Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Canada New England Review (Pics)

clarkg

By clarkg,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

clarkg

clarkg

Posted
Posted

This is the short (condensed) version of the review. I thought I would keep it simple on the boards. If you want to read the long version it is done and posted on my blog. The link is below.

I was having troubles with the pictures being too large, so I just posted the links instead. If anyone knows how I can shrink the photos without having to go through them one by one and resize them, please let me know.

 

The Flight in to New York

 

The wife drove down to Sea-Tac at two in the morning to catch our 6am flight. We got to the airport parking early. When we put in our booking number it came up with a list of names. It is weird being in a group like this and not being able to print the boarding passes at home. It was a new experience for us. We selected our names and printed out our passes. All went well and soon we were checked in and through Security.

We then made our way to the gate where we hear that someone in the group was running late and are not going to make the flight. Most of the rest of the group is from a YMCA exercise class and they all know each other. The wife and I were kinda of outsiders.

It was a nonstop flight and the first time we have flown across the country without a layover. It is a five hour flight though. The wife fell asleep because she is not used to being up at 2 am but since I am used to it I sat there wide awake despite my attempts at dozing off.

As I looked out the window of the airplane I saw a beautiful crimson colored sunrise that we are flying into. Soon clouds obstruct my view. I was able to finally nod off several hours into the flight. When I wake up I look down and the clouds have parted. There are the Great Lakes right below me. The wife wants to look so I gave her the window seat. The guy in the seat next to me has a map on his computer that shows our current position and he says we are over Rochester, New York. As we get closer and lower, I am able to spot iconic landmarks from the plane window; the Brooklyn Bridge, the Freedom Tower, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. We landed in Newark, New Jersey. It is the first time I have been in New Jersey so I have another state I can check off in my goal to get to all fifty.

As we travel into New York City I watch as we go through neighborhood after neighborhood, each with its own uniqueness. We arrive at our hotel and get out. They will bring our luggage to our room so we can go and explore right away and not have to lug our suitcases around. Our room is on the 29th floor. The wife and I went and dropped off our carry-on bags. When we looked down we saw that we were right on Times Square.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jpem-KjqYAY/VGuOLdQ1QfI/AAAAAAAABJg/f4cDLzkYAIc/s1600/DSCN6914.JPG

 

I didn’t even know the name of the hotel until we were on the bus and on the way to it, I have been so disconnected from this cruise. I was amazed to see all of the bling and flashing lights of the city.

I had several bad stereotypes of New York growing up and it lasted even as far as my late teens when I was at the New York airport going overseas. I thought that there were muggers on every corner and that you would get killed riding the subway. It stems from all of the movies and television shows you see growing up that put New York in a bad light. In my later years it is enhanced by all the news reports of gangs roaming the cities and stabbings on the subways.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NxB9yywTHDA/VGuODu0olsI/AAAAAAAABJY/i6GjmfcVb18/s1600/DSCN6923.JPG

 

The does not have these same fears and was all gung ho to get out there. We hit the streets and grab a hot dog from a New York street vendor. When we are in Times Square there are many people dressed up as different characters. There is Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and some I don’t recognize. All of them are going around trying to get people to take pictures with them, if you do then they expect a tip for it.

This one girl in a glitzy bikini with a headdress on comes up to me and asks, “Don’t you want a picture with me?”

‘You trying to get me killed?’ I think. I look over and the wife is scowling at me. I say, “No, thank you” I say to the girl and we moved on.

The wife leads me down to the subway. I guess she didn’t see the same movies as me growing up. The out of towners always get killed in the New York subway. It was fine though and I lived to tell. The only problem was the train divided so that only the first five cars were going to the stop we wanted to get off at and we were way in the back so we had to make a run for it. We made the fourth car and got to the stop we wanted to be at.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lAzaRZrqVQE/VGuOSz1DnRI/AAAAAAAABJo/g1wybjpbz8A/s1600/DSCN6924.JPG

 

 

When we exited the subway we were face to face with the Staten Island Ferry. I can tell you nothing about Staten Island except it has a ferry to it. I’m looking around for a ticket booth and Deb is smiling to herself. There is no charge for the Staten Island Ferry, You just walk on along with a thousand other people.

After the hordes got on the ship they raised the ramps and we were off. The ferry goes right past Ellis Island and Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty is. Is was great to get some close up pictures. The wife said it was like a free harbor tour, only we didn’t get the narration. We rode it all the way to Staten Island where we had to get off. Of course we just walked around the corner and got back on, because we still didn’t know anything about Staten Island.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-__dZjM6SNHo/VGuOa-i3fPI/AAAAAAAABJw/LgGCix3g7Rk/s1600/DSCN6928.JPG

 

It was fun seeing the different ships in the harbor and trying to guess what some of the weird shaped ones were used for. We passed another Ferry coming the other direction. We were sightseeing on the way back, up in the very front of the ship. We watched as the ship landed. The only problem was that when the ramps came down we were first in line and the a thousand New Yorkers who don’t like to wait for anything, were behind us. We rushed off rather than be trampled by the hordes coming off the ferry.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zmQm9Nf-Pts/VGuOnqfbcfI/AAAAAAAABKA/TF7nZY0JaFI/s1600/DSCN6929.JPG

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qu156PA1Rbg/VGuOitUPXfI/AAAAAAAABJ4/77XDLQ1miHU/s1600/DSCN6933.JPG

 

I decided that the building I saw while still on the ferry had to be the Empire State Building so I was making my way towards it. Come to find out the Empire State is nowhere near there so we took a taxi to Times Square. Near the area the taxi got stuck in traffic so we paid our fare and walked the rest of the way.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sibz1JPB39c/VGuOwXQWo7I/AAAAAAAABKI/Xbsb1ljbxXc/s1600/DSCN6950.JPG

 

If I thought that Times Square was crazy before, it had gotten even more so. There were even more characters wanting their picture taken with you.

We then went to dinner in a deli across from the hotel. It was busy but we took that as a good sign. I had a pastrami sandwich which packed high. We both had the cheesecake which was the best Deb ever tasted. She kept raving about it.

When we got back to the room the wife mentioned the mattress was a little hard for being such a fancy hotel. It didn’t matter to me as I fell right to sleep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Great start. Looking forward to reading more. Thank you for taking the time to write a review and sharing with us.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thank you for taking the time to read it. I will post at least once a day. More if my schedule permits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
meatball_nyc

meatball_nyc

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the start of your review. Great photos,too.

Times Square is more like Las Vegas now.

Back in the 80's it was nothing but homeless people, drug dealers and you can guess the rest.

Just walk fast, look like you know exactly where you're going and don't look up!

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

 

 

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I saw the same movies!! No way was I getting near that subway. We live in the boonies across the sound from Seattle. New York was interesting to say the least, but don't need a return trip. :D Enjoyed your photos.

 

Finally, someone who gets it.

We live just north of you in Mount Vernon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks for the start of your review. Great photos,too.

Times Square is more like Las Vegas now.

Back in the 80's it was nothing but homeless people, drug dealers and you can guess the rest.

Just walk fast, look like you know exactly where you're going and don't look up!

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

 

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

 

It's a lot better now. I was impressed. They were doing some construction when we were there but it was a fun place to be.

 

 

I like your writing style, can't wait for the rest ( although I may cheat and go read your blog!!! :D )

 

Thank you. Cheating is okay too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Boarding the Ship

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NhophwBDcoE/VGumakpndkI/AAAAAAAABME/i8UAZvRSGug/s1600/P1010995.JPG

 

I woke up at 2 am. The wife had mentioned that the city never sleeps so I looked out the window down at Times Square to see if she was right. It was a lot less chaotic but there were still people down there.

We were about to go to the same restaurant that we had eaten dinner at but since we were short on time and had to be back at 11 to catch the bus to the ship we decided to go to the bakery that was part of the restaurant instead. We bought some pastries and were on our way.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kPtxQreK14Y/VGuRXvlzXcI/AAAAAAAABK0/Yao6TMOLYiA/s1600/DSCN6960.JPG

 

We did not do the subway like we had the night before but we took a taxi to the Empire State Building. I had always wanted to visit it as a kid and especially after seeing the movie Sleepless in Seattle. When we got there we took some pictures. It was $29.00 per person to take the elevator to the top. Since that was a little spendy, we decided against it, but I did go up and touch it so I could say I did. We then went across the street to McDonalds for a quick breakfast. It started to rain at this point. It was lucky that I had already taken a picture of it because now clouds were hiding the top of the building.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFHlK_vO4YI/VGul8LNMD0I/AAAAAAAABL0/VoiLZSxJOQ0/s1600/P1010967.JPG

 

We went over to the Rockefeller Center and took pictures. It was interesting to see all the home of some of the largest networks in the country. We then walked past Radio City Music Hall. We were soaking wet by this point. All of the street vendors had switched from souvenirs to umbrellas. How do they do that? I stopped and bought one. Don’t know if I have ever owned one before. Coming from Seattle area, we just grin and bear the rain, but this rain was coming down a lot heavier than that we have in Seattle.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cq52nBuwavo/VGuRmmmRwwI/AAAAAAAABLA/OHaXB5Szm_U/s1600/DSCN6964.JPG

 

We passed the offices of Fox News. They looked like they were trying to set up for an on street demonstration about some food show, but I was thinking that it might be getting rained out.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U5t5t5CPotQ/VGuR07tat6I/AAAAAAAABLU/wq_WbsaT8aM/s1600/DSCN6969.JPG

 

We walked back to Times Square. It was a lot different scene there than it was the day before. No crowds, just people with umbrellas or scrambling to get out of the rain.

When we got back to our room we were surprised that our suitcases were still there. The hotel was supposed to have taken them down to the bus. It was good because we were able to get some dryer clothes on. We waited another half an hour and finally I went down to see what was going on. There was our travel agent loading bags onto the bus. It had started, so I ran back up to the room and the suitcases were now gone. When I we got back down to the bus, it was time to get on.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z22EwRO7y2M/VGuRmA2IycI/AAAAAAAABK8/y0dHPiF18r8/s1600/DSCN6973.JPG

 

I don’t know who designed the traffic pattern at the pier but they should be checked for drugs. We were over an hour sitting at a stop light, the same stop light, over and over again. We had to wait to cross the oncoming lanes and then turn right past them, but the road in front of the docks was completely blocked by all of the taxis and busses that were trying to get in there.

Finally we got across the street. Now we were stopped again because all of the bus parking stalls were used up. At least the bus was comfortable and we were sitting down out of the rain and not waiting in a long line. That would come later. We finally got off the bus and headed towards the main building. I saw an unused escalator so I took it up to the next floor. It emptied out in the middle of the building. It was crowded and those trying to get out of the elevators were met with a totally packed room. They had to push their way in. The stations that lead up to Security zigzagged through the building, but the crowd was way past those. It came out of the elevators, went to one side of the building then all the way to the other and then came back to where the post and ropes started. If you missed a turn, you would get yelled at by someone in line, like the guy behind me did. Not sure if he actually missed the corner but he was accused of it. The guy in front of me was doing the yelling.

I didn’t see what it mattered because the guy was still behind him. The guy in front also scowled at us, but didn’t say anything. There were two ships boarding at the same time. I was hoping Mr. Angry was going to be on the other ship.

The guys in Security kept announcing to have everything out of your pockets and in your bags. All belt buckles off and be ready to go when you hit the Security metal detectors. We split away from Mr. Angry at that point because there were several metal detectors. The line we got into had this older gentleman slowly taking things out of his pockets and the Security guy glaring at him. We blew by the man and went through the metal detector. The Security guy didn’t even mind.

We then had priority check in because we are Platinum Latitude members. That is NCL’s reward program highest level.

We only had to wait a minute before we were all checked in and walking towards the ship. Mr. Angry had just barely made it through the other check in line and he scowled at us as we passed him. He must have been thinking that we had taken cuts somewhere. He didn’t say anything though. If anyone ever needs a line monitor, contact me and I will describe him to you.

NCL was doing a lot better job of getting people on the ship than Holland America was because those going on that cruise line had another massive line to stand through before they could even check in.

When we got on board the cabins were already ready so we went there to drop off our carryon bags. When we picked up the daily schedule we noticed that the main restaurant was open for lunch, closing in seven minutes. The wife said we couldn’t make it, but after running through the Copenhagen airport to get to a flight that we shouldn’t have made, I said we should try. We did make it.

After lunch it was time for the lifeboat drill. I knew we could not skip this despite having done it twenty three times before. We did manage to get out of it only once. The ship was going on a twenty three day cruise but we were only doing the Vancouver to Seattle portion so when the Captain announced that he was going to hold the lifeboat drill on day two, we smiled. That was before Costa Concordia.

You have two chances on the lifeboat drill. One is that you get to go to the main theater the other is that you have to go stand on the deck. We were some of the unlucky ones that had to go stand on the deck. It went fast and we did not have to take our life jackets, so we were not tripping over everyone’s straps.

Kelly, our TA invited us up for the sail away. He had a forward facing suite. It was just amazing to go through the channel looking out at New Jersey on one side and New York on the other. We passed right past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Staten Island. We then passed the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge out into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OPGo2NJIao4/VGulvgsJOhI/AAAAAAAABLs/5mG0iYGFkjU/s1600/P1010990.JPG

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T70HR12djRk/VGunUa_SznI/AAAAAAAABMU/DcFF3pWZkXI/s1600/DSCN6995.JPG

 

The first thing I noticed about forward facing balcony was that I could see the neighbors. As a matter of fact, there was a whole group of people next door and they had a person on our balcony take a picture of the group for them. The sides of the balcony slope down from the ship’s bridge which was right above us. Then the slope extended down to the bow. We could also plainly see all of the people on balconies below us. No privacy whatsoever.

Dinner that night was eggplant for me. I had eaten the eggplant on another NCL ship just the month before so I was comparing it. The recipe was slightly different but I had to admit the eggplant on this ship was a lot better than our previous one. I also had the chocolate volcano. The wife told me not to because they always over bake the cake and the chocolate in the center is hard. This one was perfect however.

We had an introductory show that night. It gave us a glimpse of all the entertainers we would see all week. The comedian was great. One thing I did notice is that one of the singers from the production staff was amazing. I wondered what she was doing on a cruise ship with a voice that like. Not that the other singers were not good, because they were, but she was amazing. I went to every event where she sang the rest of the cruise. I would buy her album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Sea Day

 

I always enjoy a sea day first thing when I go on a cruise. I can rest from the long trip that I took to get to the ship and have time to explore. Having a sea day first was a plus on this cruise.

I started the day early by going down and getting a snack at Blue Lagoon. They are getting rid of all the Blue Lagoons and turning them into O’Sheehan’s. I will miss the Blue Lagoon. Since I have never been on a ship that has O’Sheehan’s, I can’t compare, but I worry if it will be any good. It’s named after the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines. I don’t know what they will do if he ever retires. Will they rename them all for the new CEO? What if the CFO of Norwegian took over? would they name the restaurant O’Beck’s? It just doesn’t sound right. They couldn’t name it Wendy’s as there is already a Wendy’s out there. It just seems short sighted and maybe just a little arrogant to me.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M22tOEnpddM/VGunLA3Ds6I/AAAAAAAABMM/pck4feRVbsc/s1600/DSCN6975.JPG

 

We opted for a balcony because our amazing travel agent got us a great deal. We are usually cheap and go with an inside. I figure I can go on two cruises for the price of one if I always travel with an inside state room. We have been in balconies and ocean views before, depending on the deal we get, but after this cruise I have decided that I really like balconies and maybe I won’t be as excited about an inside after this.

We had breakfast at Cagney’s. We somehow got VIP status on the ship. I am not complaining, mind you. It’s just a little weird. We had it on the last ship we were on, too. I blame the wife because she is a writer of cruise ‘how to’ books. It could be because she hosted the meet and greet also. We had VIP status on our last cruise also; I hosted the meet and greet and that one. It could be that, but I am blaming the wife. We need to go on another cruise where neither one of us host the meet and greet to make sure. It could be because I am a cruise blogger, but I doubt that.

Our travel agent looked real surprised to see us at Cagney’s. He was in the forward facing suite so one of his perks is breakfast there. He knew that he had put us in a plain balcony cabin. He must have been thinking, ‘Oh, no, just when I thought I had gotten rid of them, here they are.’

After breakfast we went to see the concierge, Carlos. He is an amazing man. We are platinum on NCL so one of the benefits for a taking so many cruises with them is getting a concierge. It’s also a VIP perk. We wanted to book a dinner reservation at La Bistro, the French restaurant. The lady on the phone was telling Carlos that the time we had chosen was not going to work, but that was the earliest we could get there because we had been invited to a reception with the Captain. It was part of the VIP benefits. Carlos kept saying, “But they are going to be with the Captain.”

Finally he got frustrated and said, “I will have to talk to the Maître d’.” When he hung up the phone he turned to us and said, “Show up at the time you have planned, I will make it happen.” True to his word they were more than happy to seat us at that time when we showed up that night. Carlos even stopped by to make sure we were happy.

The meet and mingle was a rousing success. Almost everyone that said they were going to show up did and almost everyone was on time. Deb did a fantastic job of organizing it. We had organized a couple of tours with fellow roll call members so we tried to find those whom we were going on tours with.

Having a meet and mingle right away was great because you could recognize people for the rest of the week as you walked around the ship and on shore.

We had had dinner with an officer on one of our previous cruises. It was Gary who is in charge of the front desk. He had seen us walk by earlier and was trying to figure out where he had seen us before. When we saw him at the meet and greet we both walked up to him.

We told him we had met him on the Jewel on our way up the coast. He then remembered. He is a really nice guy and talked of wanting to grow a garden at his mother’s house. I hope he gets to do that on his next leave.

We had shuffle board tournament, which we lost. Then we had a trivia game, we came in second. By then we were out of time so we did just a quick lunch at the Blue Lagoon. I had hot chicken wings which were not that hot. The next time I ate them I had a serious flame out, so they are not perfectly consistent in their seasonings.

After that we were off to the Latitudes Party. The captain talked to us and we found out about the crew. The cruise director Dan Dan was fun, but he was leaving was leaving the ship after that cruise.

The Captain’s VIP party was early that evening in the Haven. Carlos escorted us and few other couples because it was held in the Haven, an exclusive area of the ship. It was a little stuffy for my tastes. We did meet a nice couple from Texas. He had asked his wife what side of the ship she wanted to be on and she said, “I want to be in the middle.” He said that was possible but it costs a little extra.

I’m thinking, ‘yeah about ten thousand extra.’ I had been in the Haven before on another ship. We were doing a cabin crawl and looked how the others were managing. One couple had the largest of the haven rooms so I got to see that.

We had dinner at La Bistro. It was really good.

 

Halifax

 

Deb left the balcony door open all night so she could hear the sound of the waves. I thought they got a little loud for my liking, but went along with it anyway.

In the morning we grabbed a quick breakfast at Blue Lagoon. It is nice to have a sit down meal that is not chaotic like the buffet and does not take an hour like the main dining room does. I guess we could have eaten at Cagney’s again, but their menu does not change.

We met our group in the main lobby and waited for the ship to clear customs before setting out. Deb pointed out that we were in front of the pier that served the same purpose in Canada that Ellis Island served the United States.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFR_UXN4jYY/VGuqOQKhakI/AAAAAAAABM0/l-wzhvfYNhc/s1600/DSCN6999.JPG

 

We had taken this same tour two years before, so we wanted to take it again. The first thing we did was go out to Peggy’s Cove. It is the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. The only problem is, it is so popular that you cannot get a picture of it without a lot of other people in the picture. It is a very popular place. I enjoy walking around the cove and snapping some shots at the scenic fishing village that surrounds the cove.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fB5oOsh3ZKo/VGuqIjiB4mI/AAAAAAAABMs/8Q5LSbK2pqw/s1600/P1020077.JPG

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFe6ohAInAU/VGuqr3Vu-tI/AAAAAAAABNQ/bumWx1cff9U/s1600/DSCN7045.JPG

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Srph86ibj0s/VGuqdNuFXQI/AAAAAAAABNE/EmfwTsgzhnQ/s1600/DSCN7015.JPG

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xp0ED03g7As/VGuqbgMIsPI/AAAAAAAABM8/yTv2JXe9ZYU/s1600/DSCN7014.JPG

 

There are some really good places to get some nice shots without a lot of people around. After wandering through the village we met back up with our tour guide.

He then drove us out to get some very fresh lobster. It was the same place we had eaten before. It was definitely back to basics but what more do you need than a lobster, a bib and a picnic table. It was really good.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3p7AAK_0Sk/VGuqr_5lDlI/AAAAAAAABNM/y3VLmRWCXn8/s1600/DSCN7038.JPG

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECyxrbrKa1Y/VGusXhKw-VI/AAAAAAAABOM/v-wxl-1tP54/s1600/DSCN7039.JPG

 

After a tour through the most interesting points of the city the tour guide dropped us off at the citadel. It is on a hill that overlooks Halifax. At one time you could see the whole of the harbor from there, but anymore there are so many tall buildings that you have to peek between them in some parts to see the water.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0kVUQMfrQU/VGus4y6pX9I/AAAAAAAABOU/RPm-gsRk0CY/s1600/P1020109.JPG

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHx01sVcK7s/VGuqzVIENrI/AAAAAAAABNc/TqWgCFyfSyE/s1600/DSCN7053.JPG

 

We did some shopping after that, as we made our way back to the ship. At the ship we managed to win trivia by getting 15 out of 20 questions correct.

Our travel agent Kelly treated us to dinner at the Italian restaurant, La Cucina. I enjoy their food. After dinner the show was Second City. I have seen them too much I think. The skits are getting old, but this group did some of them in a new way. I did laugh in parts I will admit.

We were both tired so we headed back to the cabin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hpecorari

hpecorari

Posted
Posted

What was the name of the tour you took in Halifax? Was it an NCL tour or a private tour? Thanks!

Harriet

 

 

Sea Day

 

I always enjoy a sea day first thing when I go on a cruise. I can rest from the long trip that I took to get to the ship and have time to explore. Having a sea day first was a plus on this cruise.

I started the day early by going down and getting a snack at Blue Lagoon. They are getting rid of all the Blue Lagoons and turning them into O’Sheehan’s. I will miss the Blue Lagoon. Since I have never been on a ship that has O’Sheehan’s, I can’t compare, but I worry if it will be any good. It’s named after the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines. I don’t know what they will do if he ever retires. Will they rename them all for the new CEO? What if the CFO of Norwegian took over? would they name the restaurant O’Beck’s? It just doesn’t sound right. They couldn’t name it Wendy’s as there is already a Wendy’s out there. It just seems short sighted and maybe just a little arrogant to me.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M22tOEnpddM/VGunLA3Ds6I/AAAAAAAABMM/pck4feRVbsc/s1600/DSCN6975.JPG

 

We opted for a balcony because our amazing travel agent got us a great deal. We are usually cheap and go with an inside. I figure I can go on two cruises for the price of one if I always travel with an inside state room. We have been in balconies and ocean views before, depending on the deal we get, but after this cruise I have decided that I really like balconies and maybe I won’t be as excited about an inside after this.

We had breakfast at Cagney’s. We somehow got VIP status on the ship. I am not complaining, mind you. It’s just a little weird. We had it on the last ship we were on, too. I blame the wife because she is a writer of cruise ‘how to’ books. It could be because she hosted the meet and greet also. We had VIP status on our last cruise also; I hosted the meet and greet and that one. It could be that, but I am blaming the wife. We need to go on another cruise where neither one of us host the meet and greet to make sure. It could be because I am a cruise blogger, but I doubt that.

Our travel agent looked real surprised to see us at Cagney’s. He was in the forward facing suite so one of his perks is breakfast there. He knew that he had put us in a plain balcony cabin. He must have been thinking, ‘Oh, no, just when I thought I had gotten rid of them, here they are.’

After breakfast we went to see the concierge, Carlos. He is an amazing man. We are platinum on NCL so one of the benefits for a taking so many cruises with them is getting a concierge. It’s also a VIP perk. We wanted to book a dinner reservation at La Bistro, the French restaurant. The lady on the phone was telling Carlos that the time we had chosen was not going to work, but that was the earliest we could get there because we had been invited to a reception with the Captain. It was part of the VIP benefits. Carlos kept saying, “But they are going to be with the Captain.”

Finally he got frustrated and said, “I will have to talk to the Maître d’.” When he hung up the phone he turned to us and said, “Show up at the time you have planned, I will make it happen.” True to his word they were more than happy to seat us at that time when we showed up that night. Carlos even stopped by to make sure we were happy.

The meet and mingle was a rousing success. Almost everyone that said they were going to show up did and almost everyone was on time. Deb did a fantastic job of organizing it. We had organized a couple of tours with fellow roll call members so we tried to find those whom we were going on tours with.

Having a meet and mingle right away was great because you could recognize people for the rest of the week as you walked around the ship and on shore.

We had had dinner with an officer on one of our previous cruises. It was Gary who is in charge of the front desk. He had seen us walk by earlier and was trying to figure out where he had seen us before. When we saw him at the meet and greet we both walked up to him.

We told him we had met him on the Jewel on our way up the coast. He then remembered. He is a really nice guy and talked of wanting to grow a garden at his mother’s house. I hope he gets to do that on his next leave.

We had shuffle board tournament, which we lost. Then we had a trivia game, we came in second. By then we were out of time so we did just a quick lunch at the Blue Lagoon. I had hot chicken wings which were not that hot. The next time I ate them I had a serious flame out, so they are not perfectly consistent in their seasonings.

After that we were off to the Latitudes Party. The captain talked to us and we found out about the crew. The cruise director Dan Dan was fun, but he was leaving was leaving the ship after that cruise.

The Captain’s VIP party was early that evening in the Haven. Carlos escorted us and few other couples because it was held in the Haven, an exclusive area of the ship. It was a little stuffy for my tastes. We did meet a nice couple from Texas. He had asked his wife what side of the ship she wanted to be on and she said, “I want to be in the middle.” He said that was possible but it costs a little extra.

I’m thinking, ‘yeah about ten thousand extra.’ I had been in the Haven before on another ship. We were doing a cabin crawl and looked how the others were managing. One couple had the largest of the haven rooms so I got to see that.

We had dinner at La Bistro. It was really good.

 

Halifax

 

Deb left the balcony door open all night so she could hear the sound of the waves. I thought they got a little loud for my liking, but went along with it anyway.

In the morning we grabbed a quick breakfast at Blue Lagoon. It is nice to have a sit down meal that is not chaotic like the buffet and does not take an hour like the main dining room does. I guess we could have eaten at Cagney’s again, but their menu does not change.

We met our group in the main lobby and waited for the ship to clear customs before setting out. Deb pointed out that we were in front of the pier that served the same purpose in Canada that Ellis Island served the United States.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hFR_UXN4jYY/VGuqOQKhakI/AAAAAAAABM0/l-wzhvfYNhc/s1600/DSCN6999.JPG

 

We had taken this same tour two years before, so we wanted to take it again. The first thing we did was go out to Peggy’s Cove. It is the most photographed lighthouse in Canada. The only problem is, it is so popular that you cannot get a picture of it without a lot of other people in the picture. It is a very popular place. I enjoy walking around the cove and snapping some shots at the scenic fishing village that surrounds the cove.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fB5oOsh3ZKo/VGuqIjiB4mI/AAAAAAAABMs/8Q5LSbK2pqw/s1600/P1020077.JPG

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IFe6ohAInAU/VGuqr3Vu-tI/AAAAAAAABNQ/bumWx1cff9U/s1600/DSCN7045.JPG

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Srph86ibj0s/VGuqdNuFXQI/AAAAAAAABNE/EmfwTsgzhnQ/s1600/DSCN7015.JPG

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xp0ED03g7As/VGuqbgMIsPI/AAAAAAAABM8/yTv2JXe9ZYU/s1600/DSCN7014.JPG

 

There are some really good places to get some nice shots without a lot of people around. After wandering through the village we met back up with our tour guide.

He then drove us out to get some very fresh lobster. It was the same place we had eaten before. It was definitely back to basics but what more do you need than a lobster, a bib and a picnic table. It was really good.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B3p7AAK_0Sk/VGuqr_5lDlI/AAAAAAAABNM/y3VLmRWCXn8/s1600/DSCN7038.JPG

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECyxrbrKa1Y/VGusXhKw-VI/AAAAAAAABOM/v-wxl-1tP54/s1600/DSCN7039.JPG

 

After a tour through the most interesting points of the city the tour guide dropped us off at the citadel. It is on a hill that overlooks Halifax. At one time you could see the whole of the harbor from there, but anymore there are so many tall buildings that you have to peek between them in some parts to see the water.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y0kVUQMfrQU/VGus4y6pX9I/AAAAAAAABOU/RPm-gsRk0CY/s1600/P1020109.JPG

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tHx01sVcK7s/VGuqzVIENrI/AAAAAAAABNc/TqWgCFyfSyE/s1600/DSCN7053.JPG

 

We did some shopping after that, as we made our way back to the ship. At the ship we managed to win trivia by getting 15 out of 20 questions correct.

Our travel agent Kelly treated us to dinner at the Italian restaurant, La Cucina. I enjoy their food. After dinner the show was Second City. I have seen them too much I think. The skits are getting old, but this group did some of them in a new way. I did laugh in parts I will admit.

We were both tired so we headed back to the cabin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bars7816

Bars7816

Posted
Posted
Finally, someone who gets it.

We live just north of you in Mount Vernon.

Years ago, I had a friend from New York. She used to regale us with stories about the "mashers" in the subway, which we found hilarious. We only heard the word masher in the movies! :D Now, of course, we would just call them pervs!

 

Ahoy! Great scenery around Mount Vernon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FreestyleNovice

FreestyleNovice

Posted
Posted

Recognizable part of the NYC subway! We took the A train through Brooklyn and Queens to JFK, at least we thought we did.. in the early evening with our luggage minding our own business but probably standing out like obviously European tourists until a really attentive and nice local lady signaled us that if we wanted to go to JFK that the current stop IS the stop to get out and change over to a JFK bound A train. So we did, as fast as we could while thanking her with quick but great gratitude.

 

After the train pulled out we stood on a windy platform, Rockaway Blvd, on a chilly december evening, a bit clueless if we needed to change to the other side's platform. While we traversed down the stairs with our heavy luggage, luckily just both one suitcase and a carry on item for a three week vacation, when I was halfway and figured out on my cell that we had to stay on the first platform. And as my, always faster but-not-agitated-because-HE-got-the-train-wrong girlfriend stood at the end of the stairs on the mezzanine level she came across a young male. And right at the moment I expected the worst he kindly offered to carry her suitcase back up the stairs.

 

Pleasantly surprised shall we say..! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Years ago, I had a friend from New York. She used to regale us with stories about the "mashers" in the subway, which we found hilarious. We only heard the word masher in the movies! :D Now, of course, we would just call them pervs!

 

Ahoy! Great scenery around Mount Vernon.

 

 

 

Recognizable part of the NYC subway! We took the A train through Brooklyn and Queens to JFK, at least we thought we did.. in the early evening with our luggage minding our own business but probably standing out like obviously European tourists until a really attentive and nice local lady signaled us that if we wanted to go to JFK that the current stop IS the stop to get out and change over to a JFK bound A train. So we did, as fast as we could while thanking her with quick but great gratitude.

 

After the train pulled out we stood on a windy platform, Rockaway Blvd, on a chilly december evening, a bit clueless if we needed to change to the other side's platform. While we traversed down the stairs with our heavy luggage, luckily just both one suitcase and a carry on item for a three week vacation, when I was halfway and figured out on my cell that we had to stay on the first platform. And as my, always faster but-not-agitated-because-HE-got-the-train-wrong girlfriend stood at the end of the stairs on the mezzanine level she came across a young male. And right at the moment I expected the worst he kindly offered to carry her suitcase back up the stairs.

 

Pleasantly surprised shall we say..! :)

 

I was pleased to find the people of New York City to be friendly for the most part. I had heard lots of stories to the contrary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Bar Harbor

 

Both of us feeling iffy this morning so we both ate cold cereal for breakfast. It seemed the safe thing to do. Too much good food, I guess.

We met our group at the Atrium in front of the big screen. I brought two bottles of wine with me to give away. We had gotten them from people onboard but since we don’t drink, I gave them away. They must have been good bottles of wine because the people I gave them to read the label and said ‘wow.’

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kim7RHAv88c/VGwSV6P-hGI/AAAAAAAABPw/VUbq_zGRvjU/s1600/P1020220.JPG

 

We had to tender in Bar Harbor so we met Carlos at the lounge across from Cagney’s. He led our group down the crew elevator and right to the tenders. No waiting in line; we were onboard the tender in no time.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3mNeTcSYnM/VGwRqu1z-BI/AAAAAAAABPQ/Yr6bBmKa0G0/s1600/DSCN7074.JPG

 

Our driver was named Tucker and he met us at the tender dock.

The van he picked us up in was a piece of junk. It had no shocks, so every time we hit a bump, and there are a lot of bumps in Bar Harbor, it would jar our backs. The brakes were lousy. You could hear them grinding metal on metal whenever Tucker braked. Then the check oil light kept coming on. The defroster was weak and could not keep up with the number of people in the van.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IW98Oux45v8/VGwRu9DmY9I/AAAAAAAABPY/0-Mn8RNHFnA/s1600/P1020160.JPG

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nb2n6-fqdfU/VGwSNPCDSCI/AAAAAAAABPo/KaqXZBphneM/s1600/P1020178.JPG

 

 

I did not feel safe and I was far from comfortable in the thing, especially when we tried to get up on top of Cadillac Mountain. Tucker, on the other hand, did a great job, in my estimation. The only thing is he described a shallow bay as a fjord. Other than that he was okay.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LyFgnTEn0lk/VGwSBBzWJpI/AAAAAAAABPg/jD1Xsml-Rjk/s1600/P1020162.JPG

 

The weather seemed the thwart us at every step. We almost got up to the top of Cadillac Mountain when we were engulfed in a wall of fog. We got down to Thunder Hole and didn’t get two steps when the deluge happened. We all got soaked to the skin. I literally wrung out my hat.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZzAJ0tJtGY/VGwSXT-OfdI/AAAAAAAABP4/a_A23FqjrEc/s1600/P1020197.JPG

 

Finally Tucker drove up and stopped at a scenic area. It was still raining so I said, “you don’t expect us to get out do you?”

He didn’t and we all stayed in the van. Tucker made the most of what he could and showed us alternate areas. The rain finally slowed down and we were able to get out here and there. The stone bridges and carriage trails were interesting.

Finally Tucker let us out of the van at a restaurant and we went in to have some blueberry pie. I had missed getting some last time and Deb was determined not to let me do that again.

When we got back onto the ship we played trivia then ate in the main dining room. The comedian that night was really good. We had seen him before on another ship in Alaska.

Afterwards we went to watch the country line dancing in the lounge. It was funny to have Philippinos singers singing the songs and Philippinos showing the passengers how to line dance to country music. I guess it’s true that music is international, at least on cruise ships.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Great review and photos. Keep it coming

 

Thank you.

 

Boston

 

For the first time on the cruise we had breakfast in the main dining room. We then walked down to the pier. There was a stand there selling tickets to their shuttle. It was expensive but we figured it would be less than a cab. Come to find out it was around the same price. If we would have thought ahead we could have split a cab and been further ahead.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnEZpvYQFiU/VGwVpEXxnzI/AAAAAAAABQE/T-saIWGk-v0/s1600/DSCN7098.JPG

 

The shuttle stopped about six blocks from where we wanted to be so the cab would have been more practical. We dodged traffic for those six blocks and walked over to Faneuil Hall. There was a tour of the area put on by the National Park Service or you could go to the Old State House and pay an arm and a leg for the same tour.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AyNZUXSPxz4/VGwVzyaafNI/AAAAAAAABQM/TA6Y8DgjYBY/s1600/P1020231.JPG

 

They took us to the plaque where the Boston Massacre happened. Only it happened in the middle of the street but they had to move the plaque because tourists were stopping to take pictures of it and getting hit by cars.

The tour was great and afterwards we decided to walk the northern half of the Freedom Trail. We had done the southern part two years ago so we finished it up. It ended at Bunker Hill. There is a museum there and on top of the hill is an obelisk. My legs were tired, but I suddenly got the urge to climb to the top of the obelisk. It was 294 steps. The steps are marked every 25 or so. That way you know how far you have come. I wanted to stop at one point because I was dying, but I was over half way so I continued. At the top there is a grate in the middle of the floor where you can look down the whole distance you have climbed up. I stood on it before I knew what it was but as soon as I figured it out I got off of it.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wAHdkb_jphU/VGwWbK9rDKI/AAAAAAAABQs/OPWd8mIMC28/s1600/DSCN7119.JPG

 

There were four small windows at the top that looked out in each direction. I took pictures out of all four and then started making my way down. Dizziness was the main problem on the return trip. The stairs were narrow and there was two way traffic on them. If you lost your step I suppose you would have bounced all the way down to the bottom so it was a real motivation to use the hand rails.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mt_oDabKKi0/VGwWRCEideI/AAAAAAAABQc/lOlrIZsjQMU/s1600/P1020236.JPG

 

My legs felt like rubber when I got to the bottom. Deb asked if I wanted to sit down, but I knew if I did, I would never manage to get back up again as my muscles would lock up. Better to keep going, I thought.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XJtwrnPfOSU/VGwV8LVBXeI/AAAAAAAABQU/ByBShA0Am-I/s1600/DSCN7105.JPG

 

We walked down by the Constitution. The line was really long and since we had been inside of it just two years ago, we opted not to wait. We then walked down to the pier where the ferry boat takes you back to the Long Warf area. I wanted to get a picture of the Constitution from the sea as we sailed away but the ticket line is inside the ship and they set sail before we could purchase our tickets. We were in line behind Benjamin Franklyn. I kid you not. They gave him the senior discount. I thought that they should have given him free passage. Someone 308 years old should not have to pay to ride.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GIE6kG9lbJs/VGwXNQOv7tI/AAAAAAAABRc/Uc4Ul5A2ock/s1600/DSCN7129.JPG

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tlZYdzIBBuo/VGwW0YTKrgI/AAAAAAAABRU/2ZLPWxml27c/s1600/P1020245.JPG

 

As soon as we had the tickets I ran upstairs and started taking pictures. When we got back to Quincy Market we bought lunch and took it upstairs where there are some table and chairs in the middle of the atrium.

We didn’t have to wait for the bus long luckily and got back on the ship fairly quickly. The wife had some stuff she wanted to download and the ships internet is pricey. When we saw a crew member sitting on the promenade deck with his tablet we figured we could get connected to Boston Harbor’s Wi-Fi system. The wife went down and got her Kindle. It worked.

The show that night was 70s music. We both enjoyed it and then went to the chocoholic buffet afterward.

Second City had a workshop afterwards but it completely bombed. The only ones laughing were the Second City people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
clarkg

clarkg

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Newport, Rhode Island

 

 

We had to take a tender into Newport. It was inconvenient. Again we went with the two couples who had gone with us on a tour into Bar Harbor. This time we got down to the tender and the lady in charge was not in a good mood.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OKwbTNgaR4c/VGwWXiwUCoI/AAAAAAAABQk/AJ7UAcnix64/s1600/P1020259.JPG

 

One of the other couples split off from us at this point but we stayed with the other one through the day. We split a taxi ride to Fort Adams.

The fort was huge. It served during the Civil War. A lot of the Confederate officers had served in Fort Adams before the war so they knew that it was strong and not to attack it. Like the tour guide said, “We waited for them to come, but they never came.”

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A_9u7-I-Y1U/VGwWopE2xGI/AAAAAAAABRE/GKiBKMIHmoI/s1600/P1020276.JPG

 

After that we took a city bus around the city. We got glimpses of the famous houses that the city is known for. The most famous one is Breakers. It was built by the Vanderbilts. It’s a massive house that overlooks the harbor. It wasn’t their main residence; just a summer home. It cost $31 to tour it and we were not that interested so we didn’t go in.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_da61CstG2U/VGwWnYRGHdI/AAAAAAAABQ8/HMwliV82H7Y/s1600/P1020275.JPG

 

When we arrived back at the ship we had lunch at the Blue Lagoon. Having to leave the ship back in New York the next day is a sad thing but we started packing up anyway. I think that I like the longer cruises better. The cruise we had the month before was a twelve day so we would have had five more days at this point.

 

The show was a Variety show. It was fun.

 

New York City Disembarkation

 

I am just going to say that this was the worst disembarkation I have ever lived through in all my cruises. It was a madhouse. Especially as we had a tour group and we had to wait for all of those eighty five people to get off. It didn’t matter as there were so many busses coming and going that ours could not get to the pier.

It then started raining which didn’t help either. All the while the men that worked for the pier were yelling at people. They kept telling them they had to go across the street, but the traffic was so bad you could not get across the street. After we finally got on the bus and got our suit cases sorted out we were driven to the Newark Airport where we caught our flight home.

All in all, except for a few very minor hiccups, we had a blast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...