Corner Brook, Canada Cruise Port

Corner Brook, Canada is a small town that makes a compact and easy cruise port. The cruise lines offer excursions from Corner Brook, but it is also an easy town to walk around on your own.

We stopped in Corner Brook as our first port after 10 sea days in a row (we had three ports canceled) so we were in need of a pharmacy and simply a little time on land. But it’s not like it’s Nassau and there is plenty of information about what to do there. We weren’t really sure about the basics.

How do you get into town? Is there a shuttle bus? Is it walkable? Will they take US dollars? What is there at the cruise terminal? These are the types of questions we had as we approached the port.

How do you get from the cruise port to town in Corner Brook?

There is a shuttle bus that takes you from the cruise terminal into the town of Corner Brook. There are several different types of shuttles that run so the type of bus you are on just depends. We were on a tiny school bus for the ride over, but there were also huge charter buses running as well.

There were long lines to get onto the shuttle back. We had to tender to the port so there was no line on the way in, but I decided to skip the line and walk back to port.

Can you walk from the cruise terminal into Corner Brook?

Yes! It was about a 10 minute walk from the shuttle bus stop on one end to the shuttle stop on the other end. However, if the line to get onto the shuttle is not long at the terminal, I would recommend riding the shuttle into town and walking back.

First, the shuttle does not drive in the shortest route, so you get to see a little bit of the town as you ride along, including the Corner Brook sign. Secondly, Corner Brook is uphill from the terminal. It was a very easy walk back to the port from town, but I expect it would not be such an easy walk towards town due to the hill.

Third, there were very long lines for people to return to the ship. We were only in town for a short amount of time and so everyone was trying to return in a two hour window. This just caused excessively long lines.

Do they take US dollars?

It’s a cruise port and they are used to tourists…but ask first. Our first stop off the ship was at a pharmacy (again, we had been on the ship for 10 days straight at this point) and they were very clear they did not accept US dollars in cash. But they happily accepted a credit card.

I would just take a credit card unless you happen to have Canadian dollars. Don’t worry about getting them for the port, just plan to pay by credit card instead.

What is there to do in town?

The town had some shops set up in front of the city hall while we were there, for the benefit of cruise passengers. We walked around the main area of town and went in a few of the shops. Everything felt much more centralized and a little old-fashioned.

There are also a lot of different walking trails around town. These follow the name-sake Corner Brook. These are easy to find on a map and allow you to find a little nature without having to go too far.

What can you expect at the cruise terminal?

The cruise terminal was not one building. It was made up of smaller buildings. There was an information booth. The bathrooms were in a trailer (but the nice kind of trailer bathroom). There were also a lot of small shops along the waterfront that you could stop at for souvenirs. These ranged from soap, to towels, to jewelry, to Canada t-shirts and magnets.

There were no restaurants or places to eat at the port. You had to take the shuttle or walk into town to find anything to eat or drink. But again, it’s only about a 10-20 minute process to get into the town.

What should you expect when your cruise ship stops at the port of Corner Brook, Canada?

You should expect a quaint Canadian town. It’s an easy cruise port, but largely because it is such a small town. It’s probably not a cruise port you book a cruise for, but it’s a nice stop. We had a pleasant day here, but it is not anything exciting.