Live from and life on ms Zaandam on her 7-Day Canada-New England cruise - Bos to Mon

[redpear1]

Am enjoying your live reports, we will be embarking this Saturday in Montreal for a B2B. Can you advise how the Beverage Manger has set up Happy hours on the ship. Thank You.

[Copper10-8]

31 minutes ago, redpear1 said:

Am enjoying your live reports, we will be embarking this Saturday in Montreal for a B2B. Can you advise how the Beverage Manger has set up Happy hours on the ship. Thank You.

 

Happy Hour is generally from 4-5 PM in the Ocean Bar and Crow's Nest; from 9-10 PM in the Sea View Bar; and from 10-11 PM once again in the Ocean Bar with 50% off all house brands and cocktails. Entertainment is by the bartenders 😉 You can find the hours and locations every day in the Daily Program

[redpear1]

Thanks so much for the information, sea view bar is a new one for us in regards to happy hour but hey the more the merrier.

[Sir PMP]

29 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Happy Hour is generally from 4-5 PM in the Ocean Bar and Crow's Nest; from 9-10 PM in the Sea View Bar; and from 10-11 PM once again in the Ocean Bar with 50% off all house brands and cocktails. Entertainment is by the bartenders 😉 You can find the hours and locations every day in the Daily Program

No band in the ocean bar?

[Copper10-8]

1 minute ago, Sir PMP said:

No band in the ocean bar?

 

Yes Sir, a trio that plays dance music and, at other times, a single pianist

[sunviking90]

Really enjoying following along with you on this cruise. I agree poor Sydney is a bit of an ugly duckling, but rent a car (if you have not already) and drive the Cabot Trail and she becomes a swan!

[silversneakers]

On 8/16/2022 at 9:39 AM, Copper10-8 said:

Yes on a negative Covid test taken within 72 hrs of embark. However, keep an eye out because Carniva Cruise Line (so not Carnival Corp yet) just dropped the neg Covid test requirement! My money is on HAL following that in the near future

I don't think Canada will allow it. It is my understanding they are still enforcing 10 day quarantine. 

[Copper10-8]

Greets from a rainy (but not inside 😜) Winston's pub in downtown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada 

[zelker]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

Greets from a rainy (but not inside 😜) Winston's pub in downtown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada 

 

If you like the combo of sweet and salty treats, make a point of stopping for some freshly made chocolate-covered potato chips (called COW Chips) at the Anne of Green Gables chocolate shop - COW Chips – ANNE of Green Gables Chocolates (annechocolates.com).  To DIE for!!  😋

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 - 08/15/2022; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

After departing Bar Harbor yesterday afternoon, Zaandam reentered the Atlantic Ocean proper via the Gulf of Maine and set course for the southeastern most point of Nova Scotia, Barrington. Having reached that destination on a very smooth ride, her navigators then set a heading for a north-north easterly course along the east coast of the peninsula that makes up Nova Scotia’s mainland (the mainland of Nova Scotia is connected to the rest of Canada by the Isthmus of Chignecto, on which the province's land border with the province of New Brunswick is located).

 

Halifax, legally known as the Halifax Regional Municipality, is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia. The metropolitan area had a population of 414,400 in 2014, with 297,943 in the urban area centered on Halifax Harbor. The regional municipality consists of four former municipalities that were amalgamated in 1996: Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford and the Municipality of Halifax County. The municipal boundary thus now includes all of Halifax County except for several First Nation reserves. Since amalgamation, the region has officially been known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), although "Halifax" has remained in common usage for brevity.

 

Halifax Harbor, a large natural harbor on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, consists of the main harbor, the Narrows, the Bedford Basin, and the Northwest Arm. The entrance to the harbor has McNabs Island on the eastern side and Herring Cove on the western side. It is a very busy harbor with a Canadian Navy base, as well as a Canadian Coast Guard base, Irving Shipbuilding, commercial wharves for shipping, fishing boats, cruise ships, tour boats, yacht clubs, as well as public marina docks offering facilities for the local boating community and visitors.

 

As can be expected, large vessels entering Halifax Harbor are subject to compulsory pilotage, with harbor pilots boarding at the pilot station off Chebucto Head. Zaandam picked that Halifax pilot and then started making the approach to the huge port of Halifax. We were assigned Pier 22 where Capt. Willems parked his ship port side alongside. Weather conditions were once again really nice with bright sunshine and blue skies. We had breakfast in the PG which was good and then got ourselves squared away for our shorex which, today, would take us one hour south of the city of Halifax to Peggy’s Cove and its lighthouse.

Once outside via Deck 2 this time, our tour bus was waiting for us, as was our tour guide Greg, Scottish kilt and all, plus the knowledge of a local so we were all set! Off we went towards Peggy’s Cove, the small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margaret’s Bay and famous for the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, established in 1868.

 

Peggy’s Cove is situated 26 miles southwest of Downtown Halifax proper and comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula. The community is named after the cove of the same name, a name also shared with Peggy's Point, immediately to the east of the cove. Today, Peggy’s Cove is primarily a tourist attraction, although its inhabitants still fish for lobster, and the community maintains a rustic undeveloped appearance. Upon arrival, we spent roughly one hour and a half to inspect the site and lighthouse which, for us, also included a lunch at the Sou’ Westerner restaurant located within a stone’s throw of the lighthouse. It was an enjoyable visit (haven’t been there for about five years).

 

On the way back to Halifax, we drove by one of the memorials to Swissair Flight 111, a sobering experience! On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret’s Bay with the loss of all aboard. One of two memorials to the victims of the disaster is located at The Whalesback, a promontory approximately 1 km northwest of Peggy’s Cove. The other is located at Bayswater, Nova Scotia, on the Aspotogan Peninsula on the western shore of the bay. The two monuments and the actual crash site are at the vertices of a roughly equilateral triangle across the bay.

 

The monument at Whalesback reads in English and French: "In memory of the 229 men, women and children aboard Swissair Flight 111 who perished off these shores September 2nd, 1998. They have been joined to the sea, and the sky. May they rest in peace." The three notches represent the numerals 111. The sight line from the three grooves in the stone points to the crash site, while the markings on the facing stone point to the memorial at Bayswater.

 

Once back in the city, we had three more stops scheduled; the first one being at the Halifax Public Gardens, a Victorian-era public gardens formally established in 1867, the year of Canadian Confederation. The gardens are located near the popular shopping district of Spring Garden Road and opposite Victoria Park and were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984. We had about an hour to stroll the very nice park complete with a bandstand, statues, extensive flower beds, three fountains, two stone bridges, three ponds (one large and two small), and a small concession building.

 

Next up was another historic site, Citadel Hill and the Citadel. Construction for the present citadel began in 1828 however, the star-shaped fortress was not completed until in 1856, during the Victorian Era, for a total of 28 years of construction. The massive masonry-construction fort was designed to repel both a land-based attack and/or an attack from the water by United States forces. It was a star-shaped hillock citadel with internal courtyard and a clear harbor view from armored ramparts.

 

We watched the changing of the single guard stationed by the main gate by animators (re-enactors) portraying the 78th Highland Regiment (stationed at Halifax between 1869 and 1871). Inside on the parade ground other re-enactors portray the 78ith Highlanders Pipe Band, the Third Brigade of the Royal Artillery, soldiers' wives, and civilian tradespeople. Overall, an interesting visit to the Citadel.

 

Our last stop today was at the Fairview Lawn Cemetery in the north end of Halifax, perhaps best known as the final resting place for one hundred and twenty-one victims of the maritime disaster involving the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. Most of them are memorialized with small gray granite markers with the name and date of death. Some families paid for larger markers with more inscriptions. The occupants of a third of the graves, however, have never been identified and their markers contain just the date of death and marker number.

A grave marked "J. Dawson" gained fame following the release of the 1997 film “Titanic”, since the name of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the film is Jack Dawson. Many filmgoers, moved by the story, left flowers and ticket stubs at Dawson's grave when the film was first released, and flowers continue to be left today. Film director James Cameron has said the character's name was not in fact inspired by the grave. More recent research has revealed that the grave actually belongs to Joseph Dawson, an Irishman who worked in Titanic's boiler room as a coal trimmer.

 

After this final stop, our bus driver drove by Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax, Canada’s east coast naval base and home port to the Royal Canadian Navy Atlantic fleet, known as Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), the Angus L. Macdonald suspension bridge, the Irving Shipbuilding Halifax shipyard, and the Halifax Town Clock before dropping us back off at Pier 22. All Aboard today was 30 min later at 5:30 PM and exactly 29 minutes later, Zaandam rounded Georges Island with its 1917-built lighthouse and began humming back to sea with a course set for Sydney, Nova Scotia.

 

We once again had a nice dinner and most excellent conversation with our four tablemates of table 36 all the way aft against the stern windows of the MDR. The entertainment tonight was the comedy of Orlando Baxter, who we later heard was very funny however, we once again chose to see the late-night movie inside the Wajang Theatre. This was the Canadian comedy “Men with Brooms” with, among others, Leslie Nielsen. Centered on the sport of curling, the offbeat comedy tells the story of a reunited curling team from a small Canadian town as they work through their respective life issues and struggle to win the championship for the sake of their late coach.

 

See ya’ll manana in Sydney, NS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Day 3 - 08/15/2022; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (con't)

 

Halifax Public Gardens

 

Halifax Citadel and changing of the guard

 

Fairview Lawn Cemetery and the graves (in three rows) of 121 RMS Titanic victims

 

Departure from Halifax and pilot boat "Captain E.T. Rogers" picking up not one, but two, Halifax pilots from Zaandam's starboard side pilot break (located within the ship's Marshaling Area on A-Deck)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 8/16/2022 at 6:39 AM, Copper10-8 said:

However, keep an eye out because Carniva Cruise Line (so not Carnival Corp yet) just dropped the neg Covid test requirement!

 

Negative Covid test results still required for sailings to Alaska.

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

The sight line from the three grooves in the stone points to the crash site, while the markings on the facing stone point to the memorial at Bayswater.

 

Thanks for these photos.  I have not seen that when I was in Halifax.  Swissair 111 was a terrible tragedy.  

 

Anyone that has any interest in cruises and maritime history must visit Fairlawn Cemetery.  It's a sobering experience.  I am sure that the other cemetery's where Titanic victims rest in peace are equally sobering.  

 

Halifax has so much to offer a visitor.  I have always found something that I had not experienced before.  

[1ANGELCAT]

@Copper10-8, Which HAL ship was involved with the search efforts in the Swissair tragedy ?

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Negative Covid test results still required for sailings to Alaska.

Yep, but we were discussing this Canada/ NE itinerary

[Copper10-8]

31 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

@Copper10-8, Which HAL ship was involved with the search efforts in the Swissair tragedy ?

Veendam with Capt. Jonathan Mercer in command. When Veendam was in the HAL fleet, there was a framed letter of acknowledgement from the US Coast Guard hanging on the bulkhead adjacent the front office thanking him and his ship for the search efforts after the MD-11 tragically went down

[Copper10-8]

11 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

No band in the ocean bar?

 

11 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Yes Sir, a trio that plays dance music and, at other times, a single pianist

Make that a quintet; vocalist, lead guitar, bass guitar, piano/keyboard and drums/percussion

[CruiserBruce]

40 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

Yep, but we were discussing this Canada/ NE itinerary

If your cruise touches a Canadian port, a negative test is required by Canada before you board.

[oakridger]

John, it's so nice to see a real band at the Ocean Bar!!  I'm loving your pictures and the history lessons.  I haven't been to eastern Canada since I was a kid, so you are inspiring me to get back that way.

 

Captain Jonathan Mercer sure had an amazing career and I followed along with his blog until he retired.  I did not know about the Swissair flight search.

 

Continue having a great time!

 

~Nancy

[Copper10-8]

On 8/14/2022 at 8:47 AM, zelker said:

Not familiar with him.  Any chance you can find out who will replace him and if that person will stay on after the Africa Grand Voyage (i.e., through the holidays and on into January)? 🙏

 

OK, so partly answering your question; Jeremy Hales, also an Aussie, will be replacing Glenn Askew as Zaandam CD on 10 Oct 2022. Unk at this time how long Jeremy's contract is 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Have all the TV's been replaced with flat screens in all the cabins?   

[KBC73]

We will be on the Zaandam in three weeks. My wife loves the piano bar. Do you know who is playing there? 

[Copper10-8]

4 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Have all the TV's been replaced with flat screens in all the cabins?   

 

I can tell you not on Deck 7; they are waiting for them to arrive

[Copper10-8]

1 hour ago, KBC73 said:

We will be on the Zaandam in three weeks. My wife loves the piano bar. Do you know who is playing there? 

 

 

They still have the Mix on Zaandam. Only walked by there. Will attempt to find out the name of the player

[KBC73]

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

They still have the Mix on Zaandam. Only walked by there. Will attempt to find out the name of the player

Thank you