Oh Canada! Our Carnival Sunshine New England/Canada cruise (with pics) 9/3/2016

[Jamman54]

Here are some additional views of the Portland area as seen from the ship…..

 

 

 

 

We stopped back at the cabin before leaving the ship to meet our tour at 8:15am. This was the view on the bow cam…..

 

 

We have officially arrived in Portland…..

 

 

From this point, if you needed assistance getting to the terminal, they had people in large golf carts that would drive you for free. You can see them in the above bow camera view.

 

Here is the Carnival Sunshine docked in Portland, Maine.....

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

We were on the bus and ready to go at 8:15, but of course some people can’t tell time, so it was 15 minutes later before we finally left the parking lot. Here is our tour guide Pam…..

 

 

Here is what we are going to do and see today.

 

EXCURSION DETAILS

 

The historic and charming village of Kennebunkport gained worldwide exposure as the summer home of former President George Bush. Located just 45 minutes away from Portland, you will enjoy a scenic drive through Kennebunkport passing the stunning Federal and Victorian style mansions that were built by wealthy sea captains and merchants in the late 1700s and 1800s.

A stop will be made in the center of town at dock square. Here, you will enjoy some free time to stroll the picturesque streets of Kennebunkport lined with shops, galleries, unique boutiques, antique stores, restaurants and pubs. Your return route will take you past Walker's Point, the Bush estate and former summer White House, where world leaders often gathered.

 

NOTES

 

•Tour sequence may vary.

•Wheelchair accessible transportation can be provided for this tour, but it is not guaranteed and must be requested prior to ship's arrival via the Shore Excursions Desk.

•Children 5 and under are free. Price is Adults $39.99, Children $32.99.

 

Here are a couple of views of the Carnival Sunshine as we left the port area…..

 

 

 

Pam did point out some sights in Portland proper, but the bus was moving too fast to get any decent pictures.

 

After about a half hour or so drive south from Portland, we arrived in the town of Kennebunk…..

 

 

We drove along the coast in Kennebunk. The beaches were rocky and the coastline is very rugged…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Pam mentioned that this was the most surfers she had seen at one time in a long time. That was because Hermine was coming up the coast and the water was starting to churn up…..

 

 

 

 

We’re driving through the town of Kennebunk, and about to cross the Kennebunk River into Kennebunkport……

 

 

Here are a couple of views from the Kennebunkport side of the river…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

Edited September 23, 2016 by Jamman54

[Jamman54]

We are continuing to drive along the rocky coastline…..

 

 

 

Pam says that this is the real “Dark Shadows” house…..

 

 

We have arrived at Walker’s Point, the site of the Bush’s compound in Kennebunkport. Becky the bus driver says that she is not allowed to stop, but can drive by slowly…..

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[hp_slash]

Thank you so much for the detailed review! We're going on the Sunshine to Canada in 2 weeks...no Portland for us but I'm grateful for all the ship pics! :D

[Jamman54]

Here are some more shots of the Bush’s compound in Kennebunkport. Take note of the flagpole in front. Pam tells us that when you see three flags flying, someone from the Bush family is in residence. The top flag of course is the United States flag, the lower right flag is the Maine State flag, and the lower left flag is the Texas State flag…..

 

 

 

 

 

Another rocky coastline view…..

 

 

The bus made its way back through the town of Kennebunkport, then parked on the Kennebunk side of the river. We were given a little over an hour to get off the bus and explore. Here I am with the Kennebunkport sign…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here is Patti in Kennebunkport…..

 

 

Here are some views of the town of Kennebunkport…..

 

 

 

 

 

These are Love Locks. We also saw them in Portland…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

This boat is a restaurant…..

 

 

While we were here the tide was extremely low!

 

 

 

Many quaint alleyways in the town of Kennebunkport…..

 

 

Look at the size of those claws!!

 

 

We can’t argue with this advice…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Can you guess why Patti took this shot? Lol…..

 

 

I can say that we did feel welcome here…..

 

 

This is a great place to people watch…..

 

 

They have horse drawn carriage rides. Too bad we didn’t have more time…..

 

 

It’s about time to head back to Portland. Here I am with Pam and Becky…..

 

 

Patti and I in front of our bus…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here we are driving through the town of Kennebunkport on our way back to Portland…..

 

 

A little more than a half hour later we were back at the pier…..

 

 

The Carnival Sunshine docked in Portland…..

 

 

Horse drawn tour in Portland…..

 

 

We were getting a little hungry so we walked a few blocks down to the waterfront area loaded with shops and restaurants. We decided to try this place out…..

 

 

Nice location, right on the water…..

 

 

To be continued…..

Edited September 23, 2016 by Jamman54

[Jamman54]

Here are the dining and bar areas of the restaurant…..

 

 

 

Lobster boats are docked right outside the window…..

 

 

You just can’t get any fresher than that…..

 

 

From our table we can spy a whale tail…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

I started out with the crab and corn chowder, but I was really looking forward to having a lobster roll. It was out of this world good!!

 

 

Patti was just in the mood for a cheeseburger, which was also very good…..

 

 

For dessert Patti and I shared a Maine blueberry crisp…..

 

 

Looking out the window we can see an excursion boat sailing by…..

 

 

After lunch, I was tired and in need of a nap, so I made my way back to the ship. Patti was going to walk around for a little bit then go back. Here she spots the Love Locks again…..

 

 

The Portland fire truck tour…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

A cobblestone street…..

 

 

Patti’s back at the pier. Here are a few more shots of the Carnival Sunshine docked in Portland…..

 

 

 

 

Patti took this shot of these sailboats moored nearby…..

 

 

Patti is back on board…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Good choice for lunch. Scales is a new restaurant only been open a few months. We have tried it also and was very good.

[Princess Cruiser27]

Thanks Jeff for the review. I forgot about the swim up bar on the Destiny. :eek: I did sail on the Destiny back in 1997. Thanks for bringing back some of the "old" photos out of Kevin and Ryan. Will be waiting for more of the review.

[Jamman54]

Good choice for lunch. Scales is a new restaurant only been open a few months. We have tried it also and was very good.

 

It did have a "new" feel about it. Everything that we had was very good and reasonably priced. You live in a great town Jimmy! :)

 

Thanks Jeff for the review. I forgot about the swim up bar on the Destiny. :eek: I did sail on the Destiny back in 1997. Thanks for bringing back some of the "old" photos out of Kevin and Ryan. Will be waiting for more of the review.

 

Thanks for following along once again! Much more to come.

[Jamman54]

The Carnival Sunshine sailed from Portland a little after 5pm…..

 

 

Here are a couple of Portland Harbor views…..

 

 

 

The Carnival Sunshine spins around to begin to head out to sea…..

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

That is the pier that we just left from……..

 

 

A ferry boat makes its way into Portland…….

 

 

The next three pictures were taken as we sailed past Fort Gorges. Here’s a little history.

 

Fort Gorges is a former United States military fort built on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay, Maine. Built from 1858 to 1864, no battles were fought there and no troops were stationed there. Advancing military technology, including iron clad ships and long range guns, made the fort obsolete before it could be used. The fort is now a park, accessible only by boat. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Source = Wikipedia.

 

 

 

 

Looking out to sea…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here are some more views from the port side of the ship as we cruise through Casco Bay……

 

 

 

We are cruising past House Island and another fort. This is Fort Scammel and here is some history.

 

House Island is a private island in Portland Harbor in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It is part of the City of Portland. The island is only accessible by boat. Public access is prohibited, except for an on request tour sanctioned by the island's owners. House Island includes three buildings on the east side and Fort Scammell on the west side. The buildings are used as summer residences. The island's name derives from the site of an early European house, believed that built by Capt. Christopher Levett, an English explorer of the region. On June 21, 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported the island for sale for $4.9m. Source = Wikipedia.

 

 

 

I then moved over to the starboard side of the ship to take in the views…..

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Here are some views of the rocky coastline. Dangerous for boaters but beautiful nonetheless…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are approaching the Portland Head Light…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Here is a whole page of pictures of the Portland Head Light just because it was so darn picturesque. But first, here’s some history on the Portland Head Light.

 

Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.

 

Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington, and was completed on January 10, 1791 using a fund of 1,500 dollars established by him. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination. In 1855, following formation of the Lighthouse Board, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed; that lens was replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced later by an aero beacon in 1958. That lens was updated with an DCB-224 aero beacon in 1991. Source = Wikipedia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[JohnSpo]

A beautiful sailaway out of Portland. It looks like you both were enjoying this cruise. Off to Boston next. Nice!:cool:

[Jamman54]

Almost immediately after entering the open ocean, the Carnival Sunshine began rocking and rolling, and it would remain that way until we pulled into Boston tomorrow morning. For us, the motion was not that severe, because we like a little “motion of the ocean”, but I can imagine that for some it was uncomfortable. This would be the only night of the cruise that we could feel the motion, so with Hermine now off the coast of New Jersey and New York, I guess we can consider ourselves lucky!

 

Here is one last look at the beautiful, rocky, coast of Maine…..

 

 

The Portland Pilot Boat came alongside, and it struggled in the waves to get close to the ship…..

 

 

 

 

 

My fellow passengers are watching the Pilot Boat directly below.

 

 

Finally, the Pilot was safely transferred to the Pilot Boat.

 

To be continued…

[Princess Cruiser27]

Jeff, thanks for the pictures of sailing out of Manhattan, Portland, and Kennebunkport. I could never get tired of seeing pictures of the NY skyline. :D TC aka Barb. Will be waiting on the next installment.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Princess Cruiser27

[Jamman54]

We're going on our first New England/Canada cruise next year on Royal. I'm absolutely loving your review! It's giving me ideas of what we can do in the ports. I've always loved and appreciated your reviews. I know they take time and work and you certainly have a fan in me!

 

Thanks for reading and your kind words. Cruising to NE/Canada is a different experience which I'm sure we'll repeat. Stay tuned for more!

 

A beautiful sailaway out of Portland. It looks like you both were enjoying this cruise. Off to Boston next. Nice!:cool:

 

Yes the sailaway from Portland was beautiful. The views were spectacular. We enjoyed this cruise immensely!