but mid-September was too early in 2012. No matter, the vistas were magnificent, and I felt sorry for the cruisers who commented that their walk was "nice enough."
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Heart Of The Island
Overall:
Wildlife/Scenery:
5
out of
5
Cultural/Historical:
5
out of
5
Entertaining:
4
out of
5
Cultural/Educational:
4
out of
5
HppyTrvlr
Location:New Mexico
Party size:2
I traveled with:Family
Cruise Date Month:September
Date:September 23, 2012
Interesting Historical Site & Beautiful Landscape
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The tour begins with an hour’s bus ride through Sydney and the countryside to Bras d’Or lake. There we spent about 90 minutes on a self-guided tour of the Highland Village. We saw an interesting collection of mostly original and a few recreated buildings that trace the history of Nova Scotia settlers. The local site guides are dressed in period costume and enjoy answering questions about the displays and life of the settlers. The region is also very beautiful. I enjoyed this excursion more than I expected. There is a fair amount of walking between the buildings and the ground is not level which would make the walk difficult for a mobility challenged person.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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