Live (at the time) Review 12 night Canada/New England on Brilliance 10/22/12-11/3/12

[ace1zoe2]

Crab baskets:

 

 

Lobster traps:

 

 

We had planned to stop in Ingonish to eat at Coastal Waters Restaurant & Pub which was featured on You Gotta Eat Here on Food Network. However when we stopped they were closed for a private function. Turns out it was the tour bus for the cruise line and lunch was included as part of their excursion. We had packed some cheese crackers and shared a package on the way back to Sydney. Once in town we stopped for a quick bite at Wendy's which was cheap $8 and filled our hungry bellies. We filled the car us for $34 and dropped it at the rental place which took maybe three minutes tops, got into a shuttle and were back at port in 5 minutes.

 

We walked around the block right next to the port and saw the oldest church and two of the oldest houses in town, both were set up as museums and were $2 &$3 pp to go inside.

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[eded1953]

More scenic views:

 

 

 

 

 

Hi

I just want to thank you for the review and these beautiful pictures - this is one cruise I will need to take and especially remember this time of the year with the fall colors...looking forward to reading and seeing more of your cruise - and I love the different churches

Linda

[ace1zoe2]

We walked back to the port and took the obligatory pictures with the world's largest fiddle.

 

 

Inside the port building there was a craft sale going on and I was able to find 2 handmade ornaments which were cut from wood but a local craftsman for only $15 total.

 

 

Upstairs there was a nice overview of Sydney and places to visit within 1 hour. Some interesting things we saw:

 

 

Very cool flowers that are handmade from thin wood:

 

 

 

It was very interesting and worth spending a few minutes reading the information. They also offered free WiFi but we were never able to connect.

 

There were several shops in the same building featuring jewelry, sea glass, pewter and some Christmas Stuff. We didn't find anything that we couldn't live without so we boarded the ship about 3:00 (all aboard was 3:30). We dropped our bags In our room and headed down to deck 5 to Lattitudes where we used one of our BOGO specialty coffee coupons from our coupon book to get a hot chocolate for $3.50. Hubby got a toffee cookie which was good and I tried a chocolate scone but it was very dry and I ended up not eating it.

[ace1zoe2]

Afterwards we headed back to the room and ended up taking a 30 minute nap before getting ready for dinner at Choppe's at 6pm. Tonight was the second formal night in the main dining room. We had never been to Choppe's before and thought it was very nice. Our waiter was Catalin from Romania and he was excellent. For starters hubby had the shrimp cocktail which was way better than the one you get in the dining room. DR shrimp are small and watery, these were large, plump and meaty.

 

I had the crab cake and it was very good, but huge. I only ate half of it.

 

 

 

We were also served San Francisco sourdough bread with both butter and a cream cheese and roasted red pepper spread.

 

 

For dinner hubby chose the 10 oz filet and I got the 7 oz. they also offered a 12 oz strip steak and an 18 oz Porterhouse as well as ribs, fish, chicken, shrimp and more.

 

 

The sides were served family style. Hubby ordered onion rings & I got asparagus

 

 

We each ordered a baked potato and could have easily shared one and still had left overs. The meal was excellent but I could only eat less than a third of my steak and maybe a fourth of my potato... I hate wasting food but the portions are unbelievable. Next they wanted us to order dessert! There was no way we had room for that... Then they wanted us to share and we declined. Next they insisted that they would send at least one dessert to our stateroom to enjoy later. We headed back to the room around 7:15 to enjoy the balcony for a while. Around 8:30 the red velvet cake was dropped off... It was a slice the size of a dinner plate...not a dessert plate...

 

 

 

I can't understand how anyone could eat bread, appetizer, entree and the have room for that dessert! Hubby had the cake with milk I had never opened from my room service breakfast this morning and said it was really good,

 

We skipped the evening show again tonight. Tomorrow is another 7am port day.

Edited January 25, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Hi

I just want to thank you for the review and these beautiful pictures - this is one cruise I will need to take and especially remember this time of the year with the fall colors...looking forward to reading and seeing more of your cruise - and I love the different churches

Linda

 

It was a spectacular cruise because of the itinerary. We saw so many beautiful ports & the foliage was just gorgeous. Thanks for taking time to read my lengthy review.

[cruzinlady1947]

Around 8:30 the red velvet cake was dropped off... It was a slice the size of a dinner plate...not a dessert plate...

 

 

 

.

 

I want this.....and now. :p My favorite dessert. Unfortunately I didn't order it when I ate at Chops and I have been kicking myself ever since. Maybe one day I will finally do it.

 

Thanks so much for this great review. I recognize most of the places you have been. We did the 14 day on Celebrity last Sept., but it was a round trip from Bayonne. Loved every minute of it. We even had an extra day in Quebec because the winds were so strong in Gaspe that they wouldn't have been able to tender in to the town. This is my favorite itinerary so far. Of course, I haven't been that many places. We only cruise from Baltimore and New Jersey.

 

Your pictures are beautiful. The leaf colors were not that vibrant for us. I think it was a little too early. But, all our port days were sunny with the exception of our last day in Quebec.

 

Thanks again. Great job.

 

Gwen :)

Edited January 25, 2013 by cruzinlady1947

[ace1zoe2]

Jersey.

 

Your pictures are beautiful. The leaf colors were not that vibrant for us. I think it was a little too early. But, all our port days were sunny with the exception of our last day in Quebec.

 

Thanks again. Great job.

 

Gwen :)

 

 

Thanks for following along on my trip. We were afraid we would be too late for the leaves since this was the last trip of the season before BOTS headed to San Juan. Sydney (the Cabot Trail) had the best fall colors of the places we visited.

 

We would love to take another trip out of Boston in the future :)

[ace1zoe2]

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Day 10 Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

We were up early this morning and had breakfast at the WJ. We were cleared to leave the ship at 7am, however the Budget Rental didn't open until 8am. We started calling for a pickup at 7:30, 7:45, 8:00 they never answered. Finally we decided to just walk to the Hollis Street location which was less than a mile, probably an easy 15 minute walk. We were at the Budget Rental, processed & were and on the road by 8:25.

 

We decided to head out to Peggy's Cove and see what all the fuss was about. We took the Lighthouse Trail down a winding coastal road and it was a fun drive thru small coastal towns. There are so many community churches along the way and I enjoy the different styles of architecture, each being lovelier than the last.

 

We arrived at Peggy's Cove and found a place to park near the visitor's center up top. It is a very small community with around 60 full time residents. They receive something like 1.2 million visitors per year. It's such a quaint, tiny finishing village and is spectacular for photo opportunities.

 

There is the Peggy's Cove lighthouse, lobster cages, the granite rocks, the ocean, the fishing boats. There is a gallery in the former home of the artist De Garthe as well as a granite sculpture he did near the gallery.

 

You can walk the entire area. There are some gift shops, a place or two to eat, get ice cream, coffee, etc and a few vendors set up outside to sell their wares. I'm so glad that we chose to go to Peggy's Cove. I had heard that it wasn't worth it and that Lunenburg was better but I totally thought it was worth the trip.

 

You can decide for yourself:

 

The 100 ft long granite named Fisherman's Monument features 32 fisherman, their wives & children under the protection of an angel with outstretched wings:

 

 

 

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse is perched on top of some huge rocks and it is beautiful:

 

 

We had the added treat of a bagpiper playing which my husband absolutely loved:

 

 

I loved this photo featuring a bird:

 

 

A close up of the rocks, you cannot imagine how big they are:

 

 

The lighthouse is at the top of the circle that goes thru Peggy's Cove. You can walk the whole area in 20 minutes but we were probably there an hour to an hour and a half. The scenic drive along the coastline was an added bonus.

[ace1zoe2]

The community of Peggy's Cove is an idyllic fishing village. It is a photographer's (at least this amatuer's) dream:

 

 

 

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

More from Peggy's Cove:

 

 

 

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

I loved this place!

 

 

We were doing good on time and after talking to a gentleman working in the visitor's center we felt comfortable traveling on to Lunenburg. He had advised us that if we continued the coastal highway it would take about 1 hour 45 minutes, putting us there at 1pm. He said if we came back by the hwy or fwy that it would only take 1 hour to get back to Halifax. He was on the money on the times. We stopped at Mahone Bay for me to get some pictures of the 3 churches right on the bay:

 

 

We then continued on to Lunenburg arriving about 12:55. We drove thru the town, then down by the harbor area stopping several times for pictures.

 

 

 

The downtown area:

 

 

The Bluenose II is located here and is set up as a museum. This is boat moored at the dock:

 

[ace1zoe2]

Looking across the harbor:

 

 

A quick in & out at the Subway for a sandwich to share on the ride back ($10 for a 6", drink & chips). We were back in Halifax and had the car dropped off around 2:50. Rental car for the day was $20 and change and we spent $14 on gas.

 

All aboard was 4:30 so that gave us a little over an hour to walk along the boardwalk area near the pier, take some pictures and do a little people watching.

 

A working lighthouse in the port area of Halifax where we docked:

 

 

We were impressed with the recycling efforts in Halifax:

 

 

There was a long boardwalk with lots of family ares, play areas & food venues available.

 

 

 

Inside the terminal there were lots of stores to shop at and I had already scoped out my Christmas ornaments earlier that morning before we left. We walked thru looking at everything then I came back to the original spot and purchased a Peggy's Cove lighthouse painted on a sea shell and an angel in tartan plaid with a saying about New Brunswick attached to it, together it was $18 for both. I forgot to take pictures of my ornaments

 

 

We boarded the ship and went back to our room to drop off our things and freshen up for the Upper Tier Party. All the Platinum & above C&A members were invited to the event held in the Colony Club at 4:45. It was similar to the Welcome Back party held a few days before for everyone, only not quite as crowded. The 500+ gold members weren't there so that left about 500 upper tier... I would guess maybe 200 people were there... I have to think that most of the diamond, diamond plus, pinnacle would rather be in the diamond lounge or the Concierge lounge any way as they have that available daily. Again today they had passed drinks, champagne, red & white wine, draft beer, mixed juices with vodkas, etc. They also had passed appetizers today. They brought everyone small plates, then another server came by with and served apps. Afterward they had a couple of their bartenders put on a show to music mixing drinks which they handed out to some lucky folks.

 

We had dinner at 5:30 so we went straight to the dining room afterward. I forgot my camera tonight so no pictures.

 

After dinner we went back to the room to catch up on the news and find out what was going on with Hurricane Sandy.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Saint John, NB where we have a private excursion I set up with Roy Flowers.

[emilygrace]

Your photos are fantastic! I keep thinking "this one (and this one and this one) would make a great jigsaw puzzle". I hope you are not insulted by that comment.....I LOVE jigsaw puzzles (love doing them on my iPad too).

[not2old]

Cindy, we are older. in our later 60's and have done Canada/NE twice on the Explorer. I've been trying to get up the nerve to plan a cruise similar to yours and after looking at your wonderful pcs, reading about how you planned this trip, I think we can do it! Was really unsure about the upper Canada area, but you convinced me that we can make it happen!! Thank you for taking the time to put this together, you have made these two old sailors very happy!

[ace1zoe2]

Your photos are fantastic! I keep thinking "this one (and this one and this one) would make a great jigsaw puzzle". I hope you are not insulted by that comment.....I LOVE jigsaw puzzles (love doing them on my iPad too).

 

Thanks for your compliments. I used to love working puzzles with my mom & dad during their last couple of years before they passed on. Brings back great memories.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Edited January 26, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Cindy, we are older. in our later 60's and have done Canada/NE twice on the Explorer. I've been trying to get up the nerve to plan a cruise similar to yours and after looking at your wonderful pcs, reading about how you planned this trip, I think we can do it! Was really unsure about the upper Canada area, but you convinced me that we can make it happen!! Thank you for taking the time to put this together, you have made these two old sailors very happy!

 

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

 

Your comments make all the time & effort that I have out in to this review worth while! I hope that you have a wonderful time on your trip. If I can ell you, please feel free to ask.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[The Big Booper]

Many of your pictures have a deep blue sky. Were they edited for color saturation or just a result of what time of day you took them?

[ace1zoe2]

Many of your pictures have a deep blue sky. Were they edited for color saturation or just a result of what time of day you took them?

 

Some of the pictures I have clicked "enhance" in iPhoto because the colors were washed out, some were taken in the mist or rain, others I have had to increase the exposure to lighten them up because they were a little dark (inside churches, etc).

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Edited January 26, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Monday, October 29, 2012

Day 11, Saint John, NB

 

 

We headed down for breakfast in the main dining room around 8am. Service was great today. Hubby had French toast from the hot buffet area and i ordered eggs Benedict. We were due to arrive in port at 9:30 this morning so we had a chance to sleep in a little & enjoy a leisurely breakfast. After breakfast we swung by the cabin around 9am to grab our jackets, backpack & cameras. We also placed a call to Roy Flowers to confirm our meeting place once off the ship.

 

As we came off the ship around 9:45 the local welcoming committee was out in force. Each lady was presented a rose and each man received a lapel pin and they also gave each group a postcard of the city and a map... Very nice touch.

 

 

Roy was waiting right outside and we all loaded up in his van for our day long tour of Saint John and St. Martin. I booked this trip many months ago after reading about it on CC. I asked on our roll call if anyone would like to join us and immediately Sharon & Dave from Texas, only about an hour away from where we live, and Lucy & Bill from Pennsylvania were on board. Roy was a character and had lots of local stories, legends and information about his town. He had some issues with his van this last week and one of the side doors wasn't working so it made it a little hard for 5 of us climbing in & out of the back, but it all worked out & we had a great trip.

 

He took us to a lot of local places including the old courthouse with one of a kind unsupported concrete spiral staircase:

 

 

Looking down from the top:

 

 

From underneath:

 

 

 

It is the only spiral staircase known to exist in Canada that was built of stone in the 19th century. The stone staircase spirals up three stories without a central support. Each of the 49 steps in the staircase was cut from a solid block of stone. It is said that one hundred tons of stone were quarried in Scotland and brought to Saint John to build the stairway. The staircase has a finely wrought iron railing with a geometric sequence of overlapping ovals following a neo-classical English tradition of the 18th Century. When the stairs were completed it is said that no one wanted to be the first to walk on them, afraid that it would collapse. Finally, they sent for a prisoner from the jail and forced him to walk the stairs.

Edited January 26, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Saint John continued...

 

The reversing falls at both high & low tide (which really isn't anything like a waterfall). The first picture was taken before noon and the second one was probably near 5pm.

 

Looking toward the bridge:

 

 

 

Looking toward the rock area in the middle:

 

 

 

 

Where the waters meet and show the reversing effect:

 

Edited January 26, 2013 by ace1zoe2

[ace1zoe2]

Saint John continued...

 

We also saw the Saint John city market said to be the oldest in the country and Kings Square but I didn't take pictures of either. Then we went to the Cathedral Church which was impressive:

 

 

Interior views:

 

 

 

 

[ace1zoe2]

Saint John

Cathedral Church continued...

 

 

 

Next we went by Fort Howe where we just stopped to take pictures. You can actually take a tour but it cost around $10-$12 per person and Roy said it wasn't worth the money in his opinion.

 

 

Then we drove up to the highest point in Saint John for pictures. the first one is looking down at the ship:

 

 

This one is from the ship looking up where we were at to take the previous picture:

 

[ace1zoe2]

Some picture from the highest point of around town:

 

 

 

After that stop we drove down to the coast line and down to Saint Martin's covered bridges, something i had never seen. It was quiet picturesque.

 

 

On the way back thru Roy stopped on the other side of the bridge for a different vantage point that included two covered bridges in the same shot. Roy was quiet helpful in getting us to the best places to take the greatest pictures.

 

 

A close up of the second bridge

 

[ace1zoe2]

At the stop near the covered bridges there were a couple of stores selling tourist items & sundries. Across the road from them there was a lighthouse museum which was really small but neat. There was a bathroom inside you could use. You could also go up to the top of the lighthouse using a very steep stairs/ladder with rails which you had to back down facing the ladder because the tread were to narrow to go down forward. If you are claustrophobic or afraid of heights I do not suggest that you go up inside the lighthouse.

 

 

This is the original light from the lighthouse

 

 

The view looking through the lighthouse windows at the top

 

 

Some of the views around the shops and bridge area

 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2013 by ace1zoe2