Planning
I got an email from my travel agent about a great deal on a
balcony cabin. It was a cruise heading out of New York City and going to New
England. In fact it was such a good deal our travel agent Kelly was coming with
us. When we booked another cruise one month earlier than this one, with a group
of friends Deb and I discussed cancelling this one. Well, it wasn’t much of a
discussion, I suggested cancelling it and she said no.
Next time I brought it up she got a hurt look on her face
but then said, “You do what you feel is best.” I checked with Kelly but it was
going to cost me hundreds to cancel so I thought better of it.
When I got home from our other cruise I logged into the NCL
webpage and there in big letters it said, “Just 17 days until your next cruise.
“Ah!” I thought, “I am not ready.” Luckily Deb did all the legwork on this one
and all I had to do was pack and board the plane.
Our travel agent did most of the planning. We didn’t have to
book flights or find a hotel; that was all done for us. As a matter of fact I
didn’t even know the name of the hotel I was staying in until I got to New
York.
The Flight in to New
York
We drove down to Sea-Tac at two in the morning to catch our
6am flight. We got to the airport parking early. When we put in our booking
number it came up with a list of names. It is weird being in a group like this
and not being able to print the boarding passes at home. It was a new
experience for us. We selected our names and printed out our passes. All went
well and soon we were checked in and through Security.
We then made our way to the gate where we hear that someone
in the group was running late and are not going to make the flight. Most of the
rest of the group is from a YMCA exercise class and they all know each other.
Deb and I were kinda of outsiders.
It was a nonstop flight and the first time we have flown
across the country without a layover. It is a five hour flight though. Deb fell
asleep because she is not used to being up at 2 am but since I am used to it I
sat there wide awake despite my attempts at dozing off.
As I looked out the window of the airplane I saw a beautiful
crimson colored sunrise that we are flying into. Soon clouds obstruct my view.
I was able to finally nod off several hours into the flight. When I wake up I
look down and the clouds have parted. There are the Great Lakes right below me.
Deb wants to look so I give her the window seat. The guy in the seat next to me
has a map on his computer that shows our current position and he says we are
over Rochester, New York. As we get closer, I am able to spot iconic landmarks
from the plane window; the Brooklyn Bridge, the Freedom Tower, the Empire State
Building, and the Statue of Liberty. We land in Newark, New Jersey. It is the
first time I have been in New Jersey so I have another state I can check off in
my goal to get to all fifty.
We then made our way to baggage claim to collect our
luggage. We do so without a hitch and then join the rest of the group and are
put on a bus to the hotel. As we travel into New York City I watch as we go
through neighborhood after neighborhood, each with its own uniqueness. We
arrive at our hotel and get out. They will bring our luggage to our room so we
can go and explore right away and not have to lug our suitcases around. Our
room is on the 29th floor. Deb and I went and dropped off our carryon
bags. When we looked down we saw that we were right on Times Square.
I didn’t even know the name of the hotel until we were on
the bus and on the way to it, I have been so disconnected from this cruise. I
was amazed to see all of the bling and flashing lights of the city.
I had several bad stereotypes of New York growing up and it
lasted even as far as my late teens when I was at the New York airport going
overseas. I thought that there were muggers on every corner and that you would
get killed riding the subway. It stems from all of the movies and television
shows you see growing up that put New York in a bad light. In my later years it
is enhanced by all the news reports of gangs roaming the cities and stabbings
on the subways.
Deb does not have these same fears and was all gung ho to
get out there. We hit the streets and grab a hot dog from a New York street
vendor. When we are in Times Square there are many people dressed up as
different characters. There is Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and some I
don’t recognize. All of them are going around trying to get people to take pictures
with them, if you do then they expect a tip for it.
This one girl in a glitzy bikini with a headdress on comes
up to me and asks, “Don’t you want a picture with me?”
‘You trying to get me killed?’ I think. I look over and the
wife is scowling at me. I say, “No, thank you” I say to the girl and we moved
on.
When we exited the subway we were face to face with the Staten
Island Ferry. I can tell you nothing about Staten Island except it has a ferry
to it. I’m looking around for a ticket booth and Deb is smiling to herself.
There is no charge for the Staten Island Ferry, You just walk on along with a
thousand other people.
When we got back to the room Deb mentioned the mattress was
a little hard for being such a fancy hotel. It didn’t matter to me as I fell
right to sleep.
Boarding the Ship
I woke up at 2 am. Deb had mentioned that the city never
sleeps so I looked out the window down at Times Square to see if she was right.
It was a lot less chaotic but there were still people down there.
We were about to go to the same restaurant that we had eaten
dinner at but since we were short on time and had to be back at 11 to catch the
bus to the ship we decided to go to the bakery that was part of the restaurant
instead. We bought some pastries and were on our way.
We did not do the subway like we had the night before but we
took a taxi to the Empire State Building. I had always wanted to visit it as a
kid and especially after seeing the movie Sleepless in Seattle. When we got
there we took some pictures. It was $29.00 per person to take the elevator to
the top. Since that was a little spendy, we decided against it, but I did go up
and touch it so I could say I did. We then went across the street to McDonalds
for a quick breakfast. It started to rain at this point. It was lucky that I
had already taken a picture of it because now clouds were hiding the top of the
building.
We went over to the Rockefeller Center and took pictures. It
was interesting to see all the home of some of the largest networks in the
country. We then walked past Radio City Music Hall. We were soaking wet by this
point. All of the street vendors had switched from souvenirs to umbrellas. How
do they do that? I stopped and bought one. Don’t know if I have ever owned one
before. Coming from Seattle area, we just grin and bear the rain, but this rain
was coming down a lot heavier than that we have in Seattle.
We passed the offices of Fox News. They looked like they
were trying to set up for an on street demonstration about some food show, but
I was thinking that it might be getting rained out.
We walked back to Times Square. It was a lot different scene
there than it was the day before. No crowds, just people with umbrellas or
scrambling to get out of the rain.
When we got back to our room we were surprised that our
suitcases were still there. The hotel was supposed to have taken them down to
the bus. It was good because we were able to get some dryer clothes on. We
waited another half an hour and finally I went down to see what was going on.
There was our travel agent loading bags onto the bus. It had started, so I ran
back up to the room and the suitcases were now gone. When I we got back down to
the bus, it was time to get on.
When Kelly, our travel agent, got on board he headed back
towards us. “I’m going back here to sit by Clark,” he told someone as he
passed. It made me feel special. It was good because we had someone to talk to
as we headed towards the pier.
I don’t know who designed the traffic pattern at the pier
but they should be checked for drugs. We were over an hour sitting at a stop
light, the same stop light, over and over again. We had to wait to cross the
oncoming lanes and then turn right past them, but the road in front of the
docks was completely blocked by all of the taxis and busses that were trying to
get in there.
Finally we got across the street. Now we were stopped again
because all of the bus parking stalls were used up. At least the bus was
comfortable and we were sitting down out of the rain and not waiting in a long
line. That would come later. We finally got off the bus and headed towards the
main building. I saw an unused escalator so I took it up to the next floor. It
emptied out in the middle of the building. It was crowded and those trying to
get out of the elevators were met with a totally packed room. They had to push
their way in. The stations that lead up to Security zigzagged through the
building, but the crowd was way past those. It came out of the elevators, went
to one side of the building then all the way to the other and then came back to
where the post and ropes started. If you missed a turn, you would get yelled at
by someone in line, like the guy behind me did. Not sure if he actually missed
the corner but he was accused of it. The guy in front of me was doing the
yelling.
I didn’t see what it mattered because the guy was still
behind him. The guy in front also scowled at us, but didn’t say anything. There
were two ships boarding at the same time. I was hoping Mr. Angry was going to
be on the other ship.
The guys in Security kept announcing to have everything out
of your pockets and in your bags. All belt buckles off and be ready to go when
you hit the Security metal detectors. We split away from Mr. Angry at that
point because there were several metal detectors. The line we got into had this
older gentleman slowly taking things out of his pockets and the Security guy
glaring at him. We blew by the man and went through the metal detector. The
Security guy didn’t even mind.
We then had priority check in because we are Platinum
Latitude members. That is NCL’s reward program highest level. We also found out
that we had been given VIP status. We wondered if it was because Deb writes
cruise books or the fact we were hosting the meet and greet for the Cruise
Critic roll call.
We only had to wait a minute before we were all checked in
and walking towards the ship. Mr. Angry had just barely made it through the
other check in line and he scowled at us as we passed him. He must have been
thinking that we had taken cuts somewhere. He didn’t say anything though. If
anyone ever needs a line monitor, contact me and I will describe him to you.
NCL was doing a lot better job of getting people on the ship
than Holland America was because those going on that cruise line had another
massive line to stand through before they could even check in.
When we got on board the cabins were already ready so we
went there to drop off our carryon bags. When we picked up the daily schedule
we noticed that the main restaurant was open for lunch, closing in seven
minutes. Deb said we couldn’t make it, but after running through the Copenhagen
airport to get to a flight that we shouldn’t have made, I said we should try.
We did make it.
After lunch it was time for the lifeboat drill. I knew we
could not skip this despite having done it twenty three times before. We did
manage to get out of it only once. The ship was going on a twenty three day
cruise but we were only doing the Vancouver to Seattle portion so when the
Captain announced that he was going to hold the lifeboat drill on day two, we
smiled. That was before Costa Concordia.
You have two chances on the lifeboat drill. One is that you
get to go to the main theater the other is that you have to go stand on the
deck. We were some of the unlucky ones that had to go stand on the deck. It
went fast and we did not have to take our life jackets, so we were not tripping
over everyone’s straps.
Kelly, our travel agent invited us up for the sail away. He
had a forward facing suite. It was just amazing to go through the channel
looking out at New Jersey on one side and New York on the other. We passed
right past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Staten Island. We then
passed the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Dinner that night was eggplant for me. I had eaten the
eggplant on another NCL ship just the month before so I was comparing it. The
recipe was slightly different but I had to admit the eggplant on this ship was
a lot better than our previous one. I also had the chocolate volcano. Deb told
me not to because they always over bake the cake and the chocolate in the
center is hard. This one was perfect however.
We had an introductory show that night. It gave us a glimpse
of all the entertainers we would see all week. The comedian was great. One
thing I did notice is that one of the singers from the production staff was
amazing. I wondered what she was doing on a cruise ship with a voice that like.
Not that the other singers were not good, because they were, but she was
amazing. I went to every event where she sang the rest of the cruise. I would
buy her album.
Sea Day
I always enjoy a sea day first thing when I go on a cruise.
I can rest from the long trip that I took to get to the ship and have time to
explore. Having a sea day first was a plus on this cruise.
I started the day early by going down and getting a snack at
Blue Lagoon. They are getting rid of all the Blue Lagoons and turning them into
O’Sheehan’s. I will miss the Blue Lagoon. Since I have never been on a ship
that has O’Sheehan’s, I can’t compare, but I worry if it will be any good. It’s
named after the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines. I don’t know what they will do
if he ever retires. Will they rename them all for the new CEO? What if the CFO
of Norwegian took over? would they name the restaurant O’Beck’s? It just
doesn’t sound right. They couldn’t name it Wendy’s as there is already a
Wendy’s out there. It just seems short sighted and maybe just a little arrogant
to me.
We opted for a balcony because our amazing travel agent got
us a great deal. We are usually cheap and go with an inside. I figure I can go
on two cruises for the price of one if I always travel with an inside state
room. We have been in balconies and ocean views before, depending on the deal
we get, but after this cruise I have decided that I really like balconies and
maybe I won’t be as excited about an inside after this.
We had breakfast at Cagney’s. We somehow got VIP status on
the ship. I am not complaining, mind you. It’s just a little weird. We had it
on the last ship we were on, too. I blame the wife because she is a writer of
cruise ‘how to’ books. It could be because she hosted the meet and greet also.
We had VIP status on our last cruise also; I hosted the meet and greet and that
one. It could be that, but I am blaming the wife. We need to go on another
cruise where neither one of us host the meet and greet to make sure. It could be
because I am a cruise blogger, but I doubt that.
Our travel agent looked real surprised to see us at
Cagney’s. He was in the forward facing suite so one of his perks is breakfast
there. He knew that he had put us in a plain balcony cabin. He must have been
thinking, ‘Oh, no, just when I thought I had gotten rid of them, here they
are.’
After breakfast we went to see the concierge, Carlos. He is
an amazing man. We are platinum on NCL so one of the benefits for a taking so
many cruises with them is getting a concierge. It’s also a VIP perk. We wanted to book a dinner reservation at La
Bistro, the French restaurant. The lady on the phone was telling Carlos that
the time we had chosen was not going to work, but that was the earliest we
could get there because we had been invited to a reception with the Captain. It
was part of the VIP benefits. Carlos kept saying, “But they are going to be
with the Captain.”
Finally he got frustrated and said, “I will have to talk to
the Maître d’.” When he hung up the phone he turned to us and said, “Show up at
the time you have planned, I will make it happen.” True to his word they were
more than happy to seat us at that time when we showed up that night. Carlos
even stopped by to make sure we were happy.
The meet and mingle was a rousing success. Almost everyone
that said they were going to show up did and almost everyone was on time. Deb
did a fantastic job of organizing it. We had organized a couple of tours with
fellow roll call members so we tried to find those whom we were going on tours
with.
Having a meet and mingle right away was great because you
could recognize people for the rest of the week as you walked around the ship
and on shore.
We had had dinner with an officer on one of our previous
cruises. It was Gary who is in charge of the front desk. He had seen us walk by
earlier and was trying to figure out where he had seen us before. When we saw
him at the meet and greet we both walked up to him.
We told him we had met him on the Jewel on our way up the
coast. He then remembered. He is a really nice guy and talked of wanting to
grow a garden at his mother’s house. I hope he gets to do that on his next
leave.
We had shuffle board tournament, which we lost. Then we had
a trivia game, we came in second. By then we were out of time so we did just a
quick lunch at the Blue Lagoon. I had hot chicken wings which were not that
hot. The next time I ate them I had a serious flame out, so they are not
perfectly consistent in their seasonings.
After that we were off to the Latitudes Party. The captain
talked to us and we found out about the crew. The cruise director Dan Dan was
fun, but he was leaving was leaving the ship after that cruise.
The Captain’s VIP party was early that evening in the Haven.
Carlos escorted us and few other couples because it was held in the Haven, an exclusive
area of the ship. It was a little stuffy for my tastes. We did meet a nice
couple from Texas. He had asked his wife what side of the ship she wanted to be
on and she said, “I want to be in the middle.” He said that was possible but it
costs a little extra.
I’m thinking, ‘yeah about ten thousand extra.’ I had been in
the Haven before on another ship. We were doing a cabin crawl and looked how
the others were managing. One couple had the largest of the haven rooms so I
got to see that.
We had dinner at La Bistro. It was really good.
Bar Harbor
Halifax
Deb left the balcony door open all night so she could hear
the sound of the waves. I thought they got a little loud for my liking, but
went along with it anyway.
In the morning we grabbed a quick breakfast at Blue Lagoon.
It is nice to have a sit down meal that is not chaotic like the buffet and does
not take an hour like the main dining room does. I guess we could have eaten at
Cagney’s again, but their menu does not change.
We met our group in the main lobby and waited for the ship
to clear customs before setting out. Deb pointed out that we were in front of
the pier that served the same purpose in Canada that Ellis Island served the
United States.
We had taken this same tour two years before, so we wanted
to take it again. The first thing we did was go out to Peggy’s Cove. It is the
most photographed lighthouse in Canada. The only problem is, it is so popular
that you cannot get a picture of it without a lot of other people in the
picture. It is a very popular place.
I enjoy walking around the cove and snapping some shots at the scenic fishing
village that surrounds the cove. There are some really good places to get some
nice shots without a lot of people around. After wandering through the village
we met back up with our tour guide.
He then drove us out to get some very fresh lobster. It was
the same place we had eaten before. It was definitely back to basics but what
more do you need than a lobster, a bib and a picnic table. It was really good.
After a tour through the most interesting points of the city
the tour guide dropped us off at the citadel. It is on a hill that overlooks
Halifax. At one time you could see the whole of the harbor from there, but
anymore there are so many tall buildings that you have to peek between them in
some parts to see the water.
We did some shopping after that, as we made our way back to
the ship. At the ship we managed to win trivia by getting 15 out of 20
questions correct.
Our travel agent Kelly treated us to dinner at the Italian restaurant,
La Cucina. I enjoy their food. After
dinner the show was Second City. I have seen them too much I think. The skits
are getting old, but this group did some of them in a new way. I did laugh in
parts I will admit.
We were both tired so we headed back to the cabin.
St. John
We had time this morning because the ship didn’t get into
St. John until later so we decided to have breakfast at Cagney’s. They have a
good spread. Then we headed down for the behind the scenes ship tour. We were
just planning on making an easy day of it because we had seen all of the sights
two years ago.
The behind the scenes ship tour was awesome. We went into
the galley and down below that into the food prep area. We also saw the laundry
and the crew only areas. It was interesting. I was a little disappointed that
we didn’t get to go up to the bridge.
We booked dinner at the Orchid Garden Asian restaurant. Deb
wanted to do it, but it isn’t my favorite type of food. Deb enjoyed it and that
was all right by me.
When we went ashore we hit a museum of the area that we had
missed last time. It was in the middle of a shopping mall of all places. It was
interesting how they depicted the Americans as the bad people. St. John was
made up of a lot of Tories from the American Revolution. The Tories were allied
with the English. When the English lost the war, the Tories were encouraged to
leave the United States. A lot of them were given land in St. John to settle
on. It was hard times the first few years because the weather was cold and they
didn’t have sufficient shelter.
A funny thing happened at the museum. Carlos had told us
earlier of a time he visited the ancient city of Troy. One lady from Ohio was
there and she was complaining the whole time. “It’s just a pile of rocks,” she
would say.
Finally Carlos could take it no more. He said, “What history
do you have in Ohio? Nothing, you have nothing.”
I can see his point after visiting the Mediterranean a month
before that. Compared to the history that is there, we Americans can only go
back a few hundred years.
He wasn’t disrespecting everyone from Ohio, but this lady
had gotten on his last nerve.
When we were at the museum a man went up to the desk and was
talking to the ladies there. They asked him where he was from and he said
“Ohio.”
“Oh,” the lady said, “You are the first person I have met
from Ohio.”
He replied, “People from Ohio don’t get out much.”
After what Carlos had told us, I had to suppress a chuckle.
We then went to the market. It is the original market for
the city and it is still in use today. I bought a butter tart there because it
looked good. It was amazing. I then went and bought another butter tart. The
clerk laughed when I came back but I didn’t care. I wanted to taste another
one.
We did a little shopping on the way back to the ship. Deb
went in a store that I wasn’t interested in. There were a few seats in front
for unenthusiastic men to sit on while the women shopped. I sat down next to a
guy who looked like he had been there awhile.
As we got to talking I found out he had been there a long while. I got tired of waiting so I
told him, “I’m going to go get her.” I was talking about Deb.
He laughed under his breath and said, “Good luck with that.”
When I got in there Deb had not been able to find what she
wanted so she was on her way out.
The guy sitting in the front looked shocked. “How did you do
that?” he asked.
There was also a market that was only for the cruise ship
passengers and you had to show your key card to get in. I thought that was
weird. It didn’t stop us from going in however.
When we got back to the ship we headed for dinner. Carlos
was in front of the restaurant making sure we made it and were happy.
The show that night was a production show put on by the
staff. I wasn’t anything to write home about but I did enjoy the singing of
that one girl.
We then went to the ‘Dancing with the Gem stars.’ It was at
the lounge upstairs after the show. It was fun. It ended in a tie.
Bar Harbor
Both of us feeling iffy this morning so we both ate cold
cereal for breakfast. It seemed the safe thing to do. Too much good food, I
guess.
We met our group at the Atrium in front of the big screen. I
brought two bottles of wine with me to give away. We had gotten them from
people onboard but since we don’t drink, I gave them away. They must have been
good bottles of wine because the people I gave them to read the label and said
‘wow.’
We had to tender in Bar Harbor so we met Carlos at the
lounge across from Cagney’s. He led our group down the crew elevator and right
to the tenders. No waiting in line; we were onboard the tender in no time.
Those we were with kept asking how we got VIP status. I
could not answer them. I could only guess. I still blame Deb. Our driver was
named Tucker and he met us at the tender dock.
The van he picked us up in was a piece of junk. It had no
shocks, so every time we hit a bump, and there are a lot of bumps in Bar
Harbor, it would jar our backs. The brakes were lousy. You could hear them
grinding metal on metal whenever Tucker braked. Then the check oil light kept
coming on. The defroster was weak and could not keep up with the number of
people in the van.
I did not feel safe and I was far from comfortable in the
thing, especially when we tried to get up on top of Cadillac Mountain. Tucker,
on the other hand, did a great job, in my estimation. The only thing is he
described a shallow bay as a fjord. Other than that he was okay.
The weather seemed the thwart us at every step. We almost
got up to the top of Cadillac Mountain when we were engulfed in a wall of fog.
We got down to Thunder Hole and didn’t get two steps when the deluge happened.
We all got soaked to the skin. I literally wrung out my hat.
Finally Tucker drove up and stopped at a scenic area. It was
still raining so I said, “you don’t expect us to get out do you?”
He didn’t and we all stayed in the van. Tucker made the most
of what he could and showed us alternate areas. The rain finally slowed down
and we were able to get out here and there. The stone bridges and carriage
trails were interesting.
Finally Tucker let us out of the van at a restaurant and we
went in to have some blueberry pie. I had missed getting some last time and Deb
was determined not to let me do that again.
When we got back onto the ship we played trivia then ate in
the main dining room. The comedian that night was really good. We had seen him
before on another ship in Alaska.
Afterwards we went to watch the country line dancing in the
lounge. It was funny to have Filipinos singers singing the songs and Filipinos
showing the passengers how to line dance to country music. I guess it’s true
that music is international, at least on cruise ships.
Boston
For the first time on the cruise we had breakfast in the
main dining room. We then walked down to the pier. There was a stand there
selling tickets to their shuttle. It was expensive but we figured it would be
less than a cab. Come to find out it was around the same price. If we would
have thought ahead we could have split a cab and been further ahead.
The shuttle stopped about six blocks from where we wanted to
be so the cab would have been more practical. We dodged traffic for those six
blocks and walked over to Faneuil Hall. There was a tour of the area put on by
the National Park Service or you could go to the Old State House and pay an arm
and a leg for the same tour.
They took us to the plaque where the Boston Massacre
happened. Only it happened in the middle of the street but they had to move the
plaque because tourists were stopping to take pictures of it and getting hit by
cars.
The tour was great and afterwards we decided to walk the
northern half of the Freedom Trail. We had done the southern part two years ago
so we finished it up. It ended at Bunker Hill. There is a museum there and on
top of the hill is an obelisk. My legs were tired, but I suddenly got the urge
to climb to the top of the obelisk. It was 294 steps. The steps are marked
every 25 or so. That way you know how far you have come. I wanted to stop at
one point because I was dying, but I was over half way so I continued. At the
top there is a grate in the middle of the floor where you can look down the
whole distance you have climbed up. I stood on it before I knew what it was but
as soon as I figured it out I got off of it.
There were four small windows at the top that looked out in
each direction. I took pictures out of all four and then started making my way
down. Dizziness was the main problem on the return trip. The stairs were narrow
and there was two way traffic on them. If you lost your step I suppose you
would have bounced all the way down to the bottom so it was a real motivation
to use the hand rails.
My legs felt like rubber when I got to the bottom. Deb asked
if I wanted to sit down, but I knew if I did, I would never manage to get back
up again as my muscles would lock up. Better to keep going, I thought.
We walked down by the Constitution. The line was really long
and since we had been inside of it just two years ago, we opted not to wait. We
then walked down to the pier where the ferry boat takes you back to the Long
Warf area. I wanted to get a picture of the Constitution from the sea as we
sailed away but the ticket line is inside the ship and they set sail before we
could purchase our tickets. We were in line behind Benjamin Franklyn. I kid you
not. They gave him the senior discount. I thought that they should have given
him free passage. Someone 308 years old should not have to pay to ride.
As soon as we had the tickets I ran upstairs and started
taking pictures. When we got back to
Quincy Market we bought lunch and took it upstairs where there are some table
and chairs in the middle of the atrium.
We didn’t have to wait for the bus long luckily and got back
on the ship fairly quickly. Deb had some stuff she wanted to download and the
ships internet is pricey. When we saw a crew member sitting on the promenade
deck with his tablet we figured we could get connected to Boston Harbor’s Wi-Fi
system. Deb went down and got her Kindle. It worked.
The show that night was 70s music. We both enjoyed it and
then went to the chocoholic buffet afterward.
Second City had a
workshop afterwards but it completely bombed. The only ones laughing were the
Second City people.
Newport, Rhode Island
We had to take a tender into Newport. It was inconvenient. We
VIP tender tickets again and the two couples who had gone with us on a tour
into Bar Harbor also wanted to come with us in Newport. This time we got down
to the tender and the lady in charge was not in a good mood. She made us wait
about fifteen minutes. It was still a lot better than standing in that long
tender line however.
One of the other couples split off from us at this point but
we stayed with the other one through the day. We split a taxi ride to Fort
Adams.
The fort was huge. It served during the Civil War. A lot of
the Confederate officers had served in Fort Adams before the war so they knew
that it was strong and not to attack it. Like the tour guide said, “We waited
for them to come, but they never came.”
After that we took a city bus around the city. We got
glimpses of the famous houses that the city is known for. The most famous one
is Breakers. It was built by the Vanderbilts. It’s a massive house that
overlooks the harbor. It wasn’t their main residence; just a summer home. It
cost $31 to tour it and we were not that interested so we didn’t go in.
When we arrived back at the ship we had lunch at the Blue
Lagoon. Having to leave the ship back in New York the next day is a sad thing
but we started packing up anyway. I think that I like the longer cruises
better. The cruise we had the month before was a twelve day so we would have
had five more days at this point.
The show was a Variety show. It was fun.
New York City
Disembarkation
I am just going to say that this was the worst
disembarkation I have ever lived through in all my cruises. It was a madhouse.
Especially as we had a tour group and we had to wait for all of those eighty
five people to get off. It didn’t matter as there were so many busses coming
and going that ours could not get to the pier.
It then started raining which didn’t help either. All the
while the men that worked for the pier were yelling at people. They kept
telling them they had to go across the street, but the traffic was so bad you
could not get across the street. After we finally got on the bus and got our
suit cases sorted out we were driven to the Newark Airport where we caught our
flight home.
Cruise Books by Deb Graham
