Live from the Maasdam - May 1 – 16, 2015 The Atlantic Coast

[freestyling]

Finally caught up and read your entire review...Thanks for sharing. Having spent most of my summers when growing up in Bar Harbour it was nice to read you found a somewhat proper lobster roll place. enjoy the rest of your time.

[Alberta Quilter]

May 11, 2015 Cap Aux Meules, Iles de la Madeleine

 

Today began as a beautiful, sunny day as we cruised to les Iles de la Madeleine (Magdalen Islands), the second place on DM's bucket list for this cruise. It was very cool this morning, 3C. Snow is still on the ground in some parts of the archipelago, as it was in the shady and protected spots in PEI. But, oh, my, is this a pretty part of the world. Don't get me wrong, it was brown because spring has not yet sprung here. In the spring/summer, it must be beautiful with the rolling hills and the red cliffs. The Madelinots are most welcoming to tourists. We got a taste of the Magdalen Islands both literally and figuratively.

 

We were warned in the shorex material that there was limited tourism infrastructure and transportation would be more basic than other ports, something like a school bus. Yes, our tour was in a school bus but it was one of the nicest I've ever been in. The seats were really comfortable, nicely padded, too. I've had worse school bus rides in Alaska!!

 

There is little information on CC about les Iles, or the Maggies as the Madelinots call their archipelago. To do some research, we watched some specific TV shows. In Canada, there is a Quebecois chef named Ricardo who had his own television show, cooking implements, cookbooks, etc. He is one of Canada's celebrity chefs. When trying to find shows on the Magdalen Islands, I searched on our TV system and found one of his old shows. He brought his show to the Magdalen Islands and used local products to cook a meal for his friends on the Islands.

 

The second show we saw was one episode from a series called Canada Over the Edge. Each episode features one part of a province and films that part's coastline or border in great detail (and HD). In Canada, it can be viewed on the Smithsonian Channel for which we had to pay extra through our cable company. It's a fantastic series and well worth the extra monthly fee, IMO. We actually recorded every episode we could and watched those specific to this cruise before leaving.

 

Each Ile has it's own personality and, we were told, it's own dialect. Entry Island is home to about 100 people who are of Scottish descent. That is the one island that is fluent in English and is the most isolated. The only way to reach it is via ferry which takes an hour each way. The dialects on the other islands, for example, may have one rolling their R's, one not pronouncing their R's and another where they do pronounce their R's.

 

We did a HAL tour called The Flavour Circuit: A Taste of Iles de la Madeleine. We didn't realize that this would be a tender port; the HAL itinerary did not indicate tendering like it does for Bar Harbor and Newport. As our tour was an early one, I think we might have been on one of the first tenders.

 

Our tour was mostly on Ile du Havre Aux Maisons with one stop on Ile du Cap Aux Meules. We were on the road to our first stop by 8:30. We had a driver and guide, both of whom were Madelinot, born and bred. Our first stop was an artisanal cheese factory, Pied de Vent. We tried three cheeses and they explained the process to us. The cows they have are specially bred for survival in the cold and wind. They use all of the milk from milking the cows twice a day to make the cheese. There are windows into the factory itself so you can watch the cheese making process but there wasn't much going on while we were there. The cheese was very good, so much so that we purchased cheese. (Lucky for us that we purchased it in Canada and if it lasts, it will stay in Canada when we fly home. Anyone from another country, including the US, should check to see if they can bring Canadian cheese to their country.)

 

Our second stop, was one we had been anticipating since seeing Ricardo's show, the Fumoir d'Antan. This smokehouse is the only smokehouse still operating today. There were many several years ago but the fishing stocks were depleted through overfishing. Overfishing has been rectified but the seal population has increased so much that the seals are contributing to the depletion of the fish stock. Each seal eats one ton of fish in a year. This smokehouse produces mostly smoked herring. Because herring season is a short season, they have had to expand their products. They also produce smoked scallops, mackerel, eel and salmon. We purchased marinated smoked herring, smoked herring and smoked scallops. Again, please check to see if you can do this if travelling to another country.

 

Our third stop was at a beach. The Iles have over 300 km of beaches. You wouldn't believe these beaches. They are long and narrow, with the finest sand. Just beautiful. We took about 20 minutes and walked along the beach. There were red sandstone rock cliffs towering over the beaches. When you touch or rub the sandstone even slightly, it literally crumbles to sand right then and there. Their biggest issues is with erosion; the islands are getting smaller.

 

The houses are very attractive from the outside (we didn't get to see inside) and look very well maintained. They are quite colourful, some bright yellow, or purple, or green, or red, every colour you can think of. It reminded me of pictures of Newfoundland or Greenland villages but with more colour. There is lots of space between houses, not at all like cities where the houses are jammed cheek by jowl. There are few trees and what trees they do have are short. Some islands are bare of trees because of logging done way back when. The islands were discovered by Jacques Cartier in the 1500's and he noted there were massive trees back then so someone took them down in the last 500 years or so.

 

There are only 12,000 Madelinots on the island. Their tourist season starts in late June, after school is out and goes until the end of August or early September. They receive about 50,000 tourists every year. Because it is quite windy here, and there are two large lagoons in the middle of the archipelago, kite surfing is very popular here. We didn't see any kite surfers today; it was a little too cool for that.

 

We did have a very short stop to look at another set of red cliffs. This was a photo stop only and just six of us got out to take pictures. Well, am I ever glad I did. The red cliffs here were stunning, with a pierced rock similar to Perce so that made me happy since we're not going to Gaspe to see the real Perce Rocher. (Sorry, I don't have an accent ague on this keyboard so I'm not able to spell "Pearsay" properly.) It was a very pretty site.

 

Our last stop on our tour was at a microbrewery on Ile du Cap Aux Meules. There DM got to try two different beers; I'm not fond of beer but I had sips of her samples. She really liked one but they don't bottle it. It is only draft beer. Still she managed to purchase three bottles that she can drink when we're on our post cruise tour. Yes, when we got back to the ship, they were taken away from us until the end of the cruise. That's fine as the little drinking we do on the ship is free through our Signature Beverage Package.

 

We were taken back to the cruise terminal. In the cruise terminal, they had free wifi, and locals providing information to the cruise pax. They even had a free HOHO that took people around, I think, only on Cap Aux Meules Island. Some of the people we spoke with spoke excellent English with barely a trace of an accent. They were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. They were even posted along the pathways leading out of the port to the downtown district of the village of Cap Aux Meules. We did have to walk to the "downtown" to get our requisite fridge magnet. We purchased some other souvenirs, too. It was only a five minute walk each way and fairly flat, too.

 

After a bit of a wait for a tender, we got back to the ship around 1:30. After dumping our stuff in the cabin we went up to the Lido for lunch. DM checked the inside of her eyelids for leaks again (never can be too sure they're not leaking, you know!) while I started this report on our day.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour today. Part of it was due to our research, and DM's love for herring, and part of it was due to the excellent guide we had, a young woman named Stephanie. DM and I are already planning on how and when to come back. Today's visit was just a small taste of the Magdalen Islands. We'd like to come back in June or so when it is green and the wild berries are in season. I know, this was supposed to reduce DM's bucket list but it seems to be getting larger!

 

Tonight was An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill. Unfortunately for DM, they still have the old menu. For those about to cruise this itinerary, I was told that the new menu will be in place for the next cruise. Missed it by that much!

 

DM does not care for lamb, or beef. That takes care of two of the entrees of the very limited Le Cirque menu. Third was chicken under a brick. When I inquired about it, it is only dark meat; she prefers white meat. The final item is the Black Cod in a red wine buerre blanc. When we did Le Cirque the previous time to try it out, she did not like the Black Cod entree. So, what to do. We did consider cancelling the evening. I was still foolishly optimistic that they might start the new menu on this cruise. But we still needed to spend money to get to 4 star. So, we kept the reservation. Well, it turned out well in the end. DM ordered the The Trio which consisted of caviar (with trimmings), smoked salmon and pate. She had both soups, the squash/huckleberry and the chilled yoghurt soup with melon and shrimp. Her entree was the lobster salad, with TWO lobster tails. She was in heaven. And then she finished if off with a chocolate souffle and french vanilla gelato.

 

I had the lobster salad as an appetizer (with one lobster tail), the squash/huckleberry soup and the chateaubriand. My dessert was the Creme Brulee. I did take pictures. I'm really no good at food porn; sometimes we had started to eat before I remembered to take the pictures. Anyway, you'll have to wait until I have good access to wifi (or get home) because I am almost out of Internet time here on the ship. And even then it might be too late as someone from the subsequent cruise will be posting their pictures of the new menu items. At any rate, DM was really happy with her dinner. She thought having the lobster salad as an entree was just ideal for her. We waddled out of the PG very satisfied with our day.

 

 

As we sailed away from les Iles de la Madeleine, the Captain took us on a sightseeing tour of Entry Island. It, too, is lovely in it's own way. Very few trees, the ones that are there seem to be clumped together in one location near the village. The rolling hills seem to be a little greener than those on Cap Aux Meules or Havre Aux Maisons. I think, when we go back, we'll have to visit each island!

 

After dinner, DM read, while I worked on the jigsaw puzzle. Yes, we're still in Code Red. But, I think I mentioned before that some are puzzle fanatics and have been going stir crazy without the puzzles being available. Someone discussed this with the librarian and mentioned that the VLTs in the casino are being played even though Code Red exists so why can't the puzzles be played with? The end result is that one puzzle at a time can be worked on. She pulled out a real stinker, though, with a challenging sky. That's all that's left as of half an hour ago. Hopefully, the light will be better tomorrow; then we can see what we're working with and get it done!

 

Tomorrow is our sea day enroute to Saguenay. Until tomorrow!

[erewhon]

Thank you for your interesting reports.

[Cruising-along]

I'm loving following along on your cruise. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

I see that you didn't go to Sept Iles, another change from when we went in 2012.

 

We decided to go ahead and book next year's sailing, in spite of the changes. There's getting to be a good group of us who want to go, we'll make the most of it and have a great time. :D

[maxie99]

hi guys, I just got an email from HAL,, boarding in Montréal on the 16th is pushed back to 3:00pm--that's ok , more time to explore the city--:)

[maxie99]

?-- AQ,, around what time does the sun seem to set,, down here ,in Ontario, its around 9 ish,, im thinking since Montréal is more north of us, there will be more daylight to enjoy a later sail away--- thks joanie

Edited May 12, 2015 by maxie99

[KerriL]

hi guys, I just got an email from HAL,, boarding in Montréal on the 16th is pushed back to 3:00pm--that's ok , more time to explore the city--:)

 

Yup, looks like the Maasdam will get another deep cleaning...

[maxie99]

im watching the last HAL ship to leave the fort, for the season ,, the Amsterdam, lines are about to be dropped-- the views are great on the Hyatt web cam

Edited May 12, 2015 by maxie99

[Jade13]

May 11, 2015 Cap Aux Meules, Iles de la Madeleine

 

 

As we sailed away from les Iles de la Madeleine, the Captain took us on a sightseeing tour of Entry Island. It, too, is lovely in it's own way. Very few trees, the ones that are there seem to be clumped together in one location near the village. The rolling hills seem to be a little greener than those on Cap Aux Meules or Havre Aux Maisons. I think, when we go back, we'll have to visit each island!

 

We were supposed to be on HAL's tour to Entry Island when we stopped there, but disembarkation was delayed and HAL continued to take the tenders in the designated original order even though our tour was the only one which was supposed to take a scheduled Ferry. They had us sit and wait for over an hour before telling everyone that we missed the Ferry so the tour was canceled. Not a good day.

[Krazy Kruizers]

May 11, 2015 Cap Aux Meules, Iles de la Madeleine

 

Today began as a beautiful, sunny day as we cruised to les Iles de la Madeleine (Magdalen Islands), the second place on DM's bucket list for this cruise. It was very cool this morning, 3C. Snow is still on the ground in some parts of the archipelago, as it was in the shady and protected spots in PEI. But, oh, my, is this a pretty part of the world. Don't get me wrong, it was brown because spring has not yet sprung here. In the spring/summer, it must be beautiful with the rolling hills and the red cliffs. The Madelinots are most welcoming to tourists. We got a taste of the Magdalen Islands both literally and figuratively.

 

We were warned in the shorex material that there was limited tourism infrastructure and transportation would be more basic than other ports, something like a school bus. Yes, our tour was in a school bus but it was one of the nicest I've ever been in. The seats were really comfortable, nicely padded, too. I've had worse school bus rides in Alaska!!

 

There is little information on CC about les Iles, or the Maggies as the Madelinots call their archipelago. To do some research, we watched some specific TV shows. In Canada, there is a Quebecois chef named Ricardo who had his own television show, cooking implements, cookbooks, etc. He is one of Canada's celebrity chefs. When trying to find shows on the Magdalen Islands, I searched on our TV system and found one of his old shows. He brought his show to the Magdalen Islands and used local products to cook a meal for his friends on the Islands.

 

The second show we saw was one episode from a series called Canada Over the Edge. Each episode features one part of a province and films that part's coastline or border in great detail (and HD). In Canada, it can be viewed on the Smithsonian Channel for which we had to pay extra through our cable company. It's a fantastic series and well worth the extra monthly fee, IMO. We actually recorded every episode we could and watched those specific to this cruise before leaving.

 

Each Ile has it's own personality and, we were told, it's own dialect. Entry Island is home to about 100 people who are of Scottish descent. That is the one island that is fluent in English and is the most isolated. The only way to reach it is via ferry which takes an hour each way. The dialects on the other islands, for example, may have one rolling their R's, one not pronouncing their R's and another where they do pronounce their R's.

 

We did a HAL tour called The Flavour Circuit: A Taste of Iles de la Madeleine. We didn't realize that this would be a tender port; the HAL itinerary did not indicate tendering like it does for Bar Harbor and Newport. As our tour was an early one, I think we might have been on one of the first tenders.

 

Our tour was mostly on Ile du Havre Aux Maisons with one stop on Ile du Cap Aux Meules. We were on the road to our first stop by 8:30. We had a driver and guide, both of whom were Madelinot, born and bred. Our first stop was an artisanal cheese factory, Pied de Vent. We tried three cheeses and they explained the process to us. The cows they have are specially bred for survival in the cold and wind. They use all of the milk from milking the cows twice a day to make the cheese. There are windows into the factory itself so you can watch the cheese making process but there wasn't much going on while we were there. The cheese was very good, so much so that we purchased cheese. (Lucky for us that we purchased it in Canada and if it lasts, it will stay in Canada when we fly home. Anyone from another country, including the US, should check to see if they can bring Canadian cheese to their country.)

 

Our second stop, was one we had been anticipating since seeing Ricardo's show, the Fumoir d'Antan. This smokehouse is the only smokehouse still operating today. There were many several years ago but the fishing stocks were depleted through overfishing. Overfishing has been rectified but the seal population has increased so much that the seals are contributing to the depletion of the fish stock. Each seal eats one ton of fish in a year. This smokehouse produces mostly smoked herring. Because herring season is a short season, they have had to expand their products. They also produce smoked scallops, mackerel, eel and salmon. We purchased marinated smoked herring, smoked herring and smoked scallops. Again, please check to see if you can do this if travelling to another country.

 

Our third stop was at a beach. The Iles have over 300 km of beaches. You wouldn't believe these beaches. They are long and narrow, with the finest sand. Just beautiful. We took about 20 minutes and walked along the beach. There were red sandstone rock cliffs towering over the beaches. When you touch or rub the sandstone even slightly, it literally crumbles to sand right then and there. Their biggest issues is with erosion; the islands are getting smaller.

 

The houses are very attractive from the outside (we didn't get to see inside) and look very well maintained. They are quite colourful, some bright yellow, or purple, or green, or red, every colour you can think of. It reminded me of pictures of Newfoundland or Greenland villages but with more colour. There is lots of space between houses, not at all like cities where the houses are jammed cheek by jowl. There are few trees and what trees they do have are short. Some islands are bare of trees because of logging done way back when. The islands were discovered by Jacques Cartier in the 1500's and he noted there were massive trees back then so someone took them down in the last 500 years or so.

 

There are only 12,000 Madelinots on the island. Their tourist season starts in late June, after school is out and goes until the end of August or early September. They receive about 50,000 tourists every year. Because it is quite windy here, and there are two large lagoons in the middle of the archipelago, kite surfing is very popular here. We didn't see any kite surfers today; it was a little too cool for that.

 

We did have a very short stop to look at another set of red cliffs. This was a photo stop only and just six of us got out to take pictures. Well, am I ever glad I did. The red cliffs here were stunning, with a pierced rock similar to Perce so that made me happy since we're not going to Gaspe to see the real Perce Rocher. (Sorry, I don't have an accent ague on this keyboard so I'm not able to spell "Pearsay" properly.) It was a very pretty site.

 

Our last stop on our tour was at a microbrewery on Ile du Cap Aux Meules. There DM got to try two different beers; I'm not fond of beer but I had sips of her samples. She really liked one but they don't bottle it. It is only draft beer. Still she managed to purchase three bottles that she can drink when we're on our post cruise tour. Yes, when we got back to the ship, they were taken away from us until the end of the cruise. That's fine as the little drinking we do on the ship is free through our Signature Beverage Package.

 

We were taken back to the cruise terminal. In the cruise terminal, they had free wifi, and locals providing information to the cruise pax. They even had a free HOHO that took people around, I think, only on Cap Aux Meules Island. Some of the people we spoke with spoke excellent English with barely a trace of an accent. They were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. They were even posted along the pathways leading out of the port to the downtown district of the village of Cap Aux Meules. We did have to walk to the "downtown" to get our requisite fridge magnet. We purchased some other souvenirs, too. It was only a five minute walk each way and fairly flat, too.

 

After a bit of a wait for a tender, we got back to the ship around 1:30. After dumping our stuff in the cabin we went up to the Lido for lunch. DM checked the inside of her eyelids for leaks again (never can be too sure they're not leaking, you know!) while I started this report on our day.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour today. Part of it was due to our research, and DM's love for herring, and part of it was due to the excellent guide we had, a young woman named Stephanie. DM and I are already planning on how and when to come back. Today's visit was just a small taste of the Magdalen Islands. We'd like to come back in June or so when it is green and the wild berries are in season. I know, this was supposed to reduce DM's bucket list but it seems to be getting larger!

 

Tonight was An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill. Unfortunately for DM, they still have the old menu. For those about to cruise this itinerary, I was told that the new menu will be in place for the next cruise. Missed it by that much!

 

DM does not care for lamb, or beef. That takes care of two of the entrees of the very limited Le Cirque menu. Third was chicken under a brick. When I inquired about it, it is only dark meat; she prefers white meat. The final item is the Black Cod in a red wine buerre blanc. When we did Le Cirque the previous time to try it out, she did not like the Black Cod entree. So, what to do. We did consider cancelling the evening. I was still foolishly optimistic that they might start the new menu on this cruise. But we still needed to spend money to get to 4 star. So, we kept the reservation. Well, it turned out well in the end. DM ordered the The Trio which consisted of caviar (with trimmings), smoked salmon and pate. She had both soups, the squash/huckleberry and the chilled yoghurt soup with melon and shrimp. Her entree was the lobster salad, with TWO lobster tails. She was in heaven. And then she finished if off with a chocolate souffle and french vanilla gelato.

 

I had the lobster salad as an appetizer (with one lobster tail), the squash/huckleberry soup and the chateaubriand. My dessert was the Creme Brulee. I did take pictures. I'm really no good at food porn; sometimes we had started to eat before I remembered to take the pictures. Anyway, you'll have to wait until I have good access to wifi (or get home) because I am almost out of Internet time here on the ship. And even then it might be too late as someone from the subsequent cruise will be posting their pictures of the new menu items. At any rate, DM was really happy with her dinner. She thought having the lobster salad as an entree was just ideal for her. We waddled out of the PG very satisfied with our day.

 

 

As we sailed away from les Iles de la Madeleine, the Captain took us on a sightseeing tour of Entry Island. It, too, is lovely in it's own way. Very few trees, the ones that are there seem to be clumped together in one location near the village. The rolling hills seem to be a little greener than those on Cap Aux Meules or Havre Aux Maisons. I think, when we go back, we'll have to visit each island!

 

After dinner, DM read, while I worked on the jigsaw puzzle. Yes, we're still in Code Red. But, I think I mentioned before that some are puzzle fanatics and have been going stir crazy without the puzzles being available. Someone discussed this with the librarian and mentioned that the VLTs in the casino are being played even though Code Red exists so why can't the puzzles be played with? The end result is that one puzzle at a time can be worked on. She pulled out a real stinker, though, with a challenging sky. That's all that's left as of half an hour ago. Hopefully, the light will be better tomorrow; then we can see what we're working with and get it done!

 

Tomorrow is our sea day enroute to Saguenay. Until tomorrow!

 

 

Love the sounds of your excursion.

Too bad that you didn't get to try the new Pinnacle menu.

[Folk Singer]

Thank you for the Report.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We were supposed to be on HAL's tour to Entry Island when we stopped there, but disembarkation was delayed and HAL continued to take the tenders in the designated original order even though our tour was the only one which was supposed to take a scheduled Ferry. They had us sit and wait for over an hour before telling everyone that we missed the Ferry so the tour was canceled. Not a good day.

 

 

That is a bummer.

HAL shore excursion desk should have changed the order of the excursions knowing about the ferry times.

[Alberta Quilter]

May 12, 2015 At Sea, enroute to Saguenay

 

Today, we awoke to foggy conditions and drizzle. There's actually not very much to report for today. I spent most of the day at the jigsaw puzzle table with a few like minded ladies. We finished yesterday's puzzle shortly after breakfast, and broke it apart right away so that we could start a new one. They'll only let us have one puzzle out at a time under Code Red. Since it was a perfect day for puzzling, we complied. The second puzzle was not a hard puzzle but it was challenging because it was in the shape of a lion's body - many edge pieces, and all of the pieces did not have a traditional puzzle shape. It was fun to do but required a full team effort. That one was finished just before early dinner at 5:30. They have since started another puzzle; I expect that will be done by this time tomorrow, if not sooner.

 

The big event of today was the Mariner's Brunch. I chose not to go but DM did attend with one of our tablemates joining her. DM placed a special order for both of them - more marinated herring. I think the menu has changed for the Mariner's Brunch. They had the choice between arctic char or strip loin steak. The reports I heard at the puzzle table were very positive; the food was great!

 

I had a burger at the Dive In which I thoroughly enjoyed. I took a break from puzzling to attend the last Bingo game of the cruise. I came close on the last game; I was the first to stand with one number to go. No, I didn't win. It would have been nice; the jackpot was the biggest one of the cruise, $390.

 

Dinner tonight consisted of roast chicken, chicken marsala, prime rib and seafood pot pie. The seafood pot pie was very good; it seemed to be a popular selection judging by how many people ordered it in our section.

 

After dinner, we chose to go to the movie - Two Faces of January. It was a little strange, not at all what I expected. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I don't think I was the only one who felt that way. The other entertainment was a comedian, Buzz Sutherland. I'll have to let you know how good he was tomorrow as I'm off to bed shortly.

 

One thing I've been remiss in telling you all about is the laundry. The turn around time has been about 12 hours, exceptionally fast IMO. If we put it out in the morning, it's generally back by dinner time and if we put it out at night, it's generally back in the morning. Last night's laundry did take longer, closer to 24 hours. Maybe more and more people are sending it out before we get cut off!

 

Also, I was able to confirm that the reason the toilet covers are not available is because of the Code Red. I don't understand the logic but there's probably something I'm missing. The ship is being continuously cleaned. Every night the tables and chairs are sprayed. In the library, Jordan and the librarian wash down the chairs. Last night, we were still working on the puzzle when they washed down two nearby chairs. I had to leave because it stunk a little. Sometimes the smell in the elevators is overpowering. I don't know if new cases have been reported; I haven't heard or inquired. We're healthy and the people we know are healthy so something is working. It's just hard on the staff, all this constant cleaning. Hopefully, the next cruise will be out of Code Red.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Saguenay. A bientot!

 

Sorry, we had connectivity issues last night so had to wait until I got some minutes restored before I could post.

[Alberta Quilter]

?-- AQ,, around what time does the sun seem to set,, down here ,in Ontario, its around 9 ish,, im thinking since Montréal is more north of us, there will be more daylight to enjoy a later sail away--- thks joanie

 

Hi Joanie,

 

I don't know for sure; I haven't been paying attention as we're usually in the Wajang Theatre or the Showroom at sunset. The On Location for Saguenay shows sunset at 8:11 pm. Hopefully that will help.

[Krazy Kruizers]

May 12, 2015 At Sea, enroute to Saguenay

 

Today, we awoke to foggy conditions and drizzle. There's actually not very much to report for today. I spent most of the day at the jigsaw puzzle table with a few like minded ladies. We finished yesterday's puzzle shortly after breakfast, and broke it apart right away so that we could start a new one. They'll only let us have one puzzle out at a time under Code Red. Since it was a perfect day for puzzling, we complied. The second puzzle was not a hard puzzle but it was challenging because it was in the shape of a lion's body - many edge pieces, and all of the pieces did not have a traditional puzzle shape. It was fun to do but required a full team effort. That one was finished just before early dinner at 5:30. They have since started another puzzle; I expect that will be done by this time tomorrow, if not sooner.

 

The big event of today was the Mariner's Brunch. I chose not to go but DM did attend with one of our tablemates joining her. DM placed a special order for both of them - more marinated herring. I think the menu has changed for the Mariner's Brunch. They had the choice between arctic char or strip loin steak. The reports I heard at the puzzle table were very positive; the food was great!

 

I had a burger at the Dive In which I thoroughly enjoyed. I took a break from puzzling to attend the last Bingo game of the cruise. I came close on the last game; I was the first to stand with one number to go. No, I didn't win. It would have been nice; the jackpot was the biggest one of the cruise, $390.

 

Dinner tonight consisted of roast chicken, chicken marsala, prime rib and seafood pot pie. The seafood pot pie was very good; it seemed to be a popular selection judging by how many people ordered it in our section.

 

After dinner, we chose to go to the movie - Two Faces of January. It was a little strange, not at all what I expected. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I don't think I was the only one who felt that way. The other entertainment was a comedian, Buzz Sutherland. I'll have to let you know how good he was tomorrow as I'm off to bed shortly.

 

One thing I've been remiss in telling you all about is the laundry. The turn around time has been about 12 hours, exceptionally fast IMO. If we put it out in the morning, it's generally back by dinner time and if we put it out at night, it's generally back in the morning. Last night's laundry did take longer, closer to 24 hours. Maybe more and more people are sending it out before we get cut off!

 

Also, I was able to confirm that the reason the toilet covers are not available is because of the Code Red. I don't understand the logic but there's probably something I'm missing. The ship is being continuously cleaned. Every night the tables and chairs are sprayed. In the library, Jordan and the librarian wash down the chairs. Last night, we were still working on the puzzle when they washed down two nearby chairs. I had to leave because it stunk a little. Sometimes the smell in the elevators is overpowering. I don't know if new cases have been reported; I haven't heard or inquired. We're healthy and the people we know are healthy so something is working. It's just hard on the staff, all this constant cleaning. Hopefully, the next cruise will be out of Code Red.

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Saguenay. A bientot!

 

Sorry, we had connectivity issues last night so had to wait until I got some minutes restored before I could post.

 

 

We haven't been to a Mariner's brunch in quite a few cruises.

Menu does sound better.

Glad they are letting you do a puzzle at a time during Code Red.

[Cruising-along]

I would love to know the logic behind the toilet seat covers/code red!

Enjoy Saguenay, I really liked that port. :)

[Jade13]

That is a bummer.

HAL shore excursion desk should have changed the order of the excursions knowing about the ferry times.

 

Exactly.

 

Plus, we ended up taking the second half of a full day tour and they only took off $15.00 pp since we missed the lunch. It was a poor tour too.

 

We did speak to someone at the Shore Excursions desk later on why they did not call our group off on an earlier tender since we confirmed we were the only tour of the day that was dependent on the public ferry transportation schedule. They only defended their decisions by saying others had schedules too, but the other tours had chartered buses that could wait for them. Their decision to have us wait under a tent for over an hour and not telling us what was going on and we had missed the ferry added to the poor handling.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Jade13

[Alberta Quilter]

May 13, 2015 Saguenay

 

We were last in Saguenay 7 years ago and we loved it then. We had nothing planned back then. We just walked around town. There was a farmers market and there seemed to be a fair going on in La Baie where the ship docks.

 

Saguenay is the name given to the area and comprises three cities: La Baie, Chicoutimi, and Jonquiere. Since we were last here, there has been a cruise terminal built and the surrounding area has been really fixed up. As I recall, they had started to fix things up even back 7 years ago. It could be more as a result of the devastating flood that they had 17 years ago, too. They certainly appreciate the cruise ship industry and have established a reputation for the port with the best welcome to crusie ship passengers. And, believe me, that is well deserved. We thought very highly of them 7 years ago but they outdid themselves today.

 

Just to remind you all, we were actually supposed to arrive in Saguenay tomorrow but we had the itinerary change where Gaspe was deleted due to ice in the harbour. This moved Saguenay up and we are spending an extra day and overnight in Quebec City. We had planned on going to La Fabuleuse show put on by local, volunteer, actors. The show gives the history of the area and is put on by over 100 actors playing 11600 characters! Unfortunately, with the itinerary change, they could not put on the show for us today. The tour was totally cancelled. We found out that they already had one show this afternoon that was fully booked, and there is a concert in the theatre this evening. There was no way they could accommodate us today for that show. As far as I know, all other tours were rescheduled.

 

So, again, we had nothing planned for today. After breakfast in the MDR, I had to go to the library to ask for time credit from the librarian due to last night's difficulty connecting to the internet. DM went back to bed! As I was fairly sure that she did so, I let myself be distracted with the jigsaw puzzle for a little while. When I got to the room, about half an hour later, she was awake and almost ready to go.

 

You could hear the activities as we left the ship. There was music playing and someone talking over a mic, welcoming us to Saguenay. When we got up to the top of the ramp, there were all kinds of people in period costumes wandering about, welcoming us in English and generally talking to us, finding out where we were from, asking our names, etc. These were some of the actors from La Fabuleuse. In addition to that, some were passing out samples of wild blueberry juice, wild blueberry pie, and maple syrup taffy (they boil maple syrup to a certain temperature and pour it onto snow (or shaved ice). Then it is gathered up with a popsicle stick and eaten. It's quite good and not too sweet. There were also representatives from a local native band who were happy to pose for pictures in their full regalia.

 

Inside the cruise terminal, there were craftspeople selling their crafts (jewellery, sculptures, glass blown items, soap, purses, etc.). There is free wifi in the terminal and some pax said that they could use the free wifi from the ship. (I tried and couldn't get it but we were on the side farthest away from the pier). There were also reps from the local tourist bureau to provide information about what was available. Also, the bathrooms in the facility are VERY nice and well maintained.

 

We found out that there was a HoHo bus here. The cost is $20 (Cdn or US - yes, if you choose to come to Canada with only USD, you will currently be paying a premium for the HoHo) pp and there are two routes. One goes to Chicoutimi (downtown and cultural area), and the other goes to the Bagotvillle Air Defence Museum and the Fjord Museum. We took the Chicoutimi one and rode it for the entire route. I won't lie, we were both tired and we napped along the way. We came back to the ship for lunch which, by the way, featured a PEI potato bar! Yes, out at the taco bar, they had PEI potatoes and you could dress them anyway you wanted. They had the traditional fixings plus some more unusual ones, like gorgonzola. The potatoes were a hit!

 

After lunch, we went back out to do the second circuit of the HoHo. One of our roll call buddies told us that the market that was on today consisted of only 7 vendors and they were mostly jewellery and knitted items. So, we decided to forgo the market and head to the Fjord Museum. It's not a large museum but we didn't get to see it all because the last HoHo of the day came about 40 minutes after we got there so we had to leave quickly. However, it was still worth it. The cost to cruise ship passengers was $11.50 each, which happens to be the senior's rate. First time I've received a senior's rate but I'm not complaining. They have a movie on the fjord which is quite well done (some may consider it a little hokey but it gave different perspectives of the fjord and explained the history in an unusual way). I thought it was creative.

 

The fjord was, of course, created through the ice age. It is the second deepest fjord in the world. No, they didn't say what the first one is and I'm not spending what little internet time I have left to find out. What is unique about the Saguenay Fjord is that it has different layers of water. The top layer is fresh water, the middle layer is brackish water, and the bottom layer is salt water. The salt water layer goes from the St Lawrence down the fjord, and the fresh water layer goes from the Saguenay river and it's tributaries down the fjord to the St. Lawrence. In fact, in the movie, they show how you can see the two currents of water meeting at the St. Lawrence. The museum also has an aquarium showing the variety of species that live in the fjord. It's quite unusual to have so many but it's due to the different water in the fjord.

 

Back at the cruise terminal, I took some time to try to update apps on my phone while DM when back on the ship. When we boarded the ship, someone from the Saguenay tourist board gave everyone a chocolate with several wild blueberries in it. I gave mine to DM so she had two! We had both forgotten that they did this the last time we were here. You can understand now why they get the best port welcome award - they bribe us with all things blueberry and maple - and it works!! Seriously, they seem to really want us to visit. It pumps a lot of money into the local economy and they know it. Lets hope that it never gets to the point where they don't want us to visit, like it sometimes happens in other tourist destinations.

 

Dinner tonight was just the two of us. Our table mates chose to watch the scenic cruising as we left Saguenay. We watched in comfort from our dining table (even though we're not right at a window) and we were actually done and out before we cruised by the Madonna statue on the west bank of the fjord. We retired to our verandah to watch the rest of the scenic cruising from there.

 

Last night's entertainment, the comedian, had mixed reviews. It sounded like we didn't miss much. Tonight's entertainment is a variety show with the ventriloquist and the comedian. The movie tonight is Unbroken. We chose to skip both. As I've been awake since 3:30 am, I will be heading to bed early tonight.

 

Tomorrow we will be in Quebec City for the first of two days. Bon soir!

[Alberta Quilter]

Hi Joanie,

 

I don't know for sure; I haven't been paying attention as we're usually in the Wajang Theatre or the Showroom at sunset. The On Location for Saguenay shows sunset at 8:11 pm. Hopefully that will help.

 

Hey, Joanie, I paid attention tonight. The sunset was about 8:15; it was dusky for a while but pitch black by 8:45 pm.

[Lauranne]

Thank you Alberta Quilter for this thread. I too am going on a mother/daughter cruise on the Maasdam, July 4/15. In this case I am the mother and my daughter is 18 years old. We are celebrating her high school graduation.The information that you are providing is making us even more excited for our cruise. :) Thanks again.

Laurie

[vnw98]

I am getting on this ship this saturday May 16th. Is there a new food menu in the main dining. Anyone have links to see the menu. Thanks.

[qsuzi]

Still reading daily and noting what a wonderful itinerary. I also enjoy spending some time at the puzzle daily and found great company and just total relaxation during the time I spent there. We have only been to the Canada/New England area during Fall leaf season so never thought about you running into ice.

[albingirl]

Lovely thread; thank you.

[maxie99]

Hey, Joanie, I paid attention tonight. The sunset was about 8:15; it was dusky for a while but pitch black by 8:45 pm.

 

:) thks, I guess I was thinking it would stay light, later, like Alaska and the Yukon, considering its only 5 weeks to June 21,, but your are not that far north--luving your report,,, joanie

[maxie99]

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Edited May 14, 2015 by maxie99