Sean224

I don’t think you need to apologize! I wish we were underway but I’ve enjoyed this cruise immensely. Most people I’ve talked with seem to be happy with the decision to take the safe route. If you haven’t had a drink in the atrium yet, I think the bartenders are the best there, and there’s usually something going on (like trivia or, God forbid for me, country line dancing lessons).

Yes, sometimes cruise lines like to make it sound simple at first glance, don’t they? Like calling Warnemunde “Berlin” even though it’s not even close. Calling Civitavecchia “Rome” is similar, though it’s much less of a crime since it’s only 50 miles away rather than about 150. (For those of us from Massachusetts, I think one could get away with calling Plymouth or [maybe] Worcester “Boston” — both about the same distance as Civitavecchia and Rome. Calling Portland, Maine “Boston” would never fly, though, and that’s 30 miles closer than Warnemunde and Berlin.). Forgive my little rant there… Anyway, in this case, it’s not the cruise lines themselves to blame but the natural inclination to think, “Quebec, that’s not far at all [under 400 miles] from Boston” and assume that transportation won’t be too complicated. Not so. Case-in-point: My flight to Florida connects in the same place (Philadelphia) and arrives at about the same time as it would into Boston even though it’s 1000 miles farther. (If you’re a Star Alliance person—instead of a committed Oneworld traveler like me—you might have a faster journey on Air Canada, though it might be ludicrously expensive.) I think the easiest solution is actually to sail back-to-back—leave from Boston and return to Boston. If you watch the fares, you might be able to find a deal that would that would double your vacation and only cost a little more (or even a little less!) than the one-week cruise and flights.

There are two unexpected joys to come out of this. First, if you like aviation even a little, the views of planes taking off and landing—even if the end of the runway is obstructed by buildings due to our mooring—this is the place to be. I spent a few hours today without the normal sail-away frenzy on deck with a drink just watching them fly by. Second, I’ve never seen a sky quite like this. I’m not a photographer but it’s beautiful. An expected joy is Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse onboard. It is equally delicious and the service is equally wonderful even if we’re stuck in port.

At last, here’s the (probable) final word. Once it’s safe, we’ll leave—skipping Bar Harbor and PEI, continuing to Canada and resuming our normal itinerary for the last two ports (Saguenay and Quebec). I didn’t have a pen handy to jot down the precise times but we’ll have some more time at sea, which makes sense because I imagine it’ll be a bit choppy.

I just heard two officers muttering about not wanting to go North. Perhaps they’re looking at the same forecasts as the rest of us and are wanting the storm to go by us, and then for us to get out of the proverbial Dodge. There have been a few announcements from the Captain — in fact, he’s probably made as many today as he did for the whole previous cruise — but there’s been no new information about the itinerary, although he’s said we’ll get an update “late” this afternoon. When he tells us what we’re going to do, I’ll include it here because I know people are curious (and have family onboard).

This will be my last post for a bit but, Hwhens43, despite the lack of communication, having just been on this boat for a cruise—I’m back-to-back—I can say that the officers know what they’re doing and I have no concerns about safety at all. All of us will be just fine, and are lucky to be on a ship where there’s no alternative but to enjoy ourselves. Your parents will have a great time wherever we end up!

So - surprise, surprise - we are staying here in Boston tonight due to the weather. An announcement will be coming mid-afternoon about the rest of the schedule and how it’s affected. Anyone who wants to get off the boat has a 10:00 pm curfew (my word, not theirs).

They just said on the PA that an important announcement from the Captain is coming in the next few minutes. I suspect we’ll have some clarity then.

Completely unrelated: it would appear that the computers are down at the bar. The poor bartenders (who are awesome) are recording people’s drinks, with room numbers, on paper. And it’s the embarkation rush in the atrium. It’s packed.

I just booked an excursion for tomorrow, which consists of a boat ride. (In fairness to them, they could easily cancel/refund it yet.) The people next to me at the bar are incredulous and angry at the lack of communication. It’s a little stunning. At this point, I am becoming bemused by the whole thing. As he said, “Just announce it!”

The first announcement from the Assistant Cruise Director (whom I like — ditto with the Cruise Director) was standard. It’s a requirement that everyone must go to their muster stations and, also, our staterooms aren’t ready yet. No mention of a storm at all. It’s like the thing doesn’t exist.

I’ve just completed my muster drill, and I asked the attendants if we are still going to Bar Harbor. She told me “we don’t know yet.” And—I swear this is true—“we will know in about ten hours.” There was a bit of a language barrier. Maybe she meant they’ve been wondering for ten hours. Regardless, no clarity.

Everything is operating here as if everything is normal. Guest Services just put signs out saying that no upgrades are available as it’s fully-booked. There was just an announcement for the crew that embarkation is commencing in 15 minutes, and one of the staff who is directing people to their muster stations just told me we are still going to Bar Harbor on schedule!

The good news is that they’re putting out of the bar menus as normal onto the table, so presumably we’re stocked with provisions. Having said that, although my French is quite rusty, I’m fairly certain he just told some other passengers: “Je ne connais pas…” …words I missed… then: “La pluie”… which probably means something like he doesn’t know about the rain, and I’m speculating he was saying he didn’t know any more than the rest of us.

Sure, I’m happy to do so. I am one of the lucky ones because I’m already onboard, so there aren’t any travel arrangements that can be ruined for me (presuming they don’t cancel the cruise entirely while I’m sitting here or fail to deliver us to Quebec in a week). Right now, we’re in the limbo period—no new passengers onboard yet and the crew are preparing for the influx.

I am onboard the ship currently (cruising back-to-back). Mixed messages here, too, for what it’s worth. Guest Services maintains that we’re departing as scheduled and they haven’t heard anything about any change in itinerary. However, another staff member transiting through the atrium said he “heard” we’re staying here in Boston.