After two cancellations, our New England/Atlantic Canada cruise finally came to pass. Early on in planning, I had booked Paul McNeil’s Halifax Titanic Historical Tour. It was refreshing that he required no deposit, so we were out no money as the 2+ years passed. I reconfirmed with Paul a couple of times and, finally, we were able to visit Halifax in October 2022. Unfortunately, the cruise line had a too-short port time for a city so steeped in history. I had no prior knowledge of Halifax, and didn’t know what to expect. After spending several hours with Paul, I was left longing for more time there. He tailored his tour to our needs and tried to fit in all he possibly could, while mindful of our ship’s departure time.
In the course of 25 cruises, we have taken many, many tours and Paul is at the top of our list of guides we’ve experienced. His knowledge of the city was obvious and his love for it became apparent in his dialogue. His occasional personal interjections added to our enjoyment.
My husband and I were very comfortable in the van and the large tablet mounted above the dash held many slides and videos that added to our understanding and enjoyment of the sights we viewed.
As a testament to the kind of person Paul is, I must tell a somewhat simplified tale of a personal incident. After ending the tour, standing in line to reboard the ship, I was onboard when I realized I was missing my small backpack. I phoned Paul’s cell and he said he’d head right back to the terminal. I was a bit panicked as, by that time, we were very close to all-aboard time. A conscientious young man on the ship’s security staff told me to stay put and he’d go to the terminal. He connected with Paul and retrieved my backpack. A bit later, Paul phoned me to see that I had my backpack and all was well. Paul went the extra mile, literally as well as figuratively!
Given the opportunity, I would book another tour with Paul McNeil in a heartbeat! I can’t recommend him highly enough!
