Adventure OTS, 13 Night Snowbird Migration Quebec to Ft. Lauderdale Oct. 8, 2018

[sisocialworker]

temps low 40's means yes to me  thanks...still on the fence about switching to anthem...but love 13 nights, less flying , never been to QC; real 1st world problem I got....may seem a bit "slow"  on the ship though

[twangster]

Day 3 - Sea Day 

Our progress so far has us entering the Gulf of St Lawrence and beginning to make the turn South-East. 

Time change last night.  We are now on Atlantic time. 

The Northern shore of Quebec's Gaspe Bay Peninsula.

Voom's satellite connection is non-existent.  I ventured up to the Viking Crown Lounge to eek out a small 3G signal from the tip of Quebec.

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Elevator upgrades are underway.  They are manufactured by Kone, a big name in the elevator industry.  They have Kone employees on board doing the upgrades.  I saw this on Mariner a few weeks ago as well.

Old elevator signs are being replaced.

New indicators are bigger and easier to read.  My guess is that there is more to this upgrade than just signage.  I'm betting old control systems are being modernized and newer controls will allow intelligent adaptations to respond to peak times and other such things. 

Spotted a ship in the distance.  It's the Oceania Insignia out of New York. 

There is also some work being done on the ping pong tables.

Slides and flowrider are closed despite the cruise compass times listing them as open.  It is pretty cold out there.

Despite the cool temperature it's a beautiful day.

Captain's noon announcement - temps of 49° F with a high of 52° F today.  Ocean temp. is 48° F.  Winds are near 30 mph but from our port aft side so a following wind.  Currently 5' swells which I can't feel at all in my cabin.  

He did address our future rendezvous with tropical storm Michael (what it will be when we come closest).  Based on predictions we will be 150 nm from the storm and that will occur after our day in Halifax.  Keep in mind that Michael will lose a lot of it's strength as it crosses land.  It won't be a hurricane when it approaches nearest to Adventure.  It will be a very different storm compared to what it is right now.

Based on predictions and the wind-field that the NHC is forecasting, winds will be 5-10 miles per hour, possibly 10-20 miles per hour.  That's not a concern, right now we have 30 mile per hour winds.  

I expect we will have some swell to deal with.  I'm not overly concerned with that based on current predictions.  

The only question is forecast prediction.  This far out and after a collision with land, the storm could track differently than predicted.  Only time will tell but I trust in that they will keep us safe even if we have a bumpy ride for a short spell.  

As the day progressed we sailed deeper into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Here from near the center of the Gulf of St. Lawrence I wandered around and grabbed some more photos.

Following seas from the 20 knot tail wind makes for very smooth sailing with little wind on the helipad.

For anyone who hasn't seen some of the latest additions from her various refreshments...

Adventure Dunes starts on deck 13 and ends on deck 12.

New and improved pizza at cafe Promenade.

A couple of turkey sandwiches, a slice of BBQ chicken pizza and a pulled pork BBQ sandwich.  All were quite tasty.  I'm ready for a nap.

Meanwhile, back in my cabin...

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Day 3 - Dinner

MDR Menu

I ate in the Windjammer - Italian Night.

We've entered a dead satellite coverage zone.

Some channels continued to work such as BBC News and The Weather Channel that is temporarily available while Hurricane Michael is in play.  Royal worked out a deal with it's TV provider Global Eagle and The Weather Channel to allow this channel, not normally part of the TV channel lineup, to be available on some ships (according to James Van Fleet, Royal's in-house Chief Meteorologist).   

Our progress and location where satellite coverage is absent.

I checked out the Las Vegas Tenors in the main theater, pub singer, Schooner Bar piano player and the silent disco in the Viking Crown Lounge which was surprisingly well attended.   

Late Night Snacks

Working on maximizing my waterslide velocity, I'm pretty sure I've got a few pounds of buffer before I'm over the slide weight restriction so this should increase my speed by at least 1-2%.

The BBQ Chicken pizza is really good late at night.

In other news, a Kraken and Diet is $8.26 including gratuity.  

 

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Day 4 - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

The Captain was right on with his weather forecast for the day and it was cold and wet upon our arrival.  

Our first look from the ship.

The terminal building has a variety of shops and food available as well as free wifi. 

Apparently few people have roaming plans that cover Canada, the free wifi was very popular.

The opportunity for real lobster presented itself quickly off the ship.  Real lobster meaning not that Caribbean lobster stuff they serve on the ship on formal nights.

A short walk down the shore led me to another seafood store and restaurant.

The menu was bilingual - English and Japanese.  

The store side of the building had a pretty good supply of live lobsters sorted by weight.

Lobster was also available cooked, ready to go.

Other types of seafood also available.

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[sisocialworker]

In other news, a Kraken and Diet is $8.26 including gratuity.    so cheap? is it the special of the day?

[sisocialworker]

how do I respond w/o including all your pics to it...albeit they are great ones

[sisocialworker]

how to respond w/o pic attachments

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, sisocialworker said:

how do I respond w/o including all your pics to it...albeit they are great ones

 

Appears to be a bug in the new code running the forum.  I get it too.  After posting, edit your post, copy your text, then CTRL A to select everything and delete all the tag along photos.  Then paste your text back in. 

[sisocialworker]

how bout this  
 

Edited October 18, 2018 by sisocialworker

[CC Help Jenn]

replying

[CruisinCrow]

Wonderful pictures!  It looks like they changed the 6-picture limit per post.

[twangster]

I didn't have an excursion booked so I just started walking in the light rain.  I'm glad I brought my rain coat.

I had spotted a church from the ship and it looked like a natural destination so I headed in that direction.

 

I can only imagine the sounds once this huge pipe organ gets cranking.

Charlottetown is the birthplace of Canada in the sense that the founding Fathers from the original five colonies (Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec) gathered here in 1864 to write the document that would lead to formation of the British North American Act that Queen Victoria signed into law in 1867.  That is how Canada was granted it's independence from England.  

Here are two of them.

This is set in front of The Great George Hotel which in that day would have been the premiere hotel to stay at.  Apparently some of the rooms still have the original furnishings from that period.

Nearby is the Province House where the Colonial Government was located in the day.

A memorial to the PEI Soldiers who lost their lives in the two World Wars, in Korea and Afghanistan.

The building is being restored at the moment and was closed on this day.

Continuing my walk I found the store for The Anne of Green Gables (it's a Canadian thing).

Time for lunch.

PEI Halibut and Chips and a local IPA.

 

With that I headed back to the ship.  First I had to get past the guard who wanted to see ship card and photo ID.

 

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Day 4 Sail away to more rain and overcast.

The typical rolling hills that PEI is known for.

Fall color is getting more intense.

Day 4 dinner menu

I went to the Windjammer again.  I wanted a quick dinner to try to catch the skating show at 7pm.  Scandinavian Night.

At 6:15pm I headed down to deck3 when stepping off the elevator I encountered the longest Studio B line I've ever seen.  At 45 minutes before show time it stretched from Studio B all the way into the MDR.  I guess with a rainy day and many folks not leaving the ship they were anxious for something and they all came to Studio B.  

I'll try for another showing...

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Day 4 - Ice Skating "Cool Art, Hot Ice!"

7pm and 9pm

I showed up outside Studio B to find the doors opened early and a packed house at 8:20pm.  I managed to find a single seat while it was standing room only not long after I arrived.

Very good show but I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Another 'don't miss' skating show.

[twangster]

Day 4 - 70s Party

Like other ships with a Promenade, Adventure has a 70s party.

[twangster]

Day 5 - Sydney, Nova Scotia  Sea Day

I woke to take in our arrival to Sydney.  Sunrise was supposed to occur at 7:11am although with the rain and overcast conditions it wasn't going to be a visible sunrise.  

All the upper decks were closed due to high winds but I found the sports deck was open.

I ventured towards the Windjammer for it's 6:30am opening.  Early I had some time to kill so I took some pictures of Giovanni's.

The Windjammer opened a few minutes early and I enjoyed a custom made omelet and some fruit.

The sky was beginning to brighten and I could see we were well off shore for a 7am arrival.  I sensed something amiss.  

I walked trough the Solarium and planned to take some pictures out a window since the upper deck was still closed.  The hot tub looked very enticing given the cool and wet conditions outdoors.

Those city lights barely visible on the horizon are the lower tip of Cape Breton.   

Our progress so far:

I checked the marinetraffic.com app and it confirmed my suspicions.

Sharp at 8am the Captain made an announcement. 

Winds up to 40mph at the pier.  Pier closed.  Port officials offered anchorage which didn't make sense. 

We gain a sea day and plan to keep our scheduled call into Halifax tomorrow.  As the remnants of Hurricane Michael approach us we are expecting 35-40 mph winds and 12' seas but with our slower speed towards Halifax the Captain predicts very little ship movement. 

At the moment there is very little movement.  Once in a while you feel a little side-to-side shimmy, much like a really smooth subway train ride or if riding in an airplane and you feel just a little bit of bumpy air. It's barely perceptible.  

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Noon update from the Captain.   Not much has changed as we slowly poke along at around 10 knots.  Winds are expected to reach 40-45 mph max.   Stabilizers are extended.  Seas of 12-13' expected or up to 4m.  

We are hugging the Nova Scotia coast just far enough out I'm sure to be in international water.

If anyone has been on a bus driving down an interstate and walked back to use the restroom that is sort of like what it's like.   Not that bad at all.   

Not very good visibility but they aren't sounding the fog horn.   Perhaps when it gets dark they will.  

First beer of the day tasted very good.  It tasted like "more". 

A band is playing Caribbean music in the Promenade.   I suspect Windjammer seating will be scarce.   Time to find out. 

[twangster]

I looked far and wide and the most dramatic TWC (The Weather Channel) moment I could find was this lounger that tried to liftoff at some point.

Most outer decks remain closed.  Pool deck is open as is the sports deck, but no one is up there.

With a small stagger to my step I figured I might as well have a pint to justify the stagger so I went to the pub.

I noted they put take-home bags for the dining room near the stairs.  They must be planning on feeding us well tonight.

While in the pub the ship became very smooth again.  I ventured out to fog and the fog horn protocol activated.

Since then, a few hours later, it's gotten even smoother and the fog has lifted quite a bit. Still raining lightly.   The sky is looking distinctly brighter.

Back to normal ocean conditions and smooth sailing.  I suspect what we sailed through isn't related to TD Michael and likely just the North Atlantic being the North Atlantic.

All in all the ship behaved very well and I didn't see any guests upset by the subtle rocking we experienced.

Off to dinner, top tier event at 7:15pm.  I suspect I better show up an hour early to get a seat.

[twangster]

Day 5 - Dinner

I decided to eat dinner in the MDR after looking at the menu.  MTD reservation set for 6pm off I went arriving at about 10 minutes before my 6pm reservation.

My section from a previous night full they put me in a new section.  While the wait staff were friendly and well suited for the job service was slow.  Possibly the slowest I've experienced in any MDR on any ship. A full twenty five minutes after being seated they came to take my order.  First course arrived after another 30 minutes.  To put that in perspective as a solo traveler I've frequently been out of the MDR in under 60 minutes.

French Onion Soup

Australian Bass

I was careful to ask if this was a fresh water Bass or a Sea Bass.  Sea Bass I was assured.  

For those that don't know I am not into super fishy tasting seafood.  What most restaurants pass off as SeaBass is often pretty mild and I've had it numerous times.  This was pretty fishy tasting.  I know it's good for you and I tried, but two bites in I was done.  

This is what I like about cruising.  Try something.  If you don't like it, order something else.  

On this night thought I was already an hour into the meal and I knew the Top Tier event would be a zoo.  I'll grab something later, dessert please!

Next up, Sugar free Cheesecake.

Gobbling that down off I went straight out of the deck 3 MDR into the line for Studio B and the Top Tier event.

[twangster]

The Top Tier event line was longer than it was for the ice skating show the night before.  Deck 3 cabins are to my back, the MDR to the right past the stairs and Studio B seemingly 3 1/2 miles to the left.  I've never seen a Top Tier event attended like this one.

A few minutes before the posted time they opened the door and we proceeded inside.

I always like when Top Tier is in Studio B because it means the skaters will do a quick routine for us.  Tonight was no exception. 

It starts with a fun skit with a couple in what appears to be a French restaurant with the girl tipsy with wine while her companion tries to keep her on the straight and narrow.  Pulling her back at times, spins, twirls and a bunch of skating routines I don't know the proper names for while she shrieks with 'drunken' joy.

Very well done.

Next up an individual skater doing some more amazing skating moves.

At one point she is skating backwards and does a full backflip.

Nailing the landing like she did the night before.

This is a very small sheet of ice.  It's no where near what we see in the competition skating or the Olympics.  Very well done.

Next the Senior officers are presented ending with the Captain who a does short speech.  I was stuck behind a pole so no picture opportunity.  

I was a bit surprised when 25-30% off the people got up and walked out once they sensed his speech wrapping up.  Indeed this is a strange cruise.

The Captain offered there are over 10 million Crown and Anchor members now.

Time for Top Tier numbers.

Gold 685

Platinum 406

Emerald 225

Diamond 630

Diamond Plus 499

Pinnacle 78

 That amounts to 1,838 Top Tier with 1,207 vying for Diamond Lounge access.  

Top cruiser 1,975 nights.

 

[twangster]

I went to the main theater but while the singer was good, it wasn't my era of music so I left from the back of theater standing room only area.  It was packed.

Seas have settled down quite a bit and checking the radar it seems what's left of Michael is straight off our port side several hundred miles away.  Seas were quite normal and what you might expect on any cruise.  It's hard to capture in the darkness but there is really nothing to show.

[twangster]

Day 6 - Halifax, Nova Scotia

I woke early to capture our arrival and I wasn't disappointed. 

It was nice to see sun and sky after several days of gloomy, wet weather.

[twangster]

Day 6 - Halifax, continued...

Our progress so far...

Inside the cruise terminal at Pier 21 are a number of shops offering local crafts and other souvenirs. 

Halifax and Pier 21 has a lot of history and in the past this very pier served to be the point of arrival for many who immigrated to Canada.  In that sense it's Canada's version of Ellis Island in NYC being the primary seaport used for transatlantic crossings for much of the 1900's.

Plenty of hop on, hop off buses which if walking isn't your thing are a great way to self-explore the city.

Halifax is another old Canadian city with lots of history.  It was the birth place of Samuel Cunard whose parents immigrated here in 1783.  As a businessman he formed a steamship line that would later be known as the Cunard Line sailing from Liverpool, England.

A memorial to woman who volunteered in a variety of roles including during the war efforts.

"The Emigrant" - In many cases men left their families in their home country to pursue work in the new world. later sending money home to them.

Given the role that Halifax has played as a seaport it is also one of Canada's largest Navy ports.

A memorial to those Navy ships and crew lost in World War 2.

This leads to a very nice Harbor walk that follows the shore.

[twangster]

The Harbor walk continues and is home to many restaurants and shops.

A Canadian Navy ship was leaving the port this morning.

A nice playground for anyone with kids can be found along the Harbor walk.

The "Last Steps Memorial Arch" is a tribute to the thousands of men who departed Halifax during World War 1 to fight in the trenches overseas.  Over the course of the war over 350,000 Canadian troops departed from Halifax. 

A view towards the Atlantic with that Navy ship growing smaller on the horizon.

Despite it's history Halifax is a very modern and clean city.

City Hall.

One of the oldest Anglican churches in Canada.

A view up the hill toward the Citadel of Halifax.

In 1917 as the World War I raged on, a Norwegian relief ship collided with a French munitions ship in the narrows of Halifax harbor.  The French ship was carrying explosives from New York City destined for France.  It burned for 25 minutes before 2926 pounds of explosives detonated.  The resulting fireball and shock wave flattened two square kilometers of city.  More than 1,600 were killed, 9,000 injured and 6,000 left homeless.  

Edited October 18, 2018 by twangster