Note: This is Part One of a two-part blog. Part Two will follow next week.
Ralph Grizzle just got the ultimate crash course on Atlantic Canada.
And I got to be a part of the Halifax chapter.
'The Avid Cruiser,' as Grizzle is most commonly known, is a widely-respected cruise blogger from North Carolina who was recently in our region with videographer Chris Stanley producing a travel show for cruise ships and Grizzle's website, www.avidcruiser.com.
"It's a new style of travel show," Grizzle said on a drive to Lunenburg about two weeks ago. "It aims to be honest and just to inspire people to get off the ship and into the destination."
In less than two weeks, Grizzle and Stanley were tasked with covering all the best features of the cruise stops in Atlantic Canada - Corner Brook, N.L., Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saint John, N.B., and Sydney and Halifax, N.S. The show is expected to reach an audience of about 3.5 million people.
When he arrived in Halifax on the second-to-last day of filming, Grizzle was already amazed by everything he had experienced in such a short time. From zip lining to trying new food to going out on lobster boats to touring a coal mine, The Avid Cruiser had his hands full on the trip.
"We've been amazed by the diversity of the destinations," Grizzle said. "You can come up here and have a very full cruise experience and you wouldn't have to repeat any experiences if you didn't want to because it's so diverse in the offerings."
Ralph Grizzle just got the ultimate crash course on Atlantic Canada.And I got to be a part of the Halifax chapter.
'The Avid Cruiser,' as Grizzle is most commonly known, is a widely-respected cruise blogger from North Carolina who was recently in our region with videographer Chris Stanley producing a travel show for cruise ships and Grizzle's website, www.avidcruiser.com.
"It's a new style of travel show," Grizzle said on a drive to Lunenburg about two weeks ago. "It aims to be honest and just to inspire people to get off the ship and into the destination."
In less than two weeks, Grizzle and Stanley were tasked with covering all the best features of the cruise stops in Atlantic Canada - Corner Brook, N.L., Charlottetown, P.E.I., Saint John, N.B., and Sydney and Halifax, N.S. The show is expected to reach an audience of about 3.5 million people.
When he arrived in Halifax on the second-to-last day of filming, Grizzle was already amazed by everything he had experienced in such a short time. From zip lining to trying new food to going out on lobster boats to touring a coal mine, The Avid Cruiser had his hands full on the trip.
"We've been amazed by the diversity of the destinations," Grizzle said. "You can come up here and have a very full cruise experience and you wouldn't have to repeat any experiences if you didn't want to because it's so diverse in the offerings."
I had the opportunity to join Grizzle and Co. as he took in his first
day of two in Halifax and area. It was a busy schedule, but Grizzle and
Stanley made the very most of their time filming.
For Grizzle and Stanley, the day started at 8:45 a.m. with a walk from Historic Properties down to NovaScotian Crystal.
At 9:30, they, accompanied by Ambassatours tour director Paul Emmons (who guided the entire day's events) met up with me and a couple other Halifax Port Authority folks at Pavilion 22 in the Halifax Seaport district. We showed them around the cruise pavilion, took them into the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, walked them up to the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market for some samples at The Fish Shop, then went across the street to Garrison Brewing Co. for a quick explanation of microbrewing.
After about an hour at the Seaport and with much more of Nova Scotia to discover, we had to move on to tour the rest of the city.
With a tight schedule throughout the day, Grizzle and Stanley still made sure to take the time to really capture the essence of each experience. Stanley, a world traveller in his own right, appreciated the convenience the Seaport offers.
"It's a nice luxury to have such a big cruise ship terminal where all the passengers can just come and go as they please with all the amenities right at their fingertips," Stanley said.
"You get a lot of that (at other ports), but not to the extent that Halifax has. You would find little vendors and stuff, usually, but you wouldn't find museums, breweries and all that sort of thing right on the doorstep."
Part Two will follow next week as I document Grizzle's tour of Halifax on the Big Pink Bus, the Halifax Public Gardens and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, as well as shore excursions to Peggy's Cove, Acadian Maple Products and Lunenburg.
Justin Dickie is a public affairs co-ordinator with the Halifax Port Authority. He can be reached at jdickie@portofhalifax.ca.
For Grizzle and Stanley, the day started at 8:45 a.m. with a walk from Historic Properties down to NovaScotian Crystal.
At 9:30, they, accompanied by Ambassatours tour director Paul Emmons (who guided the entire day's events) met up with me and a couple other Halifax Port Authority folks at Pavilion 22 in the Halifax Seaport district. We showed them around the cruise pavilion, took them into the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, walked them up to the Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market for some samples at The Fish Shop, then went across the street to Garrison Brewing Co. for a quick explanation of microbrewing.
After about an hour at the Seaport and with much more of Nova Scotia to discover, we had to move on to tour the rest of the city.
With a tight schedule throughout the day, Grizzle and Stanley still made sure to take the time to really capture the essence of each experience. Stanley, a world traveller in his own right, appreciated the convenience the Seaport offers.
"It's a nice luxury to have such a big cruise ship terminal where all the passengers can just come and go as they please with all the amenities right at their fingertips," Stanley said.
"You get a lot of that (at other ports), but not to the extent that Halifax has. You would find little vendors and stuff, usually, but you wouldn't find museums, breweries and all that sort of thing right on the doorstep."
Part Two will follow next week as I document Grizzle's tour of Halifax on the Big Pink Bus, the Halifax Public Gardens and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, as well as shore excursions to Peggy's Cove, Acadian Maple Products and Lunenburg.
Justin Dickie is a public affairs co-ordinator with the Halifax Port Authority. He can be reached at jdickie@portofhalifax.ca.
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