Live from the CB (Aug 24 - 31)

[e050377]

Hi, Can you tell us how immigration and tendering went today in Bar Harbor? I know you had priority immigration and tendering, but did you hear or see anyone else complaining?? Also, have you seen any laundry specials?

 

Thanks for the great updates and info.

[shancan911]

Casshew,

I hope you are still having a wonderful time! And thank you for your live report.

I am anxious to find out if there is any sort of luggage service that will take your bags on the last night, and take them directly to the airport. We had this on our last RCI cruise, for a nominal fee. It would be great on our 10-5 CB cruise, so we could enjoy the city before our 7pm flight. I posted a general thread here as well, but thought if you saw something first hand it may be helpful.

Thanks again!

[TXTraveler76]

Hi Cass,

 

Like Anne- I am interested in hearing more about the Ultimate Ship tour. I will be on the Ruby in December. Leaving tomorrow for Southampton, will be seeing MC on Saturday. Wishing you and Noel a wonderful cruise.

 

Jacki

[Casshew]

Hi everyone - I am still live from the CB which had terrible internet problems yesterday and closed the doors to the cafe with a notice about satellite connectivity difficulties.

 

Yesterday was St. John and another gorgeous warm and sunny day, unbelievable. We had another private tour through Freedomtours.com they met us on the pier - we had a driver and guide who took us for a little city tour and then out to St. Andrews by the Sea for shopping and a lobster lunch. We stopped at the famous Algonquin Hotel (Fairmont) and played shuffleboard on their lawn while the kids had ice cream.

 

We returned to St. John and a lone piper piped us away. There were lots of townsfolk there to meet us in the morning giving beautiful long stem roses to all the ladies as we came ashore and a young fellow there singing beatles and elvis lounge type music, it was a nice welcome.

 

Sail away we watched the Pilot get picked up by his little boat, the whole side of the ship had people out on the balcony and we cheered and applauded as he was picked up and he waved to us all.

 

This morning we had a coast guard cutter with a dozen handsome men right below our cabin, we waved and they yelled good morning and we told them to come on board for coffee :D

 

Their immigration officers boarded for a face to face with only the non-us passengers (I believe.) I am not sure the US passengers had to meet with a face to face. We had to present ourselves between 7:15 am and 9:15am at Churchills pub - there was a small line and after having our passports stamped we were given a immigration card that allowed us to board the tenders to shore.

 

Frenchman's bay was like a mill pond, not a ripple all day. Once again outstanding weather - 75 and not a cloud in the sky. Bar Harbor is a beautiful little place and we took an Oli's Trolly up Cadillac Mountain for a panoramic view of the harbour with the CB sitting out in the middle, it was a beautiful sight.

 

In the afternoon we did a whalewatching excursion (booked through Princess) very crowded, they said 400 people aboard, too many people but we enjoyed it seeing 3 Fin whales, 2 humpback and another one that I cant remember the name of, also several dolphin and 2 seals.

 

The last tender was 5:30pm and a smooth operation, we sailed right on time with the coast guard escorting us out of the bay and the pilot being picked up once again to cheers. We are enjoying the STARBOARD side of the ship, we are getting the sunshine at arrival and a sailaway and seeing all the action with the pilot and tenders. Lots of signs in the store windows welcoming the CB and discounts for cruise passengers.

 

Tonight we was the Chef's menu with crab legs... we ordered 4 crab leg dinners to the cabin - and they were excellent, much better than the legs on the Star and Golden.

 

Tomorrow is Boston and we are doing a Princess excursion to Salem.

 

 

 

Casshew!

 

Personally, I would like to hear more about the menu in the dining room and Carib Buffet.

 

I'm also interested in hearing about the Movies.

 

 

Caribe Cafe had Bavarian night last night and some strange sounding Island Hunter menu tonight, the night before last was an India Buffet that was delicious but my friend Louise and the kids both hated it.

 

Tonights movie is Water Horse, last night was Iron Man, the night before was Leather heads... there are also several movies and concerts during the day.

 

Hi, Can you tell us how immigration and tendering went today in Bar Harbor? I know you had priority immigration and tendering, but did you hear or see anyone else complaining?? Also, have you seen any laundry specials?

 

Thanks for the great updates and info.

 

I have not seen any laundry specials. Immigration seemed to go very smoothly - at least for us, I have not heard any complaints. (so far)

 

Casshew,

I hope you are still having a wonderful time! And thank you for your live report.

I am anxious to find out if there is any sort of luggage service that will take your bags on the last night, and take them directly to the airport. We had this on our last RCI cruise, for a nominal fee. It would be great on our 10-5 CB cruise, so we could enjoy the city before our 7pm flight. I posted a general thread here as well, but thought if you saw something first hand it may be helpful.

Thanks again!

Not sure on the luggage thing, I will keep my eye open for notices.

 

Funny thing happened last night, we were on deck 5 - forward elevators and just got in, the doors started to close when a man in an officers uniform said 'hold the elevator please' my friend went to press the open button but hit the close one instead just as we realized he had FOUR bars on his shoulder and it was Commodore Romano, we practicaly closed the door on his nose. :eek: :D

 

We are loving the cafe lattes and mochas from the Coffee Bar on Plaza deck - I bought the card (15 punches for 24.00 + unlimited brewed coffee). A tip for you is you can order the large version in the take out cup for one punch. Much larger than the coffee cup version - you could probably share as there is enough for 2 on one punch (ie) get the large take out and then pour into 2 coffee cups in your cabin or at the buffet etc..

 

That's all for now - see you tomorrow from Bawston.

[Solara]

Thanks for all your live updates!!

[Starz723]

Thanks for the updates. One day Id like to take that sailing to New England/Canada it sounds very nice! Im glad you had nice weather.

[Colo Cruiser]

Enjoy the rest of the cruise. :)

[lnew1gd1]

Thanks for the "live from" posts! We will be sailing on the CB 9/14, same itin but in reverse.

[RASHOPPER2]

Hi Lbd

 

We Are On This Cruise In Two Weeks So I Am Carefully Reading The Posts. Thanks So Much For The Review. I Hope That You Continue To Have This Gorgeous Weather - Hope That We Have The Same.

 

Were You Happy With Freedom Tours? We Are Booked With Them In Two Weeks.

 

Keep Enjoying.

[Natasha708]

 

Caribe Cafe had Bavarian night last night and some strange sounding Island Hunter menu tonight, the night before last was an India Buffet that was delicious but my friend Louise and the kids both hated it.

 

Tonights movie is Water Horse, last night was Iron Man, the night before was Leather heads... there are also several movies and concerts during the day.

 

 

Thank you so much! Fantastic reporting. We leave for NY tomorrow. Can't wait. Thanks again! You're a wonderful person. Hope we choose to cruise on the same ship 'date' someday!

[luv2swim]

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews.

[spongerob]

Thanks for the updates. We loved our Canada/New England cruise a few years ago. Your reports make we want to do another one.

[Nymue]

{{{{{{{Cass}}}}}}}}

 

I'll tell Bob you liked Baw Ha'Ba :p He grew up not to far from there....we love to go back!!!! Did you see the Carriage Trails, they are wonderful for horse back riding, you and Noel would love them :p

 

Believe me you would NOT want to be up on Cadillac Mt in Nov. - Mar. :eek:

 

Hugs,

Anne

 

 

Frenchman's bay was like a mill pond, not a ripple all day. Once again outstanding weather - 75 and not a cloud in the sky. Bar Harbor is a beautiful little place and we took an Oli's Trolly up Cadillac Mountain for a panoramic view of the harbour with the CB sitting out in the middle, it was a beautiful sight.

.

[WhereIBelong]

We are also on the CB and I concur with Casshew - we have also noticed the "crowding" factor more on this ship. The Promenade is narrower than the Diamond and walking is difficult. We have not had to wait for the dinning room - however we tend to eat after 8pm. Food in the dining room has been very very good.

 

One thing that I noticed that is very different is that the Horizon Buffet has been closed every night at 8pm - both sides - and Cafe Caribe is open with a special menu - Asian, Bavarian, Seafood, etc. If I remember correctly, you used to be able to get dining room items in the buffet in the evening. That has not been the case on this cruise - unless I missed something.

 

MUTS has been: Iron Man, 21, Made of Honor and Leather Heads.

 

The AC is working fine in both our cabins - interior and minisuite. The service has been terrific. We have Dennis (Dolphin 709) for our cabin attendant - he has been wonderful.

 

Velma - future cruise consultant is especially good and one of the most knowledgeable and helpful of all our cruises.

 

Those who follow have nothing to fear - you're gonna have a TERRIFIC cruise!

[TXTraveler76]

Hi,

 

Cass- I know Noel enjoyed seeing the Titantic museum. You are great on finding just the right tours. Have a great time!

 

Jacki

[Diane Rose]

Thank you for the live updates! We leave Sunday and are sooooo looking forward to this trip.

 

Diane

[Colo Cruiser]

We are also on the CB and I concur with Casshew - we have also noticed the "crowding" factor more on this ship. The Promenade is narrower than the Diamond and walking is difficult.

 

 

Love the Promanade on the Diamond/Sapphire/Island/Coral. ;)

[Cinerama]

What time do they start lunch at the dinning rooms?

[Natasha708]

We are also on the CB and I concur with Casshew - we have also noticed the "crowding" factor more on this ship. The Promenade is narrower than the Diamond and walking is difficult. We have not had to wait for the dinning room - however we tend to eat after 8pm. Food in the dining room has been very very good.

 

One thing that I noticed that is very different is that the Horizon Buffet has been closed every night at 8pm - both sides - and Cafe Caribe is open with a special menu - Asian, Bavarian, Seafood, etc. If I remember correctly, you used to be able to get dining room items in the buffet in the evening. That has not been the case on this cruise - unless I missed something.

 

MUTS has been: Iron Man, 21, Made of Honor and Leather Heads.

 

The AC is working fine in both our cabins - interior and minisuite. The service has been terrific. We have Dennis (Dolphin 709) for our cabin attendant - he has been wonderful.

 

Velma - future cruise consultant is especially good and one of the most knowledgeable and helpful of all our cruises.

 

Those who follow have nothing to fear - you're gonna have a TERRIFIC cruise!

 

Thank you so much! What time is the latest you can be served in the anytime dining? Thank you again.

[mikeythemars]

If you like rock music, dont miss the band Wavelength. They are excellent musicians.

 

To each their own. On the 8/15 CB cruise, I found Wavelength to be a very generic, poorly mixed, grade B- level guitar work cover band. The group up by the pool in the afternoons put a lot more feeling into their material.;)

[WhereIBelong]

Cinerama - The in-room guide says that lunch is served in the Horizons Buffet from 11:30am to 4:30 pm. Light buffet with snacks from 4:30pm - 6:30pm.

 

Natasha - The guide also says that Dinner buffet is served from 5:00pm - 11:00pm (in Cafe Caribe) followed by Bistro dinining in the Caribe from 11:00pm - 4:00am.

 

For those interested:

Continental breakfast from 4:00 am to 10:00am

Full breakfast from 6:00am to 11:30am.

 

Weather great in Boston - shuttle available at the pier (billed to your cabin) for $13.00 RT. It's about a 20 minute ride and drops you right off at Quincey Market area.

[CMM]

The Boston shuttle must you reserve this in advance as an excursion or can you just walk up and charge it?

 

Loving all the live posts! Thanks you everyone!

[reggielew]

Hi Casshew!

 

Thanks for the great review. My husband and I have been on the Caribbean Princess several times (most recently in June from New York to the Caribbean) and have loved it every time.

 

I'm curious about the tour you took to Salem as we live in Marblehead which is the next town. What points of interest did you see? If lunch was included, where did they take you? Did the tour also include any sights in Marblehead? When we cruise, we often go to places that we know little about, so it's fascinating to me that we actually live in a town that passengers from our favorite ship come to visit. Thanks for the information--wish we were on the ship with you!!!

 

Reggie

[Dlinkous]

Cass - thank you so much for the live updates! We are on the 9/7 sailing. Any signs of color in the leaves yet?

[Casshew]

Hi everyone, today was Boston and we were docked at Black Hawk Pier (I think that is what it was called) our excursion was early (7:45am) so we were at the buffet at 6:30am and I couldn't believe my eyes as a huge UPS 747 roared over the ship, followed by a fedex, and then American Airlines and then Delta... and then, well you get the picture - the port is right on the pathway to Logan Airport and all day long you get jets taking off or landing - it's a great view as they are extremely low. From the Lido deck it looked like the plane was heading straight for the buffet :D

 

We had another sunny and warm day, blue skies... we left Toronto on August 19th and have not seen a drop of rain and barely a cloud in the sky our whole time in NYC and on the CB. I hear tomorrow may be rainy in Newport, so we shall see if our luck holds out.

 

Tonight was the second formal night and I was happy to see many passengers dressed nicely.

 

Here is my BIG NEWS... last night in the Casino I went down to see if I would get the wild card spot in the slots tournament I played in earlier... while I was waiting for the draw I put 10bucks in the closest slot machine to where the tournament was going on - it was called 99 beers on the wall or something like that..,. immediately the machine went crazy... I hit Triple flaming 7, triple flaming 7, triple flaming 7 and the 6 X bonus reel... that is 6000 quarters....... $$1500.00 USD Yay! - there was a crowd of people there waiting for the wild card draw and the casino employee congratulated me over the loud speaker and everyone applauded :D

 

I went back to the cabin to tell everyone the good news and they were all asleep so I had to keep it to myself until morning.

 

 

I'm curious about the tour you took to Salem as we live in Marblehead which is the next town. What points of interest did you see? If lunch was included, where did they take you? Did the tour also include any sights in Marblehead? When we cruise, we often go to places that we know little about, so it's fascinating to me that we actually live in a town that passengers from our favorite ship come to visit. Thanks for the information--wish we were on the ship with you!!!

 

Reggie

 

Hi Reggie, we did the Marblehead/Salem/boston hightlights tour with lunch included... we first drove around Boston a bit, stopping at Trinity Church and driving past Boston Commons and cheers etc....

 

Then we made our way to Marblehead, stopping along side the harbor for photos (about 15 minutes) and seeing all the beautiful homes - it was a gorgeous day so that made it even nicer.

 

After Marblehead we headed to Salem and immediately went for lunch at a place called the Victorian Station? it was on the water near the Customs House and sailing ship with masts. We did a little shopping after lunch and then walked to a cemetary and then the witch museum.

 

Overall the tour was okay but the lunch was of poor quality and there was not enough time for shopping and the museum was a little disappointing, I think we expected artifacts and to wander around on our own, but instead it is an audio video presentation and a smallish gift shop. We had a good day but it was not what we were expecting, many people were commenting that they were bored. We made it back to the ship by 3:15pm (we left at 6:45am) and the ship sailed at 4pm We really liked our guide though, she was a tiny little, sweet lady who was very informative and helpful.

 

 

 

Cass - thank you so much for the live updates! We are on the 9/7 sailing. Any signs of color in the leaves yet?

 

Here and there some spots of colour but nothing much to speak of. I think people would be disappointed in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for colour as most of what I saw were evergreens/pine.. but Bar Harbor/Boston will be spectacular.

 

Dinner tonight was Lobster tails and Scampi - the tail was the same size as the scampi, at first I thought they only gave me shrimp until I realized it was really a tail lol

 

Tonight we watched the not so newly wed show - funny as always...

 

Tomorrow is Newport and our last full day on the CB :( see you then.

 

PS: Internet was down all afternoon again