Newfoundland caravan

[Already gone]

The wife and I, Plus our two kids(boston terrier, and a 4 1/2 lb terror chihuahua) are signed up for Newfoundland Caravan this July, We are wondering if anyone has a tip or two that would help us enjoy the experience more. Any idea you have will be appreciated.

[FC Ontario]

Take time to enjoy the trip to the start of the caravan, as I expect you will be travelling through Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Can give you info on that route if you would like.

[jhagedon]

FINALLY got a few minutes to respond to your post :-)

Glad you started this thread. We are also going and recently had a chance to sit down with Roger and Nancy Fox, a couple that was on the caravan last year. They were very positive about the caravan and are really glad they went.

We also have two dogs and were especially interested in the arrangement for pets during the 14 hour ferry crossing, and whether to use the kennel or to leave our pair in the coach. Roger and Nancy put their dog in the kennel, but said that if they were to do it again, they would leave her in the rig - which is what we are planning to do.

They said there was constant barking in the kennel, it was crowded, and there was only a very small place to let the dogs relieve themselves. And, of course, you will also have to pay for the kennel.

In our case, our dogs can go a long time before they have to relieve themselves. They are also used to using "training pads", and they will, of course, have food and water available. Plus they will be in a place they are familiar with. We also plan to leave a flourescent and LED light fixtures on, which may not make the dogs more comfortable, but we will feel better :-)

Depending on weather, the captain may allow you to go down to your rig to check on pets, but we are making plans to be away from for the full 14 hours.

We're looking forward to meeting you and spending time together on the caravan!

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhagedon FINALLY got a few minutes to respond to your post :-) Glad you started this thread. We are also going and recently had a chance to sit down with Roger and Nancy Fox, a couple that was on the caravan last year. They were very positive about the caravan and are really glad they went. We also have two dogs and were especially interested in the arrangement for pets during the 14 hour ferry crossing, and whether to use the kennel or to leave our pair in the coach. Roger and Nancy put their dog in the kennel, but said that if they were to do it again, they would leave her in the rig - which is what we are planning to do. They said there was constant barking in the kennel, it was crowded, and there was only a very small place to let the dogs relieve themselves. And, of course, you will also have to pay for the kennel. In our case, our dogs can go a long time before they have to relieve themselves. They are also used to using "training pads", and they will, of course, have food and water available. Plus they will be in a place they are familiar with. We also plan to leave a flourescent and LED light fixtures on, which may not make the dogs more comfortable, but we will feel better :-) Depending on weather, the captain may allow you to go down to your rig to check on pets, but we are making plans to be away from for the full 14 hours. We're looking forward to meeting you and spending time together on the caravan!

We went in 03 and kept our shihtzu in the MH. We were allowed to go down a few times but our little guy wouldn't go on the deck, so he just held it. We did get two bunks for us. It is a shared cabin with four bunks. We took the two lower ones and slept with our clothes on. It was well worth the small cost. We got there refreshed and raring to go.

By the way we paid about $675.00 US for the round trip. We took the 5 hour boat from Port a Basque as our return as we drove the whole Island ( 400 miles ) during our 4 weeks there. We went alone but saw caravans everywhere we went. The US dollar was worth much more than compared to CDN $. How much is it now for the ferry?

By the way, the Canadians are excellent with their tourist information places and at the ferry terminal is where we picked up all our information. Of course that was before the wealth of information that's available today on the internet.

By the way don't miss Prince Edward Island while you're up there.

Have fun

[bakntep]

We are also going on the Newfoundland caravan - also debating the dog question, as we have Shelby, who will by the time of the caravan be a 7 year old Border Terrier - we hope to train her to the pee pads in the months before the caravan, as leaving her in the coach seems like a better option than buying a kennel we'd have to find room for in the MH, and leaving her in the company of many strange dogs. Since she doesn't really think she is a dog, I think she'd be really unhappy in that situation. We're really looking forward to the caravan.

[jhagedon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bakntep We are also going on the Newfoundland caravan - also debating the dog question, as we have Shelby, who will by the time of the caravan be a 7 year old Border Terrier - we hope to train her to the pee pads in the months before the caravan, as leaving her in the coach seems like a better option than buying a kennel we'd have to find room for in the MH, and leaving her in the company of many strange dogs. Since she doesn't really think she is a dog, I think she'd be really unhappy in that situation. We're really looking forward to the caravan.

Hi Palmers:

Good seeing you here in Tucson! You basically came to the same conclusions we did. Our two Shih Tzus will be nearly three years old when we make the trip. They have been trained on "pee" pads so they basically know what they are for. Having said that, with the limited room left in the rig after the slides are in, we are just going to pretty much cover the remaining floor with pads, just in case . . .

[Arch Hoagland]

We've never taken a caravan. How much would that trip you are taking cost?

[jhagedon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland We've never taken a caravan. How much would that trip you are taking cost?

Hi:

Well, at $4,000, this particular caravan is pretty pricy, because it lasts over a month and includes a 14+hour ferry ride, with the rig, to get to Newfoundland from Halifax NS. This is one of those trips that is on our bucket list, so we are going to go for it!

The Newmar Kountry Klub has several rallies/special events throughout the year that are less expensive, although still pretty much first-class events. Although these are intended to be for Klub members, many of these events accept rigs other than Newmars, on a space-available basis. Here's a link to the list of events that are coming up in the near future:

Special Events - Newmar Kountry Klub

There are others that include the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which we hosted the past three years, and Christmas in the Smokies, that come to mind right now. We've been on several, and they are all a lot of fun. Of course, there are other private companies, such as Adventure Caravans that do events such as these as well.

[Already gone]

Thanks for the help with the dog problem. We too will leave our kids(dogs) in the rig. Our little 4 1/2 lb Coconut would go off the deep end if we left him in a kennel.
Mary Ann and I are staying in Casa Grande, Az ( Palm Creek Golf and Rv Resort) for the winter and will be there until about the first of May.
Anyone in or around Casa Grande like to meet and talk about the Newfoundland Caravan?? Please post a response or call 520-876-7215.
While we are on the road we are planing to attend the Newmar International Rally also.

[jhagedon]

Well, as luck would have it, we will be staying at Palm Creek Monday evening (March 7) and will be going to the Newmar Owners Breakfast on Tuesday morning. Gary and Tammy Beeler, who are also going to Newfoundland will be there with us. We'd definitely like to make contact.

[Already gone]

Ok, We have the dogs covered, next is the cell phone. Sprint tell me that they charge $2.99 per month, plus .20 cents per minute for international calls. Ouch, there has to be a better way. My contract with Sprint is up, an I have a free day tomorrow, I will check Verizon to see their rates.

[TW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Already gone Ok, We have the dogs covered, next is the cell phone. Sprint tell me that they charge $2.99 per month, plus .20 cents per minute for international calls. Ouch, there has to be a better way. My contract with Sprint is up, an I have a free day tomorrow, I will check Verizon to see their rates.

Just to let you know our plan: 0 Null
We just carry a pay-as-you-go for those emergency calls or help with a flat tire.
10 bucks a month
We just gave up on calls. No airline calls us anymore for a flight to 'somewhere'

[jhagedon]

I checked with Verizon (our carrier) today concerning coverage in Canada. If we don't do anything and just "roam" in Canada, it will cost us .69 per minute! If we change to an International Calling Plan for the time we are in Canada, we get 450 minutes for $59.95 per month. We can change back when we return to the States.

The data situation is not so good. We can use our broadband card (in our case, our MiFi) but the cost is $30 for 75 Mb., or $100 for 200 Mb!! No in-between, so the first Mb. over 75 costs $70!! Needless to say, we will be using campground WiFi wherever possible!

[Akibase]

If you have never experienced Newfoundland. You are about to meet the nicest, most fun loving, most laid back, funniest people on this earth.
You will have a ball. Newfoundland is beautiful and the people are as well.
God bless you on your trip and watch out for the moose.
Don't miss the beer and give the cod a kiss for me.