Photo Review: RCCL Serenade of the Seas 10/9/16 New England & Canada

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

[teacher2cruiser]

Loving your review. We cruise out of Baltimore with this same itinerary in June. Awesome pictures! We don't have a plan for Halifax, so I'm anxious to see what you suggest there.

[Ocean Boy]

I had forgotten just how pretty Serenade's Schooner Bar and Safari Club are. I looked back at a review that I had written years ago and noted that I had said the ship even had the most beautiful Windjammer that I had been in.

[goneclear]

Awesome review and beautiful pictures. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.

We are doing this same itinerary in October.

How long is the coach ride from the port to Kennebunkport? Thanks.

[kccrzr]

Heather: Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

 

My family took a N.E./Canada cruise several years ago and enjoyed it so much my oldest daughter and I spent a week last year driving from NYC to Maine with stops in Bar Harbor, Kennebunkport and Newport, RI. The only thing better than enjoying the fantastic scenery and popovers at an early lunch at Jordan's Pond House was the many lobster rolls we were "forced" to have in our quest for the best.

 

Your photos bring back great memories. I'm now considering a cruise from Bayonne to Quebec. :)

[easyboy]

Enjoying your nice photos.

[Bailey & Sophie]

Thank you for posting pictures! We will be on the Vision this fall for the Canada/New England cruise, and will be exploring some of the places you pictured. Awesome.

 

And we will be on the Serenade in about 30 days!! Thanks for the inside scoop (especially the bars!).

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

[HeatherC430]

We booked the St. Martins and the Bay of Fundy tour through the ship for our day in Saint John. It was scheduled to last for 5.5 hours at the cost of $89.75 per person. We chose this tour because we wanted to see some of the Bay of Fundy, but didn't want to be on a bus ALL day. This seemed like happy medium. I really enjoyed our time at the Sea Caves (and would have liked even more time there to explore). Our seafood chowder for lunch was also really good. The only part of the tour that I could have lived without was the Saint Martin's village. Yes, it was a cute little town, but there really wasn't much to it. The 15 minutes they gave you to get out and walk around was more than enough since there wasn't much to see or fill the time. Also, we saw the reversing falls both at the beginning and end of the tour, so you could to see the difference in currents at the various times of day. All in all, it was an enjoyable day in Saint. John.

 

St. Martins and The Bay of Fundy - NB02

 

Explore the fishing village of St. Martins, marvel at the incredible Reversing Rapids and meander sea caves tucked under cliffs. See where the St. John River and Bay of Fundy converge, creating the Reversing Rapids, and visit sandstone sea caves carved by pounding tides. Plus enjoy seafood chowder and time to shop in Saint John’s Old City Market.

 

Highlights:

• St. Martins: This charming, 200-year-old fishing village features a working harbor, covered bridges, lighthouse, beach and sea caves.

• Reversing Rapids: Powerful tides rise faster than the St. John River empties, forcing the river to flow upstream twice daily.

• Old City Market: Explore, shop, and chat with Saint John locals, with approximately 20 minutes free time.

 

What to Bring:

• SeaPass card and photo identification

• Camera

• Sun protection

• Cash/credit cards

 

What to Wear:

• Hat and sunglasses

• Walking shoes

 

Important Notes:

• Guests in wheelchairs and others with mobility challenges should not select this tour.

• Consider physical fitness and medical history when selecting tour.

• Guests must be able to walk approximately 900 feet over even surfaces with 5 to 10 steps.

• Walking at Sea Caves is at guests’ discretion.

• Sea Caves are accessible only at low tide, but can be viewed from beach.

 

 

First stop, Reversing Falls...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

Next stop was the town of St. Martins...

 

 

 

View from the top of their small lighthouse

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

[fletch1027]

 

 

Loving the review so far! I enjoy doing these as much as reading others! Great photos from around Boston - especially Fenway. Did the tour guide mention that one of the complaints is that a lot of the seats do not face home plate so many of the fans spend the game twisted in their seats to watch? Since these are the primo seats behind home plate, they are facing pretty close to the proper direction... :)

[easyboy]

Have been to Bay of Fundy but not St. Martins. Your photos is encouraging to make it for our next port visit.

[HeatherC430]

Next up lunch at the Sea Caves Restaurant. They had a room with empty tables for our group. The rest of the restaurant was actually pretty busy with a line of people ordering food at the counter. Each of us got a bowl of seafood chowder (which was actually really good), biscuit, soda & a cookie.

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

After lunch we were free to walk outside and explore the caves. The restaurant was literally in the parking lot for the sea caves. While I thought there was enough time to basically make your way over to the caves and take some pictures, there wasn't a whole lot of extra time. I definitely could have used more. Also worth mentioning, there were streams of water that you had to cross over to actually get up close to the sea caves. I'll do basically anything for a good picture, so i trudged through the water while Alaina wasn't quite as adventurous than I. In an effort of full disclosure, my Sperry's boat shoes were wet for the rest of the day...but I like to think it was worth it!

 

P.S. The area to get to the caves is especially rocky. You really have to watch your step so that you don't fall. There was an older woman who fell close to the parking lot area and an ambulance had come for her while we were there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HeatherC430]

 

 

 

 

 

This shows the distance from the caves back to the parking lot and restaurant.